Food & Wine magazine has included Palettes in the Denver Art Museum among the “Best Museum Restaurants in the U.S.”

“Across the country, ambitious empire builders have turned boring museum cafeterias into destination restaurants,” the story says.

About Palettes, F&W wrote: “Chef Kevin Taylor opened this museum café in 1997. His new American menu spans from Anaheim chiles rellenos to a silken corn soup with barbecued shrimp (made famous at Zenith, Taylor’s long-gone notable noshery).

“Some dishes play on the restaurant’s name: Ingredients in the Cobb salad are arrayed like a painter’s palette. Others are riffs on the museum’s exhibitions. During a recent Yves Saint Laurent show, the menu included chic takes on retro French staples like trout amandine and steak frites.”

Check out the rest of the best list at http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-museum-restaurants-in-the-us?xid=TTIPS121013FullListFantasticMuseumRestaurants.

City street lights, even stop lights dressed in bright red and green, and purple, and yellow, and orange and, and, and, will dazzle downtown Denver dwellers and visitors beginning with the Grand Illumination at 6 p.m. Nov. 29.

Thousands of sparkling lights and entertainment will ring in the festive occasion from Denver Union Station to the City & County Building across from Civic Center Park, as well as Skyline Park, the D&F Tower, 14th Street and along the 16th Street Mall.

The city’s celebration begins with opening day of the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park, at 16th Street and Arapahoe, beginning at 10 .m. daily through Feb. 16. Skating is free with skate rentals at $2 (skate rental on opening day is free). More information: www.southwestrink.com.

Your Keys to the City, a public piano art program created by the Downtown Denver Partnership, returns along the 16th Street Mall with five winter-themed pianos painted by local artists. The pianos, which will remain along the mall until Dec. 30, are available for free public play from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

At 6 p.m. Nov. 29, Denver’s historic D&F Towner will turn on its holiday lights, and more than 550,000 energy-efficient LED lights will illuminate the 16th Street Mall, California Street between 14th and 17th streets and Curtis Street between 14th and 16th streets.

Meanwhile at Union Station, LoDo District Inc. will present a holiday-themed choir, a Children’s Museum craft table, treats provided by LoDo restaurants and a visit from Dinger Claus (the Colorado Rockies mascot in costume).

The City and County Building, lit entirely in LED lights, will be illuminated nightly from 5:45 to 10:45 p.m. through Jan. 26.

Signs of the holidays: The holiday lighting returns on Nov. 29 to the Denver City and County Building through Jan. 26 and the Southwest Airlines ice rink at Skyline Park, below, will open Nov. 29 also and will remain open until Feb. 16. (Photos courtesy of DowntownDenver.com and southwestrink.com)

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Denver has achieved what no other Denver hotel has earned, and it did it four years in a row.

Hotel general manager Steven Janicek announced Tuesday that the ritzy hotel has been awarded the coveted AAA Five-Diamond designation for 2013, the only Denver hotel in history to be awarded this rating.

The property located at 1881 Curtis St. downtown is among fewer than one-half percent of the 30,000 properties approved by AAA’s professional inspectors to be of Five-Diamond caliber. The Ritz-Carlton Denver boasts the largest guest rooms in the city starting at 540 square feet, Elway’s Downtown steak house, an urban oasis at The Ritz-Carlton Spa and the intimate Ritz-Carlton Club Level.

“I am extremely proud of our hotel’s achievement which could not happen without the genuine, personalized care our ladies and gentlemen provide to our guests every single day,” Janicek said. “By enlivening The Ritz-Carlton service philosophy at every interaction, maintaining this coveted rating was possible.”

The AAA Diamond rating process is considered to be North America’s premier hotel rating program. Only .3 percent of all hotels AAA inspects meet industry standards to achieve Five Diamonds. The association annually evaluates more than 54 million lodging establishments and restaurants, and rates them on a scale of one to five Diamonds.

“Five Diamonds for four years from AAA adds up to some very nice numbers for Denver and a great honor for the city’s hospitality industry,” said Visit Denver spokesmodel Rich Grant.

