I can tell the DNC is almost here. Yesterday at the corner of 16th and Little Raven I noticed the post signs with Denver 2008 boldly displayed in plain typeface just seconds before a small group of Jehovah witnesses handing me a brochure. They were very polite and non intrusive in how they approached me which may be better manners than we can expect very shortly. The signs, both literal and figurative, are showing us that the excitement is almost upon us.

The news agencies are discussing the strength of our police and emergency support. Demonstrators are complaining that they will be too far away from the real action. Residents are wondering what life in Denver will be like that week. I was simply preparing for the one night out we do have planned during the DNC with a dinner at the Capital Grill so I thought I would stop in and grab a bite last night.

To begin with, I cannot stress that I have yet to find anyplace in Denver that consistently prepares a martini to the quality level of Capital Grill. Back when I went out a bit more you might find me enjoying a couple of these when dining there. The recipe is simple, Ketel One dirty with blue cheese stuffed olives. What is not simple is the execution. For those of you who appreciate a good olive you know that most restaurants or bars either don’t offer the blue cheese stuffed olive or use an inferior blue cheese. Bad blue cheese in an olive is simply disappointing. But whatever your martini selection, the Capital Grill has one of the best. Now in the spirit of the upcoming power suit lobbyist and political spectacle we should help those visiting our city by letting them know where the best martini is. What is your vote.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

It couldn’t have worked out better. We chilled out and got the celebration started with a round of cocktails (dirty martini, blue cheese stuffed olives please) and then relaxed over laughter, stories, and catching up while enjoying steaks (baseball sirloin for this day of course) and some great red wine. Our boys night out dinner carried us past the first pitch (which we did want to see) but we got there just in time for the blackout. In fact we timed it so close the folks behind us joked that we caused it.

First of all, let me tell you that the crowd last night was amazing. The energy, the rockies flag waving, the cheers, the jeers, and everything else was like a live current. Someone who watched the game at home said it was boring. I don’t know what they were watching but from my seat it was a nail biter with the close score and then the tie up keeping us all on the edge of our seats (or standing) as we celebrated every strike and out that kept the Phillies from moving ahead. That is to say that the comfort zone when we were 1 – 0 disappeared as we watched their one run homer put us neck to neck.

Somewhere around the 6th inning a few incidents started happening around us. Drunk guy falls down stairs (ouch), another drunk guy (doofus) tries to start the wave on his own with beer in hand and sprays the crowd (many apologies did follow), and the last drunk guy (yes, we see you) tries to start his own cheer leading section. There are always those interesting characters.

But what a finish. When, in the bottom of the 8th, the Rockies scored the needed run to put us up 2 to 1 the crowd went nuts. And then for every pitch, out, catch and moment through the top of the 9th the Rockies put the final touches on the SWEEP of the Phillies.

That moment, on the last out, was magic. Friends yelled with joy and high fives all around. Smiles EVERYWHERE filled every face and goodwill flowed. It was AWESOME. How cool to be there and share it with not just my friends but with 70,000 other fans.

The post game party in the streets and bars around the ballpark was just as exciting and with just as much energy. With laughter in the air, the smell of beer in the air, and traffic crawling through the streets we leisurely walked through Denver to find a spot for one more beer and some quality time to revel in the day. Cheers Denver, the Rockies did it!!

This past Saturday Theorie Restaurant and Martini Lounge opened up on Market street in what I believe is the old Real World spot. Opening night was Saturday, invite only (no.. I don’t rate that) and then Sunday was the first night for open reservations.

I haven’t had a chance to check this out yet, but it looks to be going for a bit upscale with some tasty dinner items and a special late night menu. My guess is that with bottle service and the late night menu this is both a date night restaurant and an “out late clubbin’ spot”.

So will someone please check it out and let the rest of us know. Menus are below if you want to check them out. But they said they are changing the menu’s every 90 days so this post will be dated in a few months. Happy eating!

Or simply put, Oysters, Oysters, Oysters… and tons of them.

Last night Jax hosted a huge oyster eating contest and the place was packed. First of all you have to know that this wonderful event was to benefit New Orleans and to provide some assistance for the oyster industry devastation there. So every time a customer (of which there were many) ordered oysters (of which there were even more) the proceeds went to good cause. So of course we helped out the best we could. Crowds of people came into Jax and their drink of choice was the Martini. There were Martinis of every color and combination from wall to wall. The bar itself looked like a martini lineup as they cooled with ice waiting to be filled.

