I believe the term refreshment was born on warm day, uttered from the lips of a man who just gulped the first swig of a cold pint of beer. The carbonation swelled and burst, like music in perfect timing with the hops, a percussive symphony on his taste-buds and he thought, perfect. He searched for a word, a measure of his overwhelming joy. He felt reborn, but in the sensory respect. The word, like poetry unraveled from his mouth: refreshment.

This was the day man first loved beer, at least, that’s how I picture the definition forming.

The truth is that the term refreshment came about sometime in the mid 15th century. It was used to describe food and drink, non-alcoholic drink, to be precise.

How short-sighted of our ancestors to exclude beer from the definition.

The good news is that somewhere along the line, the non-alcoholic rule got tossed and now we are free to refer to anything as “refreshing.” The extremely good news is that as a humble dweller of Denver, you have access to some of the most tasty brews the world has to offer. To celebrate this fact, every month of the year the Mellow Mushroom of Downtown will be featuring a new “Brewery of the Month.” On May 1st, members of the Odell Brewing Team will be at Mellow Mushroom Downtown (Tabor Center) doing beer tastings from 5-7, giveaways and 3$ Odell beers. 4$ pints will be available for the rest of the month of May. As an added bouns, Odell will be featuring a special batch for the occasion, an Oatmeal Coffee Amber. When it is time for June, you need not despair, for a new brewery will be featured. So if beer is something you find as refreshing as a great deal, cruise down to the Mellow Mushroom on May 1st and enjoy some,

Cheers!

Zengo, my favorite Asian Latin Fusion spot is dishing up some new things.

Zengo is one of our neighborhood favorites.  They whip up what I consider to be the best Tuna entree in town, offer one of the best patio’s for late summertime dining, and more than a few of my friends consider their Mojito the ultimate Denver drink.  They also do something all of us in the neighborhood by offering some locals deals for those of us who share an address in Riverfront Park.

Cheers Zengo, we love that too.

So I was pleased to get a chance to sample some of their new menu offerings at a press dinner last night.     Here’s that menu in case you want to duplicate it for yourself and try all the new dishes…

Welcome Cocktail
Pomegranate Kumquat Caipirinha
Leblon Cachaca / Muddled Kumquats / Pomegranate / Ginger

First Course
Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings
Pork / Crab / Linguica Sausage / Green Onion / Jalapeno Ginger Black Vinegar

Second Course
Crispy Shanghai Spring Roll
Chicken / Shrimp / Tempura Baiano Bamboo / Carrot / Mushroom / Won Bok Sichuan-Acai Berry-Giner Dipping Sauce

Third Course
Coconut Crusted Bholino De Bacalhau (our favorite)
Coconut / Salt Cod / Potato / Serrano Green Onion / Cachaca-Soy Hot Mustard Sweet and Sour Sauce

Paired With

Coconut Batida Cocktail
Fresh Coconut Water / Boca Loca Cachaca / Muddled Lime

Fourth Course
Picahna Steak & XO Style King Crab
Dry Aged Top Sirloin / King Crab / Hot Bean Paste / Broccolini / Black Bean Ginger Sauce

Paired With

Szechuan-Tini
Gin / Junmai Sake / Muddled Cucumber / Szechuan Peppercorn

Dessert
Coconut Tapioca
Mango-Kumquat Gelee / Lychee Sorbet / Schiso

Paired With

Spiked Acai Tea
Green Tea Vodka / Acai Liqueur / Acai Berry Juice / Lychee

The menu started today so you don’t have to wait to give it a try.

Now you might think this is the something new I wanted to share.  In a way it is.  All the dishes were delicious.  Denver can always use some good soup dumplings (Lao Wang Noodles on Federal is still my favorite) and Zengo delivers as it always does across the board.  The Picahna Steak was amazing.  I still don’t think anything will sway me away from my adoration of their tuna as my Zengo top pick, but this comes close.