The Ritz first earned the distinguished distinction four years ago under the helm of then-GM Andrew Rogers, who transferred with the hotel chain to China.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Denver offers great views of downtown and Elway’s Downtown (below) provides premier dining options at the hotel at 1881 Curtis St. THe hotel earned its fourth consecutive AAA Five-Diamond rating. (Ritz-Carlton Hotel Denver photos)

Hot hotels

Colorado hotels nearly swept Conde Nast Traveler’s 26th annual Readers’ Choice Poll this year. With the exception of two picks in Utah, Colorado’s homes away from home took the rest of the top 10 spots.

Nearly 80,000 readers participated in the 26^th annual Readers’ Choice survey, which ranks the world’s best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and resorts and is featured in the November issue of the magazine.

Here are the rankings:

• 1. Beaumont Hotel & Spa, Ouray
• 2. Oxford Hotel, Denver
• 3. Hotel Teatro, Denver
• 4. St. Julien Hotel & Spa, Boulder
• 5. Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City
• 6. Four Seasons Hotel Denver
• 7. Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, Denver
• 8. Ritz-Carlton, Denver
• 9. Hotel Monaco Denver
• 10. Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City

See the whole story at http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/united-states/best-hotels-west.

Boulder’s Best Western wins best

The Best Western Plus Boulder Inn received the Champion Best Western Rewards Award and the Best Western Green Award at Best Western International’s Convention held recently in San Antonio, Texas.  The awards were presented in front of more than 4,000 industry peers.

The Champion Best Western Rewards Award is bestowed upon those member properties that demonstrate extraordinary support of Best Western Rewards, Best Western’s guest loyalty program. The Best Western Green Award is given to properties that demonstrate a commitment to sustaining resources and reducing their carbon footprint. Hotels must also meet design and customer care standards, as well as other membership requirements, to qualify.

The Best Western Plus Boulder Inn is one of only five hotels out of more than 2,400 properties in the U.S. and Canada to receive both of these awards.

“The Best Western Champion Awards recognize those Best Western hotels that demonstrate the highest levels of service, design and commitment to our loyalty program,” said Julie Montmaneix, Chairman of Best Western International’s board of directors. “The staff of the Best Western Plus Boulder Inn has a strong commitment to growing and strengthening our loyalty program, a critical guest engagement tool. And their dedication to environmentally-friendly practices is truly admirable. We’re proud of their success.”

Located directly across from the University of Colorado, the newly remodeled Best Western Plus Boulder Inn features 98 rooms, conference facilities, a large outdoor pool and complimentary bicycles. More information: http://www.hotels.com/ho176607/best-western-plus-boulder-inn-boulder-united-states/?gclid=COrR88ykq7oCFclDMgodLlMAYQ.

Best Western Plus Boulder Inn won two awards during a recent convention of the hotel chain in San Antonio, Texas. (Best Western photo)

Clothing connection at ConneXions

The collection of ConneXions stores in the Southwest Plaza Mall at 8501 W. Bowles Ave. in Littleton, is holding a clothing swap party from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Time to dig out those fall fashions from the back of your closet and swap them for some new pieces. ConneXions will accept clothing, accessories, shoes and jewelry to swap with other thrifty fashionistas.

Each participant should bring five to 10 items to swap, and will receive a ticket for each item they add to the pile. Then, the stores will let you swap till you drop. All items (from any season) should be clean and in good condition.

Drop off your fashions all day on Thursday or between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday. All remaining clothing and accessories will be donated to Dress for Success Denver whose mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Flood relief funds 

AEG Live Rocky Mountains and Live Nation are bringing Colorado’s music community coming together for “Colorado Rising” a night of music to benefit flood relief through www.LiveUnitedColorado.org.  Presented by 97.3 KBCO and CBS4 Denver, the benefit concert takes place beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday at 1stBank Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane, Broomfield, featuring Dave Matthews, The Fray, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, members of The Lumineers, DeVotchKa, Nathaniel Rateliff and more.

“Coloradans unite during crisis – so does the music community,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said. “We are thrilled so many musicians are coming together for this flood relief benefit concert. This is a great way to highlight recovery efforts and raise money at the same time. We are grateful AEG Live, Live Nation and other community partners are stepping up to help Colorado communities impacted by the historic flooding.”

“The fans, musicians and members of Colorado’s music community are always willing to help those in need.  My staff and I are humbled to be a part of this event helping those affected by the floods” said Chuck Morris, President and CEO of AEG Live Rocky Mountains.

