Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i 5280 Magazine

It’s been 25 years since I first stepped onto African soil. I was a wide-eyed study-abroad student fortunate enough to be able to travel the globe for 100 days. Every country I visited, across three continents, brought indelible experiences that changed my worldview. Let’s be honest, though: The food was as mind-blowing as anything else. This was especially true in both South Africa and Kenya, because while I tried new-to-me dishes in India and Vietnam and Japan, those cuisines were relatively familiar to my American palate. But African foods hadn’t—and still haven’t—been as widely exported to the United States as others, which is what made digging into braai (South African barbecue), bobotie (a minced-meat casserole), ugali (cornmeal mush), and irio (mashed potatoes with corn, peas, and greens) so revelatory for…

ON SELF-BELIEF “Learn how to make confidence your natural odor, the unmistakable scent that’s part of your everyday life.” When it comes to Neon Deion, this axiom doesn’t really need further elucidation: The sweet smell of swagger engulfs him like a cloud. Even a 42-6 drumming by the Oregon Ducks couldn’t extinguish his stank. After the defeat, Sanders told reporters: “Better get me right now. This is the worst we’re going to be.” ON GOOD MORNINGS “However you start your day, your engine needs some fuel. That means protein.” Sanders began his reign in Boulder by touring some of the town’s venerable eateries, including the nearly 30-year-old Buff Restaurant, where he scarfed steak and egg whites. Not only did Prime need that gas to power his turnaround of CU’s downtrodden…

Maybe this is the future of Denver eating and drinking. Maybe the Welton Room Lounge is an “if you build it, they will come” sort of situation. Maybe we are nearly ready for $17 cocktails with ocean foam and fusion plates balanced on tiny cocktail tables next to panther statues. Right now, though, the lounge and the adjoining Monkey Bar at Welton Room feel sceney, minus the actual scene. Originally opened in 2019 in the space that is now the Monkey Bar, the Welton Room moved into a larger space next door in late 2022, at the 25th and Welton light-rail stop. The location is important because the eatery is very much the “new” Five Points. It’s chic and glossy and different from the older secondhand shops, small liquor stores,…

BEFORE KNEELING TO PRAY, Chakib Marrakchi handed me a to-go cup of mint tea. “It’s cold out there,” he said. Nighttime would overtake the October twilight before Marrakchi could lock the doors to Cafe Paprika, which meant the Isha prayer—the last of five in daily Islamic practice and one that is typically offered at the beginning of complete darkness—would occur here in his North African restaurant along East Mississippi Avenue in Aurora. I had been the only customer for an hour, but I had waited until after my meal of lamb tagine to ask the native of Fez, the second-largest city in Morocco, a few questions: How did he flavor the couscous? Does he steep the tea to order? But before I finished collecting my thoughts, I heard the recitations…

Senior staff writer Robert Sanchez might kindly be described as baseball-obsessed: He has tens of thousands of baseball cards in his collection, has played in fantasy leagues for the past 30 years, and once was the Little League teammate of Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. So when a parent at one of his daughter’s swim meets mentioned that she was the first general manager of a professional women’s baseball team called the Colorado Silver Bullets three decades ago, Sanchez was determined to chase down the story. Over the past several months, he reached out to former players, who in turn connected him with even more sources for “The Girls Of Summer” (page 92). “For a baseball fan like myself, that was heaven,” Sanchez says. He heard countless unforgettable anecdotes, not…

THE ISLAND Southeast Denver It’s usually a balmy 78 degrees inside this 24,000-square-foot volleyball mecca in southeast Denver. If the thermostat isn’t enough of a draw, there are six sand courts you can rent (from $40 for four people), lessons (prices vary), and multiple leagues for two-, four-, and six-player squads, many of which need a free agent or two to fill out their rosters. Celebrate victory with your new teammates—or take the sting out of defeat—at the indoor beach bar, which is stocked with 60 kinds of tequila. SOUTH BROADWAY COUNTRY CLUB Multiple locations If your partner is antsy for the front nine to thaw, get her out of the house by booking her a tee time at South Broadway Country Club (Overland and Berkeley; $50 per hour). Its…

Practice Patience Instead of immediately drawing up plans after buying the house, Shepherd followed a piece of advice he gives clients: Live in the space first. “It’s important to see how you interact with a room before you tear into it,” he says. For example, even though his home’s primary bathroom needed the most TLC, he left that project for later in the renovation. “By the time we started working on it,” he says, “I had really strong opinions about what I wanted it to be.” Phone A Friend Throughout the two-year-long renovation, Shepherd leaned on his husband, Peter Sloterdyk, and his business partner, Jill Norman. “I can make decisions for my clients very quickly, but when I’m my own client, that decisiveness goes out the window,” he says. To…

WELTON STREET CAFE This beloved Caribbean and soul food spot, which closed in March 2022 after spending more than two decades at 27th and Welton, is slated to reopen this spring a couple of blocks over in a new building. Along with classics such as fried catfish, collard greens, and mac and cheese, look for rum cocktails and some healthier baked and grilled options. 2883 Welton St. THE MARIGOLD If there’s one thing that Sudhir Kudva (the mastermind behind concepts such as the Squire Lounge and Gold Point) knows, it’s bars, and the Marigold, which opened a year ago this month, is no exception. The rooftop deck is Welton Street’s first, and this bar doesn’t just peddle beautiful gin-driven cocktails; it sells plants, too. For all you thirsty green-thumbers, plants…

