Dear Denver, we love you
Friday. Do you love living in Denver? Then why not make the Mile High City your Valentine this year? On Friday, Feb. 14, The Block Distilling Co. in RiNo hosts its second annual Love Letter to Denver. The event showcases local businesses with a flower bar, letter-writing station, flash tattoos, permanent jewelry and more. Attendees get their first cocktail or mocktail for free, and Taeko San Takout will pop up there to serve onigiri (Japanese rice balls) and mochi. Swoon!
Love Letter to Denver takes place at The Block Distilling, 2990 Larimer St., from noon to midnight on Valentine’s Day. Vendors pop up from 5 to 10 p.m. It’s free to attend. theblockdistillingco.com — Tiney Ricciardi
I dip, you dip, we dip
Tuesday. “The stall may be closed but we are still cooking!” That’s the word from the owners of Pho King Rapidos, which has bounced around Denver over the past few years – most recently in the Avanti food hall – serving what it calls “Vietnamese-ish” food, like its famous pho banh mi.
For the next four Tuesdays – Feb. 18 and 25, March 4 and 11 – from 5 to 9 p.m., PKR will pop up at MAKfam, a modern, chef-forward Chinese food restaurant at 39 W. First Ave. in Denver. The menu for this Tuesday, Feb. 18, includes birria bo kho banh mi, a Vietnamese-Mexican mashup that consists of a birria banh mi dipped in a Vietnamese consommé-like broth, along with fried chicken sandwiches, chopped cheese with pho dip and more. Information available at instagram.com/pho_king_rapidos. — Jonathan Shikes
Five Points Jazz + history = free fun
Saturday. As President Trump rapidly pursues his stated goals of changing the way U.S. history is taught and dismantling education and equity programs, locals are redoubling their efforts to celebrate Black History Month. That includes this weekend’s free, family-friendly Five Points Jazz Roots event — the cornerstone of the historic Denver neighborhood’s annual Black History Month celebrations, as organizers put it, and an event that highlights the historical significance of jazz in the Five Points area.
Once known as the Harlem of the West, hosting greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, the area on Saturday, Feb. 15, welcomes free live performances at venues such as TeaLee’s Tea House & Book Store, The 715 Club and Spangalang Brewery (think Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors, Tony Exum Jr., and others).
An African American Artist Gallery & Showcase will be on display at the Blair Caldwell African-American Library, which also offers free tours on Saturday. And, of course, the area’s excellent restaurants, bars and breweries are more than ready for your visit, with Black History trivia, vendors and more in tow. Events take place along Welton Street in Five Points, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 15, as well as on Saturday, Feb. 22. Visit artsandvenuesdenver.com/events for more. — John Wenzel
People roam through the Numina exhibit at Convergence Station at Meow Wolf in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 17, 2021.
Surreal date night at Meow Wolf
Saturday. Amid the hundreds of Valentine’s Day events and pre-fixe dinners blanketing the metro area this weekend, Meow Wolf Denver’s Adulti-Verse stands out. Its Saturday, Feb. 15, Kiss Me in Convergence date night is a 21-and-up event with drink specials and desserts set amid the surreal, immersive Convergence Station installation, situated just west of downtown Denver.
The event begins at 5 p.m. and tickets are $49 each — about the cost of a solid dinner (per person, of course) on V-Day weekend. (It’s also cheaper than adult general admission to the museum.) Visit tickets.meowwolf.com for more. — John Wenzel