2013 Our Picks Archive Stories

An Early Bird special that is not to be missed can be found at The Melting Pot, 30-A E. Pikes Peak Ave., 4-5:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays is where to find an Early Bird special 4-5:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays that is not to be missed in April. For $27.95, you get cheddar

Have you ever loved a show so much that you try to convince people who don’t watch it to tune in and try it out? Do you harass friends who don’t even fit the demographic of a program because your passion for a particular show is so great? “Game of Thrones,” which returns for its third season on HBO this Sunday, is one of

I love reality TV shows. I don’t like them because there is any actual reality involved. I like them because they’re this generation’s sitcoms. Reality shows are comedy gold. For evidence of this, look no further than “The Apprentice” franchise, which is always filled

A coffee shop may not top your list for a fancy dinner, but be prepared to surprise yourself at Canyon Coffee and Café, 1791 S. Eight St. Jake Ainsworth, the chef at the eatery, has started offering pop-up dinners, occasional prix fixe three-course meals, a couple times a month. Friday&r

No doubt, The Colorado Springs Chorale Chefs’ Gala held at the Antlers Hilton, 4 S. Cascade Ave., at 5 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 24) is the most anticipated event for chefs and the public. And why not? The event is where 24 of the areas best chefs pull out all the stops to create a dish that will wow the prestigious judges. The best part is gettin

The Veronikas (aka the Veronika String Quartet) are making great music these days. If you visit the Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., at 2 p.m. Sunday you can take in the second leg of their “Around the World with the String Quartet” series. The 11th quartet by contemporary Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe provocatively set

I call them crack cookies. They are that addictive. The coconut macaroons half dipped in dark chocolate found in the sweets cabinet at Rico’s Coffee, Chocolate and Wine Bar, 322 1/2 N. Tejon St. are my guilty pleasure. They are about the size of a hardball baseball with a not-too-sweet crunchy outside and chewy center. The dark chocolate m

Who doesn’t love pancakes, especially when they’re free? That’s what you get at IHOP restaurants 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 5 in honor of National Pancake Day. You are encouraged to make a donation to the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital or other local charities in exchange for the buttermilk stack. One hundred percent

I'm often intrigued by what Colorado College students dream up. This weekend, several of them present their new musical, "Hear No Evil in the Year 2090." They wonder what it would be like to never hear an opinion that differed from your own. The year is 2090 and ear devices have been invented that only allow in what you want to hear. Some people

I've been watching television shows for almost 40 years and I can't remember a series that's had as weird a run as "The Walking Dead" (Sundays on AMC). It started out hot during its first season, cooled to the point of freezing and alienating fans during Season Two, and is back to being a great show in Season Three. This program is just like the

It's a fascinating notion really: A two-story robot built (as art) with community-donated styrofoam. Even more perplexing is that when the "Nothing Comes from Nothing" is done, the "machine" is deconstructed and then recycled or sent to a landfill. The randomness of the materials, the impermanance of the object defies our idea of what art should

When it comes to cable shows, fewer are hotter than HBO’s half hour comedy, “Girls” (Sundays at 7 p.m.). With great ratings and two Golden Globe wins (Best Comedy and Best Actress in a TV Comedy for co-creator and lead actress Lena Dunham), the program is Must See television. The Season Two premiere led to some questions. Has H

People line up on Friday for cheese stuffed peppers made by Lydia Martinez, owner of Vallejo’s Restaurant, 111 S. Corona St. They usually sell out of the special at lunch. But if you call before 2 p.m. Fridays you can reserve the special for dinner. Good news. After more than 50 years of only taking cash, they have started accepting credit

Three scheming sons. An exiled wife. An older man and his youthful mistress. Wait, is this a nighttime reality show? No, it's Springs Ensemble Theatre's production of "The Lion in Winter," which offered up a bit of history and two hours of non-stop banter last weekend. King Henry II of England and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, bicker and stra

I first heard Nina Storey sing in a Denver bar about 18 years ago. One of my old friends roomed with her at the University of Colorado in Boulder and invited us to go see her. A hush fell over the crowd as she stood on stage and sang her song, “No Man,” with only some finger snapping. She stopped that bar in its tracks. Storey perfor

Take a moment and find your inner princess when “Brave,” which just won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, is screened at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Sand Creek Library Branch, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. But this Disney princess is about as different from Cinderella, say, as one can get: Princess Merida isn’t waiting to be saved

Celebrate the new year by tossing out the old with the symbolic gesture of chucking your Christmas fruitcake into the stratosphere. At the Great Fruitcake Toss, you can launch your fruitcake into space with a variety of mechanical and pneumatic devices from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Manitou Springs High School track, 405 El Monte Place, Mani

The Story Project returns again this month with new tales of everyday life and daring do. All true. All personal. This week storytellers include naturopathic doctor Ruth Adele, entrepreneur David Fein, performance artist Patrick McConnell and songwriter Charles Sjolander. It's at 7 p.m. Friday at Marmalade at Smokebrush, 219 W. Colorado Av

What better way to feel your oats than going to the Quaker Oatmeal Festival? Pack your appetite and head to Lafayette, Colo., for more than 200 gallons of steaming oatmeal, 4,000 oatmeal pancakes and 1,200 oatmeal muffins to munch. More or less. You’ll also find 50 booths at the Health Fair 8 a.m.-1 p.m.  A baking contest takes place

Funky Cold Theatricalities presents “24Seven,” theater on the spur of the moment -- or really, over the course of one day. Seven selected playwrights are given a writing prompt on Friday. On Saturday morning, seven directors show up to read the scripts and cast from a gaggle of previously hand-picked actors. The actors show up a few

Until this Fine Arts Center exhibit, I had never seen any of the work of this reclusive Springs-based artist. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be shocked and delighted. This long-time art teacher at Palmer High has real mastery over the variety of media he expresses himself in. But the real attraction here is the power of his vision which relent

Carlos’ Bistro, 1025 S. 21st St., offers Early Bird dinner specials from 5 to 5:30 p.m. all year, except on holidays. Think seared Hudson Valley foie gras for $12 (normally $24) or petite boneless USDA prime ribeye for $23 (normally $46). The restaurant is open in the winter Wednesdays through Saturdays. Call 471-2905.