Sentinel Colorado Best of Aurora - Grade A Edition

WE’VE GOT SOLE

HIGH FASHION IN AURORA

RUNNIN’ WILD

LONG DISTANCE CHANGE

FRIGHT NIGHT

SCARED STIFF AT STANLEY OCTOBER 2013 THEAURORAMAGAZINE.COM

GRADE A AWARDS

HIGH & LOWBROW CULTURE

ALL THINGS

ASIAN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PEOPLE FOOD CLASSICS &PLACES & DRINK SHORT THEATRICAL

TENURES

SHOPPING & MORE

OTHER-WORLDLY FEMALE ATHELETES $4.00 U.S.

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Features

OCTOBER 2013

Grade A Awards 34

BY AURORA MAGAZINE STAFF

We scoured the city for the top places to eat, shop, see and be seen and we’re reporting back to you. From pizza to pho, theater to troublemakers we offer our picks for top of the town in 2013.

Charm City 26

BY BRANDON JOHANSSON

Charm City Shoes, a small boutique shoemaker at the southeastern edge of Aurora is about to make it big in fashionable footware. Its designer, Jeff Johnson, has been designing women’s shoes out of his home in Aurora and the shoes—which can cost hundreds of dollars—can be found as far away as New York City.

AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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PLAINVIEW

Aurora’s Made the Grade NOW CAFE OWNERS NEED TO FOLLOW SUIT

BY DAVE PERRY

o how far are you willing to drive for the creamiest, dreamiest sheep-milk cheese you’ve ever tasted? If you’re like me, and always just one incredible meal away from a better life, anything under an hour in the car is wellworth my investment.

So if you’re out here in A-Town, it’s no big deal to face the herds on I-225 and head to The Truffle Table in Denver’s Highlands and peruse 30 or so of the most amazing cheeses on the planet. It’s a place crowded with small-plate delicacies in a cafe transported straight from the Montmartre District in Paris.

Likewise, I direct more than just a few Highlands hipsters out to Hoffman Heights to have real-deal Thai basil chicken at Sue of Siam. Nothing in Denver can compare to the light and slightly sweet fiery heat and vegetables inside a funky purple-andorange diner posed on Aurora’s 1960s weird. Nothing.

This month, we celebrate Aurora’s Grade A designees. Inside, we peruse what makes living here so good. As you’ll see, Aurora has a lot to boast. When it comes to bringing the people, the languages, the cultures and the foods of the world all right here, there’s no place like Aurora. Luscious

S

Ethiopian injera and some of the most incredible, exotic things ever to wrap it around are right here. African goat soup.

Russian chocolates. Polish sour cream and sausages. Moroccan pastilla. Indian potato curry. Korean pork dumplings. Cuban tostones. You get the idea.

No doubt that Aurora is a place with seemingly endless exquisite places to eat novel delicacies you just can’t get anywhere else. Aurora is a place where the people who live here really appreciate their international culinary trip just down the block.

So how is it that the rest of the metro restaurant scene hasn’t made their way out here? Where’s our version of Root Down, Right Coast Pizza, Vine Cafe and Dessert?

In a community that has learned to appreciate sticky rice pudding with perfectly ripe Asian mangos, there’s a market for a kale-chip salad like the one at Spuntino in Denver.

It’s not like Aurora doesn’t have the art creds that tend to draw the art food.

Everyone in the theater community agrees that some of the best, most provocative and alluring stage work these days is in downtown Aurora. This isn’t your father’s Fox Theater, folks. “Next to Normal,” was just one of the latest precocious stunts the Aurora theater tribe has pulled off. And I can guarantee you that the gang graffiti on East Colfax is no scarier nor more inventive than that in Denver’s Uptown.

It’s pretty easy to be happy with the Grade A slice of life our town offers, but we’re ready for more. Bring it on.

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

11

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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Each year Aurora is recognized by many national and state organizations for our accomplishments and achievements in professionalism, quality and dedication to excellence.

Here are some of the Best of Aurora.

• • • • • • • • • • •

9th Safest City of its size in America 5th Place - Top Digital Cities 911 Communications Center of the Year Fully accredited Police, Fire and Public Works Departments Prevention Magazine - 12th happiest, healthiest city in U.S. 100 Best Communities for Young People No. 2 Best City for Men’s Heart Health No. 9 Best Cities for Men Award Winning Water and Treatment Facilities Award Winning Beck Recreation Center Renovation Silver-Level Solar Friendly Community Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting University of Colorado Hospital ranked No. 1 in state Medical Center of Aurora ranked No. 4 in state Children’s Hospital ranked No. 7 in U.S.

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2013 GRADE A FOOD & DRINK P36

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT P46

PEOPLE & PLACES P50 34

AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

SHOPPING & MORE P54

AWARDS

AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS

2013 GRADE A AWARDS

FOOD & DRINK

We like to eat. And considering we live in Aurora, we like to eat well. The metro area is catching up to the rest of the world when it comes to culinary flavor and Aurora is helping lead the way.

This isn’t a traditional suburb with chain restaurants and weekend pizza — no, we have weekend samosas, dosas. Chains compete with mom-and-pop shops that specialize in ethnic delicacies that are among the best in the state.

It was no easy task finding our faves and winnowing down the list to a small few that could make our Grade A. In fact, the only thing that’s small is this list; our waistlines seem to have borne the brunt of our selection process.

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

FOOD & DRINK

GRADE A PASTRIES

DANIEL’S OF PARIS 12253 E. Iliff Ave.; Aurora; 303-751-6084; danielsofparis.com Take a decadent bite of chocolate genoise cake with Grand Marnier syrup, raspberry mousse and luscious chocolate ganache, and you’ll feel like you’re in Europe. Daniel’s of Paris might as well be in Paris. Your taste buds will swoon as you close your eyes and imagine the soothing sounds of an accordion. The Eiffel Tower gleams in the distance, past streets lined with boulangeries, patisseries and charcuteries. Wash that piece of cake down with an amandine, or three, and stay in the moment. Because, pssst—you’re not really in Paris. You’re actually in a strip mall in Aurora next to a Panera Bread and a Great Clips. That’s the magic of this unassuming French pastry shop at the corner of East Iliff Avenue and South Peoria Street. Every bite tastes like the Champs-Elysees.

Daniel’s of Paris has been serving up sweets since 1992, run by Denver-born Jim Pasquierello, who grew up in Aurora and graduated from Regis Jesuit High School. He didn’t always create mousse and meringue-filled sweets, though. In his first life, he worked in construction and sold drywall and roofing supplies. Then he had a change of heart, or shall we say, taste. Looking for another career path, Pasquierello decided to purchase the bakery. Really, is there anyone who wouldn’t want to work in a bakery? The rest is chocolate-covered history. The sweets that fly off the shelves include sticky pecan rolls, cinnamon rolls, pain au chocolat and Danishes that Pasquierello bakes when the rest of Aurora is sound asleep at night. The secret ingredient is probably butter, considering the bakery uses more than 48 pounds per week. Sounds about right for a bakery in Pari- I mean, Aurora.

GRADE A BRUNCH

THE PERFECT LANDING RESTAURANT 7625 S. Peoria St.; Englewood; 303-649-4478; theperfectlanding.com The Perfect Landing Restaurant might be the only place in the greater Aurora area where you can order Eggs Benedict with a side of charter jet. That’s right. Grab one of the many tables near the window, and you’ll be drinking mimosas right next to the million-dollar aircraft that transport starched-shirted CEOs to and from business meetings. This gem of a restaurant was opened near the control tower at Centennial Airport in 1992 by Jim and Sean Carter, foodies who graduated from the famed Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. We can’t help but think they never grew out of their boyish love for airplanes—that phase that comes after trucks and right before astronauts. The only thing better than the view at The Perfect Landing is the food. Try the house-made biscuits, moist and fluffy as clouds, smothered with zesty gravy and sausage. Benedict lovers can rejoice in the unique Etouffee Benedict with Andouille smoked sausage, peppers and shrimp, topped with Cajun-style sauce. The spice is mild, so don’t be shy about asking for some Louisiana Style Hot Sauce if your taste buds are in the mood for heat. Most breakfasts come with a side of your choice—we recommend the toast, only because it’s a conduit for the restaurant’s fresh strawberry jam. If your taste buds aren’t watering yet, consider this: The Perfect Landing is equipped with a large, well-stocked cherry wood bar for all the cocktails necessary to make brunch complete—think Bloody Marys and mimosas. Clear your calendar for the day because the view, the food, and the friendly wait-staff might be the trifecta that prompts you to stay through the evening to watch Boogie Bob on the piano.

BEAU COUPS AURORA BRUNCHES We were hot to find a primo spot for a Sunday morning treat. There are plenty of places around here to entertain family or guests, catch up with friends or nurse a long Saturday night adventure, but The Perfect Landing has the right mix of food (particularly their seafood) and ambiance to curry favor from our judges this year.

2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK GRADE A ETHNIC MARKET

GRADE A EMPANADAS

LOS PASTES 3140 S. Parker Road; Aurora; 720-535-8153; lospastes.com When you come across a restaurant that specializes in only one type of dish, eat there.

Seriously. We’ll eat our hats if you’re disappointed. There will be bets lost after you’ve tried Los Pastes, a hole-in-the-wall that opened this spring near the Nine Mile light rail station.

Here, Mexican-born chef Celina Reyes bakes a variety of sweet and savory pastes. These delicious, crescent-shaped baked-dough pastries are also referred to as empanadas, and they’re filled with everything from beef to chicken to rice and dulce de leche. Our favorites are “de mole,” stuffed with chicken and mole sauce with a hint of cinnamon, and “chicken tinga” with tomatoes, onions and chipotle sauce.

Other varities include “el hawaiiano,” with ham, pineapple and cheese, “el tradicional” with chorizo, black beans and chipotle, and “el veggie,” with potatoes, peas, onion and oregano. They’re clearly addicting (especially because they’ll be gone in four bites), which is why Celina sells them by the dozen. Or, for $8.50, get two pastes with a bowl of homemade vegetable soup, ladled into an adorable ceramic bowl with handles, and eat in. This doesn’t have to be a grab-and-go situation.

The décor at Los Pastes could be considered vintage Mexican with modern touches — adorably quaint and inviting. Chrome seating is contrasted against warm-colored brick walls adorned with antique wooden shelves and gardening tools for decoration. A burst of bright orange paint covers the wall behind the cash register, where there’s a chalkboard sign detailing the history of pastes. Pastes, or Cornish pasties, were introduced to Mexico centuries ago by English men who were working as miners in the town of Hidalgo, where Celina hails from. Meat, potatoes and onions were the most popular fillings back then, but virtually anything and everything could be stuffed into a paste. For now, Celina keeps the varieties of pastes to under a dozen. There are no plans to expand the menu to include tacos, burritos or fajitas. And that’s perfectly fine by us.

SOLOMON’S GROCERY AND EUROPEAN DELICATESSEN 1939 S. Havana St.; Aurora; 303-337-6454 The ethnic dining scene on Havana Street rivals any stretch of road in the state. You can sweat your way through spicy Korean barbecue near East Iliff Avenue, gorge on Ethiopian injera a few blocks north and wash it down with a boba tea at East Mississippi Avenue. But it isn’t just the restaurants that are worth a visit on Havana — there are a few dozen tiny ethnic markets along the bustling thoroughfare that offer up some products you probably can’t find anywhere else in the metro area. One of those must-see places is Solomon’s European Market at Havana and East Jewell Avenue. Tucked in a fairly typical shopping center, Solomon’s shelves are almost overflowing with hardto-find treats from Russia to Scandinavia to southeastern Europe. Looking for those Polish sausages just like your Babcia served, or a tub of sour cream just like your grandpa Sergei liked? Solomon’s probably has it. You can walk out of Solomon’s with a bag of sausage that’ll convince the neighbors you stopped in Tiblisi and Kiev on your way home. And you don’t have to stop at the meats, although there are plenty of cured Eurpoean delectables on that front to satisfy any carnivore. Solomon’s is also home to a commendable selection of pickled and smoked fish, from herring to salmon. The sweets are well worth your time, too, including some oh-so-rich fresh-baked pastries and a sea of European candies available by the pound.

GRADE A THAI FOOD

THAI STREET FOOD 11650 E. Montview Blvd.; Aurora; 303-587-2293; thaifoodcardowntowndenver.com Downtown Denver’s loss has been Aurora’s gain. And the city’s fans of steaming plates of spicy noodles cooked to perfection couldn’t be happier. After two years on Denver’s 16th Street Mall—where she built a loyal fanbase hooked on her Pad Thai, drunken noodles and other Thai favorites—Utumporn Killoran moved her Thai Street Food Restaurant to Aurora. Now, from a small store front on East Montview Boulevard and Nome Street, Killoran, known

as Anna to the regulars, is serving up those Thai favorites five days a week. The chicken panang curry is packed with chunks of chicken, chopped beans and a savory sauce with hints of peanut and coconut. And the drunken noodles don’t come out in a sea of sauce like some amateurs make it. Instead, Anna’s authentic Thai dishes are lightly sauced and bursting with flavor. If spicy is your thing, Anna will gladly serve you a plate of noodles that will have you guzzling Thai tea and wondering why you can’t stop eating a dish that hurts like that. Thai Street Food has a few levels of spicy, ranging from baby spice to fire. But don’t let the rankings fool ya. Anything above “baby spice” is probably too much for diners who don’t like the hot stuff. Don’t fret though, because Anna’s cooking is so rich in flavor that, even if you can’t take the heat, you can comfortably order the least spicy of dishes and know you’re getting something your taste buds will appreciate.

GRADE A AMERICAN CHINESE

CHEF LIU’S CHINESE RESTAURANT 562 S. Chambers Road; Aurora; 303-369-2220 When you enter Chef Liu’s, you’ll be a few pounds lighter than when you leave. Be prepared. That’s because virtually everything on the menu is so chock-full of flavor that you’ll keep eating and eating, way past that moment your brain tells you you’re full. It’s that good.

These days, it’s hard to find a good Chinese restaurant that doesn’t coat all its foods with MSG. What’s even harder is finding a good Chinese restaurant that offers authentic Chinese cuisine. Lucky for us Aurorans, we have a restaurant that offers the best of both Chinese worlds in our own backyard. One menu offers traditional Schezuan plates for non-American palates (think fried striped bass head), and one is made specifically for those keen on ordering traditional Americanized Chinese food. Pro tip: spend more time eating than deciding what to order from these lengthy menus, because, as we said, everything’s good. Our favorites are the steamed pork dumplings, which we could eat endlessly; the twice-cooked pork belly, (apparently pork belly gets even more delicious when it’s cooked a second time); and the black pepper AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK

WHAT THE PHO? Pho is a big deal in Aurora. It wasn’t easy picking our favorites either. The Vietnamese soup has surged in popularity here and around the country recently thanks to its appeal as a tasty way to wrap up a long night or its favorable cheap-to-gut-bursting-full ratio.

Pho is simply this: noodles, broth, veg and meat. That’s really it. But like anything worthwhile, its simplicity is beguiling; pho is easy to foul up. When it came down to picking our fave, we went with Pho 75 thanks to its incredibly rich broth. We understand that just about everything short of the kitchen sink is in that broth, and perhaps that’s what makes it so good. The rich marrow from the bones, meaty flavor from the flank and cinnamon layers flavor for the broth in a way that’s hard to duplicate. Now, how you proceed from there is as varied as the cut of your jib, and we like dosing ours with heavy amounts of the hot stuff to sweat out the hangover we’ll inevitably have tomorrow. But remember, this soup doubles as hydration, so work that bowl till its dry. It’s good for you.

steak, served on a sizzling plate with onions, red peppers and asparagus. The Szechuan beef in numbing chile oil is also a spicy dish that garners fans from all over the Denver metro area. For dessert, try the mochi, dessert dumpling goodness made of sticky rice and ice cream, in mango, green tea and red bean.

