Remember when you were 20 and by some means were given away with ordering an alcoholic drink at an eating place? The pleasure of it, from inquiring for it until that first sip, made you sense bold and capable of anything.
There’s a thrill inside the risqué, in now not following the guidelines all the time. We consider that excitement is, to a greater diploma, what tingled down the spines of bootleggers at some point of Prohibition. It’s a sense we get a touch toward while we visit the numerous Prohibition-generation bars that have found keen audiences round the metropolis. (Think: Williams & Graham and Green Russell, although the Cruise Room is the OG on this category.)
One of the most current additions to this group is the Arvada Tavern. An abruptly hip joint at the increasing number of a hip strip of Olde Wadsworth Boulevard in Olde Town Arvada, the Arvada Tavern has been some version of a watering hole given that 1933. (In reality, the spot held Arvada’s first tavern license.) When contemporary owner/operators Lenka Juchelkova and Mike Huggins took over in 2012, they “tried to convey it back to what it represented within the Nineteen Forties,” Huggins says. “A stylish operation.” (The husband-and-wife crew also run the Tatarian, Union Lodge No. 1, and Kline’s Beer Hall.)
At this dimly lit, jovial spot, the cocktail software is the plain superstar, with a menu jam-filled with a who’s who (what’s what?) of conventional tipples. The tastiest of the seasonal American fare, dusted with European effects, can be located most of the shareable appetizers in place of the unremarkable entrées. Give the Arvada Tavern an attempt your self — so long as you’re of age (if you’re drinking, this is).
Vibe: Juchelkova and Huggins evoke the Forties — and honor the venue’s records — with a prefab, Art Deco-style bar, partitions decorated with vintage images, and aproned bartenders. Black cubicles, excessive-tops, a brick wall, and masses of wooden flesh out the tavern vibe. The reputedly out-of-location “Coors beer” signal within the dining room is from the same yr because the blade signal that once frolicked the front. A small, Avenue-facing patio is the precise perch from which to people watch on balmy evenings.
Hits: When unsure, order whatever you could proportion. The top half of the menu is in which chef Jordon Copple is at his first-class. There’s the house-made German pretzel ($thirteen), a monument to carbs. A small loaf of bread that wants to be a pretzel, it has a chewy, golden-brown crust sprinkled with salt. Cut off a bit and slide it through the thick Pueblo inexperienced chili-studded cheese sauce. Repeat as favored.
Pierogis ($14) is any other must-get. Sourced from Wheat Ridge’s Pierogies Factory, the crisp, fried exteriors provide a way to a flavorful potato and cheese (our choose) or red meat filling. For an extra $2, diners will have them served “grimy,” or covered in cheese sauce, which we recommend, because the spicy ranch-esque sauce that the little pockets arrive with is a mismatch.
If the summer season has you wondering you want a hint of green with each meal, opt for one of the massive salads. The menu becomes inside the process of changing closer to the cease of last month, however the harvest salad ($12), which has since been swapped for a simpler spring salad ($10), becomes a vivid tangle of combined greens, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, almonds, chickpeas and feta tossed with honey-Dijon French dressing.
The Chile Verde ($8) appears more like inexperienced chile, but the flavor profile is spot-on. Roasted pork is cooked to supple texture, and the mixture of Pueblo green chiles, fire-roasted tomatoes and tomatillos satisfies a Southwestern craving. If most effective, it was a touch spicier.
The Arvada burger ($15) is a classic combo of Colorado red meat, melted cheddar cheese and LTO that’s increased with bacon jam and garlic aioli.
