Kevin "Bar-B-Q*bert" N.'s Profile

It is to say the least (at least) a semi-unusual situation when you drag a half-dozen or more specifically taste-forward folk into any publicly accessible establishment and ask them to render an opinion on the spot.

The funny thing about the Great Divide is that it's not: mostly it's a thin reed of shotgun bar with no idea what happens on the other side, that is unless you wrangle a tour from the locals as to what's next. They're great about giving you a personal take on the space, great about encouraging the sampling of new and interesting brews (they were featuring a whiskey-barrel aged brew set when we happened in), and they were good enough to give us an in-depth tour of the place, including the tapestry that makes up their approach to beer making. In between, we made pimp cups and took an amazing tour of the brewery, and even given the terrific company, this couldn't have been more perfect. Score one for the foam.

Absolutely outstanding service, and the entire staff seems to be committed to the concept. That helps when space is at a premium, as it was this Friday night. There are a litany of wines at the ready here, and seems like there are an attuned set of servers swarming to the action that's happening in this place. There wasn't a palpable humming sound, but I'd have not been shocked if there were.

It's cozy, and that's worth noting. I tried on a Malbec which I found good but not great, and I'd definitely like to pop back in and try others. They were selectively handing out bite-sized cupcakes to folks who peered into the looking glass, and they feature a few cheese plates and other munchables for those interested. There's a decent but not overwhelming beer selection, and I tried a couple of those as well. A repeat offense worth happening.

It's like an Italian restaurant and Galaxy Cafe had a baby, this Milano Cafe, and if you're not sure what that means, let's clarify: adorned with the Ikea-esque mod lamps and cool painted hues (a predominant pale green comes to mind), there's a definite air of subtle modernity that permeates throughout.

It'd be easy to be thrown off by that facade, by that proverbial window dressing, the strip mall setting. But then you'd miss all the really good stuff. The family-owned foundation of Milano Cafe was apparent from, well, the fact that most of them seemed to be in the restaurant at the time we were there. Via the fact that my lamb was absolutely amazing and the portions bordering on imposing. This place strikes a quiet balance between where it is and who it is, and I gather in a sense that both are true. And some days just knowing who you are can be a grand place to start.

Ssssshhhh. I'll let you in on a little secret: Illegal Pete's isn't really illegal. In fact, it's operating right out in the open in downtown Denver. It's a bustling joint, not unlike some of the popular burrito joints I've come to love back home in Austin, and I'm beginning to believe that the formula for most of these is somewhat similar: take one part lots of fresh fixings, one part quirky service, one part festive attitude, rinse, repeat.

For my part I was after a steak burrito, and Illegal Pete's set me up just fine, as it turns out, against a backdrop of impending snow and the sideways wind that blew through the city. In this case new (to me) and familiar at once, it's easy to see why Illegal Pete's has made a few friends along the way. Hey Pete: thanks for the memories.

If you were ever wondering where that train crashing sound was coming from, that would be from the direction of the stage area. We sauntered in here with a dozen pimp cups in hand and weren't even close to the most outrageous thing going down at Armida's. Cue the backup signers and work on your warble: we're firing up the pipes tonight!

The regulars stole the show here, even after they got so blotto that one of them fell ass-backwards and headfirst into the wall. For the record, he wasn't fazed and five minutes later he was back onstage butchering something else. When I say that this made for awesome viewing, I can't stress that part enough. Awesome, I tell you. In between, plenty of us made our way to the front to hammer away at a fan favorite, and you really do learn something from the tracks people are able to crank out. It's a funny world we live in, but never more interesting than under the bright lights of the stage.

And the roar of the crowd.

Generally speaking, and I'm talking as a roundabout rule here, when someone says "hey, let's try these vodka shots and then eat some complimentary pickles!," the first thing out of your mouth probably shouldn't be "okay, why not?" Legend has it that the Russian people back in the motherland are fond of vodka for it's warming properties, but we couldn't even claim that, what with Denver waxing temperate this week and all.

It's an interesting setup nevertheless, and wedged in here with a group of colleagues Red Square made for an easy and rollicking good time. Smithwicks on tap (thank-you-veddy-much) and some creative shot drinking later, we may not have found ourselves quoting Trotsky, but we were at least more likely to assume that Checkov wasn't that guy on Star Trek. That's right: Red Square will make you literate.

Or drunk.

We dropped in here for a group lunch on a day when the sun hung high in the Denver sky: it was a temperate day, one no doubt preferred by the local chamber of commerce, and we settled into an outside table to grab a leisurely bite.

The service was prompt and friendly and potentially eager in a relaxed, conversational manner: we began with a round of drinks, from local brews (I sampled the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter) to champagne cocktails and more. Great presentation on the cocktail front and we were relaxed and ready when the main event hit the table. I dove into the (locally raised) farm chicken dish, served on a bed of butternut squash bread pudding, and it was a perfect complement to good company. And on a day like this, what more could you want?

It's a rather unassuming storefront, and they're not trying to split the atom here: Organixx is pretty much what it sounds like: an organic food restaurant specializing in healthy leaning entrees (sandwiches, salads, soups and the like), some similarly inclined bevvies and more. Nothing's perfect but the end result was a pretty spot-on lunch, and I walked happy.

I entered with a group of three and between the three of us we attacked a variety of each type of featured fare: for my part, it was walk to the gallows day for an Asian Stirfry Salad with chicken, and the sesame vinaigrette complemented well the grilled chicken,stir fry veggies, spring greens, crunchy noodles, greens and house focaccia. And given how starving I was, this thing was *massive.* Thanks for the memories, Organixx..I can't say that I'm here often, but I was definitely lucky enough to be here once. And that's a start.

There's at least a fair to partly cloudy chance that my review-in-progress of The Curtis won't be based on the idea of first incurring massive head trauma, but I can say that there's a whole lotta childhood going on around here. They're fully committed to it, and if you don't believe me, spend five minutes on any floor and get back to me.

It's a fun space, and I admire the fact that doing anything different is a challenge to people who want something unique but are very particular about what they expect meeting pre-determined expectations. I stay in a few hotels over the course of a year, and that sentiment isn't lost on me. What that most likely means is that while being original is good, you have to hit markers, and there are a good many of those that The Curtis does hit just fine. I'm sure I'll have more to share over the course of the week, but at first impression we're still getting to know one another. That they have a keen sense of whimsy is intriguing. We'll see what's next.

This could just as easily emerge a review for Transmission Entertainment as they're the folks who stage FunFunFun Fest, but given the fact that this is an individual event and they do other things, besides, seems to me that it makes as much sense to review the happening as one would review SXSW or ACL, and opinions on those are rarely in short supply.

For all of the hassle of ACL (even exempting recent weather challenges), for the overload that is SXSW, this festival seemed at the right place and the right time: organizers have built an event every bit as cool, burgeoning and festive as the name might suggest, and the vibe bled down the the fans themselves. One litmus test for me is finding out who folks are planning on going to see, and there were a variety of people I spoke with who weren't seeing one band in particular, instead opting for floating and catching acts they didn't know yet and those that they could wait to see again.

Even the vendors were in great spirits (although can I just say 'wow, those are many bong vendors'), and when the skies opened up today enterprising folks were breaking out the ponchos to beat the drips. Parking's much better when there's not a UT game happening at the same time, but it all worked out in the end. And I definitely had FunFunFun.

I had an absolutely terrific time at Fun