It could be a great theme party up at a Boulder frat house – or maybe not – but this was actually conceived and executed in Denver last week.
Two days. Two bars. Same name. No planning. Utter coincidence. We swear.
While most people are familiar with LoDo’s Keg Steakhouse & Bar (303-296-0023), most downtown denizens are unaware of Ron & Dan’s Keg (1851 W. 38th Ave., 303-455-9336), a northside establishment for many years. A friend of mine even grew up off West 38th Avenue and now lives on Capitol Hill, and she has been to the “New Keg” downtown but never the “Old Keg” in the ‘hood.
And so I found myself at Ron & Dan’s with Christerious and Tom last week marveling at the room’s jaw-dropping woodwork and impressive, all-matching collection of white patio furniture. Look around the surprisingly large bar, and the carved, crafted wood is beautifully shaped along the ceiling, bar, mirrors and door frames. It’s a curious juxtaposition to the rest of the bar, which is unadorned and typical of the surrounding neighborhood and its working-class clientele.
Drinks are expectedly cheap – a pitcher of Bud costs about the same as a vodka-laced energy drink. And judging from the sign above the door – which reads, “First Fight Last Drink/This Is A Bar Not A Drug Store” – things can get a little wild at the Old Keg.
The next day Tom and I hit the Rockies-Cubs game. The game was close, people were happy and my friend Ashley, stuck at work a few blocks away, was texting smack nonstop. We agreed to meet her at the New Keg, but it wasn’t until we sat down in our plush seats that I realized the weird cosmic proximity of the events. The Old Keg? The New Keg? The Cosmic Keg! And I don’t even like beer.
The New Keg’s bar is as it should be: leathery old-timers, young professionals and legendary car-hawker Dealin’ Doug (sans cape) all sitting alarmingly close. Red Bull-vodkas run $7.50 and a big plate of nachos is $10. (Yes, for nachos.)
Somehow I think the possibility of a bar fight sounds far more appealing.
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Funky: I’ll take the New Keg’s giving chairs over the Old Keg’s plastic patioware.
Skunky: I’ll take the living-room service of the Old Keg to the lagging, apologetic table service of the New Keg.