The name’s on the spooky side, but don’t let Ghost Plate and Tap (800 18th St.) fool you: There’s nothing scary here, just tasty drinks, foamy brews and hearty food.
Opened in late June, the Ghost is yet another collaboration from BW Holdings, the folks behind the Breckenridge and Wynkoop breweries. And just like its sister pubs (Wazee Supper Club, Goosetown Tavern, etc.), the Ghost is focused squarely on comfort — and beer. Lots of beer.
Ghost Plate and Tap occupies the Ghost Building, an 1889 structure that used to sit at 15th Street and Glenarm Place. It’s named after A.M. Ghost, a Denver real estate developer of the era. In the name of preservation, the building’s facade was saved and reconstructed in the 1980s at its current location. For 20 years, the ground floor of the Ghost Building housed the Rocky Mountain Diner. The diner closed in February, and the Ghost was on its way.
The setup will be familiar to former Rocky Mountain Diner denizens: Bar up front. Long, booth- filled dining room and open kitchen past the bar.
The color scheme and decor have changed, however. Where the diner was filled with Western kitsch and Americana, the Ghost now feels more like an upscale, woody English pub.
The bar area is filled with highboy tables — small enough for elbows and pints, big enough for dinner plates. On a recent visit, the bar was populated with suited business types kicking back after a day’s work. The adjacent dining area is for hunkering down with drinks and chow.
Ghost’s cocktail menu is long, with 16 specialty drinks in the $6-$10 range. Most of the concoctions are named after Denver notables: The “Congleton Old-Fashioned,” for the architect who fought for the Ghost’s preservation; “Barney’s Collins,” for Barney Ford, a former slave who became one of Denver’s first black business leaders.
The “Duffy’s Cup,” a take on the famous Pimm’s Cup, is a fine summertime refresher. A nod to Bernard Duffy of Cherry Cricket fame, the cup blends cucumber vodka with lemonade and soda water. Muddled cucumbers add even more coolness to the breezy beverage.
At 23 offerings, the beer list is nicely edited. Wynkoop and Breckenridge beers take up nearly half the menu, naturally. The rest of the list is a mix of local and national microbrews, plus Delirium Tremens, the famous Belgian beer. Pints come up cold and quick, even if you’re sitting in the dining room.
The food is upscale and diverse, from duck quesadillas and hummus appetizers to chorizo black mussels and bison burgers. It seems aimed squarely at the business professionals who populate the area, with a little casual familiarity for the tourists and downtown bar-hoppers. Happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, with deals on bar appetizers and $1 off drafts and well drinks.
Ghost Plate and Tap is simply pleasant. If there’s one gripe about the place, it’s that it’s loud. There’s nowhere for sound to hide in the wood-paneled room, so it just bounces endlessly. If there’s one loud table in the bar — or just one very obnoxious person — the din is hard to escape even in the dining area.
That’s not unusual for many bars, though, especially ones that have recently opened and are figuring out their niche. Thanks to its colorful history, the Ghost has a head start.
Shows:
Tonight, City Hall (1144 Broadway) continues its run of summer fun with Oakland, Calif., soul singer Goapele. Opening the show are singer-songwriter Muhsinah and Denver’s own Big Wheel with Venus Cruz. Presale tickets are $20 at .
Beta (1909 Blake St.) is throwing one if its famous Super Secret DJ nights on Saturday. Past artists who’ve sneaked in include Deadmau5, Benny Benassi and Kaskade, if that offers any hints. Admission is free before 11 p.m.; tickets are $10 at .
