Eavesdropping on Santa: “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

E-3 Events at MACC, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing together Jews in their 20s, 30s and 40s, has opened online ticket sales to Heebonism 2014, a Christmas Eve tradition in Colorado. All proceeds from this annual event go back into the Denver community.

The annual celebration is the largest local gathering of young and youngish Jewish professionals all year. Heebonism, with an expected attendance of more than 500 revelers, returns to The 1up – Colfax, the vintage video games and concert venue.

“It’s hard to believe that this is our seventh Heebonism,” said Eric Elkins, who, along with Ean Seeb and Ezra Shanken, formed E-3 Events in 2008. “And with so much positive response to last year’s party at The 1up – Colfax, we just had to go back. Our 500 friends loved the variety of experiences available all evening long, with video games and conversation in the arcade, and music-filled goodness in the ballroom area.”

“I’m thrilled that we have talented friends coming to play with us this year, including the one and only Kosha Dillz, who will be freestyling his way through the party, and our pal ‘Rabbi’ Ben Kronberg, who burned down ‘Last Comic Standing,’” said co-founder Seeb. “We’ll also have several popular local DJs spinning the good stuff — DJ A/C will kick things off, then perennial favorite DJ Amuse will turn up the heat. And Denver’s rising star, DJ Goodie, is going to crush it until early Christmas morning.”

“We’re stoked to host Heebonism again this year,” said Jourdan Adler, owner of The 1up clubs and a longtime supporter of E-3 Events. “Last year’s killer party showcased our new venue for the local community. This year will be bigger and better.” In December of 2013, Adler’s company expanded The 2up vintage arcade and bar further into its historic Colfax digs, adding a music venue and a raised stage (and a new name).

Heebonism 2013 also marks the end of the second year of E-3 Events’ partnership with the Mizel Arts & Culture Center at the Jewish Community Center.

“I love working with the E-3 team,” said Lisa Whipple, honorary ‘E’ and logistics goddess. “I’m proud that the money we raise at Heebonism goes back into the community, funding future Jewish cultural events in Denver.”

Heebonism 2014 starts at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, with a free hour of cocktails from TINCUP Whiskey and 1800 Tequila. For the seventh year, E-3 is maintaining its low price of admission: $18 in advance, or $25 at the door. The door price will be discounted to $20 for anyone who brings three non-perishable food items for Jewish Family Service of Colorado.

For more information, to purchase tickets or to join the E-3 network, visit www.e-3events.com.

Feeling festive but need a break? Many area eateries and watering holes are decking their halls with adult beverages celebrating the holiday season.

Here’s a taste: At the newly renovated Earl’s on the 16th Street Mall, which is sleek and snazzy, drinks for the season include the Clover Club No. 4 Holiday Edition made with Skyy Vodka, raspberry, lemongrass, fresh lemon juice, lime bitters and meringue foam and topped with a stencil.

ViewHouse locations at 2015 Market St. in the Ballpark neighborhood and at 7101 S. Clinton St. in Centennial are serving up a special Peppermint Godiva Chocolate Martini made with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Crème de Menthe, Grey Goose Vodka and heavy cream in a classic martini glass with a crushed peppermint candy rim. The bar staff is also introducing a total of eight specialty martinis, each made with a different spirit

The Hard Rock Cafe, 500 16th St., helps you celebrate in style with some innovative cocktail recipes that embrace the spirit (and flavors) of the season.

Hard Rock Cafe is introducing a line of limited-edition cocktails that will get guests ready to raise a glass and make the holidays all the merrier. They are:

* Coco Press – a warm twist on Hard Rock’s new press cocktails; features a mix of Amaretto, Bacardi Oakheart and hot chocolate, served in a coffee-press vessel over whole marshmallows.

* Pumpkinpalooza– a homemade milkshake blended with pumpkin puree and Maker’s Mark bourbon, topped with whipped cream and caramel syrup.

* Pomegranate Prosecco – toast the holiday season with this bubbly mix of Prosecco, white sangria mix and pomegranate seeds with a rosemary sprig for garnish.

Earl’s Kitchen Clover Club and Holiday drink, above, and Viewhouse’s Peppermint Godiva Chocolate martini, below, are some of holiday drinks to try this season.

Thrillist.com, the declarative voice on all things food, recently culled together its picks for Denver’s seven old-school steakhouses, never mind that one spot is in Fort Collins.

It’s the steak version of the seven elves if Snow White was EDGE, Elway’s or Morton’s – the big boys in the local beef scene.

And although I’m still get misty-eyed over Emil-Lene’s Sirloin House in Aurora, which closed last spring, these are the hangers on who continue to do what they do without a tip of the hat to trends.

Here’s the list:

1. The Broker Restaurant, 821 17th St. (Remember the shrimp bowl?)

2. Mickey’s Top Sirloin, 6950 N. Broadway

3. The Buckhorn Exchange, 1000 Osage St., where your what you’re eating glares down at you in its taxidermy form.

4. The Summit Steakhouse, 2700 S. Havana St., Aurora. We used to live within walking distance of this place where American Furniture Warehouse honcho Jake Jabs often bellied up and belted out songs at the piano bar.

5. Columbine Steak House & Lounge, 300 Federal Blvd.

6. Charco Broiler, 1716 E. Mulberry St., Fort Collins.

7. Bastien’s Restaurant, 3503 E. Colfax Ave., home of the sugar steak.

Check out descriptions of each throw-back steakery at www.thrillist.com/eat/denver/denver-s-old-school-steakhouses-buckhorn-exchange-bastien-s-restaurant-the-summit-steakhouse?utm_content=feature&utm_term=Denver&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12.18.14%20:%20Thrillist%20Digest.

