We were lucky enough to be on site last month to see Swinerton Builders Colorado break ground on a new parking structure for the Regional Transportation District's FasTracks West Rail line. The 1,000-space garage, located at 14th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood, is expected to be complete next year. The garage will serve more than 5,000 riders each weekday, who will use the new light rail line to travel between Denver, Lakewood, Golden and Jefferson County.

A rendering of the completed garage

More than 150 people turned out for the groundbreaking, including Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy, who cited the project as a major step forward in the city's revitalization efforts. Scott Conrad, Swinerton Builders Colorado Division Manager, also shared information about the economic impact of the development, which is expected to employ an estimated 300 people. News of the project's start also drew the attention of 9News, 7News and The Denver Post.

Here are a few shots of the event:

Scott Conrad, Mayor Bob Murphy and RTD General Manager Phil Washington

7News on the scene

RTD's Color Guard.

Scott Conrad addressing the crowd.

Speaking of jobs, the Post also interviewed Scott about boom in construction employment in Colorado. You can read about it here.  Swinerton is on the leading edge of that boom, thanks to several high-profile projects, including a renovation of the Agilent Technologies campus in Colorado Springs and a recently completed office project for Google in Boulder. Swinerton plans to increase its professional staff by 20 percent this year.

The company will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in Colorado this year, so stayed tuned for more news about how Swinerton will mark this special milestone.

We were so excited to see client Gallop Café recently featured on Gabby Gourmet’s weekly 7News segment. Gabby (aka Pat Miller) was kind enough to highlight a few of the Highland restaurant’s unique offerings, including: Kids in the Raspberry Patch – a grown up version of a PB&J, with Marcona almond butter, black raspberry jam, and Chevre on fresh Ciabatta, served with potatoes, fruit and house-spiced bacon; and the Montreal Croissant, a hearty breakfast sandwich featuring Canadian bacon, poached eggs, asparagus and covered in hollandaise sauce. You can see Gallop’s dishes soaking up the spotlight here.

Gallop owners Glen Baker and Dave Grafke were also interviewed on Gabby’s radio show and provided the scoop on their just launched spring and summer menu, which features a variety of new items, including crab cakes served with a roasted red pepper coulis and a charcuterie plate with the house terrine, locally made sausage and Italian salumi, and Brie.



Located on the bustling corner of 32nd and Zuni, Gallop offers a little bit of everything -from coffee and pastries to a bountiful Bloody Mary. Their popular version of the morning cocktail recently won praise from OutFront magazine, which profiled the restaurant earlier this month. Thanks to writer Jeff Steen for the great review.

Although known for brunch, Gallop serves dinner Thursdays through Saturdays. We invite you to sample the dinner menu sometime, or join us July 18th, when Gallop will host a four-course dinner with the Gabby Gourmet herself. The meal includes tax, tip and wine for $25.

For reservations call 303-455-5650.


                                         

Last month, we officially began working with Trillium, one of Denver's hottest new restaurants. Located in the Ballpark neighborhood, the restaurant specializes in Scandinavian-inspired cuisine and was named one of 2011's best new restaurants by both Westword and 5280.

Chef and Owner Ryan Leinonen, whose background includes stints at the Kitchen in Boulder and Colt & Gray, has created an innovative menu featuring a mix of seafood, heartier fare (duck, beef tenderloin) seasonal salads and an eclectic "Smorgasbord" of small bites. We were lucky enough to sample the fare with a few media friends during the restaurant's recent Scarborough Wine Dinner, which paired four courses with a variety of Scarborough wines. Check out a few of our appetizing dishes.

The Spring Salad blended turnips, cucumbers, radishes carrots, baby lettuce, grilled marble rye and Gouda in a vanilla vinaigrette

Seared Duck Breast with toasted caraway Spaetzle, bacon-braised cabbage and lemon jus

Carrot cake topped with maple ice cream. Need we say more?

Travis Scarborough was on hand to offer background on his namesake Washington state wines and Trillium's Beverage Manager Kelly Wooldridge did a great job explaining the pairings. Our guests, freelance wine writer Jayne Russell and bloggers David Huntress (Denver By the Slice) and Jacob Harkins (Colorado Wino) offered great feedback on both the wine and the food.

Wine writer Jayne Russell and Trillium Owner Ryan Leinonen get cozy

If you'd like to enjoy your very own prix fixe meal at Trillium, join us on May 16th at 6:30 p.m. for a special dinner hosted by local restaurant guru Pat "Gabby Gourmet" Miller. The dinner is $45 per person and includes tax, tip and wine. Reservations are limited to 40 people so call 303-379-9759 or visit www.gabbygourmet.com soon if you're interested in attending.