Why are egg-shaped foods so addicting?

Chef Liu’s is an Aurora indulgence. So plan on wearing stretchy pants or a flexible belt. Just know it’s worth it.

GRADE A PHO

PHO 75 2050 S. Havana St.; Aurora; 303-671-8899 Pronouncing pho is difficult for the linguistically-challenged—it sounds like fuh—but the tongue can’t hide its pleasure when consuming the piping hot Vietnamese noodle dish that perfectly combats Colorado’s cold winter months. It also does the trick in rainy season, provided Havana is passable. In no time flat at Pho 75—which finds a cozy home in the middle of a strip of Asian markets and restaurants on the western edge of the city— you can be seated with a bowl of the classic steaming broth, which seems to magically maintain its temperature and cooks tender, white rice noodles and thin slices of meat underneath its aromatic surface while you eat. The broth is a complex equation you don’t have to solve, just enjoy, and best left to those who know its secrets. Bones, oxtail and flank mixed with cinnamon, star anise and a variety of other spices you’d struggle to find in a typical store simmer for hours to create

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

an intoxicating mixture we can’t get enough of. Sliced steak is best for newbies, but pho veterans can get more exotic with dishes such as Bun bo Hue (vermicelli noodles with beef shanks and lemongrass). Add some sriracha sauce, lime, jalapeno, mint leaves or crispy bean sprouts and create your own comfort food flavor. Portions are generous at Pho 75, but order the small bowl of extra noodles, they are definitely worth it when you’re scraping the bottom of the bowl with chopsticks and soup spoon looking for more. Pho 75 — one of a number of strong pho joints around Aurora — won’t dazzle you with its décor, but you won’t even notice if you eat it right, with your face close to the bowl.

GRADE A LUNCH SPECIAL

FLAVA 15343 E. 6th Ave.; Aurora; 303-856-3590; flava.biz Wise diners don’t head to Flava looking for a light lunch. The two-year-old soul food cafe at East Colfax Avenue and Chambers Road

doesn’t serve low-calorie items or even small portions. No, the $8 soul food lunch special at Flava is designed to fill you up with a hearty meal that would fit right in at many Southern tables. Inside the dimly lit restaurant, chef Sandy Hullums offers the special with your choice of smothered pork chop, turkey leg, pork neckbones, catfish or fried chicken.

We recommend the catfish, which comes in expertly fried, generous chunks. For another $4 you can add another meat, and you really can’t go wrong whichever one you choose.

If you are feeling particularly fancy, you can step out with the $12 soul food plate, which offers these pricier meat choices: oxtails, beef neckbones or beef short ribs. And you get the choice of two sides, one of which had better be the collard greens. The hefty helping of salty greens is not only delicious, but also they make a great appetizer for the slice of sweet potato pie that only a fool would skip.

Seriously, if you walk out the door without trying Flava’s pie you’ll be sorry. Top it all off with a sweet tea. It’s a hearty meal that will fill up even the hungriest diner. And leaving you ready to tackle the afternoon with a full belly, and an equally full soul.

GRADE A ALL THINGS ASIAN

BLUE LAGOON 1695 Peoria St.; Aurora; 303-360-6688; bluelagoonasianbistro.com That old line about the “Jack of all trades” doesn’t apply at Blue Lagoon Asian Bistro.

While some who tackle several tasks might struggle to master any of them, that’s never been the case for the chefs at the year-old eatery across Peoria Street from the Anschutz Medical Campus. When it comes to all foods Asian—be it sushi, or Hong Kong noodles, or Mongolian beef, or Thai soups—Blue Lagoon has more than mastered the craft. If you can’t decide which Asian eatery you and your party are in the mood for, then try Blue Lagoon. Start your meal with Thai hot-andsour soup, a spicy mix of shrimp, generous hunks of pineapple and chicken, all swimming in a steaming broth. Then, be sure to try the jalapeno chicken, a fiery mix of big chunks of chicken and big slices of jalapenos. And don’t skip the sushi. The mango roll is an exotic mix

2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK of thinly sliced mango, avocado and lobster salad. It’s as tasty as any sushi roll you’ll find in town. And if you don’t like your sushi rolls on the sweet side, go with the volcano roll, a not-too-spicy mix of seared and spicy tuna with butter and garlic ponzu. The hip atmosphere is also a great place for the thousands of professionals working across at the street at Anschutz to get their lunch fix in a hurry.

GRADE A CAFE

FRENCH PRESS CAFE AND BAKERY 15290 E. Iliff Ave.; Aurora; 303-369-3111; myfrenchpress.com Walking into the French Press Café and Bakery is like walking into a honey jar, or a powdered-sugar heaven. The inside smells sweet and syrupy. The space used to be occupied by Latta’s Bagels and Coffee, but you wouldn’t even know it. Wholesale changes have been made to the interior during the past year, and a massive chalkboard rests on one wall. Menu options are plentiful.

This is a “You can go in front of me” type of place, because it’ll take you 20 minutes to settle on what you want to order. From the carnitas Benedict and the pineapple coconut pancakes to the Greek quinoa salad and the pulled pork sandwich — everything looks good. But for us, breakfast wins over no matter what time of day it is, and lucky for us the French Press excels in that department. We swoon over the zucchini pistachio pancakes with a side of maple bacon. The pancakes are dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied with some sort of sweet buttery goodness that tastes like frosting and is more delicious than syrup, if you can imagine that. We also love the French Press’s take on biscuits and gravy. Two chipotle cheddar biscuits and chorizo gravy will guarantee a second visit. Take it from us. We’re going back for round two to taste the French toast stuffed with strawberry filling and Reese’s Pieces-crusted French bread with raspberry syrup. If you’re one of those people who’s not too keen on sweet (we could never be friends), there’s a whole other half of the menu just for you. The Benedicts looked particularly mouthwatering. Sit inside or outside, but be warned: the smell of bakery and breakfast sweets will linger long after you’ve left. Consider it a sugary souvenir, or a sweet reminder to visit again.

Like light brews? So do we. Here’s a short list of our faves, mostly pilsners that fit the bill: Hoppy Hop Pilsner (Bull and Bush), Czech Pilsner (Copper Kettle), Kölsh (Prost).

GRADE A SOUP

LUPITA’S RESTAURANT 11809 E. Colfax Ave.; Aurora; 303-344-0020; lupitasco.com Any place that hosts an airborne Santa Claus over the holidays gets a Grade A in our book.

Lupita’s Restaurant is a neighborhood favorite in north Aurora, and not just because a whitebearded man in a big red suit arrives there almost every year in a helicopter. The menu is long enough to muddle your brain, with extensive breakfast options, house specialties, Mexican dishes, shrimp and fish specials, desserts and even a portion of the menu dedicated to burgers and sandwiches. But there’s one menu listing that has stood out for more than a decade: Caldo Siete Mares, or Seven Seas Soup. As the name implies, the dish is served with seven types of ocean dwellers and is pure salty, spicy heaven for a seafood lover. Garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, chile de arbol and shrimp bouillon are the foundation ingredients for the soup broth. Then, potatoes and carrots simmer in the pot until they’re tender. The seafood includes octopus, scallops, crab and snapper with a side of tortillas to soak up the scrumptious leftovers on a cold winter day. The restaurant is owned by Peruvian native Betty Oxley, who works alongside a half-dozen of her family members. Betty’s mother, Rosa, had the arduous task of cooking for 11 children when Betty was growing up. Betty learned the basics from her mom, and then opened the first Lupita’s on Montview Boulevard in 1994. In 1997, the restaurant moved to its current location on East Colfax Avenue. For Betty and her family, cooking comes naturally. Maybe that’s why the menu is long enough to rival “War and Peace.” Subtle changes may be made to it, but the soup has been a constant. It’s that good.

GRADE A LIGHT BREW

‘APRICOT BLONDE’ DRY DOCK BREWING 15120 E. Hampden Ave.; Aurora; 303-400-5606; drydockbrewing.com Light brew doesn’t necessarily mean light in calories here. When scouring the metro area for our favorite crisp-tasting brews, we didn’t have to look far to find one of the best. Dry Dock’s Apricot Blonde rises to the top of our list every summer. One of Aurora’s flagship brews

from the nautical-themed brewery, Apricot Blonde is front-and-center for Dry Dock in their recent explosion over the past year. There’s good reason: the crisp, dry finish with a hint of apricot and honey is positively worth the price of admission. Brewmaster Kevin DeLange has history with Apricot Blonde too. The brew won a slew of awards at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver and brings home plenty of hardware every year at other competitions.

Sophisticated beer connoisseurs scoff at the notion of adding fruit to beer—whether during the brew or, gasp, after—but this isn’t quite the same. DeLange has found a way to offer the summer fruit as a highlight for the rest of the light brew, rather than take center stage like a Lambic. There are other beers in the metro area that fell on our short list for supreme light brews particularly for their drinkability and complexity. Caution Brewing’s Lao Wang Lager was one of those, which pairs unbelievably well with Asian food, but that’s another story.

We’re looking forward to the coming year when a handful of new breweries open around the metro area, which will mean we get the chance to soak our palates with more summer brew.

Until that happens, we’ll happily sip on another Apricot Blonde and count the days until May again.

GRADE A SPECIALTY BREW

‘MEXICAN CHOCOLATE STOUT’ COPPER KETTLE 1338 S. Valentia St. No. 100.; Denver; 720-443-2522; copperkettledenver.com Defining this category was a bear. Especially considering that specialty brews can be just about anything, and often are, considering the number of special, one-time only brews that we can find in the metro area. It seems like anytime a brewery and a restaurant get together the result is a baker’s dozen of roasted stouts aged in wine barrels, whiskey casks or brewer’s socks — who knows? But our specialty brew is the kind that we like the best: the “special” brew that you can get right now. Perhaps that’s why we’re so intrigued by the Copper Kettle’s Mexican Chocolate Stout. The brew is featured in the outfit’s regular rotation, just off of Parker Road and Mississippi Road in Denver, but it carries the air of one of the weird-sounding brews that you can only find once a month. Brewers at Copper Kettle have tamed the quixotic mix of herbs and Mexican chocolate ingredients to fit within the same stout without bombarding your taste buds for the rest of the night. The brew is particularly interesting on the front; the hint of spice and cinnamon is familiar and light, then the first taste begins to change all that. The bittersweet Mexican chocolate and malted barley are powerful here, and the depths of flavor can’t really be explored with just one sip. Perhaps that’s why we’ve had quite a few sips. For sure, the Mexican Chocolate Stout isn’t AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK a light read; the deep brew requires concentration like a Faulkner novel, but it’s well worth the effort. Our pick for specialty brew is the kind of exploration that requires more than just one pint.

Thankfully, their growlers (or better still, 40 oz. “hydrogrowlers” that resemble bicycle water bottles) are available and worth the effort to bring home and contemplate more.

GRADE A SLICE OF TOKYO

OSHIMA RAMEN 7400 E. Hampden Ave.; Denver; 720-482-0264 Just outside of Aurora, on Hampden Avenue near Tamarac, Oshima Ramen is the worst kept secret in the metro area for Japanese noodle soup; everyone around here knows it’s good. But that hasn’t changed the small restaurant, which feels like it could very well have been transplanted from the Shinjuku district in Tokyo. Every bowl of broth, every heaping mound of rice and all the boiled eggs in the place resist the gentrification that usually accompanies dive places making it big. All the elements are present: the walls have writing from decades of customers; some of the drinks on display are sticky from years of staying in the same place; the cash register’s plastic protective covering is yellowing from age, and effort reserved for making the food—not making you pay big for it.

The main event here is the ramen soup, made with either miso or shoyu base. Warm broth covering soft noodles with a choice of meats (pork, chicken or not at all) and veggies is an art form worth savoring here, and the marinated egg dunked in it all is sight for the first-time eater. We always make our way there with the best of intentions: gyoza to split, Kirin and super ramen (spicy and shoyu, please) for ourselves all the way, but it’s too much food all every time. That still doesn’t stop us from getting fried rice to go. It’s that good.

GRADE A BAGEL

BAGEL DELI 6439 E. Hampden Ave.; Denver; 303-756-6667; bageldeli.com We’ll acknowledge our bias. Bagel Deli Owner Joe Kaplan feels like family because he practically is; we’ve known Joe and his son Jared for decades. Off Hampden Avenue and near Interstate 25 in Denver, the Bagel Deli for years has been the go-to stop for a bagel and schmear, coffee and you’re on your way to work. The Bagel Deli isn’t a misnomer, there’s a fully functioning deli counter with meats, cheeses and pickles too. The pastrami at the Bagel Deli is tender, moist and pairs with turkey and Swiss like an immutable sandwich law you’re never allowed to break. But the bagels get top billing here. Soft and tender on the inside, crisp and glossy on the outside, Joe picks his bagels from the best bagel maker in Denver — just right up Monaco near Leetsdale — to feature his deli’s best. The

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THE GREAT POTATO DEBATE There are two types of people in the world: those who know what kind of delicious warm potato salad is, and everyone else. Bender’s thoughtfully gives you the option by offering warm and cold potato salads there, but we’re telling you to get the warm. Every time. Warm potato salad may be the traditional German way, but at Bender’s it’s the only way for us. The salad comes with just about everything you order, and simultaneously sweet and soft, salty and satisfying. Take the leap with us and order it with your next krautburger. At first bite the flavor profile and temperature may throw you; after all, most burger sidekicks come cold. But then the bits of bacon and buttery-soft potatoes start to intrigue you. Is that a hint of sweetness you’re getting as an aftertaste? Did we mention how good that smoky bacon tastes in there? See what we mean? You’re still allowed to love cold, mayonnaiseor mustard-soaked tater salad for the backyard cookouts, but when it comes to the real stuff—and we mean the straight dope—it’s gotta be warm. You’ll never look at potato salad the same way again.

Nova Lox and cream cheese bagel starts every Sunday right for us. Joe’s smoked salmon is layered high on a warm bagel with just a hint of savory cream cheese. Joe doesn’t use capers on his Lox bagels like others, and perhaps it’s for the best: the salmon is smoky and salty enough that it doesn’t need a punch from the pungent berries. Topped with sliced tomatoes that cool it all down and sliced red onion that’s a fresh finish to the whole plate, we’re hard-pressed to find a bagel around here that’s as well planned as the decades that have gone into making Joe’s the best around these parts. Be warned: A television appearance and tradition have jam-packed the Bagel Deli on weekends like it were in the middle of New York’s Times Square. It’s well-deserved success, but it also means that you’ll have to plan ahead. And we suggest you do. That’s just not the bias talking either.

GRADE A PASSPORT TO ANOTHER WORLD

NILE ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT 1951 S. Havana St.; Aurora; 720-748-0239; nileethiorestaurant.com A good name is better than good perfume, according to an Ethiopian proverb. The Nile Restaurant in Aurora boasts both. For more than 10 years, the Nile has been curing homesick Ethiopians with a luxury of homeland delicacies and standbys in a place that seems far from here. Traditional beers, basket tables and iconic injera bread offer the real taste of northern Africa. Succulent stewed meats for those who want them spread over a table-sized leaf of sour, spongy bread can only bring comfort to Ethiopian and American diners. While the food is all extraordinary, the Nile Restaurant is

a Grade A place to leave the country without leaving the city. The service, the weekend entertainment, the vibe is an exotic staycation specializing in dinner.

