It’s not too late to make Valentine’s Day plans
Happy Friday City Casters! 💕
Valentine’s Day is Monday, thus making it the weekend of looove and making THIS the “Friday Events Newsletter: Valentine’s Day Edition.” I just got married two weeks ago and will be celebrating my first Valentine’s Day as a wife! So, in light of feeling extra sappy, I scrounged up a handful of the most lovey-dovey events happening around town for you and your special someone(s).
Also, don’t miss Monday’s super special City Cast Denver newsletter and podcast. We’ve got something extra sweet in store for the holiday!
— Peyton Garcia, City Cast Denver Newsletter Writer and Total Sap
😍 SOMETHING TO GET YOU IN THE VALENTINE’S DAY MOOD
🍷 Local Valentine’s Day dinner specials
Go ahead — get dressed up, drink that extra glass of wine, splurge on dessert, and enjoy some intimate one-on-one time with someone special.
If you’re looking for something especially decadent, Toro at JW Cherry Creek is offering a three-course pre-fixe Valentine’s Day menu for $150 per couple. Start off with the “Ceviche in Love,” followed by a main course of smoked short rib, Argentinian parrillera sausage, and butter-poached lobster tail. Like that wasn’t enough, save room for the “La Bomba,” a chocolatey dessert accompanied by cookie crumbles, assorted sorbets and ice cream, and seasonal berries. The Valentine’s Day special is available tomorrow night and Monday night. When I checked yesterday, reservations were filling up fast, but there were still a few spots left!
Who needs mini-golf when you can practice your swing on state-of-the-art golf simulators and nom on top-notch bar snacks at the newly-opened GC Lounge. In honor of Valentine’s Day, GC Lounge is offering a $75 special that gets you a 1/2 hour reservation on the golf simulator plus a three-course dinner for two including crab cakes, steak, mashed potatoes, and a red velvet pound cake with cream cheese ice cream.
Or keep it casual over a Valentine’s Day beer and chocolate pairing at any of Denver Beer Co’s three taprooms tomorrow. A $25 ticket gets you five gourmet handcrafted chocolates perfectly paired with local DBC brews.
🌹Dreamy staycations
Who says you have to travel to get away? 303 Magazine rounded up some of the most romantic packages offered at Denver hotels this month, including the “Celebrate Love Package” (promo code ZJ7) at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, which includes welcome wine, macaroons, two drink vouchers for the new BEZEL cocktail lounge, breakfast for two, and (gasp!) a late 2 p.m. checkout time! Or there’s the ultra-luxe “Lover’s Month” package at The Ramble Hotel which is made to spoil you with a half bottle of Champagne, caviar, and gourmet cookies.
🍓 A romantic kitchen rendezvous
I was especially charmed by this ornate three-course, make-it-yourself dinner recipe featuring baby beef wellingtons and no-churn olive oil ice cream with hot fudge. From The New York Times writer Eric Kim, this recipe is apparently deceptively simple to make, but appears elegant AF. What’s sweeter than trying something new together? And if it doesn’t come out, well, there’s always takeout Chinese and memories to last a lifetime.
🎁 Sweet, sweet treats
Everyone knows creamy chocolates and sugary sweets are a universal token of love. Spread the love a little wider this year by keeping your Valentine’s Day goodies local:
For Valentine’s Day only, Boulder-based Chocolove is unveiling heart-shaped, bite-size Belgian chocolates stuffed with salted caramel or very cherry filling. Or, the three-bar Chocolove Valentine’s Collection — one bar each of the new holiday flavors: Cherry Cordial, Raspberry Rose, and Cinnamon Ganache.
What better way to toast your love than by sending them a personalized WhiskeyGram, complete with a premium bottle of whiskey from Golden’s own State 38 Distilling and two Goldmine cupcakes of your flavor choice: chocolate cherry, double chocolate, or turtle delight.
Spice up date night by gifting your special someone this blend of aphrodisiacs crafted by Denver’s Savory Spices. The Saffron Salt, which comes in an adorable heart-shaped tin, is available for the month of February. It will bring vibrant, salty, floral notes and hints of vanilla to your meal, and plays well with both savory and sweet dishes. (I’d try it on that beef wellington recipe myself 👆)
For some seriously delicious decadence, pick up these holiday liqueur truffles from Ironton Distillery in RiNo. Each $12 box contains one mint-, orange-, amaretto-, and coffee-flavored truffle. For $25, you can add on a bottle of liqueur for the home bar.
🔎 SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON
After nearly a year of being shuttered, the Table Mesa King Soopers, where a gunman shot and killed 10 people last March, reopened this week. Later this year, the store plans to install a permanent outdoor memorial for the victims.
Denverites have taken to social media to organize epic public snowball fights at different parks across the city where dozens of strangers can gather to throw snow, make friends, and have fun.
Colorado sent 23 athletes to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Here’s where you can keep track of who’s bringing home the gold.
Did you know starting next weekend, you’ll be able to ski and snowboard for FREE at Denver’s Ruby Hill Park? The city’s parks and rec department will even offer free board, boot, and helmet rentals.
🎙️ SOMETHING YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
A look back at our shows of the week
TODAY: Friday chat: Could a Denver olympics finally “revitalize” the 16th Street Mall?
THU: Why librarians, nurses, and adjunct professors want the right to collective bargaining
WED: Did Denver sweep unhoused folks all the way to the airport?
TUE: Finding inspiration in the Wild West tale of “Rattlesnake Kate”
MON: DougCo’s conservative school board majority went rogue — now the superintendent is fired
👉 Find all our shows at denver.citycast.fm.
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