5280 magazine is out with its annual Top of the Town issue – its picks of what makes Denver so fabulous.
These lists always get people talking – and disagreeing. Like naming the Wazee Supper Club Denver’s top classic restaurant. Or Parallel Seventeen tops for ambiance. Or Chianti tops for Italian.
The Capital Grille gets top steakhouse; the readers like Del Frisco’s.
Sandwich honors go to Cafe Mondo, Tables, Deli Tech, Parisi, Upper Crust, Emily’s, Armando’s and Heidi’s.
For Chinese it’s JJ’s; readers pick Little Ollie’s. Sushi? Sushi Den. Burger? Candlelight; readers eat at Cherry Cricket.
Top in women’s clothing is Mario di Leone – and that’s on the mark. Tops for picking up girls: Coed sports leagues and church. Oh brudda. Top place to pop the question, the Six Flags Elitch Gardens Ferris wheel. That’s no place to start a marriage, pal.
Tops for a guy’s night out, Buckhorn Exchange. That’s just wrong. Readers go to Shotgun Willie’s.
Top comedian is Josh Blue, who played the Comedy Works this past weekend and is looking more and more like the possible winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”
Top local author is J.R. Moeh-ringer, who’s reading and signing “The Tender Bar” at the Tattered Cover LoDo on July 10 for the Publishing Institute.
Top humanitarians are Noel Cunningham and Tim Gill, and who would argue with that?
“Loudmouth in Need of a Muzzle” goes to Rep. Tom Tancredo.
Keep the change?
5280 also gave its Worst Customer Service Award to all greedy bartenders and servers in Denver. Seems the magazine staffers are angered when they put, say, a $5 tip on the credit card slip, only to have the waiter raise it to $7 at the register, which they discover when the statement comes in the mail. This has happened to me countless times. Stop it.
And I was at California Pizza Kitchen a few weeks ago, ordered a drink and gave the waitress a $20. She came back with $9 and said, “It was $10.72, so I just brought you back $9.”
It’s not that I’m worried about the 28 cents, but it’s a trend that some bars don’t even carry any change, let alone give you any.
Smoke-out
Colorado goes smoke-free at midnight Friday – and the Bull & Bush Brewery plans to mark the occasion. The Kick the Habit Smoking Ban Party starts with the band Soul Rabbit for your dancing and smoking pleasure. The bar has created promotional ashtrays that they will give away at midnight with a shot of Jim Beam Black in them. Free ashtray shots! Smoke shooters! Sex on the cigarette butt!
City spirit
KCNC-Ch. 4 GM Walt DeHaven engaged Thursday night to PR damsel Wendy Aiello. Look for a spring wedding. “It was one of the happiest nights of my life,” says Aiello. “I’m so glad I waited to meet the perfect man.” … The Rob Thomas/
Jewel Red Rocks concert comes down Wednesday night … Colorado’s Rio Grande margarita mecca has opened a new shop in Austin, Texas, in the former “Real World” house there … Sez who: “If I had any decency I’d be dead. Most of my friends are.” Dorothy Parker
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
