Category Archives: Things to Do in Highland

Why I Love Living in LoHi: Part Deux

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This is both a follow up post to one earlier this year on a new brewery in the neighborhood, as well as how it affects my life. Since opening late this summer, Prost has been a hit (I base success off of how my taste buds react) both with pallets and crowds. I have now made a handful of walks down to the place, and every time I have enjoyed myself. Here’s my breakdown of their brews (keeping in mind I am not a beer sommelier):

-Prost Pils. Pilsners are not my favorite beers to begin with, but a good one here and there is all right. Prost’s tastes almost exactly as their description suggests. It is a very smooth beer that has a delightfully bitter finish. Not as bold as Pilsner Urquell, but distinct nonetheless.

-Weißier (Hefeweizen). Hands down my favorite of Prost’s brews. Make sure you get a Maß, because you’ll want that much. Every time I drink Prost’s hef, I picture my stomach giving me a big hug for sending him this deliciousness.

-Prost Dunkel. Definitely an acquired taste, Prost’s dunkel is the perfect beer for a cold day. It’s rich in flavor, and I don’t think you could handle more than one.

-Prost Oktoberfest. I have never been to Munich, so this is subject to change, but this is my favorite Oktoberfest I have ever tasted. I went to GABF this year, and this one still takes the cake. It’s flavorful and crisp. Great for autumn evenings.

Best part about Prost may be the atmosphere. Always lively, food truck on site (later in the week and weekends) and a large open space make for some good times. Love cruising down there to meet friends at the end of the workday and walking home after. C’est la vie.

Rosa Linda’s: Romeny’s Buck Stops Here

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Let me start by saying I love Rosa Linda’s. If you haven’t been there yet (33rd and Tejon), then you are missing out. We start every meal there off with their cactus nachos (top on the menu of apps, official name has “Wall Street Journal” in it). It’s a huge plate, but if you have 3+ people it won’t spoil any appetites. Their burritos are delicious, but if you are there in season, try the calabacitas; awesome vegetable stir fry that I like to add pork to to make it heartier.

A review of my favorite Mexican restaurant’s food is not why I am writing today. Not sure if you have seen the article on Westword yet, but it is great. Mitt Romney is in town, as you know, for the debate tomorrow evening at DU. Wanting to fit in with the common folk, he decided to grab lunch at Chipotle yesterday (scope the photo with the employees, classic). For a quick meal on the go, Chipotle can’t be beat (I am a fiend for their salads), but stopping at a national chain isn’t exactly the best way to get across that you can relate to Denverites by dining at their favorite restaurants. You need something note worthy, but off the beaten path. Turns out Romney’s campaign had exactly this in mind, and in August they tried to set up a visit to Rosa Linda’s. They thought that the fact the owners are Latter Day Saints would easily get them in the door (George W. was denied a similar request in 2000). Wrong. The campaign should’ve done their homework, because the owners aren’t members of the GOP either.

When asked by Westword if Rosa Linda’s would ever serve President Obama, Oscar Aguirre, the oldest son of the family that owns the restaurant, said, “We would love to have him. Absolutely.” Sounds like a great place to grab a bite after Obama’s rally at Sloan’s Lake tomorrow.

Why I Love Living in LoHi

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The Heart of LoHi

The Heart of LoHi, complete with delicious ice cream.

If you live in Denver these days, it seems that you will be spending some time (if not all of it) in LoHi. There’s great restaurants, cool bars, gorgeous scenery, and typically friends. That’s how it has played out for my girlfriend and I (who bought our first house at the end of June, whoop whoop). Over the past year, we’ve been lucky enough to have a huge chunk of our close friends move within a couple blocks here and there of our new house. Even though this might feel a bit like college, now that we’re old with jobs, it’s the furthest thing from it (although we try to make up for that on weekends).

Since we’ve now been in our new house for over two months, some of the dust (literally) is starting to settle. With it, I have been trying to articulate why it is I so enjoy living here. For starters, I am no longer going through gas like there’s a leak in my car (I used to live near DTC). With a bulk of my job focusing on this area, and when Lyss was up here, I was going through multiple tanks a week at times. Not seeing the pump as much is great, but that’s not all there is to it.

Getting home from work late, tired and not wanting to cook no longer requires a 10 minute drive to find eats. It’s so satisfying being able to walk to some of the best restaurants in town (Gaetano’s, now open after the remodel, is still delicious albeit a tad too hip, and a 1/2 block away). The little Mexican restaurants that have been around forever are, for the most part, delicious (Chili Verde is a block from us, but we decided not to try it after their piss poor health rating in Westword). Or, if we are wanting to hang out with the yuppies of the area, there’s plenty of options.

