With this job, it’s all about being discreet.
I never walk into a bar with “bar columnist” stamped on my forehead. I don’t advertise what I do for a living.
When I hit a bar, it’s like you hitting a bar.
But sometimes people know. A guy called me over to his perch at The Garage’s bar not long ago to talk me up about this new tapas place he was opening in LoDo. “Why me?” I asked. “I know who you are,” he said, ordering us a couple shots of Patron. We chatted about his space for a few minutes, I returned the favor of Patron, and then we wished each other well and went on with our nights.
That night was a long one, with stops at Lipgloss and Armeda’s, but I still remembered the conversation about something called The 9th Door.
A few months later, I was somewhat surprised when The 9th Door (1808 Blake St., 303-292-2229) was all the rage among my friends. Christophe and Kara had caught happy hour at the brand-new joint and loved it, and others had eaten dinner off the tapas menu and actually used the word “extraordinary.”
It wasn’t long before we found out we would likely be losing Christophe and Kara to San Diego, so a 9th Door happy hour was arranged with Flower, Julian and I rounding out the supersized booth.
The energy in the place at happy hour is delectable. The warm colors enveloping the space should be named after the wines (pinot noir) and spices (cinnamon) they resemble, and the people – including the servers – are a good bunch.
Time passes, and the room gets a bit crowded, but it’s still enjoyable as the sun sets and the dinner hour approaches. But then … BLAM. The rush, on a weekend or not, is almost blinding. It is pure LoDo madness, with folks waiting in the entryway and at the bar and between seated tables, and it is nearly impossible to move. It is unfortunate, but it’s also avoidable.
Hit happy hour and soak in the sun, the atmosphere and the excellent drink and tapas specials, which are considerably cheaper than usual.
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Funky: The 9th Door nails attitude in all its incarnations. The menu is creative, the drinks are tangy, the room is attractive, and the servers are memorable without being overwhelming.
Skunky: I’ve been to Spain, and I’ve eaten tapas at 4 a.m. before going to a club at 6 a.m. The 9th Door is open till 2 a.m., but the kitchen is open only until 11 p.m. (10 p.m. weekdays), not late enough.
