Some of my friends scoff at the mere mention of drinking or dining in Cherry Creek-and for good reason.
The boutique neighborhood isn’t really looking to attract us twentysomethings with our skintight jeans and tapped-out credit cards.
The fact that hipsters aren’t the target audience in Cherry Creek is starting to change. I remember drinking at Brix in its opening month with Jesse Morreale, and you could tell the sparkle in the restaurateur’s eyes eventually would lead to something – and that was Sketch. Both Brix and Sketch are solid options for indie rockers, hip-hop heads and aging divorcees alike.
And so it makes sense the Brix boys opened the casual Brix Downtown. The spot is kind of hidden in the Ballpark neighborhood, but it’s ready to be discovered. I can count on two hands the number of people I’ve seen in my two visits to the restaurant.
Or should I call Brix the anti-bistro? Their words, but they fit. Both locations are funky, but the downtown space makes even better sense – complete, again, with the bar you have to walk through to get to your table in the back dining room. The downtown room is spacious and smart, designed suavely without being condescending.
Big windows look out to the quiet sidewalks while the temperature inside is warm and loud. The restaurant takes pride in its varied music, which spans Sinatra and Portishead with surprising ease. But there is a line, even for those of us in old Chuck Taylors and even older Nine Inch Nails T-shirts. On my first trip to Brix Downtown we asked them to turn the music down – this from a guy whose neighbors have the Denver police’s non-emergency number on speed dial.
But it’s hard to stay away from Brix Downtown for too long, because the 5-7 p.m. happy has half-price apps and cheap, solid wine by the glass. Tapas are always in season here – trays of mixed olives and nuts beg to be consumed. Entrees are less consistent. We had an incredible farfalle dish, but a poached egg and bacon spinach salad was a big mess of oily saturation.
Brix Downtown
2200 Market St., 303-333-2749
Funky: One of my favorite happy hours in town, period.
Skunky: In its quest for the hip-meets-upscale line, Brix Downtown sometimes favors extremes, which can be good or bad.
