Home > Metrospective
Getting off track
By Josie klemaier
jklemaie@mscd.edu
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| The Blue Bonnet café and
lounge, located off South Broadway, just 10-minute
walk from the Alameda light rail stop. With popular
Margaritas and Mexican take-out, it can offer an alternative
to the usual campus area eateries. |
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Need to get away from the monotony of campus for a few hours?
Rather sit through happy hour than rush hour? Been to the 16th
Street Mall one too many times? Try exploring the eateries and
shops at these nearby light-rail stops.
Alameda and Broadway Stations
The two stations
are only a minute away from each other and even their parking
lots overlap. Broadway serves as a point of
connection for all lines and is cradled in the elbow of I-25
South and South Broadway. It is also at least a bike ride to
the infamous Antique Row, the collection of antique stores
between the street’s 1300 and 2000 blocks. The easiest
way to take in the attractions nearest to the Broadway station
is to take
any of the trains north to the Alameda station.
The Blue Bonnet café and lounge
457 S. Broadway
Walking time: approximately 10 minutes
The Blue Bonnet has been serving Mexican food in Denver for 30
years and is recognizable by its bold blue neon sign pulling
in customers traveling down South Broadway. This location is
just a short walk through the shopping center parking lot from
the Alameda station. It has three full dining areas (including
one sun room) to seat its steady flow of customers. Waiting time
can get lengthy during peak hours, and only complete parties
will be seated. Enjoy classic Mexican appetizers and entrees
from around $5 to $10, burgers for around $7 or steak for around
$15, but beware of the overly dry fried Mahi tacos. Also know
that the unlimited homemade chips and thin, spicy table salsa
are not free, but are generally served before they are actually
ordered. Like any good Mexican restaurant, they offer a variety
of award-winning margaritas made with original mix. To place
a to-go order anytime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., call (303) 778-0147.
Imperial
431 S. BroadwayWalking time: approximately 10 min
Imperial is located next door to the Blue Bonnet and advertises
itself as a “fine Chinese restaurant.” It has the
selection, atmosphere and prices to match. The selection strays
slightly from the typical Chinese restaurant menu to include
items such as sesame prawns, Chilean sea bass in black bean sauce,
and lamb, but still offers traditional Cantonese and Szechwan
dishes. Dinner prices range from $7.75 to $30.00, and lunch,
which runs from open until 4:00 p.m., ranges from $9 to $12.50.
Louisiana/Pearl Station
The Louisiana/Pearl station, accessible by way of the E, F or
H lines, drops patrons off at a location that contrasts with
the crowded city streets without sacrificing the convenience
of a variety of industries close by. This stop offers the most
inviting detour for anyone with time to explore the quaint Pearl
Street neighborhood, lined with full-grown trees, groomed gardens,
cheerful residents and independently owned businesses. There
are convenient shops just a block away, in addition to those
a short walk down Pearl Street to the southeast.
Flower Wraps Café and Urban Market
1313 S. Clarkson St, just across the street from the stop
Walking time: one to two minutes
Not only can patrons stop in Flower Wraps to enjoy coffee or
a breakfast burrito while surrounded by beautiful and exotic
flower arrangements sold by the flower shop inside, they can
also opt to order a “FasTracks Next Day Program.” The
lunch program includes a preordered, healthy meal, prepared the
by co-owner and certified executive chef, that can be picked
up in a custom lunch box at any time the next day. Flower Wraps
will fill the lunch bag, which can be bought for a one-time charge
of $5, for $7.50 a day with the customer’s choice from
a selection of nine wraps and salads, ranging from a smoked salmon
wrap to a Santa Fe turkey wrap, each with a choice of side (pesto
potato salad, quinoa salad or fruit cup), chips and dessert (chocolate
chip cookie or chocolate butterscotch macaroon). FasTracks lunches
can be ordered the night before pickup in the café, by
phone, or by the soon-to-be-running website. The chef’s
wife and co-owner runs the flower shop, which sells flowers as
well as custom ice sculptures.
The Duffeyroll Café
1290 S. Pearl St.
Walking time: less than five minutes
Though the Duffeyroll Café is a sweet tooth’s paradise,
they have more than just sweet, cinnamon-packed, chewy rolls
in three sizes and flavors such as zesty orange and mountain
maple. The lunch menu is filled with classic sandwiches from
$6.29 to $7.50, soups, salads, and signature coffee and tea,
as well as free Wi-Fi in their window-lined corner location on
South Pearl Street. The Duffeyroll Café also offers box
lunches for $8.99 that include enough to get anyone through a
morning and an afternoon on campus: any sandwich, Sun chips,
a red apple, an Andes chocolate mint and a mini Duffeyroll. Find
out more about Duffeyrolls, including a short, amusing poem about
their history, at http://www.Duffeyrolls.com.
Stella’s Coffee Haus
1476 S. Pearl St.
Walking time: 10 minutes
With creaking wood floors and cozy, broken-in couches, this converted
Pearl Street house now serves as a warm, inviting coffee shop.
The three rooms offer a variety of nooks to hide away in for
a weeknight study session, take advantage of the free Wi-Fi or
meet a group of friends around the propane fire pit on the front
deck. Stella’s carries Denver-brewed Pablo’s Coffee
and hosts live music every Friday and Saturday night, starting
at 8 p.m.
The Sand Dollar Gallery
1256 S. Pearl St.
Walking time: five minutes
Nancy Condit is running things now at the Sand Dollar Gallery,
using it also as her studio for ceramics and watercolor painting,
the trade of her late father and nationally renowned watercolorist
William H. Condit. The gallery still has some of William’s
paintings, in addition to some of Nancy’s works and trinkets
by other area artists. The Sand Dollar Gallery is a cozy little
house, a great place to find a unique gift or buy a delicate
pot from the small attached greenhouse for that naked houseplant
begging to be cherished. The gallery will be hosting “Paradise
in Pastel” in May, a show featuring pastel and watercolor
art and guest artists Peter Heineman and Pete Holtus, who will
be demonstrating their techniques. The show opens May 4 from
4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Little Shanghai Café
456 S. Broadway
Walking time: approximately 10 minutes
Little Shanghai, located just across South Broadway from the
Blue Bonnet, is open seven days a week and offers lunch specials
between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. that cost between $7 and $10. Choose
from traditional Chinese-American selections such as kung pao
chicken, Mongolian beef or Szechwan tofu. A tank of koi greets
guests at the front door and the elegant eastern atmosphere at
Little Shanghai is appropriate for a date or meeting, yet also
invites the casual luncheon. To order take-out call (303) 722-1292
or (303) 777-9838. |