GRADE A MIX OF OLDAND NEW-WORLD CUISINE

BENDER’S BRAUT HAUS 700 S. Buckley Road; Aurora; 303-872-3569 Don’t let the signed Huey Lewis and the News concert T-shirt hanging on the wall of Bender’s Braut Haus fool you. This isn’t an ‘80s throwback restaurant. Even with all of its decorations celebrating American pop culture, there’s plenty of Old World charm to this restaurant on Buckley Road. That comes in the menu, which features plenty of German, Italian and Russian staples, including classics like chunky potato salad, old-fashioned bratwurst and Italian sausage. But those old reliable classics aren’t the best part of this eatery, which has been around in one form or another since the 1970s. Owner Jordan McCarty and the rest of the Bender’s crew know the value of mixing things up. Along with the reliable German entrees and European sides, the restaurant features tasty spins on

2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK old favorites. Our top pick? The restaurant’s signature “krautburger,” a sandwich made of a sweet roll dough with ground beef, cabbage, salt, pepper and onion baked into the middle.

And just as the restaurant features plenty of American kitsch in its décor, the menu includes tried-and-true native favorites like hamburgers, hot dogs and hot ham and cheese sandwiches.

All of those dishes offer the same kind of high standard when it comes to quality. The pork used in all of the dishes is coarse ground and lean. All of the meat purchased from suppliers is trimmed of fat and gristle by Bender’s staff of eight before it’s processed in the restaurant’s massive grinder. The sausage casings are hand-tied, and the deli section features freshly made sauerkraut, horseradish and fresh-baked kaiser rolls.

GRADE A AUTHENTIC CHINESE CUISINE

CHINA JADE 12203 E. Iliff Ave.; Aurora; 303-755-8518 There’s a secret menu at China Jade, the modest Chinese bistro off Iliff Avenue. Well, it’s not exactly a total secret. You don’t have to use a code word or meet a guy out back to get a copy of the thing. All it really takes is asking a waiter for the authentic menu, the one that doesn’t feature all of the Americanized dishes that really have nothing to do with what people in China really eat. Even so, there’s bound to be a mysterious quality to the menu for those used to sweet-and-sour pork and wontons filled with cream cheese. China Jade’s native menu spotlights flavor profiles foreign to most

American diners, and that’s part of the magic of this place. There’s an exotic mix of spices in the huge casserole plates of fish and beef, the wontons drenched in chile oil and the sour cabbage delicacies. Even the more familiar fare on this menu has a different taste. The kung-pao dishes, for example, taste very little like what Panda Express offers. The spices are subtle, and the heat in the kung-pao spreads slowly. Chile oil and peppers take the place of unremarkable powders and other ho-hum seasonings. The wontons aren’t your average Chinese restaurant fare either—the dough encasing the flavorful pork filling is thick and delicious. These dishes are otherworldly, and they’re a big contrast to China Jade’s run-of-the-mill takeout menu. If you’re a fan of standard, Americanized Chinese food, those dishes are more than adequate. But the real remarkable dishes here come off of the other list, the menu that feels like a well-kept secret from some other place.

GRADE A TASTE OF GERMANY

HELGA’S GERMAN RESTAURANT AND DELI 14197 E. Exposition Ave.; Aurora; 303-344-5488; helgasdeli.com Wienerschnitzel? Check. Bratwurst? Check.

David Hasslehoff CDs? Check, check and double check. Helga’s German Restaurant and Deli doesn’t simply seek to recreate the real culture and feel of Germany on the menu.

Sure, the food is authentic in every sense of the word. The bratwurst, beef sauerbraten and Bauern steak dishes have the convincing feel of family recipes passed down from old Europe.

But owner (and namesake) Helga Bruntsch has added plenty of other bona fide touches to the

PSSST ... IT’S NOT A SECRET ANYMORE So-called “secret menus” aren’t kept very well. As a matter of fact, most secret menus aren’t really secret at all. They’ve long been more traditional menus that catered to native tastes. Chef Liu packs a separate menu with braised, bone-in chicken, curried lamb and whole bass that probably wouldn’t fly with dollar-scoop Chinese food fans. Lao Wang Noodle House in Denver proudly displays their secret menu right on the wall there, in Chinese script, for customers who come looking for their unbelievably tasty food. Several Mexican restaurants in Aurora here know that catering to native tastes isn’t a losing proposition either. Restaurants along Colfax offer tongue tacos, and Real De Minas in Aurora serves up Menudo, a traditional Mexican stew with beef tripe and whoknowswhatelse on Sundays, when it’s tradition to have the slow-cooked soup. While “secret menus” around the country have long meant ordering your burger with double patties or double cheese, here in Aurora, secret menus mean you’re getting the true flavor of the country your chef came from. In that case, it’s not so much a secret any more as it is expected. And trust us, if you’re visiting one of these places, it’s well worth the time to order off the menu.

restaurant, deli and gift shop that share space in the building off Exposition Avenue. The deli features a wide selection of tasty German staples, including sausages, potato salads and home-baked breads. There’s plenty of specialties that will make any European expatriate drool – Helga’s sells Kinder eggs, Laroshell chocolate and a whole mess of other goodies that are hard to find on American shores. The gift shop is a hodgepodge of cool stuff from across the pond; German CDs, candies, coffees and snacks are all for sale here. The selection adds another personal touch to a place with plenty of personal touches. Bruntsch opened the restaurant in 1998 with her mother, and the joint has kept up that independent, familyowned feel. That’s what’s made Helga’s a draw for lovers of German cuisine and culture far from Aurora; a typical weekend is liable to see a crowd of regulars from across the metro area. The secret to that loyal customer base goes deeper than the wienerschnitzel to the variety of chocolate, coffee and hot music hits in German.

GRADE A FLAIR FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

ATHENIAN RESTAURANT 15350 E. Iliff Ave.; Aurora; 720-449-0224 Don’t worry about missing out on the shouts of “Opa!” during a visit to the Athenian Restaurant off Chambers Road. Even a visit during off hours—say, a half hour before the lunch rush or long after normal dinner hours—will yield plenty of Greek spirit and feistiness from the staff. The sense of celebration here is constant—staff is likely to ask if you’d like a shot of ouzo with your small lunch salad, and they’ll scream the traditional Greek expression of joy if you’re the only person in the building. That’s one of the biggest charms of this place. Owners Angie and Tom Stathopoulos have created a space that feels genuinely Greek. From the over-the-top decor (yes, Corinthian columns and pictures of the Parthenon are standard here) to the steady hum of Greek music and talk programs thanks to satellite radio, there’s no mistaking the theme of this place. And the food ain’t bad, either. The prices aren’t always AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK cheap, but diners are paying in part for the ambience and the restaurant’s specialty dishes.

The combo plates offer a comprehensive taste of Greece. The chef’s platter and the lunchtime sampler include lamb, chicken and pork meat, as well as plenty of takes on that delicious Greek staple, feta cheese. Speaking of cheese, the flaming cheese dish known as saganaki is the most theatrical piece on the menu. The staff will set the dish on fire and yell “Opa!” as the flames subside. One can’t help but get caught up in the ceremony of it all, and feel as if a tiny piece of Greece somehow caught a plane and landed in Aurora.

GRADE A ITALIAN LUNCH

ARMANDO’S RISTORANTE 5428 S. Parker Road; Aurora; 303-690-6660; goarmandos.com A lot of tasty dishes make Armando’s Ristorante off Parker Road a standout. There are more accessible dishes for American diners like pizza and pasta, as well as higher ticket items like Oysters Rockefeller. That quality comes from the background and expertise of chef and owner Armando Sarlo, a native Italian who came to the U.S. as a 22-year-old. His dedication to the craft of Italian cooking is hard to miss in dishes across the board, but the restaurant’s best appeal comes in its lunch menu. The quality is still there in spades, but the affordable prices make Armando’s one of the best options for a midday meal in southeast Aurora. There’s calamari fritti for $4.50, stuffed mushrooms for $3.50 and grilled bruschetta bread for just under $4. The panini selection includes chicken, meatball and sausage parm, and the restaurant’s Mediterranean, shrimp and Caesar salads are a great meal for a great value. All of these dishes shine in the restaurant’s new(er) location near the Arapahoe Crossings shopping center. The business set up in its new digs from its longtime location near Smoky Hill High School a few years ago, and the place has benefited from the added space.

You can take your lunch looking out at the great view south over Parker Road, or you can opt for the bigger dining room that includes plenty of booths and tasteful decoration. Wherever you opt to take in your lunchtime deal at Armando’s, it will be impossible to miss the authentic taste of Italy that comes through in Sarlo’s cuisine.

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GRADE A FOOD THROWBACK

ROSIE’S DINER 14061 E. Iliff Ave.; Aurora; 303-752-3663; rosiesdiner.com Remember that scene from the first “Back to the Future” flick? It comes after Marty McFly has cruised back to the 1950s in his time-traveling DeLorean; it’s the scene where he meets the teenage version of his father the first time at that kitschy diner. Old Pat Boone tunes are playing, the kids are sipping on cherry Cokes and the mood of the place is just, well, nifty. If there’s any place in Aurora that offers that same kind of innocence straight from the era of Eisenhower and Steve Allen, it’s Rosie’s Diner. The restaurant set up in a trailer off Iliff Avenue sums up kitschy charm, and much more tastefully than the Gunther Toody’s chain. The restaurant is a mix of old-timey charm and family friendly dining. You can drop a coin into the boothside juke box while you’re eating to hear the best hits of Ritchie Valens, Del Shannon and the Beach Boys. You can drop by the counter after your meal to get licorice and hard candy. During a stop at the diner’s soda bar, you can order vanilla Cokes, milkshakes and all kinds of fountain goodies. The diner’s nostalgic feel comes along with a tasty variety of American staples. Burgers, salads and sandwiches make up the menu, as do entrees like turkey dinners, meatloaf and chicken fried steak. A trip to Rosie’s Diner isn’t quite as authentic as a spin back to the 1950s in a DeLorean, but it’s as close as nostalgic diners in Aurora are liable to get.

GRADE A EXOTIC MEATS AND EXOTIC WINES

WINE EXPERIENCE CAFE & WORLD CELLAR 6420 S. Main St. St. L115; Aurora; 303-690-1025; wineexperiencecafe.com Coloradans love their meat and potatoes. Sure, the metro area has drawn plenty of fancy, avant-garde restaurants in the past couple of decades, but that hasn’t changed the fact that we love our culinary formulas. The owners of the Wine Experience Café and World Cellar haven’t let that trend limit their menu. Instead, they’ve embraced it, diving into the old idea of building a meal around a good protein. Here, however, that centerpiece is rarely your run-of-the-mill T-bone.

Diners at this dual wine café and restaurant in the Southlands Shopping Center are just as likely to see bison featured on the menu as beef. Executive Chef Jason Lee mixes up the menu according to season, but he’s incorporated everything from elk to wild boar into the menu. Even his approach to bison, which has tied green chile as a quintessential Colorado meal, has gone against the grain. We admire the way Lee and his staff have turned the tables on the approach to bison – by incorporating simple spices like sage to bring out the flavor of the meat. The protein isn’t the only standout at the Wine Experience Café. Husbandand-wife team Eldon and Rita Larson also own the neighboring World Cellar, and all of Lee’s exotic dishes find a perfect complement in a wide selection of wine. Those whites and reds help make an adventurous meal feel more adventur-

THE LOST ART OF ITALIAN Sadly, chains have taken over much of the Italian food scene out this way. We’re not talking about pizza — we’ve got that covered in a few places — but we’re talking about the homemade pasta with sauce, clams in butter, pans of lasagna that sell out faster than mamma could make them. That kind of Italian. Thankfully, Armando’s is an outpost for neighborhood Italian eateries that were drowned out by a sea of endless minestrone soup from you-know-who. Their lunch specials are what intrigued us, but we’re sure that if you go back for the full Monte, say for Italian meatloaf, buttery and garlicky mashed potatoes and roasted broccolini, you’ll swear off endless breadsticks forever. We hope you do.

2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK ous. But diners who are old-fashioned don’t have to worry. This isn’t the Buckhorn Exchange; ribs, steaks and chicken share the menu with duck breast and halibut. After all, there are plenty of restaurant goers out there who still appreciate meat and potatoes in the most old-fashioned sense.

THE SWEET AND SAVORY LIFE

GRADE A MIX OF FOOD AND CULTURE

TAVERN LOWRY 7401 E. 1st Ave.; Denver; 303-366-0007; tavernhg.com/lowry Munching on a Margherita pizza or a Mediterranean steak salad in the dining room of The Tavern restaurant at Lowry, it’s easy to forget there’s a world-class music venue just under your feet. That’s because you have to take an elevator down to the Soiled Dove Underground, a soundproofed, 300-seat concert hall tucked underneath the restaurant. Once you make the trip, you’ll wonder how you ever missed this very cool and very professional venue. Since it opened in Lowry in 2006, the Soiled Dove Underground has hosted big names like B.B. King, the Avett Brothers and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

Those big names flock to the place because of its impressive acoustics and its cozy layout. That’s no accident. Owner Frank Schultz and his team of engineers designed the place with sound in mind—the club is one of the most carefully designed venues in the metro area, and it’s a treat for Aurora music fans who don’t have a lot of music clubs to choose from in the city. But the appeal of the place goes beyond the super chic underground venue. The food, drinks and service at The Tavern are top-notch complements to the club. The place has the cozy and welcoming feel of a neighborhood pub, and the menu has options for all kinds of palates. There’s tacos, hot dogs, pasta, pizzas and calzones, as well as a full brunch and dessert menu. That big menu makes The Tavern an ideal pre-concert stop. Added bonus: You can get a few beers without having to worry about the drive to the concert hall. The trip to the show is simply a ride down the elevator.

GRADE A BRATS AND BREWS

LOWRY BEER GARDEN 7577 E. Academy Blvd.; Denver; 303-366-0114; lowrybeergarden.com Remember when finding fun nightlife in the Lowry neighborhood meant driving west to Denver? That’s not the case anymore. The Lowry Beer Garden has turned into an anchor in an up-and-coming cultural neighborhood, one that includes concert venues, chic restaurants and independent theaters. The Beer Garden was a test case for a new restaurant model in the neighborhood, and it’s turned into a stunning success story. The restaurant/bar opened in 2012, and while it may not be the kind of traditional beer garden one would find in Germany,

It’s that time of year again, when Aurora magazine writers balloon into Veruca Salt lookalikes. It’s a tough life being a Grade A judge. You see, we’re forced to try dozens of delicious foods from restaurants all over Aurora and beyond, on the company dime. And since the deadline is both our best friend and worst enemy, we have to try them all in a short amount of time. Now our clothes are two sizes too small (they MUST have shrunk in the wash, I mean really), and we have incessant daydreams of divine lemon meringue tarts and savory chicken mole empanadas. Tough life, for sure. We were sneaky in our methods and successful in our search for the area’s top foods. Like undercover spies, we never alerted restaurateurs that we were there specifically to eat a whole lot of different menu items and write about them. (A note to our waiters: we promise we are not just gluttonous pigs. We were on a mission.) We ended up with a lot of doggy bags and a newfound appreciation for the wonderfully diverse culinary scene in the city, from Filipino chicken adobo to Thai hot and sour soup and Greek fried cheese (aka saganaki).

