Mexican Food and Live Jazz in Denver

Recently my partner (a.k.a. Gladcorn Guy) and I were in Denver for a conference. Our hotel was on the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian area in the center of town which anyone who has been a tourist in Denver in the last few years undoubtedly remembers. It is pleasant and safe, with an outdoor area of many blocks that is highly accessible, with the most plentiful and best-designed curb cuts I've seen. It is largely, however, an endless parade of Banana Republic, Cheesecake Factory, Barnes and Nobles, Starbucks, and the like. Those whose traveling is of the Accidental Tourist variety will be quite happy here, of course, but if you prefer small and locally owned, there are a couple of spots within easy walking distance worth noting.

La Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant (1500 Curtis Street) is open all day, and satisfied our breakfast needs more than one morning during our stay. I knew our chances were good, because when we entered the place, right away I heard the TV tuned to a Spanish language channel, while cumbias could be heard in the kitchen_a combination which as far as I can tell is a necessary, and perhaps a sufficient condition, for the availability of good Mexican food. The huevos rancheros (Mexican style, and yes, there are other kinds of huevos rancheros, far too alarming to discuss here) were satisfyingly spicy, a decent ballpark approximation of those at the dear departed Lubbock restaurant of my misspent youth, El Charro's (yes, Lubbock had and has its consolations, despite all rumors to the contrary). Huevos a la mexicana were had and enjoyed as well, although not by me, because why order them when huevos rancheros are available?

When night falls, the weary traveler can find comfort in the classic combination of live jazz/cheap beer/burrito at El Chapultepec Cantina (1962 Market St.), where there is never a cover charge and the menu prices range from $2 to $5. Denver has a vibrant jazz scene, and El Chapultepec is famous for live jazz every day of the week but Monday. The walls are covered with photos of the jazz artists who have played there. The crowd at this unique Denver landmark the night we were there ranged from twenty-somethings to people in their seventies. Some must have been chile-deprived refugees from the Midwest or the east coast like me; I would return on a night when just the juke box (and what a juke box it is) is playing, for the sake of the green chile smothering the simple bean burrito.