There are countless activities to attend as well (it seemed this summer that every block had their own music festival at some point, along with the many other gatherings/parties put on, Freak train every month, etc.) And then it struck me. What makes everything about this neighborhood come together is the people. Without everyone, there as just pretty empty houses and commercial buildings. It is the people that add their own charm and touch to them all, whether it be the 100 year old building that houses the coffee shop, or the ultra modern, overly priced, gym. Even the King Soopers (I know, technically it’s Wheat Ridge) is different. The butcher? Best around. The guy who cares to the produce department? Probably the most helpful grocery store employee I’ve ever met (ask for anything and it will be there in four days). It would only make sense that most of your neighbors are this great as well, seeing as how they are the owners and employees of the places. There is such a rich blend of cultures and socio-economic standing in Highlands, that really makes this place what it is.

At this point, it feels like I am rambling. I am going to start doing some posts on specific reasons/instances as to why I love this neighborhood, and if you have any of your own, feel free to send them my way and we’ll get them up.

Happy Fall.

Where is the Happiest Hour in LoHi?

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Ahh, Friday! How good it is to see you old friend. The only thing better than Friday is… happy hour(s) (I have never seen it, but I imagine any place that only offers specials for one hour either has no patrons or a bank run at 5pm every day). There are lots of options in LoHi for happy hour, but my absolute favorite is at Pasquini’s.

So what makes this happy hour (they call it happier hour) the happiest? Oh, just a little thing I call INSANITY! First and absolutely foremost, Pasquini’s Highlands has their happier hour EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! None of this nonsense about not having happy hour on Saturday or Sunday. And, it’s not just the fact that they have it every day that makes it great, they have it TWICE every day. Breathe deep, I know this is hard to fathom. Ready? Ok, here are the details: Monday through Friday is 4pm-6pm & 9pm-11pm (they take care of those that work late, well). Weekends: 11am-6pm & 9pm-11pm. I believe their business model is to get everyone too drunk to leave.

I am having a hard time getting over the fact that whenever I want to go to Pasquini’s, it’s happy hour. Pinch. So what do they serve? Only $5 pitchers of Bud Light, $10 pitchers of craft brews (good luck beating that anywhere else), $1 one-topping slices, $4 meatball

sliders (my favorite) and so many other things that it pains me to think about them before having lunch:

  • $1 pizza slices, one topping
  • $4 meatball sliders
  • $4 eggplant rotoli
  • $5 Pitchers of Bud Light
  • $10 Pitchers of Craft Beer
  • $1 Cans of PBR
  • $2 Pints of Bud Light
  • $3 Pints of Signature Draft Beers
  • $3 Premium Wells
  • $3 Margaritas
  • $3 Glasses of Red or White Wines
  • $3 Glasses of Housemade Sangria
  • $7 Bottles of Housemade Sangria

Not only are they providing happy hour nearly all hours of the day, they have also recognized how many adults miss ordering happy meals. They have the “Highland Happy Meal” which consists of a one-topping slice, PBR and a premium well shot (after that you won’t care that it didn’t come with a toy).

Go drink and be merry!


Case and point.

Located at 32nd & Zuni.

Thirsty for a Piece of Germany? Think Prost!

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It’s almost impossible not to notice that something has been going on, or better in, at 19th & Central recently. What better use for a vacant building than… a brewery! Yes, this place just got that much better.

What makes Prost (the soon-to-be brewery inhabiting 2540 19th) different? They will only be serving German style beers (a dunkel, a hefeweizen and a pils), brewed in equipment purchased from a German brewer that shut it’s doors last year. After a long journey across the Atlantic, the 72.25-barrel brewhouse will have a new home. 72.25?! That seems like a lot of capacity for a brewery only making 3 (and a seasonal) styles of beer. That is because it is. Prost will also contract brewing for companies that are unable to meet the demand for their own brews

The German feel doesn’t just come from the equipment and the brews to be served, but also from the planned taproom, beer garden and the copious amounts of beer you will be drinking from your Maß (abbreviated from Maßkrug of course). These things hold a litre of beer. Not all of Prost’s brews will be consumed onsite though; the brewery plans to supply some local liquor stores with their creations as well.

So get excited LoHi. We have plenty of craft-brew startups in the Denver area, now it’s time for some good, old-fashioned German beer. Water, barley and hops. Long live the Reinheitsgebot! Prost!

My Favorite, and the Best, Basketball Courts in LoHi

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Let me preface this post with the fact that none of the courts to be mentioned have chain nets. Why do chain nets matter you ask? Have you ever heard a ball go through them? It’s epic.