I wish I could tell you I was hip enough to know this was going on, but the truth is far simpler. We merely got a late start to going out and decided a few oysters would be a good start. Well we definitely picked the spot in Denver to be last night. Unfortunately all we had was my cell phone camera which worked just fine to capture the moment.
So back to my story. First the crowd starts getting into the mood for the competition with these tasty martinis. Then one side of the bar got cleared out for the competition. There were a total of 8 teams competing in this oyster eating competition and the kitchen had to be overflowing with the mollusks. Tray after tray of oysters began to arrive in the competitors bar seats, huge trays overflowing with delicious oysters and glistening in the lights of the bar.

Then the competitors lined up and prepped their trays. One competitor splashed water across their tray to dilute the brine. Others added tabasco and lemon to season them up. The oysters are brought out from Houma Louisiana, and the owner of Motivated Seafood, Paul Packer, describes them as not pasteurized but pressure washed with enough force to shuck them from their shells, kill any little buggers of bacteria, and remove the brine but not enough to break their skin. The result is a true boatload of oysters that you can eat without getting sick, although it also removes alot of the brine and taste rendering them a bit bland. Which is fine by me because I consider myself the biggest oyster fan, but I don’t think I could handle the sight of those little suckers coming back for an encore. And I am pretty sure that it is fine by the competitors who are eating them by the fist full.

The next step is the competition itself. The competitors are lined up and they handle it as a team relay shoveling the oysters into their mouth as fast as the can. Slurping, swallowing, drooling out oyster bits and goo the competitors dig in. The fans are screaming in excitement and my seat was near the fans from the Pacific Highlands team. One team member, armed with one of the coolest tatoos I have seen (Yes that is the Morton Salt Girl), points out their team members and I watch as they devour oyster faster than anyone else. I also get pointed towards one dude who is drinking the oyster like water. Apparently his name is Guido and he is the world record holders for single (versus team relay) oyster eating (127 oysters in 90 seconds). This oyster eating machine doesn’t mess around. He is also doing a solo competition this weekend somewhere (find out and go) where he is the favorite to win.

Two rounds of competitors go through this spectacular feeding frenzy. The crowd roars them on while eating their own oysters and downing their martinis. Given only limited time (I think it was mere seconds per person, 4 people per team) the number of oysters the teams consume is amazing.

In the end, the victory belonged to Highland Pacific, which had become my team as well since I was in their cheering section and they were all good peeps. The results were…

• 3rd Place: NE Seafood with 99 oysters
• 2nd Place: Team Huffers with 101 oysters
• 1st Place: Highland Pacific with 110 oysters

What a fun event and it benefits the Louisiana Oyster Community Relief Fund. So check out their calendar and go to the next one. Where else can you have so much fun for such a good cause.

Not only is VITA’s patio open and offering TWO new Happy Hours – - they are NOW serving Sunday Brunch! Starting this Sunday, March 25th Brunch will be served from 10:00 to 2:00 pm and Happy Hour begins 2:00pm – 6:30pm. Come down and soak up some sun and martinis on Vita’s patio this weekend!

IT’S FRIDAY – - so don’t forget about VITA’s TWO new Happy Hours (not only on Friday but EVERY DAY)!:

Happy Hour Times: 3:00pm – 6:30pm AND 9:00pm – Close (7 days a week!)

Food Specials: 2 for 1 (antipasto platter, olive hummus, calamari, bruschette, and specialty cheese and cracker spreads)

Drink Specials: Wines are 2 for 1 by the glass, and Bud, Bud Light and Italian Peroni and Moretti beers are $2.

Last night was a wonderful party in the Glass House lounge. New residents who have moved in got a chance to meet, enjoy the newly created Glass House Martini or glass of wine, and eat sushi or other tasty treats.

A small group of us ended up outside by the Fire Pit, which I have never seen lit before. This is such a terrific spot for relaxing with the city views. There is just something about sharing stories and laughter around a fire that feels right. Maybe we have never evolved from the cavemen and sitting around the fire is in our most basic instincts.

Either way, it rocks.

Urbanites are social. We throw our dinner parties, our martini balls, our football get togethers, and our impromptu late nights with friends. So what do we consider a bare essential…. our wine store and having a great selection available for us.

So join me in getting to know Little Raven Vineyards and Peter Klann, Proprietor.

Peter, can you tell me what first attracted you to wine, what you love about it and a little bit about your background?

Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1976 my wine adventure began in the cellar of a neighbor who had an extensive collection of French and German wine. I have traveled to several of the major wine regions in the world to further my education. My formal wine education includes advanced Sommelier and Advanced Wine and Food paring certificates from the IWG.

What was your inspiration for Little Raven Vineyards and the wines you select?
The exploration of wine is a journey and we would like to be the tour guides. At Little Raven Vineyards we focus on smaller production wines from all over the world in all price points. Some old favorites, some new and undiscovered

Lets start with Reds. What’s hot right now?

