I’ve been to Colorado numerous times but mainly stayed in the mountains or in Aurora in order to acclimate to the altitude, so Denver was a whole new experience for me.

It was amazing in every way.

My friend Darren moved there within the past six months and already knew the city like the back of his hand. He took us out to the super hip art district called ‘RiNo’ and that’s when I fell in love with Denver. It was a combination of warehouse buildings furnished with contemporary, chic decorations that makes anyone want to instagram. We’d be driving down the main street and Darren would be pointing out buildings saying, “that’s the ….” or “that place has great wine…” however Julia and I would just nod our heads because frankly in the dark all these roads looked like potential serial killer settings. Ok that’s probably not the best way to sell Denver….but come on, it’s a pretty safe place since the majority of the population probably smokes weed.

Anyways…I doubt we would’ve been able to find these secret, artsy getaways unless we had Darren showing us around because they didn’t seem to be advertised strongly to tourists, and the RiNo district is fairly new (est. early 2014)

Here’s some of the places we went to and none disappointed ::

Stem Cider Mill :: a cozy little setup where you can get flights of cider and share with friends

Work & Class :: with it’s long tables and narrow aisles the restaurant creates a family style gathering that forces you to go to the bathroom before you sit down (LOL) but also creates an intimate atmosphere especially with candles and warm lighting. The food is served all separately so you can choose whatever you’d like, this does make it a bit pricey but next time I go I would pay double because it was that delicious.

Appetizer :: Shrimp and Grits   Entree :: Citrus-Mustard Braised Short Rib   Sides :: Cilantro Rice & Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Apple, Bacon Hash  Drink :: Tinto Negro Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

……my mouth is still watering after writing all that

The Source :: such a clever idea for this one…It’s a large warehouse building and inside it has everything from restaurant to artist galleries to a brewery. We went to the back to try out the Belgian Sour Beer brewery called Crooked Stave. I’m not one for sour beers but then again I’m told it’s an acquired taste.

The Infinite Monkey Theorem :: LOVED THIS PLACE. It has a huge picture of a monkey on the side of it’s red brick building sooo you really can’t miss it. This winery has a chic, hidden, vibe to it that makes anyone feel like they’ve found a hidden treasure, plus the wine is absolutely delicious. http://www.theinfinitemonkeytheorem.com/about

Epic Brewery :: This is Darren’s favorite brewery so of course we had to see for ourselves what the big deal was….turns out it’s a huge deal. The beer was so rich, strong, and filled with flavor that you thought you were drinking something illegal. Each beer had it’s own unique dense flavor but the most delicious one was the John the Baptist Stout. Unfortunately they only had it in bottles because it was their October beer but I’ve never tasted a better coffee stout in my life. The smooth taste of black coffee finished with the bitter tang of dark chocolate was almost too good to be true.