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For 50 years, a Pepto Bismol-pink tower has loomed large over the Lakewood shopping center marking the spot of the legendary Casa Bonita. The tower is something of a beacon, calling to longtime fans and would-be diners with the promise of mariachi music, cliff divers, crispy sopapillas and the kind of fun that inspires childlike joy. Next week will mark the 50th anniversary the day that Oklahoma City entrepreneur Bill Waugh opened Denver’s Casa Bonita in a former Joslin’s department store. The restaurant was part of a…

The most expensive home ever sold in the Denver area is officially off the market — and Russell Wilson took a $3.5 million loss to seal the deal. Wilson, the former Denver Broncos quarterback who was cut from the team earlier this month, sold his 20,000-square-foot Cherry Hills Village mansion for $21.5 million Wednesday, according to Arapahoe County public records. The quarterback and his wife, singer-songwriter Ciara, moved into 10 Cherry Hills Park Drive in April 2022, just weeks after the Seattle Seahawks traded…

Another day, another opening of a gas station/convenience store by a company with a well-known brand and loyal following that is intent on making inroads into Colorado. QuikTrip Corp., based in Tulsa, Okla., officially marked the opening of its second Denver store Wednesday by inviting community members and nonprofits the company works with to a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The store at 6477 E. Evans Ave. is the 11th QuikTrip built in Colorado since 2022. The celebration of the store’s opening came two days after Texas-based…

Littleton recently passed a law banning the retail sale of cats and dogs, joining fifteen other Colorado cities in a bid to decrease commercial breeding operations, according to the Best Friends group. The ordinance, which passed the Littleton City Council with a unanimous vote on March 5, was first introduced in January and follows a slew of similar attempts to increase animal welfare in Colorado after the state’s “puppy mill” bill, or Humane Pet Act, failed to pass in 2020. The bill would have established standards for…

A new LoHi restaurant is feeling the heat from one of the city’s most prominent restaurateurs. My Neighbor Felix, the casual Mexican restaurant at 1801 Central St., sued its former executive general manager Kasie Curiel and her business Alma Fonda Fina on March 11 and requested a temporary restraining order. If approved, the restraining order would close Alma Fonda Fina for an undetermined period of time. A hearing will be held this Friday. Curiel worked at My Neighbor Felix for three years before she was terminated in…

What does it take to get a hotel built in Morrison? Chad Wallace wants to be the first to find out. So far, the principal of Evergreen-based Root Architecture and Development can safely say eight meetings with the planning commission, one (unsuccessful) public hearing, a petition to appeal, hours-long discussions with the Board of Trustees and much more. “We’re going to keep pushing forward,” Wallace said. Morrison has a population of about 400 and is tucked near Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, a major attraction. But…

When Justin Cucci would fly out of Denver International Airport more than 10 years ago, he’d usually pack his own food. “As a traveler, I was always let down by the food and the lack of Denver representation,” he said. So when an airport concessionaire approached him about opening a branch of Root Down — his eclectic, farm-to-table restaurant — as part of a major retail overhaul at DIA in 2013, he decided to take the risk. “I thought it would be cool to make a statement about accessibility to craft food that’s…

Devon Toews sold his 6,000-square-foot Belcaro mansion last month for $240,000 under its list price. The $3.75 million sale closed on Feb. 12. Last year, Towes signed a seven-year contract extension with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. He listed the mansion on Jan. 11 for $3.99 million. Toews and his wife, Kerry, bought the mansion on the 800 block of South Steele Street in March 2021 for $2.9 million. The six-bedroom, five-bath home, constructed in 2020, has two fireplaces. The first-floor open floor plan includes a…

Buc-ee’s has made it to Colorado. A red-capped beaver, the mascot of the super-sized, Texas-based travel centers, was front and center on outdoor signs and throughout the 74,000-square-foot store that officially opened at 6 a.m. Monday in Johnstown. The store is the first Buc-ee’s in Colorado and the company’s farthest west. The grand opening was expected to draw the uninitiated, curious about the excitement over the cornucopia of food and merchandise, as well as devotees of what has been a popular franchise located…

A Denver distillery is relocating operations to the suburbs, and when it does it will close its taproom and restaurant in the city. Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse, which opened in the River North Arts District in 2018, will soon break ground on a brand new production facility located at 1303 Empire Rd. in Louisville. According to an announcement Wednesday, the new spot will enable the company to bring its distillery and barrel-aging program under one roof and to provide a new drink-centric destination for locals.…