Since the movie Sideways Pinot Noir has been red of choice. Girardet, Umpaqua Valley Oregon, and Cooper Mountain Willamette valley Oregon are both outstanding wines.

Now whites, any unique finds you would recommend people stop by and pick up.

Mormoraia’s Vernaccia from Tuscany is a great wine to match with Seafood. I really enjoy Chateau Felice Chalk Hill Chardonnay, it is fermented in stainless steel and has a clean crisp style not often seen in California chardonnay.

There are so many great wines around the world, how do you know which ones are the best?

Taste, taste, taste, and taste some more each of the wines we select for placement is personally checked for quality. It is one of the really enjoyable parts of the job. I also read several wine journals on a regular basis.

(My note, that doesn’t sound like a bad job now does it!)

Talk about locating in Riverfront Park and the Central Platte Valley and what attracted you to this location. Are there unique elements to this location?

Riverfront Park is an excellent blend of quality people, open space, diverse architecture. I have been here two years and I enjoy all the elements that make this great community. The people who live and work here make it unique.

You have more than just wine. Can you tell us what other items you provide?

We carry spirits, beer,mixers, gift bags as well as a small amount of glassware.

You were open during the blizzard. How was business?

We were open and did a landoffice business. It was really fun all the neighbors stopped by to stock up.

Does Little Raven hold any special events? Are there any dates we should mark in our calendar?

We have wine tastings in store on Wednesdays from 4PM to 7PM and on Saturdays from 2PM to 7PM

We would love to have other recommendations, would you like to give us periodic wine recommendations and keep our taste buds happy.

I would be happy to.

Anything else we should have asked?

We offer a frequent buyers program, and discounts on 1/2 case, full case, and multi case purchases. I can also help out with food and wine paring if you are planning a special meal.

Know of a business or individual we should interview, just email me!

In what has been for some time the Executive Tower Inn, the Curtis brings us 16 floors with each providing a different nostalgic theme. With a total of 336 rooms and a perky, mid-20th-century feel accentuated with contemporary and chic rooms, this is a new spot to check out. The Hotel offers high speed Internet, pet friendly rooms, a martini bar opening in March, and close proximity to the 16th Street mall.

Check out their new website.

For the last few months I have been hearing about a new seafood restaurant in the Highland area by the name of Highland Pacific. Hearing about is not the best description, a few buddies of mine have been RAVING about this new spot in their neighborhood. They go there, throw back oysters and drink beer to their hearts content. I had to check it out.

So this past Saturday we went. After hearing how awesome it was supposed to be we called ahead for a reservation and then headed on over.

First impression, great little place. It’s warm, it’s cozy. The small bar is set up to easily serve a few people their shellfish in comfort with a few tables around for casual dining, plus another small dining room. It wasn’t very crowded, just a steady flow of folk when we got there and throughout our meal. We didn’t need our reservation to have a table, but one never knows so I still recommend it.

We started with, of course, Martinis. My own preference is a dirty martini so you can pair the salty taste of certain oysters with the brine in the Martini. YUM, and when we asked what Vodka’s they carried the response was “we have so many it might be easier if you ask if we have the one you want..”. Good answer.

I recommend getting the Oyster tour, which lets you try a variety. Oysters come in so many flavors, some with hints of melon, others more salty. One we tried made you feel like you just swallowed salt water, probably someone’s favorite but not mine. And I love strong tastes. But without ordering the tour you might miss the subtle differences in the various types from various locations, so give it a try. As Oysters go, I give HIghland Pacific an A+.

We then had the goat cheese appetizer. WONDERFUL!! It had been a chilly night and the warm goat cheese spread over the toasted bread chips wonderfully, paired with marinated tomatos and a great olive spread. It melts in your mouth, and the perfect second course.

For dinner I selected the slow roasted Salmon with lentils. The salmon was cooked perfectly and just floated flavor in my mouth. The lentil pairing went well with the fish, and some greens thrown in with a touch of balsamic. YUM!!

Overall, go check it out. We spent a bit more than we expected, about $140 for two with two martini’s each. But worth it! Next time the fried oyster po boy is on the agenda. If you have been, let us know what you think.

Since I had trouble finding a list of all the types of Oysters Online, if you know of a good web site reference please post it.

If you just want to learn more about Oysters and oyster type you should check out these links…

Oyster types and locations
Wikipedia on Oysters
Oyster Recipes
Kumamoto Oysters
Types of Oysters

Or for a GREAT book on the history of Oysters in New York, and I mean from thousands of years back to today, check out the best seller The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell

Happy Shelling!!