On Friday, July 30 from 7-10 pm, come and show off your plumage with other single Denverites and escape the usual bar crowd and see if your wild side will come out to play. The evening is designed to single mingle while sipping on exotic cocktails, munch on decadent appetizers while the zoo staffers set the mood for some mating games and wild tours throughout the zoo.

Map to the Zoo

July 30, 7-10 p.m.

Admission: $30 per person includes beer, wine and appetizers

Space is limited and this event sold out quickly last year so avoid disappointment and get your ticket today.

Tickets available until 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 28. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Tickets include

• after-hours Zoo admission,
• appetizers,
• beer and wine,
• interactive animal encounters and
• a chance to meet some of Denver’s finest with hopes of finding some animal attraction.

Appetizers included with admission include:

• Slider Station- Mini angus burgers and shredded BBQ beef brisket.
• Mac and Cheese Cupcake- Creamy macaroni and cheese layered in a cupcake form with panko gratin crust.
• Box Wedge Fries- Parmesan-truffle oil fries.
• Corn Bread Skillet- Home baked corn bread layered with goat cheese and fresh chilies.
• Iced Watermelon Skewers

For more information on this event visit their website at www.denverzoo.org

Please come out for a big M.I.A. show, this Friday (5/7) at Herman’s Hideaway!  This Musicians In Action show benefits Urban Peak and M.I.A. will be conducting a sock drive – bring in a package of (new) adult socks and you will receive a pass to a future M.I.A. show.  Doors open early (6:30PM), featuring: Talk Radio (7PM), 7even Days Till Sunrise (8PM), Melanie Susuras (9:15PM) & headliner Wendy Woo (10:30PM).  Cover is $10.

This will also be M.I.A.’s “documentary show,” being filmed by a professional cameraman.  Please come out and get on film!  In addition, we’ll have some great raffle prizes and other cool stuff.

Herman’s Hideaway
1578 S Broadway
Denver, CO  80210

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About Urban Peak:

Urban Peak helps homeless youth and youth at risk of becoming homeless overcome real life challenges by providing essential services and a supportive community, empowering them to become self-sufficient adults.  These youth are given case managers to help them plan life goals and Urban Peak is a critical agency for preventing chronic homelessness patterns.  Please visit www.urbanpeak.org to learn more.

Thank you to Mars Amp Repair (www.MarsAmpRepair.com), Evergreen Apothecary (www.evergreenapothecary.com), and Del Toro Guitars (www.deltoroguitars.com) for helping sponsor this show.  Please come out, and forward this article to anyone that enjoys live music and a worthy cause.

Thanks!

Marc Olson, Executive Director

www.MusiciansInAction.org

303.632.3272

My husband and I noticed this garden patio area with the fountain and soft lights and I thought it very reminiscent of my visit to Italy, so he knew he just had to bring me back here to see if the food and service was as good as the ambiance we’d seen outside.

It definitely delivered!

We started with The Grilled Artichoke which was sliced in half grilled and served with a lemon-garlic aioli.  YUM!

We also sampled the Tuna Carpaccio… thinly sliced ahi tuna, soy ginger vinigrette, toasted sesame, avocado and mango.  This was just wonderful, fresh, with enticingly complex flavors.

They have several salads available including a Grilled Summer Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella, Mixed Baby Greens, Italian and Tradtional Caesar.  We chose to share the Fig and Spinach Salad. This salad featured a pistachio crusted goat cheese served over prosciutto carpaccio and tossed with a light chianti-honey vinaigrette.  Take a LOOK!

One of my favorite Italian Foods is Pizza.  I tend to like something other than pepperoni, so this pizza below attracted my attention.  It has Roasted Chicken, Boursin cheese, artichoke hearts and of course brushed with extra virgin olive oil.

The Owner, Head Chef and Marketing Director  Maureen stopped by our table to check on us.

Our waitress was just fantastic and knew so much about the menu and the chef’s new world take on old world Italian Classics.

I am allergic to shrimp but she kept talking about this angel hair pasta in a puttanesca sauce… The chef was kind enough to make me a little taste of it being careful to not contaminate my dish with shrimp.  You should always alert your server and the chef if you have any common food allergies but rarely will they go out of their way like this to give you a taste of something you expessed an interest in.

These flavor combination’s in the puttanesca sauce did not disappoint.  A blend of all the classic Italian aromatics.. garlic, basil, parsley, olives, tomatoes… Soooo flavorful it’s hard to explain, and the owner and the server had different takes on the classic story of what  a “puttanesca” sauce is.  I’ll let you read what the Wiki has to say aout Puttanesca Sauce This picture does not do the dish justice at all.

My husband is a more meat and potatoes guy so he ordered the Double Cut Pork Chop which is grilled and served in a ranch style Topping Italian Gigande Beans with roasted chilies and peppers and topped with pickled red onions and a chimichurri sauce.  He enjoyed this huge hunk of pork immensely.

The other options for dinner were a non traditional take on Spaghetti, Baked Penne, Smoked Chicken Raviolis, Lasagna, Linguini with Clam Sauce, Eggplant Rollatini, Chicken Parmagiana, Pan Roasted Scallops, Grilled Florentine Steak, and Veal Piccata.  They also serve burgers and sandwiches and have an entire lunch menu as well.

Now for the most romantic and fun part of the meal… Dessert!

OH MY GOSH! The pastry chef here is simply amazing.  Take a look at these scrumptious things we had to choose from.

Cannolis and Spumoni.. Classic mini cannolis served with a scoop of spumoni ice cream and strawberries pazzo. My date (husband) chose this dessert.. for one thing it’s the biggest and who can go wrong with chocolate, cream and berries… all high on the romance factor and tastes exploding in your mouth.

Vanilla Creme Brulee with Caramelized Lemon Sugar - This didn’t look the prettiest but it was a perfect Brulee, crispy crunchy sugar topping with a killer creamy custard hiding underneath.

Flourless Chocolate Cake – espresso flavored chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce and roasted banana gelato.

Coconut Panna Cotta with lime syrup, fruit garnish and cookies.

Chocolate Tiramisu – Rum and Kahlua soaked chocolate cake, iced in coffee ganache and layered with mascarpone sabayan. Sienna Restaurant, Castle Rock Colorado.

We also enjoyed 3 glasses of wine each chosen by our server and they were reasonably priced and melded perfectly with our selections.

This was simply a wonderful spot to choose for date night and one we will go back to again and again.  Check it out and lets us know in the comments what you thought.

Check out the website for the Courtyard at Castle Rock Here.