It’s May and that means it’s the official start of patio season! To kick off this glorious time, DiningOut did some research on where to go in Denver for a great outdoor happy hour. Here are a few of their picks!
The rooftop here is not to be missed! Made to be utilized year-round, it moves at the touch of a button and can be covered for chilly days or opened for patrons to enjoy the sunshine. Happy hour lasts from 5-6pm Tuesday-Friday and boasts some really great eats, like Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Steamed Duck Buns, and beautiful pieces of sashimi and nigiri. Don’t miss it!
We love the history of Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox and never miss a chance to grab a bite there. Monday through Friday, you can enjoy happy hour from 4-6pm and get down on discounted beer, wine, cocktails, and small plates. Did someone say cheese curds and Wagyu beef sliders? Count us in!
Two words: gravy fries. We’ll never believe that life gets better than hanging out on the Steuben’s patio and indulging in as many small bites are our bodies can hold. Happy hour lasts from 2-6pm Monday-Friday and offers a great selection of plates and booze for the whole crew.
These people take happy hour seriously. Chill on the massive patio from 3-8pm any day you like to enjoy discounted libations and some of the best tacos and burritos that Denver has to offer.
We know, we know—there’s a lot of Linger happy hour hype and has been for years. But that’s only because it rules. Great views of the city and discounted bites and drinks is music to our ears, available Monday-Friday, 4-6pm.
There’s just nothing like dining alfresco with too many margs and tacos after a long day on the job. Tamayo has perfected this experience, with an inventive take on our favorite Mexican dishes and flavorful margaritas you’ll want to order by the pitcher. Stop by between 2-6pm daily.
Check out what the rest of the best outdoor happy hour spots Denver has to offer on DiningOut.com→
From the Angry Chef (AKA Atlanta Chef Ron Eyester) taking to Twitter to share his fiery opinions on guest complaints to South Park episode You’re Not Yelping, which mocks Yelpers for their self-importance, it’s fair to say that the Yelp reviewer backlash is nowhere near its end. In fact, more recently, Mark Nery, owner and chef of Denver restaurant Onefold, got some attention for his snarky response to Yelp reviews.
So with the fire obviously still burning hot, DiningOut.com decided to ask their Chef Panel how they respond to Yelp reviews. Here’s a look at they said.
“At Vesta, we like to take a proactive approach to both good and bad reviews. With different online forums, we have different abilities to respond, depending on if they leave contact information or not. Any time there is something great or poor, we try to take the time to respond directly to the guests. Especially when we feel that someone has truly had an unpleasant time, was disappointed with something, or even just not thrilled with the entire experience, we reach out to address the concerns specifically”
“I prefer the sport of trying to turn them around. It doesn’t always work, but it’s more enjoyable than getting all fired up and hitting them back. I look at that as dropping to their level of emotional IQ, and why dumb yourself down on purpose?”
“Edible Beats has a simple philosophy: all Yelp reviews (or any online reviews for that matter) should be responded to—good, bad, and indifferent. To be able to connect with Yelpers … allows us to communicate hospitality after the guest has left the restaurant. Even if we messed up their experience when they were at one of the restaurants, we’re hungry to win them back and exceed their expectations—sometimes a simple email to a Yelp reviewer does just that.”
“You should respond to a bad Yelp review with class. They already showed their hand by talking on Yelp. Therefore, there is no need to be defensive or lash out with backhanded compliments and gratitude.”
“It would be better and more productive if customers voiced their displeasure at the time of service and not waited to get home and send ranting emails filled with bad grammar at two in the morning. We have empowered our staff to deal with issues as they come up.”
Check out what the rest of the DO Chef Panel has to say about responding to Yelpers on DiningOut.com→
If you didn’t already know, Colorado is the birthplace of more than just a few food and beverage-related businesses. From Coors to countless craft breweries to casual restaurant chains like Chipotle and Noodles & Company. Let’s not forget the higher end restaurants like The Kitchen, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, and Sushi Den. Not to mention too many food brands to count.