All proceeds from the concert will go directly to the United Ways of Colorado Flood Recovery Fund, which  will distribute funds to the United Ways in communities across Colorado affected by the recent flooding. Each community will build collaborations to identify their needs and funds will be used to support their long-term recovery.

Tickets at www.TicketHorse.com, or order at 866-461-6556. TicketHorse also has kiosks located at all Colorado Dick’s Sporting Goods Stores (credit cards only). Reserved tickets are $65-$125 plus applicable service charges.  All ages are welcome.

With the recent floods impacting communities across Colorado, the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck launched a firm-wide fundraiser to support the victims of the recent disaster with both financial contributions and in-kind goods.

The firm matched employee contributions with more than $15,000 going to the American Red Cross and the Foothills Flood Relief Fund. The in-kind items were donated to the Community Food Share, ensuring that people in Boulder and Broomfield counties have food, and House of Neighborly Service is providing assistance to individuals and families in need in southern Larimer County.

“As a member of this community, there was no question that we were going to help support flood relief efforts,” said Kristin Stork, director of community relations for Brownstein. “Financial and in-kind contributions came in from not only those attorneys and staff in the Denver office, but from our offices across the country.”

Brownstein also plans on organizing a Karma Project (the firm’s employee volunteer program) in 2014 to further assist in rebuilding efforts.

Eavesdropping on a woman to a man: “You drink tequila? What do you drink with your tequila?”

“Ice.”

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. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com. Want to advertise your business here? Contact Trisha at trilind@hotmail.com.

“There is no way this is the Grand Hyatt,” I said to myself as I walked into the party to celebrate the “old joint’s” sorely needed makeover.

The functional-not-fun space on 17th and Welton was tired, dated and sterile; the renovated hotel is simply spectacular. A $28 million makeover has bathed the place in the fountain of youth.

To celebrate the transformation, roughly 1,000 invited guests oohed and ahhed as we toured the lobby, guest rooms, the Grand Hyatt Conference Center and the iconic 38th floor Pinnacle Club.

I almost feel sorry for the first-time folks coming to the Grand because they will never understand the true transformation of the spiffy space.

In the lobby, there’s a bar built into the breathtaking far wall made of stone with two lineal fireplaces stacked on top of one another.

The 516 guest rooms and suites are sleek, modern and equipped with all the modern amenities that business travelers expect.

The renowned Pinnacle Club, used for events and meetings, have cherry wood and crystal appointments. But you can’t improve on the view with windows that look out at miles of cityscape and the Rocky Mountains.

The party was a perfect complement to the new jazzy digs. Each of the three floors were rocking with entertainment and lavish food stations and premium bars.

The kitchen created 800 sliders, 950 street tacos, 13 strip loins, 1,200 shrimp, 800 crab claws, 450 lamb chops and countless desserts. And that’s only the half of it.

For more information on the remarkable redesign, go to www.grandhyattdenverredesign.com.

The fireside bar and lobby is just one of the makeovers to the remodeled Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.  Below, a glorious view from the Pinnacle Club on the 38th floor. (Photos courtesy of Hyatt hotels) 

Bittersweet

For General Manager Greg Leonard, the renovation celebration also served as his goodbye party. Leonard, who’s been at the Grand Hyatt for five years and at the Hyatt Tech Center before that, is going to the Hyatt Regency San Antonio on the Riverwalk and across the street from the Alamo.

“Although my family and I will sorely miss our experience and the friends we formed in Denver, we are looking forward to a new adventure in San Antonio,” Leonard said. “I want to thank the people of Denver for making us feel so welcome during our time here. Denver is a special place.”

The new general manager of the Grand Hyatt Denver is Mark Stiebeling who is moving here from the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. Hyatt began his career with Hyatt in 1992.

Greg Leonard is leaving the Grand Hyatt Denver after five years as general manager. (Photo courtesy of Hyatt hotels)

Snack attack

Capitol Hill will be the site of Snack Attack, a food truck festival from noon to 7:24 p.m. (huh?) Saturday in the Saint John’s Cathedral/Argonaut parking lot (on Colfax and Washington).

