Cherry Creek North is giving away free parking during the Saturday Scavenger Hunt starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. Twenty-five $5 ParkSmart cards will be hidden throughout Cherry Creek North (between First and Third Avenues and University and Steele streets). Find a card, or multiple, and you also will receive a Cherry Creek North gift card for the equal dollar value. Cherry Creek North gift cards are accepted at more than 200 restaurants, spas, boutiques, art galleries and more. It’s even accepted at parking meters.

Park with a purchase at Larimer Square. Ask the store where you’re shopping about the free program that enables shoppers to park for free in the Larimer Square garage on 14th and Market streets.

LoDo is running a pilot pop-up taxi stand program between 11 p.m. and 3 p.m. Dec. 20 and 21. The stands will be located at 14th Street between Market and Larimer.

Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar at 250 Steele St. is shutting its doors on Dec. 31. Here’s what the owners, Curt and Deicy Steinbecker posted on the website:

“After over four years of many highs and lows. Deicy and I have decided that we will not continue our efforts in 2014. It’s with a heavy heart that we came to this difficult decision, but it’s one that is best for our family … Our goal from the start was to serve the most authentic Spanish tapas in Denver, and we believe that we always stayed true to this goal. But, due to the present circumstances, we can’t continue on.

“Thanks to all of our faithful customers who made these four years memorable. you were the reason we happily came to work every day. We will miss you. We hope to see you one more time at Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar before the end of the year.”

A handful of eateries and foodie retail spaces have opened recently. I told you earlier about Olive & Finch, the Mary Nguyen-owned space adjacent to her original restaurant Parallel 17 on 17th Avenue.

And right around the same time, Pikkas Peruvian Cuisine & Pisco Bar opened in the former Abrusci’s and Campo de Fiore space at 300 Fillmore St.

Pikkas, which officially opened on Dec. 2, held a press dinner this week featuring menu samples including baby octopus with haucatay sauce, ceviche clasico, pescado en salsa de cilantro, Portobello ravioli crema and alfajor with lucuma ice cream.

It’s a nice addition to the eclectic Cherry Creek North dining scene.

I’ve yet to try chef/restaurateur Troy Guard’s new ventures Los Chingones and Sugarmill at 2463 and 2461 Larimer St., but am planning a visit soon and will file a full report.

Guard, an established Denver chef with TAG, TAG Raw Bar and TAG Burger Bar joined forced with Noah French to bring us the new concepts.

Los Chingones is Guard’s take on Mexican food in the hot RiNo district serving familiar favorites like guacamole, ceviche and tacos with a TAG twist.

On the sweeter side, chef French whipped up Sugarmill, a bakery, lounge and dessert bar.

Opened earlier this week was Lower48, a contemporary American restaurant on the corner of 21st and Lawrence streets. The menu changes daily and is inspired by regional ingredients and culinary traditions.  The menu features natural preserving techniques, artisan breads, heritage breeds, heirloom vegetables and house-made pastas.

Entering the food retail arena is Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe at 3326 Tejon St. in the trendy LoHi neighborhood.

The 720-square-foot butcher shop carries an array of boutique grocery items such as small-batch condiments, sauces, cheeses and marinades, as well as dry goods to accompany Western Daughters’ High Plains meat. Beef, pork and lamb in addition to seasonal game meats are available in a variety of cuts along with semi-prepared foods and items such as stock, marrow butter and deli meats.

Fiancée team Kate Kavanaugh and Josh Curtiss began the Colorado brand after training in New York under two seasoned butchers in conjunction with Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats. The duo’s promise is that each animal, farm and community is treated ethically from ranch to table.

Every cut is antibiotic and hormone free and raised on open range. The entire animal is utilized for its various components. This is reflected in the butcher shop’s dozens of specialty cuts and products from animals raised for Western Daughters, and all sourced and harvested from within 250 miles of the shop.

“We see animals from the inside out, and it’s with that perspective that we’re able to verify the health of the animals and help support sustainable ranching and land management practices,” co-owner Kavanaugh said.

