Kiva Denver Restaurant Update

Folks,

After a couple of cynical posts about our new neighborhood partner, Kiva Restaurant, I thought it prudent for me to provide an update, considering Ashleigh and I have become big fans, as evidenced by our frequent meals there.

It's clear to me now that the restaurant is simply finding their way, or even their identity. They're creating their menu, their processes, their culture in fact, and determining how they will carve out their niche in Denver--Especially in a neighborhood that still has some room to grow into the ideal setting for such an ambitious project.

Bottom line is that the food is fantastic, the general manager (Rodrigo Steliaev) is extremely friendly, and they seem committed, and financially able to give the business some time to grow.

In particular, all you carnivores out there must try their steak. Whether it's their skirt steak ($8.95 at last check, amazing!), steak burrito or fajitas, the steak is perfectly marinated, and clearly of higher quality than most southwestern restaurants. Or, give the Kiva Burger a try for $5.95--And be sure to add a couple strips of their phenomenal bacon to finish it off.

The menu is pleasantly eclectic, and contains enough variety already to keep me coming back--And they have big changes still to come, including a variety of smoked meats.

They have some fantastic grand-opening coupons on their website, making it even easier to give them a try.

After spending some time with Rodrigo, it's clear Kiva is going to continue to grow and evolve into a cornerstone for the neighborhood. It's up to us, the residents, to do our part to support them, by voting for their presence in our neighborhood with our pocketbooks.

Give 'em a try, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. And tell 'em Ashleigh and Paul sent you.

Thanks for reading.

Autumn is here

Well, fall has arrived in Cole. Though the last couple days have brought 70+ degree, sunny weather, the pungent smell of Denver's ubiquitous Alanthus has long since faded, and winter is coming fast.

Even with the warm weather lately, fall is in the air. It always amazes me how the subtle movement of the sun into its lower fall trajectory just "feels" like fall. And even at 70 degrees, one can smell the distinct scent of the falling leaves. I've also noticed the more frequent scent of a wood-burning fireplace in walking the dogs in the evenings as of late--Yes, fall is here!

Though I truly despise the "sport" of baseball, I find Coors Field's bellowing silence a bit depressing as I head through downtown on my bike at the start of my training rides. The end of baseball season signifies the nearing of leaf-less trees, short, cold days, and fanatical (some might even say extremist) Bronco fans. But, that could be a topic of an entirely different blog.

But it's not so bad. One of the things we truly love about Denver after our time in Tucson, is the seasonal change. Rather than four seasons of brown, where each day's relative calendar location is identified by its proximity to the 100 degree mark, Denver is blessed with four distinct seasons, each with its own beauty.

In Denver, fall certainly has its charm. The fall colors, the perfect Tucson-winteresque crisp sunny days, and even the anticipation of the first snow of the season all make autumn a special time of the year in Denver.

When I lived in Michigan, I can recall watching end-0f-season advertisement's for Cedar Point, Ohio's famous roller-coaster-filled amusement park every August and becoming profoundly sad. The ads would always show the park's roller coasters in full summer swing, then empty and buried in winter snow, followed by the tagline "Get to Cedar Point, because... Summer is fading fast." Just like the years fly by now that I'm older, back then the days of each summer vacation proved increasingly fleeting as I made my way through school. Cedar Point's ads were quite literally the equinox of my moods, and my secret signal to become depressed for the next five months.

Denverites likely can't understand what I'm talking about. Winters out here are a joke. We get more snow in March and April than all the other months combined, and the rest of the winter is largely beautiful, 50-65 degree sunny days. Heck, the more time I spend out here, the winters in Denver (as long as you can tolerate a cold snap here and there) rival Tucson's. And the summers here are infinitely more tolerable.

So bring on the early season snow-storms, bring on fall, and bring on winter. It could be worse. I could still live in Michigan.