DAM Organixx featured in a Hot Spot

I had a little vacation while Neil and Eric were visiting family and friends in the west.  Alexa would come down the street to let me out and then feed me later on in the afternoon.  It was a ton of fun, though they’d covered the furniture with sheets and that made it difficult for me to stretch and claw.  Of course, they couldn’t shout at me either.  After I’d guarded the family home, they talked about what they had done when they returned.


      Denver is the cool hot city of the now.  It’s what Seattle was like before the traffic got completely out of hand or Las Vegas back when people could easily waste money.  Denver’s fine as long as the water holds out. 

 We had wanted to see the new contemporary addition to the Denver Art Museum (DAM) for the past couple of years and the wait was more than worth it.  The original building looks like a fortress in Seville, whereas the new addition looks like the pyramids, but somehow inverted.

   

      The contemporary has a very idiosyncratic sculpture collection that is simultaneously both up-to-the-minute while invoking the Western classical tradition.

One sculpture called into question the inherent imperialism (maybe fascism) of that hegemony.  On the other hand, Sandy Skoglund’s Fox Games (1989) was a permanent installation that moved over a story and a half and around an L-shaped space.  It looked like an empty red bistro overrun by more than two dozen gray foxes, each one unique in its placement and bearing.  Significantly, there was one red fox and perhaps that was the actual one and the others were either its shadows or earlier manifestations as it tore apart the space.  One of Skoglund’s photographs, in shades of red and in a staged setting, was included in the tremendous History of the Wedding Dress exhibition from this past fall at the Cincinnati Art Museum.


      The original DAM building is home to works from the Ancient world to the present.  There’s an excellent representation of Native American art.  The most intriguing aspect of the original museum is that there are a number of paintings where a viewer thinks “I didn’t know that was here.  Did the Louvre or the National Gallery sell it?”

The Decorative Arts Gallery at DAM

http://www.denverartmuseum.org

Organixx — Naturally Good Eats

      We didn’t have plans to eat, but we thought that LoDo would be fun.  We parked blocks away from where we ended up and we only found a place because we first walked into a cooking school that wasn’t serving a menu and the woman behind the counter recommended Organixx (1520 Blake).  It was a helluva walk and placed us closer to downtown than LoDo, but it was worth it.  It’s a large, simple room in medium shades of wood.  The setup is what I think of as cafeteria style – order at the cash register, pick up your drink, and the cashier will bring over the order once it’s up and she’s not overwhelmed by a line of customers.  

The Grilled Salmon Burger at Organixx

     Neil had the Organixx Turkey with a side of potato salad.
It was turkey that covered cranberry-apple chutney on sourdough bread and topped by brie and sprouts.  It was
a generous portion as was the Grilled Salmon Burger that I had.  It was a patty that was home made, rather than out of a commercial supply box.  It was served with caramelized onion, roasted peppers, and spinach with a remoulade spread on focaccia.  Both dishes were delicious with a complex array of flavors.  They’re also known for their BBQ Chipotle Pulled Pork sandwich and their salads.  Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner  are served and it’s worth a visit even if you park six blocks away.

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http://organixxrestaurant.com