After some research on the subject, DiningOut featured 10 food products started in Colorado that are now national (and even international) hits; here’s a taste of their list:
1. Noosa Yoghurt (Fort Collins)
When Colorado resident Koel Thomae was visiting home in Queensland, Australia in 2005, she happened upon a little yoghurt shop that was like nothing she’d ever taste.
“That first taste was revolutionary and from that point forward, I was obsessed.”
A couple years later, she stumbled upon a flyer in a coffee shop for a family-owned dairy farm. She cold-called farmer Rob Graves and convinced him to be her business partner. Noosa, which is known for its ultra-creamy texture and inventive flavors (the newest: Blackberry Serrano), landed in Whole Foods immediately, and also gained a local following at farmers’ markets. Soon after, a deal with King Soopers and a big break with Target unleashed Noosa nationally.
2. Hammond’s Candies (Denver)
Did you know that Colorado’s dry climate is prime for candy-making? That’s in part what Hammond’s Candies credits for its success. In 1920, Carl Hammond’s mother told him he could leave school if he started a trade. So he found a gig apprenticing for a candy maker and then opened his own shop.
It wasn’t until some 70 years later when Williams-Sonoma asked to sell Hammond’s toffee that it morphed from a candy corner shop to a manufacturing operation.
In 2007, Andrew Schuman bought the business and scaled up even more into a 93-percent wholesale operation. Today, Hammond’s, which still sources many ingredients locally, is the largest handmade manufacturer of confections in the U.S. You can go see Hammond’s make candy the same way Carl did back in 1920 with a free tour.
3. EVOL (Boulder)
Climbers, car campers, and other recreationists all know the importance of a big, fat burrito to sate the hunger worked up by a long day playing outdoors. Simple to prepare, super hearty, and nutritious, burritos began as a mere hobby for Phil Anson.
But soon, he realized his burritos were good enough to sell.
His earliest outlets were gas station markets and coffee shops. But demand skyrocketed and soon he had one of the fastest growing companies in the natural foods industry under his belt. Now, EVOL has gone beyond burritos to offer bowls, cups, and other frozen entrées, but there’s still nothing quite like a classic EVOL bean and cheese to banish a case of hangry.
4. Boulder Organic Ice Cream (Boulder)
Guess who makes the only pints of organic gelato in the country? Boulder Organic Ice Cream, that’s who! While the brand got its start as a small-time scoop shop on Pearl Street, it now sells its organic ice cream pints regionally (Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, and Nebraska) and its figo! Organic Gelato across the country.
Soon after Whole Foods began carrying the pints, the scoop shop transitioned to a 100-percent manufacturing operation to sell its pints to other ice cream shops and in stores.
If you want it fresh in a cone, you can still find it locally at Larkburger, Eats and Sweets and many other local restaurants and scoop shops. Don’t miss signature flavors like Green Tea, Famous Sweet Cream, and Coconut Crunch!
5. L. R. Rice Honey (Greeley)
Not many companies lay claim to five generations of family ownership. Since L.R. Rice started his honey company in 1924, the sweet stuff has been managed by either himself or his descendants.
While the company stopped raising its own bees to accommodate expansion, it’s now resuming the management of some hives.
Another cool fact, because this family-owned company sells its product as far as South Korea and Japan, the White House invited L. R. Rice rep Ronna Rice to attend the State of the Union as an honored guest this year!
6. Bhakti Chai (Boulder)
It’s safe to say that in this millennium, Americans have fallen hard for two Eastern practices: yoga and drinking chai. And Colorado has its fair share of responsibility for the popularization of both.
In fact, Bhakti—one of the biggest brands in chai—was founded by a Boulderite.
It all started when Brook Eddy took a trip to India and discovered the amazing ritual of drinking chai tea. To recreate the experience at home, she began brewing her own chai back in Boulder, to the delight of friends and family. A single mother of twins, Eddy decided to quit her job to launch Bhakti with a commitment to social and environmental change.
