😋 The best bites of 2024

🧑‍🍳 Fruition Restaurant To Close Next Month

After opening Fruition in 2007, chef Alex Seidel would go on to earn Denver’s second-ever James Beard Award for Best Chef. Now, an 18-year fine-dining era will come to what Seidel is calling a “bittersweet” end with Fruition’s final dining service scheduled for Jan. 12. [Westword]

🚫 Denver Bans the Sale of (Most) Flavored Tobacco Products

City Council passed the controversial proposal 11-1. If Mayor Mike Johnston signs off — and he’s already indicated he will — the ban will likely go into effect in 2026 and prohibit the sale of flavored vapes, cigars, chews, and menthol cigarettes citywide. [Denverite]

🍽️ What Was the Best Meal You Ate This Year?

Two local foodies reflect on the last year of dining in Denver, from hottest new trends and buzziest restaurant openings to the best bites they ate all year. Plus, some juicy predictions for 2025. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🚔 State Patrol Cracks Down for the Holidays

Now through Dec. 25, drivers may notice more sobriety checkpoints and additional law enforcement officials on the road as local police departments gear up to crack down on impaired driving this holiday season. [CDOT]

Hey loyal readers and listeners. We love hearing from you! Got a question about something going on in the city? A spicy take on a trending topic? Commentary on a recent podcast episode or newsletter? We want to hear it 💌 Here’s the latest from the inbox:

🐦 Mystery Birds

Kim in downtown Denver is wondering about all the birds at 17th and Arapahoe.

• “There are hordes of them. Crows or ravens, I'm not sure, but they leave their poop everywhere, and it's sort of an unsettling thing to see so many birds collecting in these trees every single day.”
  
  Ed. note: Turns out Kim isn’t the first to ask this question. Reporters at Westword dug into the mystery last year 🧐

🍕 New Restaurant Alert

Karen A. from Curtis Park wants to shout out Duets Tap & Grill, a fairly new family-owned restaurant in Five Points:

• “[They have] amazing homemade pizza and other excellent pub fare with an awesome, huge, dog-friendly patio. They also have live music on Fridays, as well as trivia on Tuesdays, bingo on Wednesdays, and karaoke on Thursdays.”

🌆 Denver’s Most Beloved Businesses

The City of Denver just announced its most recent round of “legacy business” designations. We wanted to know which local businesses you think they missed!

• Heather D. says: “Los Dos Portrillos! Amazing local family business.”
• Hailee recommends Overland’s Starling Salon: “They have been a staple in Denver for 10 years. They are a safe space for all and even give back to the community by providing hair cuts and color services a few times a month at PorchLight, a Domestic Violence center in Lakewood.”
• Todd M. nominates Morry’s Neon in Sun Valley: “Morry's is a third-generation business that started in 1985. However, Morry Weseloh started making neon in Denver in 1946. There has been a Weseloh making neon in Denver for almost 80 years.”