Whitney Moore

Thump Coffee Brings the Heat to Denver’s Coffee Scene

August 30, 2016 by Whitney Moore Leave a Comment

Thump is very sharp. It was recommended to me as “the best” coffee shop in Denver. So far, I agree.

On the website they boast that “the first question asked of every employee is “Do you think a cup of coffee can change someone’s life?”

Thump is undeniably good coffee at not too inflated a price. So even just for a black drip, Thump is there for you.

The twist ? Why is it different ? Beer on tap and a menu that surpasses the usual baked goods display case. The coffee is roasted in Bend, Oregon at their flagship store and roast headquarters.

Aesthetically, it’s not so different than a lot of modern, craft based coffee shops. It’s more that everything Thump does, it does right.

A large charcoal grey back wall, wood everywhere, exposed brick. BEAUTIFUL espresso machines. The occasional green plant and gorgeously fitted seating.

Built in Seattle, the slayer espresso machines have wooden handled actuators and a needle valve pre-infusion system. This system doesn’t mean a lot, but it did to my espresso.

WORK IT

Three long shared tables at Thump make it more efficient than most co-working spaces. The busy people sit there and it works.

Even on a Sunday, people seemed to actually be getting their work done. An accomplishment for working in a popular coffee shop on a weekend.

There is a nice raised bar along the street facing window for those who want to feel like they are still ‘outside,’ while working.

BOOZE + NEWSPAPERS

Although Thump seems to be maximized for working, there are great social places. Bar seating lines the main action, where you can sip on your espresso or beer on tap.

It’s Denver, so of course there are a few carefully selected beers on tap and a beer flight for $6. Or the Blood Orange Mimosa and some other impressively delicious sound cocktails and kombuchas.

Couples seem to gravitate to the back couch and magazine area.

THE FOOD

The toasts are a nice trick for a coffee shop. Simple without requiring much of a kitchen. I tried the Chevre + Honey ($6.00). A classic with a doppio on the side (their double espresso $3.00). Delicious, but the spreads are light.

I was recommended the :
butter, fig jam, prosciutto, pecorino cheese toast ($7)
cream cheese, avocado, dill, sesame seeds ($7)

There’s also the more substantial sounding:
poached egg salad with pea shoots, avocado, radish, whole grain mustard & toast ($8)

or more exciting:
Semifreddo affogato: apricot & lemon zest frozen custard served w/ double shot of espresso ($5).

OVERALL

I give Thump two very enthusiast thumbs up.

Did my espresso change my life ? I’m not sure. But I was very impressed with the taste, color and pull of the shot and my day will definitely be more caffeinated.

For Baristas and coffee shop lovers, you know who you are, Thump should definitely be on your list. It’s a good first stop and from there the baristas can surely point you in any other Denver coffee directions you need.

Next coffee stop ?
Lula Rose General Store.
A Former thump employee started in Madison & Colfax across from the blue bird theatre.

THUMP LOCATION: CAPITOL HILL

1201 EAST 13TH AVE.
DENVER, CO 80218
720.456.6648
M-F : 6 A-8 P
SA-SU : 7 A-8 P

Casa Bonita makes Willy Wonka look Amateur

August 9, 2016 by Whitney Moore Leave a Comment

CasaBonita_Team — Casa Bonita with Local Legend, Andrew Novick, as our guide

Casa Bonita is one of Denver’s most enjoyable and bizarre nights out. It heralds itself as the ‘Greatest Show’ in Denver.

Not quite a restaurant. Not quite a theatre or venue. Casa Bonita is an entertainment destination.

40 years young, Casa Bonita takes dinner and a show to a new level. Literally, 3 levels….as in there is a 30 foot waterfall inside of the ‘restaurant’ / fun plex.

Although Casa Bonita’s main draw is as a ‘Mexican Restaurant,’ nobody goes for the food itself. Rather, it’s more the food experience. Just raise the small flag at your table, and one of what seems like hundreds of servers scattered through the restaurant will promptly appear to make all your refill wishes come true. Two more tacos ? More sopapillas ? Refill on that drink ? No problem. No additional charge. Kind of like a buffet on demand.

The food is mostly variations of tortilla and cheese, so it’s challenging to take too much advantage of the free refill system unless you’ve decided “health be damned.” The fun of having your server as a real live genie trumps any concern for waist lines. Your wish is their command (within the bounds of the policy). Some menu items don’t apply.

My recommendations pre-Bonita: Don’t research. Just Go. I’ve already revealed too much! So the rest of this article will be more experience than logistics. Really…Casa Bonita is a real life mystery fun house. Tacky. Tropical. Perfect.

As we were being seated, I overheard someone ask a server/ genie: “How do we get out of here?””