The event will have a wide selection of Denver food trucks along with live local music and beer from MillerCoors. Participating tasty trucks include Caveman Cafeteria, Crazy Good Food, Capt’n Crabby, Barbed Wire Reef, Little India, The Panna Cotta Peddler, The Bistro Bus, Crock Spot and Hey PB & J.

Snack Attack is produced by Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods Inc. (CHUN). Find Snack Attack on Facebook at snackattack2012 for event information and updates.

Barbed Wire Reef is one of the food trucks coming to Saturday’s Snack Attack in the St. John’s Cathedral/Argonaut parking lot.

More than one kind of draft at Taverns

The Tavern group of neighborhood restaurants is running a fantasy football draft party through Sept. 5.

For $100 per party, draft parties at each neighborhood Tavern will receive unlimited draft beer for a two-hour period for up to 12 people. The promotion is not valid after 4 p.m. Fridays and reservations must be made in advance. Free high-speed Wi-Fi is available at all locations.

“We always love it when people choose one of our neighborhood locations as their football headquarters,” said Tavern owner Frank Schultz. Each location is adorned with numerous HDTVs. “It creates such a great energy when we’ve got groups of guests rooting on their favorite teams. Our draft party special is just a great way for us to welcome in the football season.”

For Fantasy Football Draft Party reservations, call 303-226-1555. For location and other information, go to www.tavernhg.com.

Think drink

The Corner Office at 1401 Curtis St. recently launched a new cocktail menu including Tini Tuesdays featuring half-priced signature martinis from 6 to 9 p.m.

New martinis include: Flower Child (Bombay Sapphire gin, elderflower, green chartreuse, Crème de Viollete, Sauvignon Blanc and lemon); The Riddling Fig (fig infused vodka, Benedictine, Angostura Bitters, honey and lemon) and Sidecar (cognac, lemon, orange liqueur.

New cocktails include: Just Another Goat Rodeo (Milagro Blanco tequila, liquor 43, pepper, honey and lime); Life’s a Peach (Seagram’s vodka, peach, lemon, cardamom and soda water) and Johnny Boy (Laphroig 10-year-old scotch and jalapeno caramel).

More information at www.thecornerofficedenver.com.

Colorado lands two on top towns list

Two Colorado towns, Carbondale and Fort Collins, were mentioned in a list of Outside magazine’s 18 best towns to live in.

Carbondale, 30 miles north of ski mecca Aspen, was named to list because of its “killer farmers markets on Wednesdays, its quick access to adventure” and plenty of trails for hiking and mountain biking. Outside, an active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine, also touted the 44-mile paved Rio Grande Trail runs from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, with a spur up the Crystal River and also noted how residents can visitor has easy access to world-class biking, fly-fishing, rock-climbing, kayaking, and running at Carbondale’s doorstep. Read more about Carbondale at http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/north-america/united-states/Best-Towns-2013-Carbondale-Colorado.html

As for Fort Collins, the magazine wrote how the beer culture helped support the biking community, particularly mention New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins earned its spot on the list also because of closeness to backcountry terrain (like 10,276-foot Cameron Pass) and prime location on the brown-trout-filled Cache La Poudre River. Read more about Fort Collins at http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/north-america/united-states/Editors-Choice-Fort-Collins-Colorado.html.

Eavesdropping sent in by a reader: “If FedEx and UPS ever merged companies, would it be called Fed Up Services?”

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. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com. Want to advertise your business here? Contact Trisha at trilind@hotmail.com.

The accolades keep coming for Colorado, especially for two suburban Denver cities.

Money magazine ranked its “best places to live” and Louisville (ranked No. 2) and Parker (12th) were cited for their economic success and excellent housing.

Louisville previously had been ranked No. 1 twice on the Money list in the past. The northwest Denver suburb that lies just east of Boulder is noted for “its place in the technology-rich Denver-Boulder corridor” that “has kept the job outlook solid.” Money also said that Louisville is a “great place to raise a family, with well-regarded schools and a safe community. Read more about Louisville here.

Parker was noted for its performing-arts center (particularly its 500-seat theater and outdoor amphitheater) and the H2O’Brien Pool water park. You can read more about Parker here. Money says Parker has rebounded nicely from the housing downtown, citing increased new construction and its 30-minute drive to downtown Denver.

