Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i 5280 Magazine

The first time I came to Colorado, I fell in love with the land. It was fall break at my university in my native Indiana, and on a whim, I jumped into a car with a couple of buddies who were driving out to do some hiking. On that trip, I took in the rippled horizon from the summit of Quandary Peak, got chased down a waterfall-dotted trail in Rocky Mountain National Park by a sudden thunderstorm, and drifted off to the sound of elk bugling outside an Estes Park cabin. The second time I visited, I fell for the people. The wonder Colorado’s scenery had stirred in my flatlander heart compelled me to apply for an internship at this magazine. But when I flew in for the interview, it…

Life Of Pie You could say Elias Lehnert was born into the butter business. Today, Legacy Pie Co.’s two locations, in Berkeley and Wash Park—which Lehnert and his wife, Rachel, opened in 2021 and this past spring, respectively—use up to 1,000 pounds of the ingredient every week to produce the shops’ goldencrusted beauties. At both spots, Denverites line up daily from 8 a.m. to 7, 8, or even 9 p.m. to ogle brightly lit cases. Some pies are sweet, such as the flagship tart cherry or carameldrizzled bourbon apple, while savory versions include hearty ingredients like bison and mushrooms. But Legacy Pie’s modern vibes belie its origins as a pastry-focused offshoot of 64-year-old Colorado Cherry Company, a brand with a more rustic aesthetic founded by Lehnert’s grandparents and parents that…

Deck The Halls The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of experimentation—baking sourdough bread, learning TikTok dances, mastering pickleball shots. In Crested Butte resident Carolyn Huresky’s case, arts and crafts ruled. Although Huresky had never taken an art class before, she began making illuminated shadow boxes and selling them at local markets. The intricate scenes were popular but took far too long to construct. Then, before Crested Butte’s 2023 holiday bazaar, Huresky stumbled upon a gondola-shaped garland on Pinterest. “I thought it was so neat,” she says, “but we don’t have gondolas here; we have chairlifts.” With the help of an electronic cutting machine, she turned cardstock into tiny chairlifts and notable Crested Butte buildings (pictured) that better represented the town where she’s lived for 23…

It’s a holiday tradition seemingly as old as St. Nick himself: Lured by visions of low, low prices, we book a flight on Frontier Airlines to see family, only to realize that the Denver-based carrier’s exorbitant bag fees have turned our bargain into a boondoggle. But there is a loophole: Frontier allows each passenger a free carry-on item—a single 14-by-18-byeight-inch bag. The trouble is figuring out how to jam everything you need for a weekend away into a postagestamp-size receptacle, which is why we asked Stephanie Sikora, a professional organizer and the owner of Sikora Solutions in Denver, for tips on outfoxing Frontier. BULK UP The key to traveling ultralight? Wear your heavier gear—such as denim, a blazer, and the puffer jacket you’ll need to survive in the Midwest—on the…

When Kumoya Japanese Kitchen opened in LoHi in October 2023, it was intended to evoke a dreamlike state. The word kumoya, after all, means cloud shop or valley in Japanese. “That’s how I feel about nigiri, like the rice ball is a little cloud,” says chef Corey Baker. “The perfect bite is a perfect cloud dissolving in your mouth.” Baker is no stranger to the sashimi knife. In fact, if you’ve sat at a local high-end sushi bar (such as Sushi Den, Sushi Sasa, or Sushi Hai) in the past 20 years, chances are Baker has been behind it. Prior to Kumoya, he debuted and was a minority partner in LoHi’s Sushi Ronin in 2016. That restaurant was teensy, but it marked a new phase for Baker, who leaned into…

DIMESTORE DELIBAR Dimestore Delibar has been slinging dimeroll sandwiches (flattened focaccia rolled up around a delicious mess of fillings) in LoHi since 2020. Get the vegetable muffuletta, which strays from the iconic, cold-cutloaded sando from New Orleans. In this version, chef and owner Tim Dotson piles roasted eggplant, baba ganoush, crisp cucumber, and greens on a mini homemade pita with the classic’s provolone, giardiniera, and olive tapenade. HOP ALLEY The eggplant with garlic sauce—a common item on Chinese American menus—is anything but ho-hum at RiNo’s nine-year-old Hop Alley. There, executive chef Geoff Cox serves flash-fried and then braised chunks of the fruit in a sticky, sweet sauce seasoned with aromatics and chile crisp and garnished with garlic oil, crunchy garlic, and sliced scallions. COPERTA At nine-year-old Coperta in North Capitol…

GROWING UP ON THE EAST COAST, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen rang in the Lunar New Year by attending big banquets, visiting family and friends, and collecting piles of hongbao (red envelopes filled with money, often gifted to children). Because Denver’s Asian community is much smaller than those found in Massachusetts and Rhode Island—where Wan and Yuen spent their childhoods, respectively, before meeting in New York City as adults—it’s even more important for the couple to find ways to share their Chinese American traditions with their three-year-old daughter, Autumn. “I want her to understand her culture, appreciate who she is, and grow up in an environment where she sees Chinese food and Asian culture being appreciated,” Yuen says. Showcasing their heritage through food is part of Wan and Yuen’s day-to-day…

PRICE KEY Average Entrée $ under $15 $$ $16 to $20 $$$ $21 to $30 $$$$ $31 and higher SYMBOL KEY Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2024 list of Denver’s best restaurants. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change. ACE EAT SERVE $$$ Uptown / Asian This Uptown restaurant and ping-pong hall features Asian-inspired cuisine and 10 ping-pong tables. Try the Sichuan shrimp wontons. Reservations accepted. 501 E. 17th Ave., 303-800-7705. Dinner, Brunch AFRICAN GRILL & BAR $$ Lakewood / African Explore a bevy of dishes from across Africa at this warm and inviting restaurant run by the Osei-Fordwuo family. Peanut soups, samosas, and jollof rice are just some of the…