MOROCCO Plenty of Moroccan dishes pervade the cuisines of other North African countries like Algeria and Tunisia, according to Zakaria Chamseddine, co-owner of Denver’s two-and-a-half-year-old Golden Falafel, but their presence is global. For centuries, the country has participated in international commerce from the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. That means you’ll find non-native spices such as cumin and paprika in dishes like shakshuka (eggs cooked in a thick tomato sauce), and those same dishes appear at many non-African restaurants, such as LoHi’s Bar Dough. MAIZE Modern African cuisine is inextricably tied to the harmful legacy of European colonization. There’s perhaps no better example than maize, or corn, which, despite its Mesoamerican origins, is the most dominant grain on the continent today, says Jonathan Bishop Highfield, a professor of food studies…

2010 Brandon DelGrosso’s Switchback Coffee Roasters now has two locations, and in 2023, DelGrosso and co-owner Trista Heileman opened Provisions Bread & Bakery, which serves Switchback coffee. 2013 Wild Goose Meeting House brought to town manual brew methods, single-origin and direct-trade coffees, and traditional espresso. 2016 Opened by six baristas, Loyal Coffee raised the bar for specialty coffee in the area. The same year, Story Coffee Company owners Don and Carissa Niemyer brought their philosophy of simplicity—in life and coffee—to the city and now have two locations. 2021 Frankly Coffee founders Brandon and Kelly Noffsinger brought a multiroaster approach to their west-side cafe.…

TIGHT INVENTORY, driven by rising interest rates designed to slow inflation, defined Denver’s residential real estate market in 2023. “It was difficult for everyone,” says Libby Levinson-Katz, chair of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors’ Market Trends Committee. “Until we see more relief from interest rates, would-be sellers feel stuck” — and buyers continue to be frustrated by the lack of options. If mortgage rates drop as predicted, however, Levinson-Katz says we could see inventory rise and the pace of the market surge. That’s where our directory of real estate professionals—all of whom produced among the highest sales volumes in the metro area in 2022 (the most current data available at press time)—comes in handy. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, harnessing the expertise of one of these agents…

How do you create this list? In June 2023, 5280 posted its Top Real Estate Producers survey. The link to the submission instructions (available at submit.5280.com/top-producers) was sent out to dozens of real estate brokerages in the seven metro-area counties; it was also shared via social media. Any brokerage with agents who sell homes in the Denver metro area could submit nominations. The survey asked brokerage administrators to provide the names of both individual agents and teams of agents who, based on their sales volumes for 2022, qualified for our list. Nominees in hand, our research department reached out to each agent or team to confirm the sales numbers and to verify basic information. What qualifies someone to be a Top Real Estate Producer? We have four categories: individual agents,…

Dragon’s Pearl In a nod to Chinese folklore, a large paper dragon holding a pearl in its mouth stretches across the ceiling at Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings in LoHi. The flamboyance of the piece, along with the five-month-old dinner spot’s crimson lights, house music, and swanky cocktails, shows that co-owner Jack Lu did not intend to create a run-of-the-mill dim sum house. The homemade dumplings’ taste, though, lives up to the eatery’s grandmotherly moniker. We particularly like the rarer dim sum items, such as chicken and corn pot stickers or thumblings reminiscent of bite-size, pan-fried pork buns. Nana’s offerings are becoming easier to find, too, with multiple new outposts on the menu: A Boulder location opened in December, and spots in Aurora and downtown Denver are on the horizon.…

Sometimes, Marta Sulima gazes at her clients with envy. “There’s always a part of me that wishes I got married while skiing because skiing has been a big part of my husband’s and my relationship,” Sulima says. Unfortunately, tying the knot on the slopes was still a novelty when she exchanged her vows in 2019. But now, with an increasing number of couples eschewing the expense of traditional ceremonies in favor of elopements and micro weddings, many Coloradans are opting to say “I do” clicked into their skis and boards. That’s created a cottage industry of photographers specializing in ski weddings, including fellow photog Gabrielle Stowe, the 30-year-old Summit County creative behind Ski The Day Photography, who shot 11 weddings, 14 proposals, and three engagements last ski season. Stowe says…

Arnica & Lemon Verbena Serenity Lotion Leaf People founder and herbalist Julie Williams hikes nearly an hour up the mountains outside Aspen to harvest the wild arnica for this skin soother. The flowering herb, which has long been used as an anti-inflammatory, creates a lotion that isn’t just hydrating but also ache-minimizing and mind-clearing. $40 Red Rocks Beard Oil Wiry goatees and thick mutton chops don’t stand a chance against the softening blend of horehound, hops, and yarrow in this beard oil made by Longmont’s Colorado Aromatics. Vetiver oil also adds a woodsy aroma to the vegan-approved beard-tamer. $15 Co-Wash Bar Scented with coconut, citrus, and verbena, this all-in-one shampoo and conditioner from Denver’s woman- and Black-owned Black Travel Box is ideal for sailing through DIA security: Light yet mighty (one 2.64-ounce…

Six months ago, Coloradans craving chorrillanas—a Chilean street food dish consisting of french fries loaded with slices of beef, caramelized onions, sunny-side-up eggs, and a splash of soy sauce—were out of luck. The same went for anyone jonesing for a hearty churrasco sandwich with beef or chicken and toppings like bacon, avocado, and green beans. That’s part of the reason cousins Mayra Chacon (left) and Valentin Julio, who were both born in Chile but moved to the Front Range within the past few years, are eager to get locals acquainted with their food truck, Cachai Chilean Food. Chacon, who studied business administration, navigates licensing and inventory, while Julio, who has a culinary arts degree, cooks the fare. Launching a food truck devoted to a little-known cuisine hasn’t been easy. “Businesses…

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