🍽️ Restaurants worth road-tripping for

🏘️ Will Mayor Johnston’s ‘Micro-Communities’ Work?

Mayor Johnston modeled his proposed “micro-communities” for people experiencing homelessness on Denver’s existing Safe Outdoor Space program and tiny home village that his predecessor supported. Denverite ran the numbers to see how well the SOS sites actually worked, and the results are mixed. Roughly half of everyone who lived at an SOS site or in a tiny home village returned to living on the streets. [Denverite]

• How’s Johnston doing so far? You can see for yourself using the city’s public “House1000 Progress Dashboard,” which is updated daily.
• Dive deeper: We talked about Johnston’s most recent encampment sweep at 8th and Logan — how it went and what’s next — on the podcast earlier this week. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🏟️ A Historic Week in Denver Sports

After recording their 100th loss of the season on Tuesday evening, the Colorado Rockies are officially playing their worst season of baseball in franchise history. The Rockies’ historic night came just two days after the Denver Broncos’ defense gave up the most points any NFL team has allowed in a single game since 1966. As you may have guessed, they lost that one, 70-20, to the Miami Dolphins. [Denver Post 🔒, Sports Illustrated]

We’re wrapping up Fall Getaways Week with a list for all you foodies. From Fort Collins to Alamosa, these dining destinations offer incredible ambiance, fascinating backstories, and of course, a dining experience worth driving for. Here are our tasty, travel-worthy recs:

Rino’s Italian Restaurant

This classic Italian spot in Trinidad serves up penne smothered in spicy marinara, linguine with clams, and classic menu staples like steak and lobster. But the true star of this decades-old red sauce joint housed in an 1880s church? Musician, crooner, and owner Frank Cordova and his band of singing waiters.

Antonio’s Real NY Pizza

This Estes Park pizzeria — a 6,000-square-foot hidden gem located about a mile and a half from the main strip — has the locals’ stamp of approval. The Long Island-born team at Antonio’s specializes in thick-crust, crispy, cheesy Sicilian-style ‘za that is well worth the drive from the city. But if you’re looking to really test your pizza grit, consider ordering the 26-inch Mega Don or the 12-pound Hell’s Kitchen.

Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm

Way out in the teeny tiny town of Boulder, Utah, the dusty red desert is hiding a diamond in the rough. Dishing up steaming plates of Colorado bison tenderloin and buttery lemony steelhead trout, each dish stars locally sourced and environmentally responsible ingredients from its own 6-acre farm. But this James Beard-worthy, farm-to-table menu is only one reason to love this restaurant — the remarkable backstory of the owners’ activism to protect the natural lands around them is equally enthralling.

Psst! Here are some more road trip-worthy restaurant recs from us. Plus, you can get the full deets on each of these picks in today’s episode of City Cast Denver 🎧

💃 Salsa Bachata Congress | Thursday-Sunday | Times Vary

Explore the cultural phenomena of Afro-Latin dance at this four-day festival featuring workshops, classes, and stunning performances of salsa, bachata, samba, bollywood, and more. [Aurora; $20+]

🏂 MEKA | Thursday-Sunday | Times Vary

This four-day celebration of Colorado snowboard culture at Commons Park will include snowboard-inspired art and films, all-levels lessons and competitions, and special appearances from prestigious guests. [LoDo; Free]

🍻 Final Throwdown at Lowdown | Saturday | 11 a.m.-Close

This Cap Hill brewery is having one final hurrah on its last day in business. The community is invited to come and send them out with a bang, complete with food trucks, live music, guest beers, and a guaranteed good time. [Cap Hill; Free]

Our Favorite Road Trip-Worthy Restaurants

How far would you drive for a good slice of pizza? Would you plan a day trip around a fine dining destination? For the foodies who love a good fall getaway, we’ve got you covered with an episode devoted to restaurants across Colorado and beyond that are worth the drive. So make your res, buckle up, and enjoy the journey!