Cheeky Monk

Cheeky Monk
534 E Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO
(303) 861-0347
http://thecheekymonk.com

A cheeky monk likes the Cheeky Monk. The big draw for me is the variety of very good beers they have on tap. Today I tried two and one was a hit and the other was not so good. The dark was very malty with good tooth, while the lighter ail was very flowery and just not that pleasant to me.

The Monk also has a very good weekend lunch. For less that $6 I had a nice bowl of penne with asparagus and bacon in a Gorgonzola sauce.

I will be there more often sampling the beers.

Absurd Person Singular

Absurd Person Singular is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. Acybourn has been compared to America's Neil Simon. The big difference between the two playwrights is that Ayckbourn writes about the dark side of life. His characters are unknowingly cruel to each other. However, his plays are easily as funny as Simon's.

Absurd Person Singular features three couples: the Hopcrofts, the Brewster-Wrights, and the Jacksons. Each of the three acts of the play is a Christmas Eve gathering at one of the couple's home over three years.

Act 1 is in the Hopcroft home. He is an up and coming tradesmen and she is a compulsive home cleaner. He trying so hard to impress the other people that he does not notice what his wife is going through to keep him happy including going out in a heavy rain storm to get tonic water for their guests.

Act 2 is in the Jacksons' home. He is an architect. but is a philanderer. He is about to leave his wife for another woman---maybe. He wants to move in with the other woman, but still be able to have times with his wife. She is in a sever depression. Her house is in a mess and she is planning to commit suicide. The action revolves around the other couples trying to help fix up the Jacksons' home and stop her from suicide.

Act 3 is in the Brewster-Wrights' home. His is a banker and she is a snob. She is also a boozer. The Jackson's are there: she has recovered some and he is now in trouble, because one of his buildings has collapsed. The Hopcrofts are doing very well. While the others try to avoid them, in the end they are the life of the party.

The play was very funny experience. All the actors were able to hold their parts well

Lola

Lola
1575 Boulder St.
Denver, CO
(720) 570-8686
http://www.loladenver.com

Lola serves Mexican seafood. The food is not particularly spicy.

The sangria was good. Much of the sangria that I have drunk was a good dry red wine with a little citrus, but it was not particularly refreshing. However, the sangria here had a lot of citrus and was quit refreshing after a warm day.

Also my sister who was with me though the seafood was very fresh. She has lived near the ocean in several locations and she was impressed that a restaurant in Denver could have this good of seafood. (My idea of seafood is that it must have had ice in it for 95% of its dead life for it to be safe to eat.)

I had the scallops and collard greens. I must say that each part was very delicious. The scallops were blackened. They were very tender and moist with a little bit of spice. The greens were braised with garlic, beans and spices. I do not like cooked greens, but these were excellent. The only problem I have is with the combination of greens and scallops. The collards have such dominate flavors, they overpower the scallops. However, I would love a plate of these green all by themselves.

My sister had the seafood hash. It contained shrimp, oyster, chorizo, and sweet potatoes. There was also an egg on top. She loved the combination of flavors. (She loves anything with sweet potatoes.)

We also shared a desert. It had a combinations of hot apple compote, hot bead pudding, and ice cream. It was a good combination.

This is a wonderful restaurant. Its only draw back was that it was very noisy for two old people.

Snooze

Snooze
700 N. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO
(303) 736-6200
http://www.snoozeeatery.com

A new restaurant open in my neighborhood this summer. Since Annie's was forced to move this spring (the owner of the building Annie's was located wanted to build a mosquito pond), there was a need for a good breakfast place. When Boston Market closed their store on the corner of 7th Ave. and Colorado Blvd., there was a good location available. On July 31st, Snooze open their second location there.

Snooze has an interesting menu. If you love pancakes, it will make you very happy. The summer peach pancake was very good. The winter apple/pear pancake is also very good. They also have several other pancakes including boring old buttermilk. There is also a daily special pancake, but this can be a little weird at times.

They also have a very good breakfast burrito, not to mention corn beef hash and chicken fried steak.

The only thing that is missing is that they are not open in the evening. Annie's was a good place to stop on the way home after work to have a little supper.

Finally, the Colorado Blvd. has the Sprite. He is server, who is a very cute young man. He has made himself the mascot for the location. He is as good as the pancakes.