Let the chips fall where they may

As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Especially if it’s free publicity.

Boulder Canyon’s potato chips got a plug on cable TV’s “Breaking Bad” Sunday night when a character in the AMC network series is shown munching on a bag of Boulder Canyon’s sea salt and cracked pepper chips.

In Sunday’s mid-season premiere, Hank Schrader (played by actor Dean Morris), a Drug Enforcement Agency agent and brother-in-law of Walter White, the series’ chemistry teacher turned crystal meth maker – is digging into a bag Boulder Canyon’s chips.

How did Boulder Canyon take the news that its product was featured on a hit cable series about cancer-stricken high school teacher (played by Bryan Cranston) turned drug kingpin?

On its Twitter feed (@BoulderCanyon), the company wrote:

“Now we know Hank’s got good taste in his snacks! We wonder what flavor Walt would like…?” and “Eating our chips clearly helps in the investigative process.”

Boulder Canyon said it did not pay for product placement on the show.

The Boulder Camera first reported the story and you can read it here.

Actor Dean Morris plays the character Hank Schrader, who was munching on Boulder Canyon chips on AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” (AMC network photo)

Telluride rates No. 8 friendliest city

Conde Nast Traveler recently rated “the friendliest and unfriendliest cities in the U.S.” Telluride, one of the most quaint towns in Colorado came in at No. 8. The magazine’s website gave Telluride an 82.9 score and here’s what they wrote:

“Already popular with in-the-know skiers who admire its ‘fantastic’ terrain, Telluride, Colorado, is also lauded for its friendly people. Wonderful restaurants and great live music options add to its charms, and longtime fans also urge new visitors to check out the summer festivals that this “overlooked gem” has to offer. The temperatures might be cold in sophisticated but not pretentious Telluride, but the locals certainly aren’t.”

Moore posted on his Facebook page this tidbit about an upcoming Aug. 29 show:

“Joey McIntyre — yep, the kid from New Kids on the Block — is coming to the Galleria Theatre to workshop his new one-man theatrical musical, called, yep, ‘The Kid,’ Aug. 29 through Sept. 15. It is billed as a ‘deeply personal coming-of-age story.’ McIntyre takes the audience from his hometown of Boston to sold-out stadium tours, as three generations of family drama becomes three decades of stage dreams. … Hmmm … A NKOTB getting all theatrical in the intimacy of the Galleria Theatre? You gotta go see this, right? … Right?”

Tickets are on sale at www.denvercenter.org or by calling 303-893-4100.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Randy Couture will host a new reality series, “Gym Rescue,” on Spike TV and the show is looking at Denver gyms to rehabilitate.

The show is based on the hit Spike TV show, “Bar Rescue,” in which host and bar/restaurant expert Jon Taffer brings a team to a failing bar and turns it around. Taffer came to Denver recently to help Zanzibar Billiards  in downtown Denver and Kazbah Lounge in Aurora.

Casting Producer Scott Hiller told Fightline.com that Couture “figures out what the core problem is and with his team of experts, whips that gym back into shape. Gyms can be of any type: fighting or fitness, climbing, gymnastics or yoga. The problems are of any kind and combination, too, such as failing marketing strategies, equipment in disrepair, staffing issues, poor management. A generous gym makeover is usually part of the show.”

Hiller added that production is expected to start later this fall and he is currently looking at Colorado, the Philadelphia/New York City/New Jersey area and Minneapolis for gyms to work with, but “is not limited to those regions.”

The seen

Famous drag queen RuPaul having brunch at Panzano on Sunday. “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong and her attorney/boyfriend John Bluher brunching Sunday at Rioja. She was also seen hanging out in the EDGE restaurant at The Four Seasons on Tuesday night.

I’m such a big fan of all the “Real Housewives” shows that I had a star-struck moment chatting with Armstrong, who couldn’t be more charming!

Taylor Armstrong of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” (Bravo TV photo)

 

Beer here

New Belgium Brewing, as well as Odell Brewing Co, Avery Brewing Company and Oskar Blues Brewery were named in the top 15 craft breweries in the USA. Read the full story at: http://www.9news.com/news/article/349835/339/4-Colo-craft-breweries-listed-as-top-15-in-the-US