And of course XO sauce on anything will be a success.  Have you had their XO Edamame?  If not forget everything else and start with these delicious spicy green delights.

But I digress… the big news is that Zengo is opening a wine bar.  Yes folks, add another addition to the plaza when Zengo blows through the adjoining wall to create their own new wine bar space I believe is going to be called “Al Lado” (means next door).  The chef kindly shared the name but I didn’t ask the spelling.

I’m guessing a spring time opening but only time will tell when this new treat will open.  I asked about their ability to get some outdoor seating as that spot (previous offices) doesn’t have any currently and it sounds like the answer is…. maybe.

New menu, new wine bar… sounds like just one more reason to love living downtown.  And the trend is to break down a wall.

Z-Cusine broke down their wall to add the À Côté wine bar.  Colt and Grey is breaking down a wall (and adding a basement) to create Saint Ellies… now it’s Zengo‘s turn.

Zengo’s new menu additions are a special Shanghai-Sao Paulo tasting available until March 31st so don’t put it off.

The Union Station Neighborhood is growing up.

The dust has settled on the Historic Union Station debate leaving plans underway for a new hotel. The arguments for the hotel involved financial models and a world of NPV’s and IRRs (I imagine, that’s what I’d look at) but what I prefer to talk about urban planning elements.

I’ve listened to a number of my friends share their hopes for the project including a few architects and planners. For those who love the hotel solution it means a 24 X 7 influx of energy and activity.

I remember roughly 6 years ago the topic was how to make Downtown Denver more of a 24 X 7 city. Why, you might ask? Have you ever visited a city that clears out when the offices empty out. You may have visited one of those cities on a business trip or vacation. Perhaps that’s the city you moved from. You know what I mean… by 6:30 the city is a ghost town.

I’m not a fan of those cities.

I like cities where the streets are filled with foot traffic. I like eyes on the street for crime prevention. I remember reading a simply story written (I think by an Urban Planner) that talked about the 24 hour city where the streets were always alive. By the time the entertainment, bars and late night diners were closing down the early morning bakers and vendor were starting up their storefronts or kitchens.

The hopes for the hotel are to help contribute to a 24 X 7 city. It must be a good idea, because I hear rumors of another hotel in Union Station as well. Add in the new King Sooper (at least that’s the brand in the rendering) at 20th and Chestnut and the new Union Station Neighborhood is rocking.

Need a little more… how about more bodies with the Manhattans new phase of it’s Apartment Building on Bassett and 18th. More? How about the sale of land at 20th and Little Raven to AMLI, a Chicago Developer planning a 242 residence apartment complex. And the new grocery store will have 307 apartment units above it per designs at the Architect Mulhern Group Website.

Hotels, Apartments, Grocery Store…. sounds like a lot of bodies are going to keep those streets alive.

Cheers Denver!

You probably know our new family Member Chewie was rescued through Polaris Malamute Rescue. Well they just contacted me about a huge crisis.

Over 160 dogs have been rescued from a location in Montana. These dogs are in desperate need of help. The dogs are in rough shape. There are some 20 puppies and a number of expecting mothers.

This is a call to action for donations, resources, funds for food and medicine, and of course new adoptive homes. These dogs are going to be arriving around the start of the Holiday season when Kennel space is limited.

This is AWFUL!!! Here is a link to the video/audio about this terrible situation and an excerpt.

Deputies found more than 160 Malamute dogs with little to no water and their kennels full of feces. During their search, deputies also found a marijuana operation with more than 200 plants.

Mike Chilinski faces charges of felony criminal production or manufacturing of dangerous drugs, criminal possession with intent to distribute and use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture along with a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

Authorities say several additional felony animal cruelty charges are pending.

The seizure and transportation of the dogs was completed with assistance from the Humane Society of the U.S., the Lewis and Clark Humane Society, more than 20 volunteers and several local veterinarians.

