Congratulations to LoHi SteakBar, which captured the top prize in the LoHi Merchants Group Third Annual Wreath Contest. We’re not sure how they did it, but the folks at LoHi SteakBar managed to weave together a ton of french fries to form a festive wreath. Though the shellac used to keep the fries intact made the wreath inedible, the judges gave LoHi SteakBar props for actually incorporating food into its holiday decor. The restaurant now “owns” the contest trophy for the next 12 months.
This year’s runners up included: Laughing Latte, which won the contest in its first year, the realty firm Trelora, Jezebel’s Southern Bistro and Bar, which highlighted it’s New Orleans roots in its wreath and Bob Bell at Mile High Property, who recycled license plates in a creative way. Check out a few of the entries below.
We were lucky to attract a diverse group of judges this year, which included 9News Traffic Reporter Amelia Earhart, Westword Editor Patty Calhoun, Jordan Jacobs from Outfront Colorado and Laurie Dunklee, a writer with the North Denver Tribune. We were also pleased to see the increased interest in this year’s contest, with twice as many LoHi businesses participating compared to 2012. If you’d like to read more about the wreath contest, check out Westword’s coverage of the competition here or the North Denver Tribune’s article here.
Happy New Year to all our LoHi neighbors!
If you’ve ever wondered how to mix the perfect martini or how to host a dinner party without getting stuck in the kitchen, Tim Laird is your man. Known as America’s CEO (Chief Entertaining Officer), Tim makes a slew of media appearances every year, spreading his insights about hosting great soirees on the behalf of liquor producer Brown-Forman. We’ve been helping Brown-Forman promote its new cinnamon-flavored liqueur, Tuaca Cinnaster in Colorado, so last month we brought Tim in to help with the effort.
His first stop was 9News’ Colorado & Company, where Tim offered tips on how to create a special Super Bowl spread, complete with Cinnaster-inspired cocktails. Click here to check out Tim’s interview with Denise Plante. The author of That’s Entertaining, also did a similar segment on the Everyday show, which you can view here.
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Tim Laird with Colorado & Company Host Denise Plante |
In the evening, Tim hosted a Cinnaster cocktail tasting and contest at Ocean Prime. Writers and editors from Westword, Blacktie Colorado, Denver Life, 303 Magazine, Indulge in Denver, and Out Front Colorado sampled specially-crafted Cinnaster creations and chose one to serve as Ocean Prime’s Featured Cocktail for February. The winner was the “Cinnaster Spiked Cocoa,” a warm blend of Tuaca Cinnaster, Godiva chocolate liqueur, hot cocoa, Aztec chocolate bitters and Cinnaster-infused whipped cream. The panel of judges called the cocoa cocktail, “A great winter drink,” and “great on a ski day.” Ocean Prime will have the drink available all month, if you’re craving something warm on a chilly day.
We consider ourselves lucky to both live and work in the Highland neighborhood, where the holiday spirit is alive and well. If you look closely, you’ll see plenty of storefronts proudly displaying interesting and original wreath creations – entries in the the annual merchant holiday wreath contest. This year, the contest was judged by Highland resident and Westword Editor Patty Calhoun and Luc Halstead, an articles editor at 5280 magazine. The wreaths were not only judged on their beauty, but how well they told the story of the businesses they represent.
Shapes Salon took the grand prize, with a wreath filled with a variety of hair products in shades symbolizing the “color wheel” that stylists use daily. In addition to bragging rights, salon owner Richelle Bishop-Gonzales and her team also get to display their grand champion trophy. Congrats!
Second place went to the Navajo Arts District for a colorful wreath featuring an assortment of cards and paint brushes representing all the galleries in the district. Lulu’s Furniture took third place for a festive wreath made out of a lamp shade and Jinji Cycles earned an honorable mention for a wreath crafted from an old tire frame. Check out the pictures of all the great wreaths below:
We were also thrilled to catch up with our fellow business owners at the second annual LoHi Merchant Party, generously hosted by Highland Tap and Burger. The holidays remind us just how vital collaboration is to our business. As 2012 draws to a close, we want to thank you for your continued partnership and support. It is good friends and business associates like you who make our job a pleasure all year long.
2012 has been a successful year for our company, bringing new connections and business ventures that have helped grow our agency. With the addition of a few talented and knowledgeable professionals, we have expanded our company’s reach and broadened our expertise. Look for updates on our website this coming year that will reflect our growing list of services.
May our holiday season and New Year be filled with much joy, happiness and success. We look forward to reconnecting with you in the coming year and hope our business relationship continues for many years.
We’re thrilled to share the news that popular hot spot Highland Tap and Burger is our newest client! The neighborhood eatery and pub opened last September and has been drawing steady crowds ever since, thanks to its friendly atmosphere and food that is several notches above typical bar fare.
If you want to learn more about the mastermind behind Highland Tap’s delicious dishes, check out Westword writer Lori Midson’s interview with Executive Chef Eli Odell here. Several of the restaurant’s signature items were also featured by the Gabby Gourmet as part of her “Food Finds” feature on 7News. Here’s a great pic of Gabby with Eli and Highland Tap Owner Juan Pardo.
Even more impressive than the food, is just how entrenched Highland Tap is in the community. The restaurant sponsors the North High School wrestling team and has hosted fundraisers for A.C.T.S Resource Center and Servicios de la Raza among others. The restaurant has also created a Wednesday night running club, whose members meet at the bar and then embark on a 5K loop around the neighborhood. <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} —
We’re proud to call Highland Tap a client and can’t wait to help them grow their business! Hopefully, we’ll see you there on Super Bowl Sunday!
Last month, we were lucky enough to spend an evening at Root Down sampling an array of creative cocktails with some of our favorite media gal pals. But this was no ordinary ladies’ night. Our task was to choose Root Down’s official Winter Cocktail, grading nine unique drinks on such important criteria as taste, aroma and presentation.
Our lovely judging panel included: Westword Staffers Patty Calhoun, Lori Midson and Nancy Levine; Denver Post Business Writers Penny Parker and Margaret Jackson; Heidi McGuire of 9News/Metromix and Denver Daily News Publisher Kristie Hannon.
Check us out listening to Root Down’s master mixologists Anika Zappe, John Manwaring and Allie Geppert explain their approach to crafting cold-season cocktails. (Can you see how eager we are to perform our duty)?
Anika, John and Allie concocted three cocktails each for the competition. The holiday-themed drinks, such as Red Rider, (named after the BB gun Ralphie pined for in A Christmas Story) and Silent Sigh, had us feeling pretty festive.
While we enjoyed many of the offerings, our favorites were drinks that distinguished themselves with hot and hearty flavors. The Dama Lama, a spicy drink featuring Espolon Tequila, Habanero pepper-infused agave and cilantro tied for the top spot with the ginger and duck-flavored Duck a la Orange. Both drinks will be featured on Root Down’s winter menu, along with the runners up – Red Rider and Silent Sigh.
You can read about the contest in the Denver Daily News!
Thanks to all of the judges and to Anika, John and Allie for crafting such tasty contenders!
Cheers!