Curtiss added, “We’ve moved away from truly knowing where our food came from; we want to be a window from Denver into those ranches, from the life of the animal to the lives of those that raise the animals.”

Seasonal events, lectures, classes, farms visits, butcher demonstrations and community dinners will all be added to the Western Daughters agenda next year. The butcher shop also will be expanding their line of semi-prepared foods and sandwiches.

More information at www.westerndaughters.com.

Entrepreneur and gay rights activist Tim Gill shipping an overnight letter at Mail It! Pack It! Ship It! in Cherry Creek North.

Author, motivational speaker and former TV and radio sportscaster Mark McIntosh checking out shipping costs for his new book, “Life is a Roller Coaster: Tips for the Dips,” at Mail It! Pack It! Ship It! in Cherry Creek North on Friday, Nov. 22.

Denver lost a major player in the theater community when Robert “Bob” Garner died after a short illness Thursday in his home. He was 80.

Garner, whose name graces the Garner Galleria Theatre, the cabaret-style showroom inside the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, was a pioneer in bringing Broadway touring shows to town as the head of Denver Center Attractions.

He was a fixture on opening night nike lebron 11 performances for all the major productions that brought their shows here. In addition to theater, Garner was passionate about cruising, which he did frequently with his theater pals.

He was that guy that you wanted to hang out with during a pre-performance cocktail party, dinner or a post-party because he always had the best stories, and wasn’t allergic to a little harmless gossip.

I’ll miss his enthusiasm, energy and that twinkle in his eye when he had something juicy to share. Opening night performances will be missing a big fan.

My eyes adored it

Walk Like a Man (or Woman), and get yourself to the Broadway hit Jersey Boys, the Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, now playing through Aug. 11 at the Buell Theatre.

If you are of a certain age (like me), you will be able to sing along to all 35 songs the fab four perform during the musical about the group’s rise and fall from fame.

It’s the story of four Italian-American youths from New Jersey growing up in the 1960s who easily could have chosen prison over music. But instead, they pushed out hit after hit but not without personal sacrifice.

One of the show’s highlights is back to back presentations of Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man. The crowd goes wild.

“At that moment the audience has forgotten they’re watching four actors, and they root for these four guys as though they really are the Four Seasons in their youth,” Rick Elice one of the show’s Tony-nominated book writers told Applause magazine.

Restaurants round-up for charity

Salt on the Rim, a food-and-margarita fundraiser to benefit The Kempe Foundation and Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Featured restaurants and caterers include Brio Tuscan Grille, Chinook Tavern, EDGE at the Four Seasons Denver, The Food Guy, Hard Rock Cafe, Japoix, Lifestyles Catering, Lime, Mezcal, The Palm, Piatti, Sam’s No. 3, 16 Mix Cocktail Lounge at The Sheraton Downtown, Twisted Pine Brewing Co. and Zink.

Tickets are $100 at: https://www.blacktie-colorado.com/online_sales/rsvp_ticket_purchase.cfm?rsvpid=6556 .

Pop goes the dinner

The Ritz-Carlton Denver is featuring dishes inspired by executive chef Justin Fields recent travels abroad with a Pop-Up Dinner and Film at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Guests will be served a multi-course French-inspired dinner paired with a showing of the classic film La Femme Nikita and served on the outdoor plaza.

The cost is $75 per person plus tax and tip, or $125 with wine pairings. Reservations and more information: 303-312-3826 or e-mail allyson.fredeen@ritzcarlton.com.

Sur la Table opens Friday

When the Seattle-based kitchen store opted to nike zoom hyperrev leave the Cherry Creek Shopping Center last April, the store announced it would move to new bigger digs across the street at 121 Clayton Lane.

A sign on the door says it’s opening Friday. This new location will have room to offer cooking classes in addition to kitchen gadgets and goodies.

Brandon’s bails

Brandon’s Pub, the hybrid Mexican food place and sports bar at 3027 E. Second Ave. in Cherry Creek North, has closed its doors.

The phone is disconnected, and there was a notice printed in Westword about an auction for the restaurant’s contents. Brandon’s opened in Cherry Creek in May 2010, after moving there from the Beauvallon on Ninth and Lincoln.

