Denver Westword

Throughout the year, our food editor Molly Martin scours comments for suggestions, asks strangers at bars she already likes which other bars they love, and occasionally polls her Instagram followers for their own top picks to create a list of our 100 favorite bars. While 100 seems like a big number, it gets small in a hurry; cutting places we genuinely like and narrowing down the field is always hard. But the goal remains the same: to create a list that reflects the wide range of drinking establishments we have across the metro area, in hopes that each pick is a place that could become someone's new favorite. 🍸 Our Top 100 Bars list comes out Thursday, November 21. Look for it around town and read it online at westword.com.

Beginning in July, members of the public submitted online nominations in categories such as Food Truck of the Year, Front-of-House Employee of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Chef of the Year. Finalists were selected by a nominating committee made up of media and industry professionals from around the state; public voting to pick the winners opened in late September. On November 6, finalists gathered at the inaugural HOSPY Awards Gala at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex to find out who nabbed this year's awards at a ceremony that opened with remarks from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and was led by emcee and award-winning author Adrian Miller.

On Election Day, most voters will cast their ballots for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, but the two major party candidates are not the only presidential hopefuls in the running. In Colorado, fourteen people filed to run for president this year. Eight of them are listed on the ballot: Harris, Trump, Blake Huber for the Approval Voting Party, Chase Russell Oliver for the Libertarian Party, Jill Stein for the Green Party, Randall Terry for the American Constitution Party, Cornel West for the Unity Party, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as an independent. Another six aspiring presidents don't appear on the ballot at all: the certified write-in candidates.

Nick Holmby took a risk when he left his manager job at Comedy Works to start his own studio, but it's paid off. What began as a leap of faith has evolved into Dude, IDK Studios, a creative space that is shaking up the city's comedy and media scene. The company began as a photography business called Dude, IDK Creative, the week before Denver shut down in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As shows reopened, Holmby used his network of comedy contacts and self-taught photography skills to jump-start the business. Holmby admits that he was fired from Comedy Works for starting the company, which meant he had to start hustling harder. But that didn't deter him from pursuing his passion.

Itchy-O, a mammoth music collective comprising sixty members, is perhaps the most unique group in the underground Denver music scene. Its members, hidden under witchy hats and mysterious masks, are serious about secrecy. They let Westword music and culture editor Emily Ferguson into their rehearsal space, the first time any outsider has been permitted inside, to see them prepare for Hallowmass, the group's annual immersive concert series that will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. It all begins, appropriately, on Halloween. Read this week's cover story: https://lnkd.in/gp6JnRxt 

At Westword, we're committed to providing you with the election coverage you need to cast your vote. As this election approaches, connection is key. Large outlets like The New York Times or The Washington Post aren't going to offer in-depth, independent coverage of the fourteen measures on the Colorado ballot, much less the dozens of proposals on the Denver ballot. But Westword will. We're aiming to raise $6,500 to help our newsroom provide crucial coverage during this unprecedented election cycle, and we're asking for your support. 🙏 Give any amount today at bit.ly/ElectionLinkedIn

At Mexican restaurants across Denver, renowned chefs and culinary innovators are placing heirloom corn and its ancestral preparation practices at the heart of their modern menus. “There's so much you can do with corn,” says Johnny Curiel, executive chef of Denver's newest Michelin star restaurant, Alma Fonda Fina. Curiel's passion for maiz is shared by others in the local food scene, and we talked with some of them about the personal and profound reasons behind the rise of maiz in Denver's dining landscape for this week's cover. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gCE9_iB5

When you become a Westword member, you're not just supporting local journalism — you also get access to free concerts at our office, where you can see some of the city's best up-and-coming music acts. After a successful show with bluegrass band High Lonesome, our next in-office members' concert will feature Sunstoney sharing her indie-pop tunes on Wednesday, November 13. 🙏 You can give any amount to become a Westword member, then RSVP to attend the show: westword.com/support

Now retired from the NBA mascot business, Ken Solomon, 58, is finally ready to share the story about turning the upstart mascot of a struggling basketball franchise into the legendary Rocky. Kenn first donned the uniform of Rocky in 1990. It's been magic ever since. Read this week's cover story: https://lnkd.in/g3FxCqWV

I wrote a review of last night's show for Denver Westword. Live through me if you couldn't be there.