We weren’t shocked to find that practically everything we ate was bursting with flavor and left us wanting more. In fact, we tried really hard to think of a dish that tasted like feet or was even mildly disappointing, but we couldn’t. That’s what happens when you live in a city with some of the best family-owned restaurants in the state. We ended our taste bud tour with an understanding maybe even more precious than the food itself, and it’s this: From restaurateurs to residents, Aurorans are proud of their food and it shows. They beam when they talk about their favorite French cold sandwich or egg Benedict. They always encourage you to try something unique—twice-cooked pork belly or zucchini and pistachio pancakes.

They know you’ll still be salivating long after the last bite. And, as we ponder pursuing Grade A as our year-round profession, you can be sure we are.

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BUTTER. IT’S LIKE BUTTA.

hard-to-find groceries, lunch meats and breads available at this place, any Jewish mother worth their salt could find plenty of ways to feed a hungry child.

It’s all about butter. It’s the butter the creates air between leaves of impossibly thin pastry, giving life to a wide range of “laminate” creations. It’s the butter in a spongy madeline that makes them so tender but so full of flavor. It’s the butter in the crust of an apple tart that produces a fall caramel in your mouth with each bite. It’s the butter in the base of experimental dark-chocolate ganache that makes you wonder if you’ve ever really tasted chocolate before. There are no substitutes, and the better bakeries use better butter. Yes, it’s a thing. And for some, it’s the only thing.

it’s become a standout in the neighborhood and in the entire metro area. The Beer Garden offers a constantly revolving menu of local Colorado beers on tap, and they’ve got more than 30 different bottled brews. The food menu is just as unique, with a selection of meats that includes German veal, smoked pork and southwestern bison. Those come in the form of brats and burgers, with plenty of exotic toppings. The beer and the food are only part of the appeal here. The Lowry Beer Garden gets a Grade A rating on simple ambience. With a selection of board games, a ping-pong table, big-screen TVs and an open-air patio that’s properly heated in the winter, this place is a fitting scene for a family outing, a first date or a night on the town with friends. That combination of good food, exotic beer and winning atmosphere earned the spot a place on Yahoo’s list of the best beer gardens in the nation. We couldn’t agree more.

GRADE A ASIAN MARKET

H MART 2751 S. Parker Road; Aurora; 303-745-4592; hmart.com Looking for sliced cabbage kimchi? How about Umeken extract balls? You know, those Japanese capsules made out of freshwater clam that contain healthy doses of taurine and essential amino acids. I know that you’ve been searching for dried wild squid, and that your local supermarket just ran out. Thanks to the H Mart on Parker Road, Aurorans with such specific, Asian-based requests need never miss out. This grocery is much more than your average grocery. H Mart has plenty of space and selection that makes it a standout among the city’s many ethnic markets. There’s the stellar seafood department that always offers good deals on exotic products. You’re just as likely to find top-notch squid and octopus as you are good deals on beef and chicken. You’re also liable to find specialty products in the many stalls and carts set up in the store itself. The grocery’s noodle selection is overwhelming, as is the variety of rice, grains, sauces, spices and even health and beauty products. There’s even a wide array of appliances, from rice cookers

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to electric skillets. H Mart offers an impressive mix of all kinds of different Asian cultures and products. There are staples from Korea, Japan, China and beyond in this sprawling superstore, and any import to Aurora will find many, many products to make them feel at home. For novices, the effect of the place can be overwhelming, with so many exotic choices and so many products marked in foreign alphabets. We urge you to get past that initial hump, and dive into H Mart’s stores. It’s likely to pay off in delicious kimchi and tasty wild squid.

GRADE A KOSHER SUPERSTORE

EAST SIDE KOSHER DELI 499 S. Elm St.; Denver; 303-322-9862; eastsidekosherdeli.com Are you eating enough? You look rail thin.

Seriously, you look like you could use a good nosh. Let me make you something. Any Jewish mother worried about their loved ones’ appetites couldn’t ask for a bigger selection than the offerings at the East Side Kosher Deli.

The 20,000-square-foot kosher superstore is a short trip out of Aurora (the store is just east of the Cherry Creek shopping center), but the trip is worthwhile for any fan of challah, matzoh products, bagels and any other number of bona-fide kosher products. Those goodies come in a fully stocked deli, an extensive grocery store, a butcher’s shop and an onsite restaurant. And this is the real deal, people. This grocery store is strictly kosher in every sense of the word. A rabbinical organization oversees the preparation of food in the deli, restaurant, the grocery store, the butcher’s shop and the bakery. But don’t let that dissuade you if you’re not 100 percent Jewish. This supermarket offers treats for casual kosher diners as well. There’s hard-to-find kosher candies and chocolate bars, flavored syrups and jellies and a wide variety of breads and baked goods. The butcher’s shop offers standard kosher meats like chicken and beef, but there’s also a selection of lamb, veal and bison. This selection makes up for the fact that the restaurant side of the deli doesn’t always match the quality or selection of the rest of the shop. With all of the

GRADE A SWEETS (FOR SWEETHEART)

LA BAGUETTE 16524 Keystone Blvd.; Parker; 303-805-9130; labaguettedenormandy.com Pssst. Come here. Closer. Want to know the way to a girl’s heart? I’ll tell you. It’s through a lemon meringue French tart, a custard-filled puff pastry, and a slice of chocolate truffle cake inside a red bow-wrapped box labeled “La Baguette de Normandy.” Seriously. At this little French pastry and bread shop in Parker, amour is all around, in the form of decadent éclairs and sweet pastry cream filled cornets.

The shop is run by pastry chef extraordinaire Michael Dupont. He’s the real deal. Skiing lured him to Colorado from the French region of Normandy, where he had already spent a quarter century in the bakery business. A pastry prodigy, Dupont began studying baking techniques behind breads, pastries and chocolate at age 16. Dupont and his wife, Blanca, have owned La Baguette de Normandy since 2007, which mirrors the traditional French pastry shop they still own in Pont-l’Évêque.

That’s why the shop boasts French delectables like napoleons and baguettes, croissants and French sandwiches like the croque monsieur—toasted ham and cheese inside a baguette. The traditional cold sandwiches are also a must-try, like the pate-filled baguette with cornichons, or sweet baby pickles. But no one can resist the beautiful sweet morsels eying you from behind the glass case. They’re cookies and tarts and chocolatey treats crying out for you to take them home. Maybe that’s why there’s a buy-four-get-one-free deal. Take the Duponts up on that offer and take home a divine quintet of sweets for your special sig-o. Be sure to include one of our favorites, a custard-filled choux pastry that’s deliciously messy and adoringly ugly. Just don’t tell her the name of that one is “Divorce” (pronounced divorce-ay in French.) Maybe just call it “amour.”

2013 GRADE A AWARDS FOOD & DRINK READERS’ PICK

GRADE A PIZZA

A-TOWN PIZZA 17060 E. Quincy Ave.; Aurora; 303-6939663; a-townpizza.com Sure, all pizza is generally some combination of sauce, cheese, tomato sauce and other toppings. By that definition, a pizza is a pizza. But any true pizza fan knows that not all pizzas are created equal. And not all pizzas even belong in the same category. On Aurora’s ‘za scene, A-Town Pizza stands out. But it doesn’t stand out because they are the only “artisan” pizza joint flinging their pies in Aurora. And it’s not just their imported, hulking, woodburning stove, the only one of its kind in Aurora. Or even the hip atmosphere, or the unabashed hometown pride—kudos, too, to owner Will Harris for adding Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora’s favorite sudsy sons, to his menu. No, A-Town could ditch the cool atmosphere, and the solid marketing and all the other stuff, and still, they would boast the best pizza in town.

And that’s because Harris and his people know that good pizza is simple, with primo ingredients, cooked just right. That’s what they do at A-Town, and it makes them truly stand out in a sea of pizza shops. The pizzas at A-Town—and there are dozens of options, or you can build your own—don’t look like the pie you get from one of those all-too-prevalent chains. No, they come out of the woodburning stove with a crispy, tan-colored crust that contrasts beautifully with the bright red sauce and gooey white hunks of mozzarella. So if you really want pizza, and not just another slice of whatever the 30-minutes-or-less guys are slinging this week, then head to South Buckley Road and East Quincy Avenue.

GRADE A INDIAN

MASALAA 3140 S. Parker Road; Aurora; 303-755-6272; masalaausa.com Who says vegetarian cuisine can’t succeed in a cow town? For a dozen years, Masalaa has been a staple on Aurora’s dining scene. The Indian restaurant near Parker Road and South Peoria Street has carved out a nice niche by serving up dishes so spicy and flavorful, even the most ardent carnivore won’t mind that it comes meat-free. Dipping a fresh-baked dosa—the delicious flat bread that comes with every meal—into a steaming bowl of pander tikka masalaa is one of the better culinary experiences Aurora has to offer. The food at Masalaa is generally of the southern Indian vari-

ety, but the menu is vast. Other options include some Indo-Chinese hybrids, including the gobi Manchurian, a Cauliflower fried and slathered in a spicy Manchurian Sauce. If you really like your food spicy, be sure to tell your wait staff and the chef will gladly add an extra kick of spice to your gobi. If you’re new to Indian dining, Masalaa’s lunch buffet is a great place to start. Sample a wide variety of dishes that way, including the vegetable korma or palak paneer. Don’t scrimp on the pastries, either, because no meal at Masalaa is complete unless you walk out with a belly full of vada and uthappam. The uthappam, a sort of vegetable pancake, a great for sopping up the spicy sauce from your masalaa or korma.

GRADE A DINNER COMBO

REVNED BBQ AND DRY DOCK Near the corner of E. Hampden Ave. and S. Chambers Rd.; Aurora Beer and barbecue make a great pair. Washing down some tasty meat cooked low and slow with an ice cold beer is close to perfection. Near South Chambers Road and East Hampden Avenue, Aurora diners can get that combo from two Aurora favorites. Dry Dock Brewery and Revned BBQ share a shopping center at the busy intersection, and they share customers. Swing by Revned — which is Denver spelled backwards — on a Friday evening and you can grab a half rack of ribs, rubbed in Revned’s signature spices and served with the sauce on the side. Or, you can try the awesome BBQ Nachos, a smattering of your choice of meat — we recommend the pulled pork — smothered in queso, cowboy beans and jalapenos. On the side, don’t miss the collard greens or the mac and cheese. Once you have your heaping plate of BBQ, stroll a few steps over to Dry Dock’s tasting room. There, choose from the Aurora brewery’s growing and celebrated list of daring suds expertly brewed. On the heavy side, you can grab a vanilla porter —a perfect full-bodied brew on a chill day. If you prefer something on the lighter side, order up a pint of Dry Dock’s Breakwater Pale Ale. The brewers at Dry Dock are always trying something new, so be sure to ask what seasonal offerings they have that day. If you’re looking for an ideal beverage to pair with the plate of BBQ, we recommend an ice-cold Apricot Blonde Ale. The fruity brew is orange in hue and packs a hefty bit of apricot. It’s a summer combo that is quintessentially Aurora, and positively delicious.

GRADE A TASTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

SUNBURST GRILL 2295 S. Chambers Road; Aurora; 303-752-6389 When you have a hankering for a steaming plate of Filipino-style adobo chicken, there aren’t many options. Lucky for Aurora diners, one of the few Filipino restaurants in the region is located at East Iliff Avenue and South Chambers Road, and it offers some of the best. Sunburst Grill boasts a

menu that ranges from the more exotic Filipino fare to dishes more palatable to American diners, but still rich in flavor. On the exotic end they serve Kare Kare, a mix of oxtail, tripe and peanut stew with veggies served over garlic rice. On the other end is the salpicao, cubed sirloin steak with buttery garlic sauce served on a hot skillet with green beans. The salpicao comes with a choice of steamed or garlic rice, but you should always, always go with the garlic. It’s a rich, sticky rice that won’t overpower any entree, but it will compliment every one. In between the more exotic and the less exotic is the chicken adobo, a massive, boneless chicken breast slathered in a smoky and salty adobo sauce. It too comes with garlic rice as well as a few shreds of pickled radish or papaya.

But there is a lot more to Sunburst than the entrees. Start off with the lumpiang Shanghai, a thin, flaky egg roll stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. And don’t miss the pork sinigang, a tangy pork soup with huge chunks of pork still on the bone. If you’re one of those diners who doesn’t like your meat still on the bone, don’t worry. The pork in this dish is so tender you can shake it from the bone with the slightest effort.

GRADE A CHARCOAL-GRILLED STEAKS

EMIL LENE’S 16000 Smith Road; Aurora; 303-366-6674; aurorasteakhouse.com When it’s time to dine out, few options can top a perfectly grilled steak. To achieve that perfection, sometimes you just have to scrap the propane grill in favor of charcoal. In Aurora, if you really want a steak that will make you feel like wearing a cowboy hat and bolo tie, you need to head to Emil Lene’s Steakhouse at 16000 E. Smith Road. There, they smack each side of your steak on an iron skillet, searing the edges to keep the juices in, then slap it on a red-hot charcoal grill. At Emil Lene’s, the charcoal is always Kingsford, a fact they boast about on their business cards. The coals give the steaks that smoky flavor that you can only get from charcoal. Sure, there are plenty of places where you can get a great steak cooked over gas, but there’s something to be said for a restaurant that is willing to go the extra mile for steak enthusiasts. And if you’ve ever grilled on a charcoal grill, you know how much more laborious it is than twisting a knob on a gas grill and pushing a red button. If the steaks at Emil Lene’s aren’t enough to entice you — and, really, a juicy cut of choice beef expertly grilled over charcoal should entice any steak lover — then Emil Lene’s unique atmosphere definitely will. The restaurant is almost hidden near the Star-K Ranch in far north Aurora. Inside, Emil Lene’s has the feel of a steakhouse from a era when hard-working cowboys feasted on a hefty steak after long day on the range. And every meal comes with vegetables, soup or salad, a spaghetti appetizer and warm bread with butter. The off-the-beaten-path locale and classic atmosphere makes a trip to Emil Lene’s feel almost like a vacation. | CONTINUED ON PAGE 73 AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT GRADE A SOLO PERFORMANCE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Our dance card over here is full.

From theater to music, dancing to cowboy bars, Aurora’s an interesting mix of events every weekend.

Anchored in northern Aurora, our opportunities for entertainment extend well beyond our borders south to Parker and southwest toward Lone Tree (and yes, even to Denver) with all of their event centers. But the best things to do in Aurora are right in Aurora, and we picked out some of our favorites from this year and for years to come.

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JAMES O’HAGAN MURPHY — ‘RFK’ The Vintage Theatre’s production of the biography “RFK” earlier this year was a history lesson without the dry textbooks. You didn’t have to live through the 1960s to be moved by James O’Hagan Murphy’s solo performance as Robert F. Kennedy. O’Hagan Murphy took up the role in the one-man show written by Jack Holmes with an impressive amount of craft. Over the course of two hours, O’Hagan Murphy offered a whirlwind tour through one of the most turbulent eras in American history through the politician’s eyes. He was a rebellious attorney general working in the administration of his brother John F. Kennedy in 1961. He turned into a stunned and grieving brother after JFK’s assassination in 1963. He was a son who struggled to find his own role in a high-profile family, a husband and a father of 11. Starting in 1967, he was a New York senator working to carve out his own political path. Finally, O’Hagan Murphy played Robert Kennedy as a presidential candidate who fell to an assassin’s bullet. O’Hagan Murphy juggled all of these elements with an eerie kind of ease and brought history to life. Along with Terry Dodd’s fine direction, that stellar performance made “RFK” the Vintage Theatre’s first legitimate hit since its move to Aurora two years ago.