And that’s just a few. Check out the rest at DiningOut.com →
Dining Out editor Maya Silver had the chance to sit down with Yasu Kizaki, one of the sushi masters behind nationally-renowned Sushi Den, to get the inside scoop on his SLICED! sushi classes and she definitely delivers the goods!
In 2015, Yasu taught 1,000 students how to roll temaki, tatemaki, uramaki, and nigiri, and this marks his 10th year spreading the sushi gospel. Yasu co-owns Izakaya Den, Sushi Den, and their newest venture, OTOTO, with his two brothers: Toshi, master chef; and Koichi who visits the fish market in Japan everyday to hand-select the fish that will arrive at his brothers’ restaurants less than 24 hours later.
The secret to the remarkable success of Yasu’s sushi classes lies in an epiphany he had after the very first one, which he dreamed up after a loyal customer asked him to think of a creative Christmas gift. After the inaugural lesson, Yasu asked his wife Elizabeth, who had sat in on the class, if she had enjoyed it.
“I love you, darling, but …” she began, which Yasu immediately knew was precursor to criticism. “I couldn’t believe how boring it was.”
Yasu was shocked. He had been so excited about the idea of turning his customers into sushi chefs, and now he felt disillusioned by his wife’s cutting honesty.
But then something made sense to him…
“I know!” he said during a revelatory shower. “I need to make fun of my customers.”
And the rest is, more or less, history. In the first year, he offered three classes and didn’t promote them at all, only letting people know about them if they asked. Eventually, he ramped up to one class per month, but when demand grew even more, he increased the classes to weekly. Now, he hosts everyone from mother-and-daughter pairs, to couples and groups of friends, to politicians and businesspersons entertaining their clients, to corporate staffs seeking team-building experiences and professional hackers. Yes, professional hackers love sushi, too.
Yasu draws a diverse audience for good reason. The two-and-a-half-hour experience is one you’ll never forget, and if you do want to learn how to make sushi, there’s simply no substitution for learning from a master in-person. Part sushi-themed stand-up comedy, part storytelling, and part instruction, the class goes by faster than you can say “sliced.”
A few of the things to know before going to one of Yasu’s classes include: It’s Yasu’s way or the highway, prepare to sweet-talk your roll and come hungry!
Working the bar at the ViewHouse, one of Downtown Denver’s most popular destinations no matter the time of day, takes serious skill, endurance, and personality. And Dane Hatch, their lead bartender, makes it look like a walk in the park, so we sat down with him to find out how he does it without breaking a sweat.
What first attracted you to bartending?
I had a roommate in Telluride who was a bartender and he always seemed to have too much fun! I love meeting new people so it was a perfect fit.
Where did you get your start?
A bar called Tracks Cafe & Bar in Telluride.
Did you ever go to bartending school?
I never went. It wasn’t required. I feel like bartending is a skill that just takes time behind the bar.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Always keep your head up and on a swivel. Always know what your next move is going to be.
Who do you look to for inspiration?
There is always going to be someone that’s better than you at certain tasks. I’ve tried to learn from everyone I’ve ever worked with.
What’s your least favorite drink to make?
AMF…
Do you have any tricks you use to connect to customers or maximize your efficiency behind the bar?
Every guest is different, so I try to read the type of person they are and their mood when they sit down.
Do you have a signature cocktail?
Definitely! It’s the ViewHouse Lemonade.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ oz Sky Raspberry
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
4 raspberries
Serve over ice in a pint glass, then top it off with a splash of Sierra Mist.
When you go to a new bar or restaurant, do you ever look around for anything that lets you know they have their sh*t together?
Of course. It’s just habit at this point.
Last but not least, what’s your favorite part of the job?
I’m the first person you see when you come into ViewHouse. I almost feel like the face of ViewHouse. I like meeting every person that walks through the door!
Thanks Dane and everyone at the ViewHouse for this awesome interview!