Barrels of Love

Becky McKernan, widow of Tim “BarrelMan” McKernan, the longtime fixture at Broncos games, is hosting a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Wystones Tea, 7323 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood.

The evening will include a silent auction plus player autographs from Ron Egloff, Dave Studddard, Billy Thompson and Larry Brunson. One-of-a-kind barrel art work from local artists will be available for purchase with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Barrels of Love foundation.

Eavesdropping on a woman: “If you don’t have a butt, you don’t have a butt. You shouldn’t try to make one. Not sure my trainer would agree with that.”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Denver Police Department Chief Robert White will be on the hot seat from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday during a live tweeting event at Coffee on the Point, 710 E. 26th Ave.

The hashtag is #ASKDPD if you have questions to send Chief White. free run 4.0 v2 The format will be a casual Q&A with about 8 to 10 people. Just a thought, but I would ask him how he’s going to implement the “no sleeping on the streets” policy. Tough duty.

Traffic twist

CBS 4 Denver has been a’ changing in its morning news team. Management elected not to keep Jane Monreal, the previous traffic reporter. Instead, they hired Joel Hillan, who most recently was a traffic reporter and news anchor at KOA radio. Before that gig, he was a news anchor and reporter at a TV station in Grand Junction.

CBBS 4 news director Tim Wieland tells me that Hillan “lives and breathes traffic.”

“Traffic is critically important to our morning news viewers – and I wanted someone who will eat, sleeep and breathe traffic and that certainly describes Joel. If anything happens in the metro area that could impact your comuite – this guy is on it!”

You can follow him on Twitter @JoelHillan and he has started a traffic blog on CBSDenver.com: denver.cbslocal.com/2012/05/22/denver-moves-up-a-few-spots-in-new-traffic-ratings/.

When I e-mailed Wieland about this new guy (yes, I’m up early enough to watch the show), I asked him who’s the guy with the bucket full of teeth? I’m just envious.

Burger bash

CityGrille, an awesome steak burger joint at 321 E. Colfax turns 14 on Tuesday, but you get the benefit of its birthday. That day you can get a $5 steak burger and fries from 3 to 9 p.m. and $1 draft beers from 3 to 6 p.m. Website: citygrille.com to get the coupon.

Disco isn’t dead

Cherry nightclub at 231 Milwaukee St. in Cherry Creek North will pay homage to the passing of Disco Queen Donna Summer and Bee Gees brother Robin Gibb starting at 7 p.m. tonight with Cherry’s “54 Friday” party.

They will pay tribute by playing songs from the stars of the legendary Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Cherry will continue the “54 Friday” parties every fourth Friday of the month. More info? cherrydenver.com.

Beer here

The Lowry Beer Garden opened this week inside the new Hanger 2 development in Lowry. Larimer Associates, the owner, gutted the east dock building attached to the hanger to create the nearly 8,000-squre-foot bar, beer garden and restaurant.

The Lowry Beer Garden will feature more than 4,500 square feet of outdoor garden area with open-air seating and a covered pavillion that will accommodate 350 guests.

There are 16 beers on tap plus more by the free run 4.0 v2 femmes bottle as well as a full bar and speciality cocktails. Acclaimed chef Troy Guard (TAG, TAG Raw Bar and Madison) consulted on the quick-serve menu.

Partner Christopher Mohaupt from Billy’s Inn will oversee daily operations of the new project.

Eavesdropping at a bar in LoDo: Patron at the bar: “…So then we see a bunch of Hillbillies.”

Bartender: “Excuse me, I believe they prefer to be called Appalachian Americans.”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Tom’s Urban 24 Diner, a new concept from the owners of Smashburger, will set up shop in the former Samba Room space on the prime corner of 15th and Larimer on Larimer Square.

The restaurant will be a 24-hour operation, the only one in LoDo, and will likely be a hungry haven for nightclub crawlers looking for a late-night nosh.