Extended runs at the theater on Dayton Street and a stretch at the neighboring Aurora Fox studio theater are proof of O’Hagan Murphy’s standout skill in this show. It was enough to make us rethink the approach to teaching history in public schools.

GRADE A CREATIVE STRIDE BY A COMPANY

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’ — IGNITE THEATRE COMPANY Talk about a big learning curve. The Ignite Theatre Company’s January production of “Next to Normal” showed Aurora audiences just how far the young troupe has come in a matter of a few short years. Since forming in 2009, the theater company formerly known as Gravity Defied has had its hits and misses.

They’ve constantly pushed the envelope in terms of staging shows about love, sex and scandal, but their first few years were a mixed bag. That’s why Ignite’s production of the musical drama “Next to Normal” came as such a stellar surprise. The show, directed by Ignite co-founder and creative director Keith Rabin Jr., offered a new level of maturity from the upstart company. And this Pulitzer Prizewinning musical isn’t exactly easy to pull off.

The main character is a housewife who takes a

daily regimen of anti-depressants and medications to deal with a dizzying menu of mental issues. Her husband and her daughter are caught in the crosswinds of her mental illness and must deal with the fallout of constant hallucinations and mood swings. In the lead role of Diana Goodman, Margie Lamb made all of the difference. She had already played the role in a critically acclaimed run of the show at the Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins, and she carried a heartbreaking sensitivity to the role of Diana to the Ignite show. Just as impressive was Madison Kitchen’s performance as Natalie, a conflicted teenager who’s watched her mother descend deeper and deeper into madness. All of these characters could easily fall into the realm of caricature in the wrong hands, but this creative team managed to find the heart of a difficult show.

GRADE A TAKE ON A THEATRICAL CLASSIC

‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’ — PHAMALY THEATRE COMPANY The Aurora-based Phamaly Theatre Company made the history of the Jewish people feel like the history of all underdogs in their production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” The troupe has put its own spin on plenty of staples in recent years, but their production of the musical “Fiddler” this summer stood out. The troupe pulled out all of the stops for this show, and that makes sense, considering that the theater company earned $10,000 in federal arts grants for the show at the Denver Center for the Performing arts. The Aurora-based theater company drilled down to the essence of what made “Fiddler” such a historic success on Broadway and beyond. The show is about love, parenthood, community, family and, yes, tradition. It’s about a magnetic protagonist whose struggles, wisdom and insight are universal in a way that’s bigger than one race, religion or place in history. Of course, the show is also very much about the unique culture and struggles of the Jewish people. But it’s also about a community apart, a people vilified and targeted for their very identities. The Phamaly production took up all of those themes with grace, insight and tenderness. As Tevye,

2013 GRADE A AWARDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Gateway High School graduate Mark Dissette was earnest, funny and heartbreaking. The music led by Donna Debreceni was spot-on, and the violin work by Leslie Wilburn and California import Sophia Hummell was a delight. And as always, the company invested the action with a deeper message, one that comes in part from the very mission of Phamaly. In this show, the Jews who are threatened, beaten and chased out of their homes are also members of the disabled community. They’re in wheelchairs, they’re blind, they’ve got cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease. All of these touches made an old show feel completely new.

GRADE A BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE

SUCH — ‘THE COLOR PURPLE’ Where did SuCh come from? Why haven’t we seen her on stage before? Those were the questions that came after the curtain closed on “The Color Purple,” the musical directed

by Donnie Betts that played at the Aurora Fox earlier this year. Betts has a history of bringing groundbreaking performances to the Aurora Fox theater. His work on “K2” and “Crumbs from the Table of Joy” stands among some of the most impressive in the community theater’s recent history. But even that strong track record couldn’t fully prepare audiences for this show. Based on the novel by Alice Walker, the production pushed the bar even higher for Betts and for the Fox. That was largely thanks to the breakout debut by SuCh (aka Su Charles) in the lead role of Celie. SuCh, a singer and Centennial resident whose previous work was limited solely to music, was magnetic as the protagonist in this heartbreaking and endearing work. Her training as a professional singer showed on songs like “I’m Here,” a showstopper that featured a jaw-dropping vocal range.

Her duets with Aurora Fox vet Ashlie-Amber Harris were just as powerful. But the power of SuCh’s performance went deeper than her vocal chops. She brought a sympathetic spirit to the role of Celie, a character who suffers abuse, neglect and racism. Through all of those obstacles, SuCh invested the role a note of hope and perseverance that lifted the entire produc-

tion. “I feel like playing Celie has made me a better person. In a time when black women are the lowest of the low, she’s able to rise up and find inner peace,” SuCh told us earlier this year. SuCh rose up and found her own skill and power as an actor in this production. That success promises great accomplishments to come, and we hope she makes a point to bring her skills back to Aurora stages.

GRADE A CREATIVE PERSEVERANCE BEN DICKE — ‘BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON’ Broken bones and head wounds couldn’t make Ben Dicke give up on his vision to stage the musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.”

Dicke, a familiar face on stages in Aurora, Arvada, Denver and beyond, began his quest to bring the political comedy/musical/history to life at the Aurora Fox in the spring of 2012.

Dicke’s efforts to bring the regional premiere of the rock opera by Michael Friedman and Alex Timber to the Fox spanned nearly six months. He organized a Kickstarter campaign.

He took to a treadmill in the middle of 16th Street Mall in Denver for a full 24 hours to raise the $10,000 needed to fund the project. He directed the piece and had creative say when it came to casting and staging in the Fox’s small studio theater. But the trials didn’t end with questions of funding and production. Hours before the scheduled opening performance of the show, Dicke fell into a trapdoor in the Fox’s backstage, breaking several ribs, puncturing a lung and sustaining serious head injuries. But those physical wounds couldn’t derail Dicke’s commitment to the show. While opening night was delayed, Dicke went on to take up the lead role in the musical mere weeks after his injury. It went on to garner critical acclaim and draw sold-out audiences for its extended run last fall. What’s more, the show proved to be a standout performance for Dicke and the Fox, bringing a new degree of attention and focus to the growing theater scene in the Aurora Cultural Arts District off East Colfax Avenue.

We applaud Dicke for his perseverance, and hope he’ll bring his dogged approach to theater back to the city some time very soon.

ALL IN THE PHAMALY It’s really no wonder the National Endowment for the Arts decided to grant $10,000 to the Phamaly Theatre Company earlier this year. Since a group of former Boettcher School students founded the troupe in 1989, Phamaly has turned into a mainstay in Colorado’s creative landscape. Part of the company’s status comes from their years of good theater. In only the past few years, the Aurora-based company has put an unforgettable stamp on classic shows like “The Elephant Man,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and, most recently, “Fiddler on the Roof.”

But Phamaly’s foothold in the state’s theater scene goes deeper than the impressive acting, the complicated set designs and the standout direction. The company was founded with a unique mission, one that’s persisted through dozens of performances at the Aurora Fox, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and other stages across the state. Phamaly remains one of the nation’s only theater companies specifically dedicated to performers with physical and cognitive disabilities.

In a Phamaly show, it’s no big deal to see a lead character played by an actor who crosses the stage in a wheelchair. In the program for any Phamaly production, the actors include their disabilities in their biographies, along with past stage experience and shout-outs to loved ones. But those disabilities disappear mere minutes into any Phamaly show. This is a theater company of the highest caliber, and every production shows how little a wheelchair or blindness matters when it comes to genuine talent. We’re glad the NEA gave Phamaly a small nod, and we hope it’s a hint of greater sums to come. Considering all of the great work the troupe has done in Aurora and beyond, Phamaly deserves every penny.

Phamaly’s headquarters may be in Aurora, but the company has made big strides in bringing their art to as big an audience as possible in recent years. Shows have toured to theaters around the metro area, and the company’s outreach program tours schools across the state.

AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT for a company committed to breaking ground, and it makes us wonder what’s in store for future seasons. An ice skating rink? An indoor sky-diving chamber? Whatever comes next, we have confidence in the ability of Packard and the Fox crew to pull it off.

GRADE A STAGE DESIGN

‘METAMORPHOSES’ — AURORA FOX Charles Packard is a glutton for punishment. The executive producer at the Aurora Fox is never content to keep inside the creative boundaries most would expect from a small, community theater. Case in point: the theater’s recent production of “Metamorphoses,” the drama

by Mary Zimmerman based on nine myths of ancient Greece. Along with technical director Brandon Case, Packard designed a set for the show that would be a practical nightmare for any space, let alone a small studio theater with 72 seats. The centerpiece of the show directed

by Geoffrey Kent was a swimming pool. Yes, it was literally a swimming pool, a 3,500-gallon tank that took up one half of the studio theater.

The cast delivered monologues, staged fake fights and took part in impressive aerial routines in, around and above the water. The audience members in the first three rows (aka “the splash zone”) got hit with water over and over again through the two-hour show. Rather than being a distraction, Packard’s set design became an integral part of the show. The ancient tales of King Midas, Eros and Apollo came to life in the swimming pool. Actors appeared from nowhere courtesy of an underwater tunnel, and such touches gave the entire drama an ethereal, otherworldly feel. It’s not the first time Packard’s vision has turned ambitious—after all, he helped to design an entire cliff face in the 2011 production of “K2.” The swimming pool of “Metamorphoses,” however, broke new ground

GRADE A FILM FESTIVAL

GRADE A NEW ARRIVAL

KIM ROBARDS DANCE COMPANY 9990 E. Colfax Ave.; Aurora; 303-825-4847; kimrobardsdance.org Aurora has a new master of dance. Kim Robards spent decades building up the reputation, credibility and rapport of her dance company.

For years, the Kim Robards Dance Company was one of Denver’s finest, earning praise from local arts critics. During trips across the country and the world, Robards also drew acclaim from national publications and international audiences. All of that experience made the troupe’s arrival in Aurora earlier this year all the more exciting. The newest tenant in the Aurora Cultural Arts District, Robards and her company moved into an empty storefront off East Colfax Avenue, right down the street from the Aurora Fox theater and the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts gallery. The company didn’t waste any time in working to fit into their new community. Robards immediately kicked off a series of dance classes for beginners and veterans alike. What’s more, Robards choreographed a moving piece specifically dedicated to the city and a recent tragedy. In “Aurora,” a piece set to orchestral music by Latvian composer Georgs Pelecis, Robards and her crew dramatized a tragedy

WHAT’S THE COLORADO FILM SCHOOL? Originally started as just a small program at Red Rocks Community College, the Colorado Film School has exponentially grown over the last decade to encompass much more than the original mission of a professional training center. After the program outgrew its digs at Red Rocks, Frederic Lahey moved the school to the Lowry campus where it works closely with the Community College of Aurora. The school consistently churns out top-level talent, including alums who’ve gone on to work with David Fincher and even received Emmy nominations. It’s gaining steam too as a place for animators and actors, not just directors and editors.

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that forever changed an entire community. With simple props and graceful movement, the company tracked the fallout of the theater shootings of July 2012. “Even after the greatest of tragedies, hopefully you get into the momentum and glory of life. You have to find the exuberance again, because if you don’t, those tragedies will take you under,” Robards told us in June. It was a moving way to arrive in Aurora, and judging from the beauty, grace and fluidity of that piece, local dance fans will have a lot to look forward to from Robards and her peers in the coming years.

COLORADO FILM SCHOOL SPRING SHOWCASE 303-340-7321; coloradofilmschool.net Colorado Film School is a film factory that is unparalleled in the region, and much of the United States. The students who make their way to the Lowry Campus are already masters of storytelling, who seek out one of the country’s top film schools to hone their craft and make their way to the big screens with experience to play with the big boys. Twice a year the school showcases their works for the public, and we’re telling you it’s worth the price of admission both times. The winter and spring film showcases are a glimpse into the future of entertainment, from comedy to short films, experimental and horror, and are great ways to see the magic that happens on that campus. But we’ve got to be more specific than that, so we’re singling out the spring showcase as the can’t-miss moment of the year’s film schedule. That particular showcase more often features work from senior-level students who’ve toiled for years to shape their features and shorts. Sometimes those students have gone on to begin their careers in film and make their way back to the event to show off their work just for you.

It’s a highly competitive race for your eyeballs and ticket money, and you’re the winner every time. You won’t be sitting in some dark room at the school either, like some middle school talent show. Each film is projected onto the big screen—often at the Northfield Stapleton Theaters—complete with popcorn, soft drinks and everything great to make the movie experience real. If you haven’t made plans to see the showcase yet, then consider your ticket punched for this year. It’s worth it.

GRADE A MUSICAL EXPORT

NEYLA PEKARAK, THE LUMINEERS It’s likely you’ve heard their music on radio, TV and just about everywhere else. The Lumineers exploded last year onto the national music scene with their single “Ho

2013 GRADE A AWARDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Hey” and their album of the same name.

Sound familiar? What you may not know is that cellist Neyla Pekarek is one of Aurora’s own, a graduate of Overland High School who joined the band from a posting on Craigslist. Yep, Craigslist can actually be good for something. Neyla and the band performed on the Grammys this year, “Saturday Night Live” and a sellout Red Rocks “home” show. Neyla’s family still makes Aurora home, and there is a devoted local following in her neighborhoods to everything that she does. Her old Overland barbershop quartet and orchestra band mates who knew her well have traveled to her performances at home and abroad to see one of their own rise to the top. Neyla says the band is slowly working on their second album and playing shows all around the world, which means that she’s got a busy schedule well into 2014. We’re excited to see where Neyla and The Lumineers go from here, and we’re just happy that we can say that an Aurora girl made good on a musical climb to the top of the mountain.

GRADE A ART IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

FULGINITI PAVILION AT UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS 1635 Aurora Court; Aurora A medical school campus is an unlikely home to one of the region’s most ambitious art galleries, but like always, we’re consistently surprised about how everything works out, you know? The gallery at the Fulginiti Pavilion at the University of Colorado Anschutz Campus in Aurora is tucked behind the front entrance and boasts one of the metro area’s most ambitious schedules for any art gallery.

Tess Jones, who runs the humanities program at the medical school, says the gallery aims to have a new exhibition every 8 weeks, and one that connects art with the science of healing. It’s all part of the school’s mission to humanize medicine and show students that sometimes art and science can collaborate

with beautiful results. Tess and other staff see the connection between classical art forms and stories and relate those lessons to students fearlessly tackling the future of medicine at the school. On occasion, it’s possible to see abstract sculptures and nudes that may, superficially, have nothing to do with dosage or diagnosis. But Tess brings it back to anything that makes us human is necessary for understanding the human condition. It’s worthy of praise and applause, and it’s also worthy of a stop by the bioethics building to see the exhibits yourself. Because it’s likely that it’ll constantly change from one week to the next.

paper fashion show, a health-centric show and season specific pieces that are fresh, inventive and inspiring. Guest artists from around the metro area regularly stop by DAVA to help with lessons for the students, and get a healthy dose of inspiration themselves. Jenson and the staff at DAVA work hard to inject arts into students’ regimens that are increasingly becoming void of the humanities. We’re inspired, and we think you will be too.

GRADE A TWO-YEAR JOB SEARCH GRADE A AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITY

DOWNTOWN AURORA VISUAL ARTS 1419 Florence St.; Aurora; 303-367-5886; davarts.org Slinging mud and painting everything sounds like a student’s after-school dream. At Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, it’s reality.

