BAR: ERNIE’S BAR & PIZZA
Ernie’s Bar & Pizza, 2815 W. 44th Ave., is as warm inside as a pizza oven. You’ll feel welcome here. It’s been a neighborhood fixture in various forms since 1947 — and you can sense it has old bones. Thirty seats line the bar with 30 taps. The gang from the Larimer Group came in a year ago to freshen it up and put master chef Sean Kelly in the kitchen. It’s a nice melding of the old and new. Vintage arcade games of Skee Ball from Elitch Gardens bounce in the rec room near pool tables. It’s a neighborhood joint that attracts Chads, families and youngsters.
GRILLED: DOMINIC GARCIA
CBS4 reporter Dominic Garcia just turned 26 — and he’s as young and ambitious as that makes him sound. Born and raised in Denver, he played football for Thomas Jefferson High before heading to Colorado State University to study communications. He was an intern at CBS4 while in college. After graduation, he headed to the ABC affiliate in Albuquerque. He says he figured he’d be there and in many other markets before getting the call to come home, but he happily landed back at CBS4 in May as its bright, young face. He orders a Miller Lite.
BH: Is it good to be home?
Garcia: I am really fortunate to be here. I liked Albuquerque, I liked the people. But there wasn’t a lot to do for someone my age. And growing up in Denver kind of spoils you.
BH: You mean the sports? Are you a big sports fan?
Garcia: Oh, yes. My favorite team is the Avs. I’d like to go more, but that adds up.
BH: What do you think about local news? Some of my friends find it too violent.
Garcia: When you turn on local news, you will find that. Unfortunately, stuff happens around here. It’s impactive, but people want to know what’s going on. But we also do a good job of balancing it out with humor and health reporting. And we throw in a lot of warm reporting. The feel-good stories are the stories that I like to do.
BH: Is this your dream, to be working here?
Garcia: It’s one of them.
BH: What are the others?
Garcia: I wanted to do this first and it’s great so far. One day, I would like to work in teaching, specifically in coaching.
BH: Would you like to cover sports on TV?
Garcia: I love sports but I wouldn’t want to do it as a job. I like sports to relax. I just like to take in a game. I find the news more interesting. It’s so diverse; every day it’s something new.
BH: What about the competition out there, the different media?
Garcia: We’re in the process of adapting right now. I have every headline on my phone in my pocket right now. We have to give people more avenues to get at our product. Most people I know watch TV and like watching TV and getting information there. But you’re seeing stations with iPhone apps and Twitter accounts and on Facebook. We’re just trying to keep up with technology. It’ll be different in the future, but I don’t think people are going to stop watching TV.
BH: Would you like to work for a network?
Garcia: There is definitely something that appeals to me about working on the network level. I mean, you are covering the biggest stories in the country. But down the road, I know I would always find myself back here in Denver. I will end up raising my family here. I have traveled to some amazing places, but it’s always nice coming back here.
BH: Do you read The Denver Post?
Garcia: I do, but I think I am one of the few people my age who do. And I read the paper. Reading it online is just not the same thing. Navigating around a website, it’s so vast, you can get lost. I don’t like e-readers, either. I like the paper in front of me. It’s important to know what’s going on.
BH: What about anchoring?
Garcia: I am getting opportunities to do that. It’s a blast; I like doing it. Reporting and anchoring both have their pros and cons. If you anchor, you’re really stuck in the building all day. But you’re never on the side of the road in a blizzard, either. It’s great that I am getting to do it, but I’m not quite comfortable there yet. I’m working on it. It takes practice.
BH: Do you ski?
Garcia: I don’t get up there as much as I would like.
BH: Would you like to work in the mountain bureau?
Garcia: It’s a great gig, but I really do like living in the city.
BH: What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Garcia: Germany. Before I got my job at Channel 4 I had a couple of months off, so my sister and I went and backpacked through Europe and the Middle East. Beaches are nice, but I like doing stuff. I can only do a beach for so long. In Germany we got great food and history and a lot to see. But I could probably say that about a lot of places.
BH: Do you see your family much here?
Garcia: I go to church every Sunday and meet them there.
BH: What’s your greatest fear?
Garcia: Dying young. There are a lot of things I want to do.
BH: What don’t you like in yourself?
Garcia: I second-guess myself a lot. And I can be kind of a worry wart. And I procrastinate.
BH: Have you had a really bad moment on TV yet?
Garcia: I was doing a live shot in Estes Park, and I got really dizzy. I don’t know what it was. I turned around by this river and I was going to faint and I remember thinking “Don’t do it on the air.” You don’t want to be on YouTube, so I ended the report right there.
BH: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Garcia: Probably travel. And I did spend a significant amount on my couch. I am not home a lot, but when I am, I’m only in one place, so that couch had better be darn comfortable.
BH: What’s your current state of mind?
Garcia: Driven.
BH: Do you plan to get married?
Garcia: I have been a happily taken man for five years. Meghan Farrell, she’s a med student in San Diego. I’ll say it’s classified for now. It’s more about logistics. There are some things that have to work themselves out.
BH: What talent would you like to have?
Garcia: I wish I could speak Spanish. I didn’t pay attention in class or make an effort to learn it. It’s important, especially here in Denver. When I am in the field, there is some expectation that Dominic Garcia should speak Spanish.
BH: What do you drive?
Garcia: A Kia. I like nice cars, but there are a lot of other things I would like to do than spend money on a car. I tell people I drive a three- letter import. And I like my Kia. It’s still under warrantee, and it’s paid off.
BH: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Garcia: I am really glad to be back in Denver.
BH: What’s your most treasured possession?
Garcia: My new iPhone.
BH: What about music?
Garcia: I use music mostly when I am working out. I like a good mix, R&B mostly. I am not a big concert guy. They never sound the same in person. I don’t think I have been to a concert yet where the band sounded as good as a recording.
BH: What’s your favorite thing to do?
Garcia: Sports. Flag football.
BH: Are you a reader?
Garcia: I should make more time for it. I only read nonfiction. I figure if I am going to read something, I might as well learn something from it.
BH: Movies?
Garcia: My favorite all-time movie is “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
BH: Where do you eat?
Garcia: I am a big fan of Chipotle, I’ve eaten there twice in the last four days.
BH: Do you cook?
Garcia: Very basic. Eggs, toast, frozen fish, oatmeal, soup from a can.
BH: TV?
Garcia: I am pretty much set on three channels. ESPN, CNN and Channel 4. I also watch the BBC. My favorite show is “How I Met Your Mother.”
BH: Do you have a motto?
Garcia: Work hard. Play hard.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Husted: 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com.