“I’ve actually wanted a 24-hour operation on Larimer Square for many years,” said Joe Vostrejs, chief operating of Larimer Associates. “There’s been a hole in downtown for this product. free run 5.0 +3 femmes If you wanted something to eat at 3 a.m. where do you go?”

The space sat empty for two years after Samba Room’s parent company filed bankruptcy while the Denver restaurant was in the midst of major repairs from faulty plumbing that leaked into Comedy Works below. Comedy Works filed suit over the soggy situation.

The diner, which will serve more upscale food similar to the quality of Steuben’s on 17th Avenue, is named after Tom Ryan, managing partner and chief concept officer at Denver-based Consumer Capital Partners, an investment and operations company. Ryan was one of the big brains behind the Smashburger chain.

Stacie Lange, spokeswoman for Consumer Capital Partners, called the Larimer Square spot “an ideal location for us”.

“We’re still working on details about the concept, but should be able to talk more about it in the next 30 to 60 days.”

Vostrejs said the goal is to have the diner open by the end of the summer.

Postmortem

Was Saks Fifth Avenue plotting a comeback to Denver after closing its only store here last year?

That was the mistaken message posted last week by indeed.com, which listed several job openings for the “Denver” Saks.

“I got some calls from people asking if Saks was revisiting opportunities in Denver,” said Nick LeMasters, general manager of Cherry Creek Shopping Center where Saks shut down. “I picked up the phone and called our home office, but apparently some mistake was made.”

Saks Fifth Avenue spokeswoman Lexi Miller said the job posting faux pas was the result of “a glitch through our third party service provider.”

“Upon discovery last week, we removed that immediately,” she said. Miller added that there are legit job openings at the Off 5th stores in Lakewood and Castle Rock.

Nod to the Nuggets

The crowd went wild Sunday when a group of Denver Nuggets, including Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson, were spotted by concertgoers who had come to see rap stars Drake and J Cole at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre.

The players, who had just come off their loss to the Lakers in the playoffs, were escorted to a special spot by the soundboard right before J Cole took the stage.

Wine time

Two local fine dining spots in Denver are holding worthwhile wine events that will please your palate without wiping out your wallet.

Join Elway’s Cherry Creek sommeliers Todd Rocchio and Aaron Foster for a pink party on the patio from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to help them choose rose wines for the summer.

Samples of 20 Roses from France, Spain, Austria, California, Italy and Greece will be poured, and attendees can vote for their favorite flavors to help the sommeliers create a summer Rose flight for the Elway’s wine list.

Executive chef Tyler Wiard will prepare a few specialty treats to accompany the tasting. Tickets are $35 including tax and tip. Reservations: 303-399-7616.

Check out this can’t beat bargain: Ambria Restaurant (16th Street Mall and Larimer) is holding a Jordan Vineyard and Winery four-course wine dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for $80 per person including tax, tip and parking in the Tabor Center Parking Garage.

Chris Avery, Jordan’s national sales director, will pour a Chardonnay along with four vintages of Cabernet dating back to 2002. Jordan was founded in 1972 by Denver oil man Tom Jordan and his wife, Sally. Their son, John, now heads the company .

Ambria chef Gabe Balenzuela will pair the four-course meal with the wines (check out the menu at ambriadenver.com). Tickets (hurry!) are available at blacktie-colorado.com.

New installations

Former Gov. Bill Owens moved his offices into Trinity Place at 1801 Broadway shortly before the building installed The Dawn of Autumn, a panoramic Thomas D. Mangelsen photographic print.

The building recently underweent an free run 5.0 femmes extensive lobby renovation incorporating all new finishes. Can’t say the same about the former guv who’s looked refreshed and rejuvenated ever since leaving office.

Owens is the principal and managing director of Renew Strategies, a private equity water fund and asset manager.

The seen

Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman (now with the Toronto Maple Leafs) John Michael Liles at Mail It! Pack It! Ship It! in Cherry Creek North on Tuesday.

Eavesdropping on a woman when I introduced myself at the Travel Writer’s Reception at the Denver Botanic Gardens: “Are you still Penny Parker?”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Rockmount Ranch Wear, the snap-front shirt manufacturer with a retail outlet at 1626 Wazee, had a truck-load of attention from musicians, Hollywood types and a glossy magazine last week.