The after-school arts studio in the heart of Original Aurora has been around for years, giving students a creative outlet after class on their way home. Susan Jenson, the director of DAVA, masterfully weaves current students, alumni, professional and faculty work for some of the best shows in DAVA’s studio space each year. (It’s also worth noting that Jenson likely works 25 hours a day keeping the studio afloat with grants, donations and community help.) Annual shows include a

ARTS IN SCHOOL, BY ARTS AFTER SCHOOL Downtown Aurora Visual Arts helps more than 900 students each year learn more about their world by exposing them to art. School budgets are famously tight, and often arts programs fall by the wayside as focus turns more toward core programs that are tested by the state. For nearly 20 years, DAVA instructors have been helping students in Original Aurora work better in teams and gain confidence in school by putting a paintbrush in their hands and giving them a place to paint after school. That’s a good thing.

AURORA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Applying for a new job is stressful, no matter what the position. Whether you’re putting in for that fry cook post at a local burger joint or submitting your résumé for a high-paying gig at a Fortune 500 company, nothing quite matches the anxiety that comes along with waiting to find out if the job is yours. That’s why we can only imagine the kind of anxiety Norman Gamboa had to get through. As a finalist to take over the reins as the new music director of the Aurora Symphony Orchestra, Gamboa had to wait much longer than a couple of weeks to find out that he’d won the position. ASO President Rich Duston and the rest of the orchestra’s creative brass started the job search two years ago, shortly after former music director Richard Niezen said he was leaving. The first year of the search saw ASO execs rounding up finalists. The second year saw five finalists trying their luck with the baton during the 2012-13 season.

Gamboa, a native of Costa Rica and the leader of the Powder River Symphony in Gillette, Wyo., competed with four other conductors.

Each candidate was given the chance to lead Aurora’s own civic orchestra through classical staples, pop tunes and even some original scores. In the end, Gamboa’s vision for the ASO won out. His first formal concert for the 2013-14 season is scheduled for October, and the program includes music by contemporary South American composers. We’re excited about Gamboa’s worldly goals for the orchestra, but we’re more impressed with the guy’s patience. It’s unlikely we’d wait a full two years for any job, no matter how fat the paycheck.

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS

PEOPLE & PLACES

This is where it gets interesting.

The people and places of Aurora are never short of fascinating and entertaining. It’s a broad category we’ve picked for this year, but our selections honor (and, appropriately lampoon) some of our favorites from this year. We’re lucky to watch it all and live next door to it all, part of what makes Aurora great.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

GRADE A BUREAUCRATIC BUMBLING

AURORA’S VA HOSPITAL Well, at least it’s not like the country has spent the past decade embroiled in multiple conflicts that sent thousands of soldiers home in dire need of medical care or anything. Otherwise, the shameful delays, cost overruns and general failure of the new Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora would be downright disgraceful. Whoops. Initially pegged for $600 million, the shiny new hospital for the area’s veterans on the Anschutz Medical Campus is now expected to cost more than $1 billion. That’s billion with a “b” as in bumble, botch and bungle.

The general contractor behind the project is pointing a calloused finger at the VA, which is in turn saying there’s nothing to see here, all is well, everyone remain calm. And those embarrassing cost overruns don’t even take into account that the VA seems to have never considered the transportation needs of aging vets. Those vets, in the VA’s estimation, can just hoof it about a mile along East Colfax Avenue from the planned light rail stop to the hospital’s entrance. But don’t worry, the United States Congress—you know, that oh-so-effective troupe with the malaria-like approval ratings—is on the case. Nevermind that this is the same legislative body that hemmed and hawed for years before finally cutting a check for the sorely need project in the first place, this time their real “gosh darn” serious and plan to get to the bottom of this screw-up. Vets hoping for a decent place to get their care surely won’t mind waiting for an army of bureaucrats and politicians to make things right, will they?

GRADE A GOVERNMENTAL DONNYBROOK

DOUG DARR VS. AURORA And lo, there is no manger inside the Adams County Jail. For when Sheriff Doug Darr tells convicts from Aurora or other Adams County municipalities that there is no room at his inn, city officials must schlep those incarcerated saps to Denver’s jail. A “no vacancy” sign hath never shone over Denver’s jail. The running spat

between Darr and local city governments is in its third year, and the City vs. County kerfuffle is only getting nastier. Darr maintains that he doesn’t have the staff needed to safely house more inmates at the county jail in Brighton, so he has no choice but to turn away some of the low-level hooligans municipal courts send his way. City leaders say that tale stinks like cell block D in August. To them, the sheriff is being more than a little rude when he turns convicts away from a jail municipal taxpayers helped build. The feud came to a head last spring when Aurora jailers tried to drop off a burglary convict, only to have Darr’s jail staff go all Bethlehem innkeeper on them and say take a hike. That inmate cooled his heels for a few weeks in Denver’s jail, where Aurora officials have an agreement to house the inmates Adams County says they can’t take. That decision lead to the various police chiefs in Adams County calling a press conference for the sole purpose of giving Darr a very stern and very public dressing down.

The cop-on-cop condemnation was truly great theater. County commissioners gave Darr the go-ahead and the cash to hire more jailers early this year, but those newbies are still learning the art of patrolling the tiers and won’t be ready for a while. In the mean time, the least Darr could do is offer some swaddling clothes and a comfy pile of hay to the inmates he sends away.

GRADE A PLACE TO SEE TUMBLEWEED

REGATTA PLAZA If you like sprawling blighted shopping centers, there’s a place in south Aurora just for you. Sitting just a stone’s throw from the bustling Nine Mile light rail station, Regatta Plaza has everything a fan of good, old-fashioned urban decay could ask for. Busted windows? Check. A sea of empty storefronts? Check. Compact car-swallowing potholes? Check. And as an added bonus, there is more than ample parking in the once-thriving shopping center at Parker Road and Interstate 225 — just don’t park your car there if you plan on departing on a train from Nine Mile. That’ll get you towed because the property’s owners sure don’t want a few parked cars messing up the vast emptiness they have going for themselves.

2013 GRADE A AWARDS PEOPLE & PLACES But hustle, because the whole plaza could soon go the way of recently departed former tenants Lucerito, UPS, Caps Sports Bar, Soccer Stop, Latino Market, La Toscana, Su & Del’s Alterations, Regatta Barber, EJ’s Day Care, Brighter Tomorrow Day Care, Rodney Young Insurance, Regatta Discount Liquor, Creative Designers and Diamond Mine. Fewer than a dozen businesses remain, and those few are on month-to-month leases, so who knows if they’ll be there a few weeks from now.

City officials hope to one day redevelop the site, maybe even add a skyscraper and take advantage of the property’s close proximity to public transit.

But for now, if you’re looking for a tumbleweed or two, Regatta is the place to be. Just don’t expect to find much else there.

GRADE A SHORT TENURE

ALTON SCALES, COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF AURORA Wonks, faculty and students are the only likely ones to immediately remember Alton Scales, who served as the president of the Community College of Aurora for less than a year. Scales officially resigned his position in July, just two weeks short of his one-year anniversary as the head of the college. The reason for his sudden departure? That remains a mystery. In his of-

ficial statement, Scales simply thanked the staff and faculty at CCA. Officials from the college said only that Scales was gone because of “other opportunities.” His brief tenure at Aurora’s community college is a stark contrast to the long and illustrious career of his predecessor, Linda Bowman, who worked at the college for more than a decade and helped secure its reputation as a Colorado force to be reckoned with. Bowman left the college in 2012 for a fancy post at Denver’s Morgridge College of Education, opening the national search process that eventually tabbed Scales as a successor. With the exact reason for Scales’ sudden flight still an enigma, officials at CCA are keeping tight-lipped about the next prez. For now, Betsy Oudenhoven, the school’s vice president of student affairs, has stepped in as interim president, handling the day-to-day affairs of the school with an enrollment of more than 7,000 and campuses off I-225 and in the Lowry neighborhood just over the border in Denver. Whatever Scales’ next step, we hope his brief stay in Aurora isn’t a hint of a trend to come for the CCA President post.

GRADE A MIX OF HIGH AND LOWBROW CULTURE

PUBLIC ART OUTSIDE PLEASURES 1878 S. Havana St.; Aurora Chances are that modern sculpture isn’t big on the minds of most customers heading into the Pleasures adult entertainment center on Havana Street. The store is known more for its selection of … ahem … adult films and adult toys than it is for its stock of statues by Rodin. That didn’t dissuade the folks from the city’s Art 2C on Havana program from adding a little bit of high culture to the grounds just outside the building. The public art program’s 2012-13 exhibition featured

a couple of modern sculptures by local artists installed within easy view of the adult emporium’s front door. Artist Fred Lunger’s sculpture of a river otter is just down the road in front of the Mark Vissering State Farm Insurance building. The cute little critter is depicted midway through an underwater dive. The bright yellow piece by William Mueller titled “More Bow-Tie Series #11” is also fairly close (the sculpture looks like a cross between a bow tie and a rising sun). Along with other sculptures in the series, the pieces are meant to spruce up one of Aurora’s main drags with a bit of refinement and beauty. That may seem like a tough task when it comes to Pleasures, a spot that’s been a target of multiple robberies this year and a hangout for sketchy characters (kind of makes sense, considering the business model). Even so, we applaud the Art 2C’s commitment to adding art to all of the businesses along Havana, whether they specialize in fast food, used cars or, in this case, vibrators.

GRADE A LOCAL HALLOWEEN TRADITION

DARK ROSE MANOR 3930 Yampa St.; Aurora; darkrosemanor.com Everyone had that one neighbor growing up. You know, the one who’d go all out with decorations every Halloween, the one who was never happy with store-bought plastic ghosts and cheap cutouts of Dracula and Frankenstein. Pandora Rose and her husband are those neighbors, times one thousand. Since 2009, the couple has celebrated Halloween by turning their home in the Carriage Place neighborhood of southeast Aurora into a spookhouse complete with special effects and ambiance worthy of a Hollywood slasher flick. The couple call their yearly creation

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUMBLEWEED Regatta Plaza’s darkest days might not last too much longer. City officials are hoping the rundown plaza can again be the thriving commercial hub it once was — or at the very least a useful and attractive property. The Aurora Urban Renewal Authority this summer declared Regatta and the surrounding 56 acres along Parker Road as blight, paving the way for Regatta to be redeveloped, possibly using taxpayer money to fund the project. Regatta’s revival will stretch well beyond the plaza’s borders, too. The blight designation covers a wide swath of land around the Nine Mile Light Rail Station, including everything from East Cornell Avenue south to Parker Road and to the eastern edge of Regatta. It also includes the vacant McDonald’s restaurant on the south side of Parker Road and an adjacent office building. In all, the area deemed blighted covers 31 separate properties in the neighborhood around Nine Mile, but Regatta is the centerpiece of the redevelopment plan. No matter what, redevelopment of the area is still likely a few years away. City officials said they hope to have the plan approved by the end of the year.

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS PEOPLE & PLACES The Dark Rose Manor, and the look and feel of the attraction changes from year to year. For past Halloweens, the couple have built witches’ shacks in their front yard, they’ve raised giant, humanoid pumpkin creatures in their driveway.

Cauldrons spitting out fog and wrought-iron fences lining their yard have also been standard features of the Dark Rose Manor. The hard work has paid off every year. Aurorans come from all over the city to make a stop at the Rose house and tour the attraction. But all of that dedication carries a pretty hefty price tag. The cost of the decorations and the fake monsters has run as high as $2,000, depending on how many materials have been donated from friends, family and neighbors. This year, the Roses have an even more ambitious budget. They’ve taken to the web to raise more than $15,000. Even if they don’t hit their goal, we admire their dedication.

Here’s hoping the Roses keep up their spooky craft for future trick-or-treaters for many more years to come.

GRADE A OTHER-WORLDLY FEMALE ATHLETE

MISSY FRANKLIN What else can be said about Missy Franklin, a May 2013 graduate of Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School Girls Division? For the past four years, Missy the Missile metamorphosed from budding teen swim sensation to full-blown rockstar in our midst with a heart of gold. Bolstered by the rock-solid support of parents D.A. and Dick, Missy was all 1,000-watt smiles, all the time, and remained that way before and after she won five medals—four of them of the gold variety—in a stunning performance at the London Olympics in the summer of 2012. In between winning world championships, setting world records at meets across the globe and hitting the red carpet in Hollywood, Missy (who has been called the female Phelps, a tribute to recently retired U.S. men’s swimming star Michael Phelps) trained daily with her Colorado Stars club team at high school pools around Aurora, giving random people the chance to run into her at Starbucks, one of her favorite haunts—especially because of a brutal early morning practice schedule—and pose for a picture or get an autograph. Missy swam a hand-

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MISSY’S METEORIC RISE FROM AURORA If you were an athlete back in high school, think back to your gloriest of glory days.

Were you captain of the football team and threw four touchdown passes in the championship game? Make all-state in something? Earn yourself a college scholarship?

Congratulations, those are all great accomplishments. But for all of us, they seem kind of small when you compare them to what Missy Franklin accomplished just before and after her 18th birthday. The May 2013 graduate of Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School is now at the University of California-Berkeley and set to begin swimming for the Bears under U.S. Olympic coach Teri McKeever. Here’s just a few of Missy’s recent accomplishments/honors, most of them in just the last two years: Owner of four world records, five Olympic medals (four golds) and winner of a record six medals at World Championships in 2013; FINA Swimmer of the Year; ESPY Winner (Top Female Olympian); eight-time individual Colorado Class 5A state champion; backstage VIP visitor at Justin Bieber concert (Ok, not all of us are envious of that one); part time actress on television show “Pretty Little Liars” and in the movie “The Internship” (though her segment didn’t make it into the final cut) and owned of one of the best nicknames in sports—“The Missile.” Makes the old scrapbook look a little small, doesn’t it? ful of meets for Regis Jesuit as a senior—refusing to budge in the face of some ridiculous opposition—and helped her band of sisters win the second Class 5A state championship of her high school career, while again rewriting Colorado’s prep recordbooks. Aurora doesn’t glitter quite as much without Missy, who has moved on to start her freshman year at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, but we’re sure we haven’t seen the last of her. And if we have, she’ll always be on television.

GRADE A FEMALE PREP ATHLETE

ANA HOLLAND — REGIS JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL While Missy Franklin ruled by sea, Ana Holland dominated the land at Regis Jesuit High School last track season and, boy, did she cover that ground. Holland—who could have won a race in the time it took you to read the previous sentence—burst onto the sprinting scene in a big way as a sophomore in 2011, when she won two of three individual events at the Class 5A state track meet, losing the third by literally a hair—George Washington’s Chyna Ries’ voluminous tresses got there first—at the finish line and claimed gold along with Regis Jesuit’s sprint medley relay team. The only thing that slowed Holland down in her prep career was an injury, which put her in the stands during the state meet as a junior. But the rocket was fueled and ready for liftoff in Holland’s senior season, as she rose past state records and had top times in the nation fall by her wayside. The real show came at the state meet, when she chewed up the track over three days to win the 100-,

200- and 400-meter dashes to earn her spot in Colorado’s sprint royalty. Later, Holland earned her way to compete for Team US at the Pan Am Junior Championships in Medellin, Colombia, where the University of Virginia-bound star won a gold medal with a relay team.