If you are anything like me, running for the sake of running just doesn’t cut it. I have to trick my body into aerobic exercise. Solution: play basketball instead of hitting the pavement. While my knees always kill after running games on concrete, there is almost nothing better than playing games outside in the awesomeness that is Denver’s climate. Here are my three favorite basketball courts in the Highlands (specifically LoHi since that is where my girlfriend lives):

Highland Gateway Park

  • This is one of the coolest courts I have ever come across (would be better with chain nets). What makes it so great? Aside from it’s prime location and epic views, just the fact that it bends at a 45 degree angle at half court. I’m sorry, what??? That’s right, this court allows for full court passes to made so that the ball travels out of bounds before landing in your buddy’s hands under the hoop, assuming they can catch. It makes for interesting fast breaks, but well worth it. There is construction taking place on the opposite side of Central St now, which will no doubt obstruct some of the view, but there are few places that have the views of downtown Denver that Highland Gateway Park has. As far as running pickup games, bring some friends. There are normally a couple people there at any given time on the weekends, but it is by no means the most popular court in the Highlands.

Hirshorn Park

  • Location is the major factor for this court being on the list. Located in the heart of LoHi, Hirshorn always gets a lot of traffic, so games are constantly being run. Had enough exercise for the day? Walk across the street to Little Man and get some of the best ice cream (or milkshakes if you’re smart) in Denver. Be willing to wait for 30 minutes on weekends. In between games, spend your time recovering and watching the most hipster children in Denver enjoy themselves on the playground. Parking can be tricky on weekends, so I recommend walking or biking.

Columbus Park

  • Typically has quite a few people playing (mostly high schoolers), so it is fairly easy to get games going. I know this is technically Sunnyside, but it is still walking distance from most places in LoHi. What’s so great about this court? Aside from the bleachers (for all of the spectators that will no doubt attend), Columbus Park’s court has a very well placed light that allows for games to continue into the night providing a nice glow to see by. Give it a whirl.

Hope this is of use to people in the area, and if you ever need more bodies, let me know. Happy spring!

5 Reasons Why You Need to go to Freak Train – Bug Theatre

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Up until last week, I was a Freak Train Virgin. It was a little uncomfortable, a little awkward (especially the goodbye), but getting my cherry popped was also quite awesome. For those of you that don’t know, Freak Train is a monthly event (the last Monday of the month) put on at the Bug Theatre in the Highlands. There are 13 acts of 5 minutes duration (the 13th being a guest from the audience chosen by their admittance number at the door) where anything goes. Some acts were just that, acts, while others were stand-up, songs, poetry readings and a couple of guys pushing their political agenda. You CANNOT be removed from stage during your 5 minutes (the guy sitting next to us told us of an act where a couple got on stage and had sex a few years ago). If that’s not enough to get you interested, here are 5 reasons why you have to go:

  1. Diverse Acts – Since it was only my first time I have not seen as much diversity as some, but I gather that with more experience I will become more well-versed. There were stand-ups with the darkest sense of humor as well as an act that did a new rendition of Conjunction Junction. The performers were genuine, and as a result the show was great. They give you a 5 minute peek into their lives.
  2. Spontaneity – As is the case with all live performances, you never know what is going to happen. The MC did a great job of not only keeping things moving, but adjusting to the acts as needed. Acts themselves responded, directly, to the crowd as well as to other acts. These guys are great at flying by the seats of their pants.
  3. Laughs - A combination of the genuine nature of the acts and the collection of people, both acts and crowd, laughter filled the air the entire night. I was told that I should count myself lucky that most of the acts were so good, and had most of us with sore stomachs. The environment allowed everyone to let go of everything else in their lives and just be there. The good acts were hilarious (that tried) as well as the bad (although I don’t think they meant to be).
  4. 13th Freak – This absolutely terrified my girlfriend, and I can imagine a lot of others out there. Chosen by the order in which they came in, the 13th Freak is thrown on stage and given different things to incorporate into an act (in this case 8 months pregnant, the theme song to cheers, in a horror/noir film and the Russian language). This girl killed it, and looked (as) comfortable (as possible).
  5. FREE BEER – Thank you Breckenridge Brewery. Admittance is $5, and with that you not only get in, the opportunity to be thrown on stage, but also as much beer as you can drink until the kegs run out. Need I say more?

Moral of the story: get to the Bug Theatre, located at 3654 Navajo in the Highlands, for Freak Train and laugh, laugh, and laugh some more. Oh, by the way, be careful number 33 :)

Aly at Freak Train

She puts up with so much. Packed house, BTW.