Over the past eleven months, Colfax Avenue just hasn t been the same without the glowing sign of Pete s Satire Lounge advertising Mixed Drinks. The pandemic closed the legendary watering hole last March (along with every other bar and dining room in the state), but unlike other spots that reopened at the end of May, the Satire remained shuttered. But now the Contos family, which has operated the bar at 1920 East Colfax Avenue for nearly sixty years, plans to reopen Pete s Satire Lounge on Friday, February 19.
When restaurateur Pete Contos took over this spot in 1962, the Satire was already on its way to legendary status, having hosted performances by the Smothers Brothers and Bob Dylan two years before, when Walt Conley was booking the joint. From there, Contos launched a string of other Pete s eateries, including Pete s Kitchen next door. Contos passed away in 2019, but his family, including grandson Alex Barakos, still runs the restaurant and bar empire. And the time is right
Wait ramen noodles!?
You read that right: The latest food trend driven in part by social media photos is a style of birria that originated in Tijuana, Mexico; found fame on the streets of Los Angeles, and has since spread all over the U.S. Part of the fun is the massive amount of cheese that glues birria tacos, quesadillas and tortas together; the other part comes from the irreverent addition of ramen noodles to form a fusion that hasn t fueled so much furor since Roy Choi gobsmacked the City of Angels with Korean tacos back in 2008.
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Mark Antonation
Newbarry s had been a southwest Denver institution since 1948, but the diner had remained closed at the corner of South Federal Boulevard and West Jewell Avenue through the pandemic. And now it s clear that Newbarry s will never reopen, since a sign announcing a new tenant, Poncho s Buffet, recently went up. Interior and exterior work is under way on the building; we hope that the new owners keep the original lunch counter with its attached swivel chairs, since it was part of the original modular diner before Newbarry s expanded to its current footprint.
Not too far away, at South Sheridan Boulevard and West Evans Avenue, Sheridan Steak House is now open in what was most recently a kava bar call Mad Hatters. Before that, the building was home to the Rockin R Bar and Ristau s Roadhouse.
Instead, the raw ingredients of beer hops and barley are combined with other herbs, selected by a master herbalist, in what French describes as a giant tea bag. The result, she adds, is efficient, healthy and pleasant.
Customers of the Beer Spa can book a private room for one or two people and enjoy a four-step, self-paced treatment: bath hydrotherapy with the therapeutic hops, barley and herbs; an infrared sauna; a rain shower; and an outdoor deck. French notes that the ingredients offer the benefits of relaxation, invigoration and wellness from B and K vitamins and other nutrients for the skin. There s also a relaxation lounge with zero-gravity chairs, next-generation massage chairs designed to make you feel as if you re floating. French says she and Zouaoui discovered the chairs in Korea while on a fourteen-month tour of 25 countries around the world.
Here's what restaurant capacity and other health and safely regulations look like under the current Denver 5 Star Certification program and Level Yellow guidelines.