Best Night Life

Wine Shop
EC.c Tenacity Wine Shop
No matter how small or how large, wine shops are about the personality of the wine and the personality of the people. So, you know a place called Tenacity will be robust and bold, a little tanniny, with hints of oak. Be sure to check out the legs at Tenacity in Longmont’s Prospect. Now, stick your nose in it. Don’t be shy, really get your nose in there.
EC.r PJ’s Wine & Spirits

BD.c Boulder Wine Merchant
Hawking vino is not as simple as it sounds. It’s an art—and sommeliers become the curators and dealers who pick, display and get the merchandise out the door. They must know the wine, love the wine and want you to love the wine. At Boulder Wine Merchant, the staff cares about wine, respects the customer and works to spread a gospel of good sipping. Now that’s a drinkable blend.

Liquor Store
EC.c Daveco Liquors
Daveco Liquors in Thornton makes one big claim: world’s biggest liquor store. We haven’t done the leg work to verify that particular claim, but either way, we aren’t losing sleep over it. Because Daveco is big enough for all our boozey needs.
EC.r Daveco Liquors

BD.c Liquor Mart
With all this talk of toxic assets, a girl’s gotta take the edge off. I’m not talking about using, say, scotch as an escape mechanism. I’m just saying a nip of Scotch might make life seem a little less toxic. Of course, you already know that Liquor Mart is Boulder’s superstore of all-things intoxicating. So, when times are tough, you know where to detoxify.
EC.r Liquor Mart

Date Night
EC.c Praha
Nestled quaintly in the building that used to be the old Prague Inn, Praha reminds us of an old European restaurant with candlelit tables, attentive service and a warm, quiet ambience. The cuisine is sure to impress, with dishes that play off the owners’ Czech roots and Old World sensibilities.
EC.r Sugarbeet

BD.c John’s Restaurant
Neither showy nor pretentious, John’s is what fine dining should always be. The food is impeccable, changing with the seasons and always a masterpiece; the service is discrete yet attentive; and the atmosphere is quiet and civilized yet seductive. The combination is so winning that you will find yourself enticed into lingering long into extended evenings with your better half.
BD.r The Med

Bar
EC.c : Niwot Tavern
There’s an old Russian proverb that goes, “The church is near, but the road is icy. The bar is far away, but I will walk carefully.” It’s a personal motto, mostly because some bars—good bars like the Niwot Tavern, where the bartender cares, where conversation and community are never missing, where the food is good…but even better with a pint of something hoppy—are worth battling snow storms, flash floods and tornado warnings. You didn’t think snow boots, long underwear and mittens were made for something other than surviving the commute to the local bar, did you?
EC.r : Pumphouse Brewery

BD.c : George’s Food & Drink
Named after George Paper—the manager of the Curran Theater, Boulder Theater’s predecessor, in the 1920s who, legend says, accidentally hung himself in the building’s wiring while trying to fix the lighting—George’s Food & Drink is by all means historic. And like wine and Porsches, bars are better with age and a good story.
BD.r : Scotch Pub

Billiards
EC.c : Dicken’s Opera House
There are pool players and then there are people who play pool. These are two drastically different sorts of people. One will bring their own queues to a bar and will ensure that everyone is playing by the “rules.” The other is always up for an impromptu game at a nearby bar. Dicken’s is a prime spot for the latter—an upscale-ish yet relaxed place to show off your “I don’t really play that often” skills.
EC.r : Bit of Billiards

BD.c : The Foundry Billiards Club
Despite shrinking its pool table fleet, The Foundry is still the place in Boulder to satisfy your late-night competitive urges. Plus, with only five tables, there’s more room for people to watch you either A) embarrass yourself while breaking or B) make a fool of your trash-talking friend who bragged about taking two semesters of billiards in college.
BD.r : The Foundry Billiards Club

Comedy Night
EC.c : Madcap Theater
Improvisation is an art and science, a natural talent and a finely honed skill. Improvisation without using curse words or getting offensive is pretty much a marvel. Let’s just say that Westminster’s Madcap Theater has a team of marvelous performers who are the kind of people you can take home to mom, the kind of people who you settle down with and start a family.
EC.r : Nissi’s Coffeehouse & Bistro

BD.c : Monsters on the Mic at Albums Bistro
Let’s face it, the people of Boulder need a break from worrying about being “green” or staying “fit.” Frankly, you need a good laugh. No group of a ghoulish goofs is more fit to shove sense of humor down your throats than Monsters on the Mic every Thursday night. And be warned, this isn’t what one might call a family show—unless your family enjoys sharing laughs about body parts.

Movie House
EC.c : Cinebarre
Movie theaters these days need to set themselves apart. Popcorn and a soda, sticky floors and squeaky seats just won’t cut it anymore. And in Thornton, one theater is making the movie experience mad cool. Would you like a pizza with your movie? A beer? Glass of wine? Cake? It’s dinner and a movie at its very greatest.
EC.r : Colony Square

BD.c : Boulder Outdoor Cinema
I remember my dad taking me to the Boulder Outdoor Cinema when I was little. We were seeing Beach Blanket Bingo, or something similar. We got there early as the sun was setting and people-watched as night took over the lingering afternoon. I remember thinking, “This is not just a movie. This is like a party…a party I never want to leave.”
BD.r : Century Theater at 29th Street

Dive Bar
EC.c : Jerry D’s
Jerry D’s may just be the epitome of a dive bar—and that’s a serious compliment. It takes a certain amount of personality, attitude and longevity to be considered a dive bar, and Jerry D’s has all three in spades. This longtime Dacono mainstay is part music venue, part biker bar and 100 percent unapologetic.

behind the bar
and beyond

Karaoke
EC.c : Dillinger’s
BD.c : Sushi Zanmai
You have your one song—your knock-em-dead-every-time no-failer—and you only pull it out on special occasions, when the timing and the company are right. And when the karaoke stars align, you are ready to rock. Surely, Whitney Houston sleeps well knowing her greatest hits are in good hands. Share with the world your take on “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Dillinger’s in Lafayette or Saturdays at Boulder’s Sushi Zanmai.
EC.r : Dillinger’s
BD.r : Lazy Dog

Live Music
EC.c : Waterloo Icehouse
EC.r : Nissi’s Coffeehouse & Bistro
BD.c & BD.r : Boulder Theater

Band that Plays the Burbs
C : Face
R : Hazel Miller

Bartender
EC.c : Paul Weismann, Blue Parrot
EC.r : Bo Touchon at Greenbriar
BD.c : Wade at Brasserie Ten Ten
BD.r : Ryan at Magnolia