GRADE A PREP COACH OF A DYNASTY

MIKE DOHERTY — REGIS JESUIT BOYS SWIMMING As far as Aurora prep sports coaches are concerned, Mike Doherty is the gold standard and has been for more than two decades at Regis Jesuit High School. The 54-year-old recently announced his retirement from his job as head coach of the school’s boys swim dynasty, which he literally built from the bottom up, beginning when the school previously was housed in South Denver. Regis Jesuit didn’t even have a home swimming pool until 2000, but Doherty encouraged and patiently nurtured a winning culture as the program made due until a breakthrough with the first state championship in 1992. From there, he set the bar ludicrously high for any coach, like can’t-even-see-it-from-your-tippytoes high. If prep swimming can have its own equivalent of legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden, it’s Doherty, who finished his career with a staggering 20 state championships at Regis Jesuit and had four teams recognized as NISCA national champions. The Raiders were a nearly automatic 387-31 overall in dual meets and won 234 straight over a 10-year period, fueled by 91 All-Americans, the

2013 GRADE A AWARDS PEOPLE & PLACES same number of state champions and relay winners, and 112 swimmers went on to swim in college. Doherty—who still serves as a dean at the school—decided to go out on top, with a team that handily won a state championship and set six Colorado state records in the process.

GRADE A MALE PREP ATHLETE

AUSTIN CONWAY — OVERLAND HIGH SCHOOL Don’t talk odds with Austin Conway, he’s making his own as an athlete. An estimated two percent of high school athletes end up with Division I athletic scholarships—that’s 2-in-100 for the mathematically challenged—but the Overland High School junior has lined himself up to play at the top level in both of his sports, basketball and football. Call him Aurora’s prep version of Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders. As uncommon as he is off the field with his leadership ability, presence and poise befitting a professional athlete, Conway is a highlight-reel waiting to happen every time he’s competing. On the basketball court, Conway is a blur of a point guard, pushing the pace relentlessly and making life nightmarish on opponents. For old Denver Nuggets fans, think Robert Pack with better decision-making skills. Indiana has already put a scholarship offer on the table to the four-star recruit—also hoping to get Conway’s runningmate, nationally ranked prospect De’Ron Davis—as have Nebraska and Wyoming. Though his 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame is most ideally suited to play college basketball, Conway is an intriguing prospect for DI football teams as well. The athlete position has become in vogue in recent years and Conway fits the bill as a potential game-changer on any play. Not constrained by the need to dribble the ball, Conway is greased lightening slippery, elusive and fearless as a quarterback and kick returner, while also possessed of great field vision and a strong arm capable of making a variety of throws.

Whatever Conway ends up doing athletically at the next level, we’re pretty sure we’ll be watching him on ESPN.

GRADE A VIEW

COOL VIEW FROM ANCHUTZ Toting a $400-million price tag, the new wing at University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus obviously boasts some seri-

ous bells and whistles. The 12-story tower that opened in June with room for about 700 hospital beds, a new auditorium and conference space, a state-of-the-art cardiology unit and a host of other high-tech facilities. But for patients and their families, the new wing also has some rooms that, while they might not be as crucial to the hospital as others, are providing a peaceful place to think. At the south end of some of the new wing’s hallways sit cozy lounges with breathtaking views of the metro area and the Front Range.

The rooms are there for any patient or their friends or family, and they take advantage of the state’s beautiful landscape in a way that can truly make people feel better. It’s a building trend other hospitals should jump on.

GRADE A SCHOOL SUPER SWAP

HARRY BULL, CHERRY CREEK; RICO MUNN, AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Any time a superintendent who’s responsible for educating tens of thousands of students in Aurora comes and goes, it’s news. When two supers, who combined shape the futures

for nearly 100,000 students in and around Aurora, come and go in our town, it’s more than news—it’s a whirlwind. But that’s exactly what happened this year when both superintendents in Aurora—for the Cherry Creek and Aurora public schools districts—departed and were replaced in the same school year.

Outgoing superintendents Mary Chesley and John Barry both marshaled Cherry Creek and Aurora Public schools respectively into a new era in Colorado public education. Mary, who was a lifelong teacher who worked up the ranks within the district, and John, who came in to revive APS during its most difficult years from posts in Washington D.C. and the U.S. Air Force, deserve credit for making tough decisions and working hard for Aurora students.

John’s replacement, Rico Munn, now carries the banner for reform and revitalization for a district that’s shaping how educational reform happens in urban areas. Already he’s made an impression on rank-and-file teachers and administrators in the district who say his attention to detail parallels his predecessor. Harry Bull, who replaces Mary at Cherry Creek, is from the same ilk as his predecessor as well. A longtime teacher and administrator in Cherry Creek, Harry has worked to make the district transparent in policy and remain among the top in the state by instituting reforms that place an importance on learning within the classroom for every Cherry Creek student.

There’s a lot to take in with the changing of the guard, and knowing both supers, they’ll both be on the front lines for Colorado’s fight for education well into the coming years.

PLENTY TO SEE ON THE HORIZON No, we weren’t crazy when we tabbed one of the best views in Aurora as coming from inside a hospital. While we certainly hope that you’re never there for anything serious, the view from the towers at University Hospital and Children’s are truly breathtaking. And that’s no surprise because the campus itself is gorgeous too. There’s one gripe we have though: It’s that the public at large doesn’t think the campus is accessible. Whether it’s the art gallery at the Fulginiti Pavilion, or the restaurants and cafes in the campus, generally speaking, normal Aurorans don’t think what’s up there is for them. Now called the Anschutz campus, what’s left of the former Fitzsimons Army hospital site will be one of the biggest deals in Aurora for a long time. The campus itself, with three hospitals, a medical school and myriad medical businesses around it, will be the most dense employment center in the West when it’s finally completed in a few years. When Aurora’s light rail is complete in 2016, access to the campus will be all the easier, considering there’s likely to be more than 40,000 people at the campus everyday—between hospitals and schools. So while you may not have a reason to go up there now, chances are you’ll have a reason soon as tens of thousands of Aurorans will be employed, treated, learning or living up at the campus. So, don’t take it from us, the view and everything else up there is truly amazing. Go see for yourself.

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS

2013 GRADE A AWARDS

SHOPPING & OTHER

SHOPPING & OTHER

GRADE A MUSIC GEAR

It’s not all big-box and shopping malls out here in the ‘burbs. Those strip malls that we maligned and forgot are now booming back in a big way. They’re incubators of funky shops that specialize in everything from European markets to the metro area’s last remaining musical instrument stores. We like shopping in the city and that’s because it’s a treasure trove of exciting places to find one-of-a-kind items that the metro area can’t lay claim to. Speaking of “one-of-akind” this is also our hodgepodge category for everything else that made our list this year. Enjoy.

MUSIC-GO-ROUND 18541 E. Hampden Ave. No. 128; Aurora; 303-627-0007; musicgoroundaurora.com Walking through Music-Go-Round on East Hampden Avenue, you’re just as likely to hear a ripping solo from a vintage mini-moog keyboard as you are from a 1990s-era Fender guitar. That’s because this music store has the feel of a musician’s cluttered attic, with instruments, gear and musical curios of all shapes and sizes. Music-GoRound is a specialized pawn store that will make players of all levels drool. It takes trade-ins, buys old instruments and sells them at a reduced price.

Sounds simple, right? Not really. For a music store, that business model is not easy in the era of big box outlets like Guitar Center, a chain that’s essentially turned into the Wal-Mart of music stores.

Music-Go-Round has managed to buck that trend as other independent music stores across the city have closed down. Chalk that success up to a diverse stock. Along with the big-ticket items, the store also offers all of the cheaper staples of a working musician. Guitar strings, picks, quarterinch cables, tuners—Music-Go-Round sells them all for a reasonable price. That’s not all. The oneof-a-kind store also offers other important tools for the aspiring musician. In lesson rooms set up in the store’s back hallway, students can learn guitar, bass, piano, drums and saxophone. The store’s continued success is proof of the power of adapting with the market. Two years ago, they moved to their present home in the Seven Hills Shopping Center off Tower Road, and have kept working to update the way their business works. The store is a treasure for any Aurora guitar player, drummer or bassist who doesn’t want to schlep all the way to Denver for simple gear. It’s also a gem for those looking to find that retro axe that’s just not manufactured anymore.

GRADE A PLACE TO GET YOUR GARDEN ON

NICK’S GARDEN CENTER & FARM MARKET 2001 S. Chambers Road; Aurora; 303-696-6657; nicksgardencenter.com We live in a high-plains desert, pure and simple. The soil in Aurora is a mix between sand and clay, and the plants that grow here naturally aren’t always pretty to look at. Case in point: Big sagebrush wouldn’t look good on a boutineer (believe us, we’ve tried). Luckily, Nick’s Garden Center and Farm Market has plenty of answers for gardeners facing the challenging limits of Aurora’s native dirt. The place is sprawling; there’s a hydroponics section, supplies for backyard ponds, a full nursery for trees and plenty of fountains, pottery and other decorations to spruce up your yard.

Nick’s also hosts a farmer’s market every year, and the coming fall months will see pumpkin weigh-offs, mariachi bands and tractor rides.

But all of those elements are just fancy frills.

The real lure of Nick’s is in its plants. Bonsai trees, perennials, hanging baskets, azaleas, portable spice gardens, cacti, edible bulbs and fresh fruits and veggies—Nick’s has all of them in spades (forgive the gardening pun). This huge selection changes with the season, which makes the feel at Nick’s different every month.

It’s enough to make any devoted gardener drool. That stunning selection comes along with a well-versed staff that’s quick to offer expert advice about everything from mulch to retaining walls. The business has grown impressively since Nick Ortega first moved his fledgling business to Aurora in 1994, and the city is all the richer for it. Nick’s helps living in the desert manageable for those who want to see their garden grow all year long.

MORE THAN JUST A SEED CENTER We like Nick’s for more reasons than just seed. And perhaps our favorite reason is coming on this month. Nick’s is ground zero for the best roasted chiles in the city.

When the roasters kick on, we know it’s time for autumn and we happily line up for those little green delights. It would be advisable that you do the same too.

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS SHOPPING & OTHER GRADE A STAYING POWER

FANFARE (OR WHATEVER’S LEFT OF IT) There are plenty of lessons to be learned from Aurora’s infamous Fan Fare building. For one, we’ve learned that bulbous roofs weren’t a lasting fashion trend. And we’ve learned that if you build it, they might not come, not even if you wait almost three decades, and build it on one of the city’s busiest streets, and offer ample parking. But the biggest lesson the oft-criticized building can teach us is this: None of that really matters if nobody likes you. Yes, Fan Fare—or Fan Fair, or Fanfare, or whatever the preferred nomenclature is today—is almost universally disliked. The people at city hall are so excited by the building’s imminent demise it wouldn’t be a shock to see a few city leaders pop champagne when the bulldozers finally topple the most dilapidated denizen of Havana Street. Even the building’s owners have scrambled for years to get rid of Fan Fare. Other than a few well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful local history buffs a few years ago, nobody has really tried to save the ugly duckling. Now, it looks like Fan Fare’s days are finally numbered. Crews spent the bulk of 2013 clearing out asbestos from the building (and we’ve heard they had to clear out waist-high piles of bird droppings, too). And this fall, the bulldozers are scheduled to roll over Fan Fare, scraping the old, ugly and weird building from Aurora forever.

But, after sitting empty for about 90 percent of it’s half century on earth, and having been roundly despised by pretty much everyone, the soon-tobe-gone building’s staying power is something to be commended.

GRADE A FIGHT/DISPUTE

THE FIGHT OVER DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Get a front-row ticket because this is the closest you’ll ever be to watching Denver and Aurora duke it out. The prize to whoever wins? Millions of dollars in taxes from future economic development around the Denver International Airport.

The road to the battle started when Adams County residents agreed in 1988 to relinquish about 55 square miles of land so Denver could build DIA. But there was a caveat: Only airportrelated development could occur on that land. All other tax dollars from future economic development around DIA proper would go toward Adams County and its communities, including Aurora. Aurora and Denver have been known to spar over who gets the better end of an economic development deal. But things really heated up earlier this year when Denver Mayor Michael Hancock unveiled a new development plan called “Airport City,” that calls for the development of businesses in aerospace, logistics, renewable energy and agrotech to be built on Denver’s airport property. Say what? To Aurora, that feels like Denver is thumbing its nose at the 1988

promise. Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan put on his boxing gloves and sent missives to Denver this spring and summer. In letters, Hogan lambasted Hancock’s idea, using diplomatic-cuss words like “unacceptable” and “unfair.” Adams County, too, punched Denver in the gut by declaring a “notice of default” asking Denver to return Adams County property because of Denver’s proposal to violate the 1988 agreement. Denver considers itself the front-runner in the fight because it’s, well, Denver, and says it’s confident that all parties will reach an agreement by the end of the year before a bloody, bruising lawsuit happens. Lawsuit or not, it’s clear that both sides will put up a fight.

whose residents say they will be effectively boxed in by train tracks and their treasured Sand Creek Park will be destroyed by the light rail. RTD is trying to assuage their concerns, but this second round of design plans is set in concrete. You win some, you lose some.

GRADE A USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY GRADE A “WE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT”

RTD LIGHT RAIL REALIGNMENT NEAR UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL When planning for a massive public transportation project with a half-billion dollar price tag, engineers and executives spend countless hours deciding where to align the train tracks. Right?

In the design phase, they pay as much attention to the facilities surrounding the tracks as the tracks themselves, don’t they? Not quite. At least, that wasn’t the case when RTD officials planned the light rail tracks around the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In the biggest “Oops” moment of the summer, Aurora’s future FasTracks light rail line had to move half a mile north from the hospital campus in order to protect research equipment and machines that detect cancer and tumors—or in other words, save lives. Trains, as it turns out, not only carry passengers but also carry electromagnetic waves that put medical devices at risk, including nuclear magnetic resonance imaging machines and MRI machines. RTD officials knew that in 2009. But redesigns weren’t done back then because economic troubles and RTD’s budget woes pushed back the opening date of Aurora’s light rail line to about 2040—just in time for light rail systems to be a thing of the past. So, RTD officials had to go back to the planning stages and try again. They realigned the tracks onto Fitzsimons Parkway as a solution to the campus’s electromagnetic interference concerns. All that did was create an uproar at the Morris Heights neighborhood,

RED-LIGHT CAMERAS The city doles out taxpayer money for projects that sometimes leave Aurora residents seeing red. Literally. As in, red-light cameras. Cops swear by them, saying they reduce T-bone accidents and punish those who endanger lives by blatantly driving through stoplights. Aurora drivers, however, including us, just swear at them. One flash after the traffic light turns red, and boom. Your photo, license plate, vehicle make and model and dating history are in the Aurora Police Department’s database, and you’re wondering what just happened. “It was pink!” “The yellow light was shorter than an eye-blink!” “S*@!” A few weeks later, you’ll receive a fine in your mailbox.

That’s what you get for running a red light in Aurora—at least for another year, as lawmakers in July approved an annual contract with Xerox State and Local Solutions Inc. to continue operating the systems at 14 intersections. Last year, 60,000 tickets were written to these red-light transgressors, and the city raked in $3.2 million.

The city pays $1.9 million annually to run the systems, including operating costs and salaries of three police officers that review videotapes of infractions. The cameras, by the way, are so high-tech they can see the expression on your face as you give them the finger, and the label on the lipstick and mascara you were applying when you ran the light. We could think of a zillion other ways to spend that $1.9 million instead of going all Big Brother on Aurora residents. Libraries.

Pools. Recreation centers. Road improvements.

Parking at future light-rail stations. According to the Internet, more than 1,140 people agree with us, as evidenced by the “No Red Light Cameras in Aurora” Facebook group. We hear the beginnings of a red-light camera revolt when it’s time to renew the contract again next year.

AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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2013 GRADE A AWARDS SHOPPING & OTHER fax, but if you’ve ever strolled down Colfax, you know the out of the ordinary is the only thing that truly makes sense there.

GRADE A BLUES

GRADE A GRIND

MUSIC CITY 9758 E. Colfax Ave.; Aurora; 303-537-0116 Anyone who tells you they know what they’re gonna see on East Colfax Avenue is a liar. The gritty stretch of road through northwest Aurora is one of the more colorful thoroughfares in the country, with a steady stream of eclectic people shuffling about. But it’s not just the denizens of the Colfax Corridor that might surprise you, it’s also the businesses that populate its store fronts. Chief among those is Music City at 9758 E. Colfax Ave. The store is far from your typical music shop. Granted, they sell the occasional guitar, harmonica and other instruments, but Music City specializes in an instrument that rarely gets the attention it deserves: the organ. The small shop near the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the Aurora Cultural Arts District boasts a remarkable selection of some very rare and very pricey organs, some that cost well into the six figures.

And the staff there is about as knowledgeable about organs as anybody on the planet. Music City has moved a few times over the years, from a storefront on Colfax in east Denver to the Aurora Mall before settling in the current locale. They may sound like an odd fit for Col-

THE ZEPHYR LOUNGE 11490 E. Colfax Ave.; Aurora; 303-364-8981; zephyrloungecolorado.com The Zephyr is exactly what you’d hope a blues club would be: a little rough around the edges, a little comfortable and a lot dark. Thankfully the club that owner Myron Melnick has worked so hard to build is all of the above, which is why it’s one of the best blues rooms in the metro area.

Situated on Colfax, west of the medical school in a neighborhood that’s—ahem—looking forward to better times, The Zephyr is Aurora’s blues club of record. Regional heavy hitters frequent Myron’s spot and play the small, but usually packed, room every weekend. The drinks are good and cheap, and the stage is close. So that’s good.

There are regulars there, which can be intimidating, but the crowd is a good mix on weekend nights of people looking for live music and looking to crawl into the bottom of the nearest bottle.

Perfect for the blues, we’d say.

GRADE A PEDAL PUSHERS

ADVENTURE CYCLING 4361 Parker Road; Aurora; 303-699-2514; adventurecycle.net The difference between enthusiasm and passion is not a fine line. John Barvik and Erik Swanson make the distinction clear. The two owners of Adventure Cycling understand that the only bad thing about being on a bike is having to get off it. These two former racers and their staff passionately believe that everyone, and that means everyone, should saddle up for a better life. It

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED Going to a kitchen supply warehouse isn’t like going to the same old supply department store, these guys mean business. But that doesn’t mean you won’t recognize what’s there. Pots, pans, ladles and strainers are all relatively universal in design.

Restaurant supply cookware is built for the long haul, meaning thousands of meals on the same cookware, night after night, day after day. For most people the stainless steel appliances might be engineering overkill, but it’s useful if you take care of it. For the most part, pans need to be seasoned and washed by hand after each use, instead of going through the dishwasher rigmarole. Yes, most things there are dishwashersafe, but good quality cookware does better with light detergent, an easy hand and quick dry. We found that Cresco has a great balance of items that could appeal to just about anyone looking to find a great saute pan or saucier. Sure, you might not have a place in your kitchen or budget for an industrial-sized pizza stone, but aren’t you glad you can get it if you need it?

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AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

doesn’t matter whether you need a ride that can hang on while taking bumpy asphalt turns at car speeds, or if you remember biking rather fondly the last time you did it decades ago, John and Erik spread the love. They know that there is no more satisfying sensation than pedalling along under the Colorado sun. Fast or slow, off a steep rocky trail or along the paved side of a lake, the residents and the terrain out here were made for biking. The passion at Adventure Cycling is clear because it’s not just about a bike sale. Sure, employees love to gush about the favorite Surly frames and the amazing things that Yeti engineers come up with, but the ride is what counts.

Each weekend, Adventure folks gather other believers for a ride around nearby Cherry Creek reservoir. Everyone here wants to share the pleasure that comes from seeing the world at 15 miles per hour just a few feet off the ground. Besides hosting regular local rides and the passionate talk about techniques, hydration, components or the sweetest rides in the state, Adventure folks sponsor events such as fall rides to the Western Slope and plenty of advice or leads on group rides near and far. But more than anything, it’s anything and everything about the passionate love of setting gravity aside and pedaling past life’s burdens.

GRADE A NERDY KITCHEN WAREHOUSE

CRESCO 751 Billings St.; 303-343-3333; crescodenver.com You know the type. There’s a breed of human that can open your most overflowing kitchen drawers and tell you not only what every weird utensil is called and what it’s for, they can give you tips on using it. Kumquat zesters, egg slicers and tomato corers? Hah. Kid stuff. The real foodie nerd wants an honest-to-gawd aluminum pizza peel with a finished wood handle. If the blade isn’t at least a foot wide, forget it. You won’t pick up what most of us would call a giant pizza shovel or massive pancake turner at your local “gourmet” store. You gotta go where the pros go if you’re gonna suit up for that adobe bread oven you’re planning in the backyard.

Cresco is the place where you can not only get a stock pot big enough to make osso bucco for your whole family, but it won’t cost you as much as your mortgage to add it to your collection.

Don’t think that this venerable restaurant supply store is just about the weird, the obscure and the industrial size, they’ve got cool, too. You don’t have to wonder how loudly your friends would gasp when you whip out the authentic looking “silver bullet” martini shaker that was all the rage during the Deco era—think Thin Man cool—you can get one yourself for a mere $30.

More than anything, this is a place that sells useful stuff for serious cooks. You can get rubber spatulas with strong handles that last

2013 GRADE A AWARDS SHOPPING & OTHER forever. You can get a bacon press that fits in your cast-iron skillet. You can get sheets of parchment big enough to reach across any cookie sheet, and cookie sheets that take one hell of a beating. And if you don’t have the right-sized cookie dough disher, you haven’t lived. If putting dinner on the table has been some of the best times of your life, welcome home.

GRADE A RIDE

STAMPEDE 2430 S. Havana St.; Aurora; 303-696-7686; stampedeclub.net Don’t roll your eyes, partner. The Stampede is as Aurora as three-story walk-ups and strip malls and you know it—it’s in our DNA. Actually, the big brown bar on Havana between Parker and Iliff is a rip-roaring good time, and it’s a must for everyone at least once. Our favorite draw, aside from the boozy country dancing and the people watching, is the bull riding. That’s right, you don’t have to go messing with horns and cowpies to ride a bull in these parts, cowboy. Mosey down to the Stampede to get your fix of mechanical bull madness. The operators there can be gentle, if you ask, but why would you? Riding a mechanical bull is a once-in-a-lifetime feat of strength that you only (want to) experience once. The pros go there sometimes to practice, so saddle up and hope you get lucky and make it all eight seconds. After all, you already pounded a fair amount of cheap PBR so it’s not like it’ll hurt that much, right?

GRADE A FISHING HOLE

QUINCY RESERVOIR 18350 E. Quincy Ave.; Aurora Would you believe that record catches are pulled out of Aurora’s reservoirs every year?

That’s right. The land of 1,000 lakes doesn’t have much over us. Each year, hundreds of anglers head to Aurora’s shores and waters to drop line for the next big one and Quincy Reservoir is among our favorites. The locale is fairly inconspicuous, along a suburban road nestled in between houses and a quiet neighborhood. There’s dock access, but you won’t be bringing your 19-foot Bayliner to this

READERS’ PICK

GRADE A POOL

READERS PICK TRAILS RECREATION CENTER 16799 E. Lake Ave.; Centennial; 303269-8400 When readers chimed in and told us their top places to be this summer Trails Recreation Center, near the southeastern edge of the city was among the tops. We have no qualms with that: the pool there rocks. But it’s more than just one pool. There are a few pools at Trails and plenty of opportunities to get wet. This mega pool palace has water slides, a lazy river, hot tub and lap pool all at the same place. Yeah, we know, it sounds completely awesome. We were impressed with the cleanliness of the facilities there and the relative ease to get in and get wet. Aurora residents have to pay a bit more to use the pool there, but if you live in one of the nearby neighborhoods, it’s well worth the consideration. Did we mention there’s more than one water slide? That’s enough thought right there.

stretch—no gas motors allowed. But once you get here, the water is fine. The city hosts night fishing and it’s serene at the very least, great fishing at its finest. But the competition for spots is fierce, so we suggest making reservations well in advance for those nights.

GRADE A AL FRESCO SHOPPING

SOUTHLANDS 6155 S. Main St.; Aurora; 303-697-5000; shopsouthlands.com Aurora’s heritage as a suburban paradise wouldn’t be complete without malls. We’ve still got a few, and while Southlands is still the new kid on the block, it’s one of our favorites.

Now, as malls go, this one is a lot like the other ones: you’ll find the Gap and applicable clothiers alongside chain eateries and a movie theater.

Call it commonplace, but thousands of people each year call it convenient too. But where Southlands exceeds is in it’s open-air attitude.

Yes, we’re not sure we understand the logic of building an outdoor shopping mall in a climate that prides itself on chilly winters and mountains full of snow, but Southlands designers built in quite a few open fire pits to warm up on chilly nights. The main street for the mall is always lit like Larimer Square and the effect is pleasant instead of plastic. And of course, there’s the ice skating rink in the middle of main street toward the end of the mall that turns into Aurora’s own Rockefeller Plaza during the winter. cider—and save their ankles too. We like the atmosphere, and thanks to eateries, there are plenty of places to eat, make a date of it and relax.

GIDDY UP FOR DECADES, AURORA There are very few Aurora locales that are iconic like The Stampede. The big, wooden building near the corner of Peoria and Parker has been Aurora’s beacon for all things Country and Western for decades. The massive facility isn’t only home to dancing, multiple bars and—as pictured above—the only mechanical bull ride we’re aware of in the city, it’s also home to several Aurora events held each year. The bar even hosts boxing and MMA bouts within its walls if you’re looking to wrassle something bigger than a mechanical bull. There’s a restaurant in the bar, The Mesquite Grill, which serves typical bar fare like hamburgers and finger food. We’re fans of The Stampede if only because it’s so ingrained in our city’s history. Yes, we recognize that throwbacks to Aurora’s western days are slowly going away, but we’re thankful The Stampede has stood the test of time so far. We think it’s definitely worth the mosey on down that way.

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Grade A Food & Drink FROM PAGE 45

Family Mexican Restaurant

happy hour

GRADE A USE OF ELK

CEDAR CREEK PUB 2100 N. Ursula St.; Aurora; 303-537-4124; cedarcreekpub.com At the Cedar Creek Pub, bison is passé and elk is king. It’s no wonder the pub’s bestselling item is the BBQ Colorado elk burger with Cheddar cheese and bacon. Ours was tender and pink in the center, smothered with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce and crunchy, but not overcooked, bacon. By far, the elk burger is one of the best burgers in town. But you don’t have to be a burger-lover to appreciate this upscale tavern. Aside from typical pub fare like fish and chips and bangers and mash, the Cedar Creek Pub also offers meals for the lighter-dinner crowd. The grilled tuna salad with pears, gorgonzola cheese and bacon is a winner, as well as the black and blue sirloin steak salad with onion strings and blue cheese crumbles. The best part — salad dressings are made in-house. The pub opened in 2011 in the lower level of the swanky 21 Fitzsimons apartment building near the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. On a Monday night, when the campus is quiet and streets are vacated, the Cedar Creek Pub is usually crowded with 20- and 30-somethings drinking brews and watching football, hockey or baseball on TVs. If you’re lucky, you might even get to meet one of the Denver Cutthroats, members of the minor-league ice hockey team who live in the nearby apartments. The pub prides itself on offering craft local beers on tap like one of our all-time favorites, Breckenridge Brewery’s Agave Wheat. Chefs even cook with the beers. The fish that goes into fish and chips, for example, is fried in a batter flavored with Dale’s Pale Ale, which hails from the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons. The pub’s owner, Scott Procop, is so intent on buying local that almost every menu item is made from locally grown or locally raised foods. There are almost 35 Colorado companies that Cedar Creek Pub buys ingredients from. Of course, the elk is Colorado-proud too, which might be why it tastes so good.

GRADE A NORTHWEST MEXICO FLAVOR

LA CUEVA 9742 E. Colfax Ave.; Aurora; 303-367-1422; lacueva.net There isn’t a person in Colorado who doesn’t consider themselves an expert judge of Mexican cuisine. So if you’re from the camp that knows what really makes the best nachos in the world “the best nachos in the world,” read past this and maybe check out late-night hot spots or something. If you’re from the camp that doesn’t even consider nachos Mexican food. Read a little further. While there’s nothing more Mexican and satisfying than corn and flour tortillas, nothing has been more maligned by the American fast food industry, the Frito Lay Co. and the clumsy hands of a gazillion Mexican restaurants in the American southwest. What was once one of the planet’s most honest and flavorful cuisines has become a reason to pile greasy hamburger and yellow cheese on something fried. Bleh. There are, however, real tastes of Mexico’s treasures here in the metro area, and even Aurora. One such place is the venerable La Cueva restaurant on East Colfax Avenue. If you almost always get the No. 2 combination at your local favorite Mexican haunt, don’t go to La Cueva. That’s not what this is about.

This is about homecooked flavors and surprises — if your home is in northwest Mexico. This is a place that honors subtle flavors and notable heat over salt and grease. Most notable item here is the probably the most humble: tortilla soup. This is the dinner of the working class in northern Mexico. It’s a dish that celebrates ripe tomatoes and leftover chicken for a weekday meal because the big dinner doesn’t come until Sunday. It’s clear broth flavored with roasted peppers and onions in a shallow bowl that acts like a shrine to just a few goodies floating inside. Some roasted chicken, a few diced tomatoes, maybe a few cubes of firm avocado if it’s around, a little mellow white cheese and a sprinkle of crispy corn tortilla strips rounds out one of the most unique and ubiquitous items you’ll find in the back country of Mexico. If you’re lucky enough to have someone’s mom serve you this, you’ll likely get flour tortillas still warm from the tortilla drawer next to the stove, warm enough to melt a little butter. Ask La Cueva bosses Molly or Alfonzo, and they’ll get the tortillas for you.

Monday thru Friday 2:00pm - 5:00pm House Margaritas 2 for 1 • All Beers 2 for 1

mariachi band Wednesday in Lakewood Thursday in Arvada Friday in Aurora from 5:30-8:30

patio dininG Over 150 Tequilas to choose from!

Plus American & Mexican Beer

kids menu house specialities combination for two • Chicken en Mole • Carne Asada

• Pollo Verde • Pork Carnitas

burritos, enchiladas, many seafood dishes, smothered Green chili, veGetarian dishes.

open 7 days a week Sun. thru thurS. 10:45am – 10:00pm Fri. and Sat. 10:45am – 11:00pm

six locations to serve you! lakewood

1535 S. Kipling Pkwy.

(Kipling & Florida)

evergreen

1193 Bergen Parkway (King Soopers)

303-988-2580 303-679-1913 aurora arvada 2790 S. Havana St. (Havana & Yale)

12391 West 64th Ave. (64th & Ward Rd.)

720-748-1260 303-423-1307 Golden thornton

opeS.nGolden ing Rd. 2013 12020 Pennsylvania St. re17535 (S. Golden Rd. & Johnson) (E.120th Ave & Washington St.)

303-278-0363 303-254-5555

Take-out orders too! www.tequilasmexrest.com AURORA MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2013

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