Top of the Town 2010

Every year, when we start planning for this issue, two things happen: First, we cheer (loudly) about all the cocktail tasting, boutique hopping, menu sampling, massage getting, and gallery browsing ahead of us. Then, we steel ourselves for the hard part: choosing the very best. It’s no easy feat in Denver, where Sunday brunch is an art form, baseball games and art museums are equally appealing (in different ways, of course), and neighborhood pet shops are as adorable as their furry patrons. But we’ve eaten, shopped, explored, and indulged our way across Denver and beyond—and received more than 133,000 votes from our readers—so we can let you in on who’s bringing their A-game to the Mile High City this year. Enjoy.

Shopping
Diversions
Personalities
Services
Dining
How we did it

Shopping

Women’s Clothing (Splurge)

Editors’ Choice

MAX

This year MAX is celebrating 25 years in business. Suffice it to say, owner Max Martinez knows what—and more important, whom—Denver’s fashionistas want to wear. From hipster labels like Isabel Marant and Marni to couture looks by Givenchy and Lanvin, Martinez’s well-edited inventory is the result of the weeks he spends traveling to international fashion capitals such as Paris and New York City, snapping up designer pieces coveted by every in-the-know lady around town. Multiple locations, www.maxfashion.com

There’s just nothing better than the Rockpile on a sunny Friday afternoon when work is dragging. For $4, you get an outfield seat and the chance to walk Coors Field, one of the best ballparks in the Major Leagues. Bring a buddy, buy some brews, and wander for a few innings before settling on those warm bleachers where we’re convinced time doesn’t exist. www.coloradorockies.com

Art Gallery

Editors’ Choice

Rule Gallery

Ask 100 people for their favorite art gallery, and you’ll get 100 different answers. But if you enjoy art for its sheer simplicity, you won’t be disappointed at Rule. Specializing in minimalist work, this gallery on Broadway showcases—at most—two dozen pieces of contemporary art, both local and national, every six weeks. Pieces include everything from midscale installations to photo imagery to paintings. Take a late-afternoon lunch along the SoBo corridor, follow it up with a visit to Rule, and get lost in the edgy visions of artists like Pard Morrison and Nathan Abels. It’ll inspire the rest of your day. 227 N. Broadway, 303-777-9473, www.rulegallery.com

Readers’ Choice

Mirada Fine Art

A 30-minute drive from Denver will get you one of the most pleasant surprises in the metro area’s art scene. Inside a 90-year-old log cabin in the foothills, the two-story Mirada lacks the pretentiousness of urban galleries. But don’t let its out-of-the-way location fool you. The contemporary art, mostly the handiwork of folks from Colorado and the Southwest, is fresh and energetic, with an organic, easy-going style. Come once a month for new paintings and sculptures, which are priced anywhere from $350 to $10,000. 5490 Parmalee Gulch Road, Indian Hills, 303-697-9006, www.miradafineart.com

We’re all together on this one. Where, oh where, to begin? Public debate is one thing, but this former U.S. congressman from Colorado says soooo many colossally stupid, offensive, bigoted things. Take this snippet of a speech Tancredo gave at a Tea Party convention in Nashville in February: “People who could not even spell the word ‘vote,’ or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House…. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.” Really? Really?! Puh-leeeze. Any muzzle or balled-up sock will do. www.tancredo.org

Services

Thai Basil

With spots in Wash Park, West Highland, and near City Park (among others), Thai Basil has become the go-to destination for fast-casual Thai in the Mile High. You can’t go wrong with standbys such as panang curry, pad Thai, and drunken noodles; even better, at the Highland location, you can grab domestic beers for 25 cents with a food order! Multiple locations, www.thaibasil.us

Frequently Asked Questions

People often wonder how Top of the Town really works. Here, we answer some of your most common questions.

Q: How does 5280 choose the Top of the Town winners?

Generally, each of the categories (cocktail, salon, dog groomer, and so on) has two winners: the readers’ and editors’ choices. The editors pick winners based on months and months of research. During this process we do our research anonymously, and we pay for all meals and services. Readers’ choice winners are picked democratically—whichever receives the most votes from our online ballot wins.

Q: Don’t your advertisers automatically win?

Absolutely not. Top of the Town results are entirely based on your ballots and our research; there is no connection between advertisers and winners. Period. The fact that some winners happen to be advertisers, or later choose to advertise in the magazine, does not influence our selections. Sure, we could make a few folks happy by “selling” winners, but in the long run we’d lose a lot more than we’d gain—like our integrity and credibility with you, the reader.

Q: How do I get my business on the ballot?

Our ballot is a write-in format, which means we do not provide predetermined, multiple-choice options on which to vote. Voters are free to suggest whatever business, service, shop, or person they deem worthy under each category.

Q: I have a business that deserves an award. How can I win?

Tell your customers to vote for you next year. (Remember: The ballot goes online in February every year.) And to help you spread the word to your customers, we’ll post a Top of the Town “tool kit” on our website during that time, with downloadable marketing materials and links to our site and ballot.

Q: How can I vote?

Visit www.5280.com (the ballot is online in February and March), create an account, and cast your ballot. Stay tuned next year for specific voting dates.