Or consider stopping by on Monday after the Colorado Rockies season opener. The restaurant, which is usually closed Mondays, will open at 4:30 p.m. and will offer happy hour all day. The game will give you an excuse to try the newly concocted Sling for the Fences, a bubbly blend of Benedictine liqueur, dry vermouth, rum and soda.
For more information on hours and other offerings, click here.

For several months, I've been spearheading an effort to help merchants in Lower Highland more effectively market themselves and the neighborhood. After many meetings to share ideas and strategize, we've decided to create the LoHi Merchant Group. Rather than organizing under an existing neighborhood organization (such as Highland United Neighbors Inc.) we've decided to stay independent to specifically focus on promoting the services and products offered in LoHi.

Though our group is new, we've already made strides in furthering LoHi's reputation as a unique destination. Several merchants in our group have banded together and joined VISIT DENVER, which markets the city to tourists, meeting planners and even potential new residents. As part of the membership, the merchants will be featured on the organization's website, in the Official Visitors Guide and in brochures displayed at the Visitor Information Center downtown and at Denver International Airport.

We've also established committees to tackle such tasks as developing a website for our group and exploring the possibility of starting a shuttle service that would run from downtown to LoHi. Though we have some goals we want to accomplish, our group is still very much a work in progress. At our next meeting we'll decide what amount to assess for annual dues to help cover expenses.



We meet on the last Monday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Our next meeting is Monday, March 26th at 5:30 p.m. at the Lumber Baron Inn, 2555 W. 37th Avenue. If you're interested in finding out more, please join us. You can also contact me for more information via email or at 303-477-9902.

One of my newest clients is not only keeping me busy, but introducing me to a whole new world of Mexican food. Paxia Authentic Mexican Cuisine, located in Denver's Sunnyside neighborhood, offers real Mexican fare - the kind that dates back centuries and includes such traditional dishes as Tlacoyos (oval-shaped masa and black bean cakes topped with pear cactus, jalapeno, tomato and onion) and Molcajetes (a mouth-watering stew that I've been dreaming about since I first tasted it, made with tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, onions and either fish, meat or a mixture of both). Open since August 2011, Paxia is the brainchild of brothers Cesar, Roberto and Igancio Leon, who started the Los Carbonitos chain of taquerias in 2004.

Paxia is like Los Carbonitos' sophisticated sister, providing gourmet Mexican food in a stylish, yet comfortable atmosphere, complete with a tequila lounge and inviting patio. And the restaurant is starting to gain new fans. Denver Post Features Writer Bill Porter just gave Paxia a glowing review.

If you haven't tried Paxia, there are plenty of opportunities to experience the Leon family's culinary talents.  On February 9th, the restaurant is offering a preview of its Denver Restaurant Week menu, which includes its special "lamb barbacoa" entree. The dish, which is slow roasted after soaking for hours in a chili marinade, will become a permanent part of the menu every weekend, starting March 10th.



For Valentine's Day, the restaurant is offering a four-course Prix Fixe meal (featuring a mix of Mexican mainstays - Carne Asada, for example, as well as more contemporary creations), served with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine for $50 per person.



The restaurant's Happy Hour also provides a chance to sample Paxia's unique menu at discounted prices. Available daily from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and again from 9 to close, Paxia's Happy Hour includes drink specials as well as tamales, tacos, oysters, and Ceviche. Paxia is open for lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and serves dinner from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.



To make reservations for Valentine's Day or Denver Restaurant Week, call 720-583-6860.
For more information, visit www.paxiadenver.com or follow the restaurant on Facebook.

Part of my job involves educating myself about new media outlets and new industries, so with that in mind, I attended a private event last week hosted by the publisher of the trade magazine Imaging Notes. Imaging Notes is the premier publication for commercial, government and academic remote sensing professionals around the world and it’s based right here in Denver.

Publisher Myrna Yoo, (owner of Blueline Publishing LLC), welcomed more than 125 people all over the country, who were in Denver for ILMF – the International LIDAR Mapping Forum. The event was a great opportunity to network and focused on LIDAR software, (Light Detection And Ranging) a technology that uses remote sensing and light to gather data used in creating maps.

While I don’t deal with remote sensing industry, I enjoyed learning more about the technology involved. I am always on the lookout for new and different opportunities for my clients – even if it is introducing them to new industries (they never thought of before!). You never know what kind of business one can build by marketing to a whole new industry!

For more information, check out Imaging Notes.