Cowboys & Indians, a top-notch Western lifestyle publication, features Eric Stonestreet from the popular TV sitcom Modern Family wearing a lot of Rockmount shirts in the June issue.

In the opening line of the nine-page magazine spread, powerlins ii Stonestreet says that he “loves Rockmount” and that his personal wardrobe includes several shirts.

The article features him in a wide cross section of Rockmount’s collection including a shadow plaid, check, stripe and solid shirt.

Stonestreet came into Rockmount’s LoDo flagship store when the show debuted and bought a shirt-load of shirts.

“We love it when talented people appreciate what we do,” said Rockmount president Steve Weil. “Our secret weapon as a small family business is when celebrities help promote the brand because they are into it. These are not paid endorsements and mean a lot more because they are their personal taste.”

Also indulging in Rockmount last week were the Black Keys while on tour in our state, the British band Arctic Monkeys and folks who where shopping for Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter in town for a charity concert for Denver Academy.

Eric Stonestreet in a Rockmont shirt.

Brunch bunch

Solera on East Colfax and Grape and Coohill’s on 14th and Wewatta tested out new brunch menus Sunday on friends and family. Both restaurants will debut the breakfast-lunch meals on Mother’s Day Sunday.

Our crew started at Solera where we nibbled on the buttermilk pancakes with whipped butter and maple syrup; the Solera scrambler with foraged muschroom creme fraiche, grilled bread and shaved black truffle; the breakfast burrito with smoked pork, sweet corn, crispy potato and house-made green chili and Croque Madame, the French classic sandwich with ham, Swiss cheese, apricot mostrada and sunny side up egg with sauce Mornay.

Then we bellied up to a four-top at Coohill’sfor a spicy bacon Boody Mary, beignets with strawberry orange syrup, prosciutto benedict, brioche BLT and the omelet du jour with asparagus.

Both brunches are worth some munches.

Hudson home hears more pitter patter

Denver jobs guru Andrew Hudson (former spokesmodel for Mayor Wellington Webb and Frontier Airlines), and his wife, Christine Marquez-Hudson, welcomed baby No. 2 Mateo Lucas Hudson to their happy home on April 30.

Mateo (Spanish for Matthew) was born at 9:24 p.m. at Sky Ridge Medical Center. Big sister Julia calls her baby bro “Matato”, as in potato.

“It’s a great name if he’s a jazz musician or if he’s the Broncos QB (or both!),” boasts proud papa Andrew. “He does have great bass playing fingers.”

Andrew reports that mom and baby are doing fine, powerlins ii femmes with plenty of sibling doting from Julia and half-brother Nick.

“It’s hard to describe all the emotions you go through when you welcome a new child into the world,” Andrew says. “Very overwhelming and then you immediately jump into the hard work of taking care of a baby and figuring out the new rhythm your life is now in.”

Mateo Lucas Hudson’s first picture.

It takes a village

Before I ventured to Sonoma County wine country last week on behalf of Inspirato, the Denver-based luxury vacation club, I rounded up a posse of stylists and on-camera consultants to ready me for the trip to videotape segments to promote the magnificent Manzanita house in the Mayacama Resort above Healdsburg that is available for Inspirato members.

Denise Snyder at Mariel in Cherry Creek North helped me pick out a camera-worthy wardrobe, the venerable Denver’s 7 anchor Bertha Lynn gave me on-camera pointers and Pamela Grieve-Stromberg from Posh the Salon tamed my tresses so that Eden, the on-site hair and make-up pro from Brush Salon in Healdsburg could get me ready for my close-ups (but not too close).

I want to also thank Katherine Strauss at Inspirato for the assignment and video producers Tom Hoch and Justin Dersham from WinkInc., a Denver-basedmulti-media production company. We had way too much in the name of “working”.

Eavesdropping on a woman on Facebook: “One would like to think that the Secret Service was smart enough to get serviced secretly.”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.