The Baker Bark

From the April 24 Denver Post (“New Sketch is truer to the California wine bar concept than the original”):

The stretch of Broadway near the Mayan Theatre — say, between Second and Alameda avenues — has been blooming for years now. But new, hip restaurants still pop up, art galleries open, bars stay full.

It’s always had a seedier element, with homeless people and hustlers passing through, but the borderland between north and south Broadway is always changing.

One of the latest additions — along with the definitely not-seedy Sweet Action Ice Cream (52 Broadway) — is Sketch (101 Broadway, entrance around the corner on First Avenue). A refreshingly simple wine bar, Sketch is another member of the M Inc. family, along with Colfax Avenue haunts Mezcal (3230 E. Colfax Ave.) and Rockbar (3015 E. Colfax Ave.).

True to the spirit of those hangouts, Sketch has a cool atmosphere and a relaxed vibe. At a wine bar, that last bit is a relief.

The wine list — with juice by the bottle and the glass — is relatively short. The bartenders know what they’re serving, though, and are quick to offer a helpful taste.

Sitting at the bar can be rather hilarious, especially if you end up on one of the “loveseat” barstools. It requires some teamwork and close contact, so choose your seatmate wisely.

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Architectural rendering of a possible renovation at 55 Broadway.

Local restaurateurs (names forthcoming) have proposed renovating the exterior and interior of 55 Broadway and opening an Italian restaurant. The neighborhood gave tentative (though not unconditional) support to the idea at the April 14 general membership meeting.

At last month’s general membership meeting, an employee from Skylark Lounge floated a novel idea: rename the Broadway business district as ‘Baker’s Broadway.’

His reason? The Baker name is gold. Affixing it to the Broadway shopping district would, he thinks, help business.

What do you think? Don’t be shy. Leave a comment below.

Dailey Park flyer seeking comments on Denver's dog park master plan.

Dog Park Master Plan Needs Your Input

Denver Parks and Recreation is currently evaluating its seven pilot dog park sites and writing a dog park master plan for the City of DEnver. Your input is needed. Please take this 15-minute survey, whether you own dogs or not. The information gathered will help us to draft the master plan, as well as make policy recommendations for off-leash areas in Denver. Surveys will be collected through April 30, 2009. Please fill out the survey at:

www.denvergov.org/parksandrec

Contact: Laura Gabbay (303) 539-5609 LGabbay@MiCasaResourceCenter.org

The “Be Anything” Luncheon to Feature Unique Silent Auction and Remarkable Success Stories

DENVER (April 10, 2009) – Consistent with Mi Casa’s belief that with a little help and lots of hard work we can be anything, the organization is gearing up to host the first annual “Be Anything” luncheon and silent auction on Thursday, April 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the West Club Lounge at Invesco Field. Tickets are $50 each and all proceeds benefit Mi Casa’s business, career and youth and family development programs.

Newsanchor Anne Trujillo of The Denver Channel will emcee the event, and career consultant Andrew Hudson, founder of Andrew Hudson’s Jobs List, is the “Be Anything” keynote speaker. Secretary of State Bernie Buescher and State Treasurer Cary Kennedy will also share their comments during the luncheon.

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Fancy Tiger - a boutique clothing store on Broadway

Westword recently published its 25th annual “Best of Denver” issue, and the Baker neighborhood was represented a total of 17 times.

In the “Shopping and Services” section (with a total of 36 awards), Baker is represented three times. Fahrenheit Books, 210 S. Broadway, “Best Literary Survivor on the Move: Fahrenheit’s remains one of the most eclectic, surprising and offbeat places to browse away an afternoon.” Dave’s Gold & Silver Exchange, 548 S. Broadway, “Best Coin Dealer in Uncertain Times: We like Dave Eichenberger’s shop because the folks there are friendly, well-versed in the eccentricities of coin collecting, never intimidating and eminently fair.” Sweet Action Ice Cream, 52 Broadway, “Best New Store on Broadway: This hoppin’ stretch of Broadway has been more than ripe for an ice cream store for a long time, and finally, Sweet Action, with its open-air storefront and funky flavors, delivers the goods.” Also, Fancy Tiger Clothing, 14 S. Broad¬way, won the readers’ choice for this award.

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Denver Parks and Recreation is in the initial stages of revising the Dailey Park Master Plan. If you’d like to participate in the redesign of Baker’s largest park, be sure to attend next month’s BHNA meeting on May 12 at 6:30.

Baker oenophiles rejoice! Restaurateur Jesse Morreale announced Sunday that he plans to open his new wine bar, Sketch, on Friday, March 20.

“A true wine bar, Sketch will be reminiscent of a Mediterranean café in Italy, and the first space to open in the newly acquired 1st Avenue Hotel, located at the corner of Broadway and 1st Avenue, in the heart of the quickly growing Broadway entertainment district,” read a statement from Morreale’s company, M Inc.

Morreales and his team currently operate a number of Denver restaurants, including Tambien, Rockbar and Mezcal, which was lauded in last Sunday’s Denver Post as an early leader in the East Colfax renaissance.

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The web site for the neighborhood association, bakerneighborhood.org, is sporting a new look and added functionality. Many of the pages have yet to be filled out with content, but the new design is a huge improvement. Next time you see BHNA Secretary Kristin Schumacher and Director-at-Large Suzanne Gruba, give them high-fives for their hard work!

Check it out.