Gusterman’s, creators of precious metal jewelry and objects, is hosting its annual sale and holiday party from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Join sale shoppers and revelers for champagne, nibbles, music, discounts up to 80 percent and last minute shopping, all with complimentary gift wrapping.

Gusterman’s is located at 1418 Larimer St. Call 303-629-6927 for more information.

Visit Denver’s downtown visitor information center at the corner of 16th and California Streets closed last week and will and re-open across the street at 1575 California St. as a new state-of-the-art, high tech, 21st Century visitor center in January 2015. The center helps more than 100,000 visitors a year with personalized information about what to see and do in the city, and provides visitors guides, maps and brochures.

“You can’t make a Denver omelet without cracking a few eggs, and so to move into our new high tech visitor information center, we needed to close down the current one for a few weeks,” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO of Visit Denver. The tourism agency will continue to answer through 1-800-2DENVER, online at www.visitdenver.com and mail inquiries, and still operates the visitor information center in the main terminal at Denver International Airport.

The new center, Scharf explained, will be a state-of-the-art facility with videos, touch screens and computers – along with the center’s expert staff – to provide information on Denver’s arts, dining, nightlife, events and Colorado excursions. On-demand printers in the center will reduce the amount of paper used, while increasing the amount of information given out – and the ease with which to find it.

“We see tremendous use of our information centers from international visitors because they are more conditioned to seek out visitor centers and get personal help and directions,” Scharf said.  About 30 percent of the people who use the downtown center are from other countries. Visit Denver  prints visitor brochures to Denver in nine languages.

Visit Denver also produces the comprehensive Official Visitors Guide to Denver & Colorado, which is filled with maps and touring suggestions. The information center distributes maps and brochures from their 1,200 partners and has a Denver-centric gift shop. A team of 12 staff and volunteers work at the visitor information centers, offering help and suggestions on what to see and do.

“Studies have shown that visitors who stop at an information center usually stay longer in the city, and spend more money, so information centers are an important part of Denver’s $4 billion travel industry,” Scharf said.

Denver is coming off of its best year ever for conventions in 2014, and building on a record year in 2013 that saw 14 million overnight visitors.

“The new center is on the principle route that convention delegates take between the Colorado Convention Center and their hotels, and is just off the city’s number one tourism attraction, the 16th Street Mall, so we get a lot of foot traffic from out-of-towners,” Scharf said. But, he is inviting residents to come down and see the new center in January 2015. “Denver has so much going on right now, that residents should come down and be a tourist in their own town and check out how much information is available and how much there is to see and do right here.”

Eavesdropping on a woman and a man at Vita restaurant in LoHi: “I can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend.”

“There are a million guys out there. They’re like a renewable resource.”

Sing It To Me Santa! Colorado Rocks for Teachers is a concert celebrating under-appreciated teachers with local bands Feat, Something Underground, Neyla Pekarek of The Lumineers, Tracksuit Wedding, Ryan Chrys and The Moderators, beginning at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7) Friday at the Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway.

Event hosts include Libby Anschutz, Mike Fries, Gov. John Hickenlooper, Walter and Christie Isenberg, state senator Mike Johnston and Zack Neumeyer.

Join Colorado musicians, politicians and philanthropists for a holiday party honoring those who give so much: teachers. The night will entail well-known Denver musicians and bands performing holiday favorites, classic covers, and original music as well as presentations from political and media personalities, comedians and opportunities to support Teach For America.

Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990 nationally (and 2007 in Colorado), TFA recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit an initial two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity.

Today, nearly 11,000 corps members are teaching in 50 urban and rural regions across the country while 37,000 alumni work across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. In Colorado, TFA has grown into a network of 1,200 total members (including 600-plus teachers and 35 school and school system leaders) reaching more than 36,000 students in low-income communities statewide. Visit www.teachforamerica.org  for more information.

Concert tickets on sale at www.axs.com or by phone at 1-888-929-7849. General admission tickets are $19 plus service charges.

With all the dinners and dining going on at New York City’s revered James Beard House this year, Panzano Chef Elise Wiggins’ braised lamb croquette was one of the 15 favorite dishes of the year as noted on The Beard House official blog.

Wiggins, along with other chick chefs, whipped up the winning dish during the Denver Women Chefs Rules Beard House dinner in September.

And although the fave dish is not currently on the Panzano menu, the similar crochetta di cinghiale is. The crochetta is a wild boar croquette over marbled potatos, carrots, beets, turnips and capers sauteed with salsa verde and demi glaze.

Here’s what the Beard blog said about Wiggins’ winning way:

“The dish was all about balance: the rustic comfort of braised lamb shank tucked within in a refined tuile, the crunchy package collapsing around the tender slow-cooked meat. Wiggins credits a local producer: ‘The lamb that I love to use is from Triple M Bar Ranch. The farmers and lamb ranchers work together so there’s no food waste. When all the best melons are picked, they bring in the lambs to eat up whatever is left over. Just like the old saying, you are what you eat, and that diet makes these lambs the most delicious in the world.’ The croquette was paired with sweet pea-fennel purée, red vein sorrel, and a cinnamon-cherry foie gras truffle, which, in a petite and decadent bite, captured a nostalgic longing for PB&Js…”

For the rest of the Beard House picks, go to www.jamesbeard.org/blog/our-favorite-dishes-2014.