Not frantically like:
‘ We’ve. GOT. TO. GET. OUT. OF. HERE.” but like

‘a little confused.
nervous.
sweating behind the knees
a can’t-remember… kind-of-timid question
with genuine concern:

Actually though. “How do we get out of here?”

According to the server, “Where’s the exit?” is the first most popular question of Casa Bonita just ahead of “Where’s the restroom?”

I understand the need for these answers. Directions are not obvious when inside Casa Bonita. I myself was lost behind the waterfall for what seemed like days.

One could exceed their “FitBit” expectations just trying to casually grab something from the car.

Once you wind through the entry turn stiles and cafeteria style food line, you are in the belly of the beast…That is, unless you know the ‘Secret Birthday Chamber Hallway’ & the security guards who know the ‘Secret Birthday Chamber Hallway’ to buzz you through.

Once you are in. You are in . Unless you’re ready to add some more steps to that FitBit and loop back through start to finish.

If you’ve already seen the South Park episode on Bonita, it’s still a surprising trip through Willy Wonka’s factory. Just replace Wonka with whoever envisioned Casa Bonita, someone much wonkier than a glorified sugar industry profiteer.

The Willy Wonka of Casa Bonita for example belongs to no existing industry. A real pioneer of potential in the poetics of human existence.

Casa Bonita is it’s own market and it’s demographic is you. Everyone. One and All.

A venetian parade over Crooners in the dust of artificial plants and put-put style aqua blue ponds. Swoooooon and swooon. Casa Bonita is the stuff of legends…if legends had a gift shop, arcade and magic show.

By close, everything drowns under the deafening sound of vacuums preparing for the next day’s fun fair.

Andrew, our guide: “My last wallet was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich”

“I can’t believe that kid calls it chocolate shakes” They are Chocolate Banditos.

Let’s go look around before they close the place.

A palm tree Romeo and Juliette meets Rapunzle, if she woke up from a dream in which she was a dolphin performing in the 4:50p.m. aquarium #4 showcase.

The parade at Casa Bonita happens everyday at 5:30.

The 3 Story high dive is (what seemed to me) every 28 min in (what I think of) as the banquet hall.

Though open early, don’t expect Breakfast Burritos. Bonita is 1 menu. 1 magic.

Pro Tips:
1.The Puppet Show stage is not an invitation for your latest work
2. Watch out for the sleeping miner
3. Hope for seating in the magic show

4. Vegans: You’re looking at Taco Salad hold cheese and sour cream, otherwise known as iceberg lettuce in a tortilla bowl. Steal some rice and beans from your friends’ plate. Worth it.

Trip into Arcade Hyperspace for $10

July 21, 2016 by Whitney Moore Leave a Comment

Hyperspace is $10 at the door, all-you-can-play brilliance.

The owners re-opened the arcade last February with ready to play games, no quarters necessary. All you have to do is decide: Player 1 or Player 2.

As a non-gamer, I found this unlimited play model much more enjoyable than bringing 40 quarters to the arcade on a Friday night.

I picked many games just to test the joystick’s maneuvering, the pinball’s pop, the hooded viewfinders, or those endlessly fulfilling acceleration pedals & jolting steering wheels.

The all-you-can-play model is also more social. I could, for example, challenge a friend (or stranger) to ‘Street Fighter’ or the lesser known ‘Marble Madness.’ The only reason to decline my challenge then becomes cowardice or laziness, money is no longer an excuse. We’ve already paid. Bring on the duel.

Hyperspace is the perfect underground jazz club for arcade play. Distinguishable only by people smoking cigarettes outside on break, there is no big neon entertainment center here.

’80s music pumps through the one story, white box space because most of the arcade games are solidly from that illustrious decade of 8 bit & 16 bit graphics. A visit to Hyperspace then doubles as a study in early gaming technology.

‘Marble Madness’ for example is a 1984 Atari game I had never seen, in which competitors (sometimes frustratingly) use a track ball to race their marble through an M.C. Escher inspired 3D puzzle to the finish line. Don’t go off the edge. You’ll shatter. You are a marble, digital but delicate.

With some quick research (i.e. Wikipedia), I found that ‘Marble Madness,’ as suspected, is in some way gaming history. It was the first of Atari’s games to use ‘Atari System 1 hardware’ and to use C programming language. It was also the first Atari game to ditch monoaural or simulated sound for true stereo.

For more serious gamers, the Hyperspace website lists all 107 games with the registered high scores, which makes it the Olympic Stadium of Denver arcades if you are looking to set records.

For any level, it is hard not to have fun at Hyperspace.

Go to there + play.

HYPERSPACE Arcade
hyperspace80s.com
1601 Reed St #100
Lakewood, Colorado 80214