All of the dogs – including about 20 puppies and 12 pregnant dogs – are being taken care of at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society. State director for the U.S. Humane Society says Chilinski sold puppies – some of which were very sick – through the internet and newspaper ads, claiming to offer show-quality dogs.

Many of the dogs were underweight, had parasites and untreated wounds. A spokesperson for the Lewis and Clark Humane Society says the dogs are now resting comfortably and settling in.

Please spread the word and visit http://polarismalamuterescue.org to learn more. And please use all those social media tools to spread the word. Tweet it, Facebook it, and just plain tell people about it. If the site looks familiar it is because after we adopted Chewie I donated my creative agency to help get them a new website. Now we really have a need to use it so please share.

You could save a life today! HELP THESE DOGS!!! There are puppies and expecting mothers in need and so many wonderful Malamutes that need our help.

Update – We have had a great response from here in Colorado but more help is needed… please continue to share and if you want to start the adoption process for these lovable pups please contact Polaris Alaskan Malamute Rescue.

Wow.. I slept right through this last night.

Who knew that Colorado had a fault line. For whatever reason I thought the Rockies were part of us having one solid geo structure… but this shows that even Colorado has some EQ risks. What people are looking at closely is the magnitude and the repeat incidents of these quakes.

I’m sure there are some geologists out there in my readership… what can you tell us about this unusual Colorado earthquake event and possible aftershocks? The 9 news interview above indicates that we can expect possible aftershock quakes (if they occur) for several weeks. And there is speculation that drilling could even have contributed to this. Wish I knew more about the nature of Earthquakes to offer you some more details but I’m learning along with you all.

Well Denver, tomorrow shopping at IKEA just got easier.

I don’t actually have too many IKEA items, just one to be precise.  I like to geek out how I furnish my home.   My couch is a Mitchell Gold extra long single flat cushion sofa so when Ali and I curl up on it to watch a movie there’s no falling between the cushions.   I also learned that dogs love the single cushion as well for often I would return to catch Bear (I miss you bud) happily dozing away and I half expected him to have a remote in his hand watching Animal Planet.

My chairs are mid century modern I acquired years ago for my first post college apartment (quite the dump but in the Columbus Ohio version of LoHi… location is everything) and have hence been restored with new leather.  My farmers table is hand made from reclaimed barn wood by the gifted table maker back east named David Ellison.  I decided to have one of his hand crafted tables because I wanted to have a special place for friends to come and share meals and laughter together.  I also realized the prices at the popular Cherry Creek design stores were simply out of my reach, but kudos to David as it looks like his business is doing well enough that he can charge more (or I got a deal for being early in his career as a furniture builder).

Everyone has their own special ways to make their urban home special.  For me that was organic sheets and an organic mattress from the Denver Sleep Store, several potted plants from City Florist, a full size drafting table (oh yes.. some cartoons or animation is well overdue), and a historic tanker desk for me to write at.

Some things were an investment as I hope to keep them for my lifetime, some things were more of a scavenger hunt on Craigslist (the tanker desk was FREE… although I had to pay someone to pick it up).

But the one thing I found difficult was the location of an IKEA Expedit bookcase.  I already had found an old Globe Wernicke stackable bookcase on ebay that I got for a steal.. until I factored in the shipping.  By then it was just a “good” deal and I do love having it in my office.

But I needed more storage as space is valuable in Urban Living.  I was also overflowing with my vinyl records (love the sound), books, and different bins of bike gear, ski gear, workout get, etc.

The IKEA Expedit was the perfect solution.  Inexpensive, simple, and reliable.  But IKEA doesn’t ship the larger or store only items, and if the do the shipping takes affordable to expensive in a flash.  Some smaller companies had been started doing truck deliveries from out of state IKEA stores but again.. expensive.  And since you know my opinion on excessive driving I didn’t want to take my gas guzzler out to do a pick up myself.. the fuel would destroy any cost savings.

