The Art Hotel in downtown Denver just opened, and artists flocked over to celebrate the grand opening of the space. They included Sean Landers, Mary Ehrin and Dihn Q Le, who flew in all the way from Vietnam.
At the hotel’s new Fire Lounge & Terrace, helmed by , the food is surrounded by fantastic art.
It’s probably one of the few restaurants in the country where walls are adorned with works by artists like the legendary Josef Albers and Edward Ruscha.
Local artists Tracy Felix and Sushe Felix were among the first to visit Fire, which opened last week. They savored a glass of wine on the terrace, which overlooks Broadway.
“It’s a beautiful atmosphere in the evening, and History Colorado is a spectacular background from the terrace,” said Tracy Felix.
There’s a beautiful fire pit on the terrace, and at dusk, inside the restaurant, the twinkling lights of the city create a kaleidoscope of reflections on the glass walls and the light knots of artist Larry Bell, sculptures that shimmer over the bar.
Fire serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s also a terrace menu that includes skewers of miso-glazed salmon and asparagus ($9), the fire burger ($18) and jumbo lump crabcake ($16), along with a range of desserts.
Options from the dinner menu include Colorado bison tartare ($18), black truffle risotto ($18), rainbow trout amandine ($26) and prime filet of Colorado beef ($42).
The Art Hotel, 1201 Broadway St., Denver. 303-572-8000.
The art and craft
There’s a big party coming up at Beryl’s Beer Company, celebrating its first anniversary in RiNo, home of .
From June 25 through June 28, the festivities will include live music with local bands and food-truck cuisine, along with Beryl’s handcrafted beers, many of which are barrel-aged.
Being in the RiNo Arts District, the owners want to provide a home for the arts.
“We’re working with a group to help us get a small theater,” said co-owner Calvin Beasley. “A lot of local small theater is basically being shut down because of gentrification of the area, and I think it’s a shame to lose that in the neighborhood.”
The improv comedy team The Dinner Experience will kick off the celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, with food from The Cajun Kitchen food truck.
On Friday, entertainment includes the bands Dagger Dagger, Dear Me and The Outfit.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Island Sun food truck provides the eats, focusing on locally sourced products. It’s big on the Denver brewery scene, with a menu that includes things like vegan sloppy joes and mac and cheese.
Beryl’s Beer Co., 3120 Blake St. 720-420-0826.
Landmark burgers
Workers at the Denver Tech Center, and residents in Denver’s southern suburbs, will soon have a new place to eat. Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar will open at the Landmark, next to Hapa Sushi, this October.
It will be the fourth location of Bad Daddy’s in Denver, and the latest venue was announced by East West Partners, which took over management of the Landmark in 2013.
These are the Colorado developers who helped create Union Station, and they’re credited with bringing positive changes to the Landmark, with such places as Upstairs Circus and Espresso Americano.
The new Bad Daddy’s will be about 4,100 square feet and feature an outdoor patio with roll-up garage doors.
Bad Daddy’s specializes in more than 15 award-winning microbrew craft beers, and its menu includes favorites like Mama Ricotta’s Burger and the Bad A– Burger.
Keeping up with the fast-casual trends of fresh and custom-designed, the new spot will also have the build-your-own burger option, with seven different types of burger patties, 24 fresh toppings, and 10 cheeses.
And for people who love their vegetables, there’s the Texican salad, plus a build-your-own salad option.
The Landmark, 5380 S. Greenwood Plaza Blvd.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or twitter.com/coconnordp