Finally after weeks of searching one appeared on Craigslist in Boulder and I raced over in the early AM to meet with the seller who had been FLOODED with calls.  First come first served he said.

I was first, and even saw another potential buyer racing to their door as I was headed out, bookcase in the back.  That was just last year.

Well it’s time for a new bookcase.  I have a Swiss Fondue pot from our trip to ParPan Switzerland with memories, I have cookbooks, Ali has cookbooks, and we just have STUFF that would go in so many places better than wherever they are stashed now.  I also have one empty wall next to the dining room table waiting for some character.  So guess what?  It’s time for another Expedit and my second IKEA item.

Perfect timing with the new IKEA opening tomorrow in Centennial.  Now I won’t be there on opening day, or even opening weekend.  Crowds are just not my style.  But it’s nice to know that we have a new affordable option here in Denver.

Cheers Denver, IKEA realized what we all knew… that this is the city to be in.

Check out the new IKEA Centennial and you can even register for a $1000 gift card contest.  Good Luck!

And yes, that is a vintage Star Wars Lunchbox blurred on top of the bookcase. Now share with me your favorite item of furniture in your home and if there is a special story behind it on this blog or on the Urban Brain Facebook Page.

Today’s post was SUPPOSED to be about Bike to Work Day.  It was supposed to talk about how Bike Friendly Denver is.  It was supposed to talk about the great benefits of living a mostly car free lifestyle (Yes, I still drive to the mountains).  It was on my todo list.

But last night when I was planning out my morning I thought… I’ll bike to my 7:30 meeting on Tejon and stop at see if the Squeaky Bean is open for an early breakfast.  I loved going there for brunch on the weekends last summer, sitting outside on their patio relaxing with my paper and coffee.   And of course I’d been there for dinner and AWESOME cocktails many times over the winter with friends.  I just couldn’t remember if their breakfast hours during the week.

So before going to bed I googled them and WHAMMO!!! I learned the Squeaky Bean Closed on the 12th.

That’s right Urban Brain Fans… your chance to enjoy the Squeaky Bean on Tejon is over.  I’ll leave the reasons why to these stories in the press..

• Westword:  The Squeaky Bean will close on June 12, reopen as a new bar in July and sprout a new restaurant later this year
• Denver Post:  Farewell, for now, to Denver’s Squeaky Bean

Well that was a bummer.

I’m glad to hear that the previous Squeaky Bean will reopen as the Occidental.  In fact I did begin salivating a bit when I read in the Westword article  that the new Occidental will be focused on their classic cocktails offering…

“lots of charcuterie, oysters, housemade terrines and pâtés, some vegetarian offerings from our garden and the farm, and a lot of different caviars matched with vodkas”

I have to tell you, their Mixologists are awesome.  That puts the competition for top drinks as Linger, Root Down, and the new Occidental (at least if they are the same as Squeaky Bean).

And for those who loved the Bean… the location may be changing and I selfishly want them to find a new LoHi home but they will be somewhere in Denver.  A lot of invitations were floating out from different neighborhoods in the hopes claiming the new Bean.

Let’s help the Bean folks out… share where you think the new Bean should go and if you have a spot you know of share a comment.

Well SB, you will be missed.  Occidental, you will be welcomed.  The New Bean… we can’t wait to see your new digs.

The Tony nominated show “The Book of Mormon” by the creators of South Park will make it’s first debut outside of New York City right here in Denver. Those guys at South Park are staying true to their Colorado Roots. Of course you do have to wait until December 2012 but at least we know it’s coming.

I love comedy and this show is supposed to be amazing! You heard it here first, now get ready… just a year and a half plus to go!

Update for everyone… Ali and I went to NYC and saw the show on Friday June 10th before the Tony’s (thankfully, ticket prices went even HIGHER believe it or not) and the show was Frigging AWESOME!!! Truly amazing… so I’ll post a review soon.

Sad day for those who know me. Bear went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. Memorial post here.