The Gastropub trend hits the Highlands

When it comes to food, most Hiloians consider themselves to be "hip sophisticated foodies," they are constantly on the lookout for the next big, local eatery. One of the more popular type of eateries for the Hiloian has been the gastropub trend. This trend has hit the North Denver Highlands like a September forest fire with no intention of letting up.

whether it's a 1950's era gas station or a morgue themed joint, aesthetics and authenticity are very important to the Hiloian when selecting the next place to dine. Gastropubs with creative spins on comfort food, track lighting, and Steampunk decor is enough to make the toughest of Hiloian food connoisseur's swoon with ecstasy. Burgers, cookies, fried chicken, and bisquits & gravy are just the tip of the iceberg. Although these type of comfort foods seem pretty simple to prepare and can be found at the local Country Buffet, the Hiloian foodie prefers a more "edgier" approach to satisfy their sophisticated palate. Offering Popeye's fried chicken or King Soopers deli chicken will leave the Hiloian in stunned silence, bewilderment and repugnance. Unless the fried chicken is butter-fried with peaches & arugula and served in a bistro with exposed brick, the Hiloian will opt to fry their own cage-free chicken in the confines of home.

For the Hiloian, location and ambiance are very important parts of the gastropub experience. Conglomerate restaurants located in the suburbs are too be avoided if you feel the need to invite a Hiloian out for an evening of spirits and culinary delights. Leave the Olive Garden's and Golden Coral's within newly developed outdoor shops to the suburbanite's inferior taste buds.

So, the next time you check-into Foursquare with your Hiloian friend, make sure the restaurant has a seasonal/local menu, charm, character, a long history with back story, and an urban setting surrounded by ultramodern flats next to old buildings.

It's gettin' REAL in the whole foods parking lot!

Outdoor Concerts

Ah, there is nothing quite like summertime in the Rockies. The streets of Denver are saturated with people frolicking the city, in search of the next summer activity to pass the time. People's wardrobes are reduced to tank tops and flip flops, and the smell of a charcoal grill makes any summer day splendid. So what do you do on a hot weekend in colorful Colorado? Well break out the sun screen, umbrella, cooler and lawn chairs and hit the nearest outdoor concert!

Not just any outdoor concert will do for the HiLoian, in order to know the right concert to attend you must first consult a HiLoian. Christian and Classic Rock are concerts to avoid if you plan on inviting a HiLoian. Some hair bands, although tacky can be a safe selection, for ironic purposes of course. Concerts that will guarantee you Hiloian friendship are: Jazz, Reggae, symphonic, semi-classical, and Wide spread just to name a few. Hip-Hop concerts are an interesting but fragile situation when it comes to the HiLoian. Avoid mainstream Hip-Hop at all costs, instead opt for more of the "alternative" options like Roots, The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest.

Whatever your outdoor concert of choice maybe remember to enjoy the summer, and if you load the cooler with a cheap domestic beer, make sure it's PBR!

HiLoisms (North Denver Highlands): eating at soul food restaurants or taquerias in the hood for it's authenticity.

Bistro. Trattoria. gastropub. are just a few words restaurant purists (snobs) love to use when referring to their favorite eatery. But what happens when the HiLoian has conquered all the quaint neighborhood cafes? Very simple, start your search in the slums of the city! That's right the ghettos are home to some of the best authentic foods in town. So get out your Westword and start thumbing through the "Best of" section you say? No way! the HiLoian needs to discover these cafes before the masses get their hands on it! What better way to keep things "real" than by going to a restaurant in the hood for authenticity?! The majority of these "diamonds in the rough" have not been tested by fellow HiLoians, so already these cafes become top priority. I stated earlier that authenticity is important in selecting the proper brasserie. Wrong, Authenticity is second to being the "first" to try these hot lil dives in the hood. Being the "first" to experience anything earns the Hiloian high rankings amongst their peers. So the next time you're at a social gathering, and your friend uncorks a bottle of cab from a foreign country, try knocking their socks off by suggesting you go to a soul food cafe in five points that is home to the best corn bread, turnip green and black-eyed pea dish in town.

~thanks qweeds!

Dress to impress?

Everyday apparel can be a very complex and meticulous situation when it comes to the HiLoian. HiLoians will go to lengths in making their everyday wardrobe look as if they shopped at a thirft store tucked far away in the the mountains of Telluride, Co. To successfully achieve this look, the HiLoian must have a sharp eye when shopping. Shopping at Anthropologie is an easy way out, and the cleverest of HiLoian's can sense this coming a mile away. However wearing United Colors of Benetton can be a powerful move. Known for their provocative publicity campaign, Benetton is a sure way to score high marks with fellow HiLoians.

There are 3 essential categories in selecting the perfect HiLoian wardrobe: color, comfort and vintage. With other categories like active outdoor wear and ironic t-shirts, though not as important as the top 3, serve a very important purpose to the HiLioan wardrobe.

The hues that make up a typical "organic cotton" wardrobe are pale and muted colors. Heather (interwoven yarns of mixed colors producing muted greyish shades with flecks of color) is also a very intelligent move in acquiring the HiLoian color.

Comfort is a very important factor in selecting your clothing. Yoga gear is one of the top selections for comfort clothing. Not only does a vast majority of the HiLoian women attend Yoga classes, the right yoga outfit can score you high points within the community. If you're walking to the local farmers market or just walking the park with your bottle of Smart Water, comfort clothing is one of the essential steps to take in selecting your wardrobe.

Vintage wear is a fan fav to the HiLoian! There's a wide spectrum of vintage gear that can turn any hip, HiLoian's head. Anything from shawls, Cashmere sweaters, scarfs,(scarfs are a HUGE winner in the HiLoians eyes, but we will save that one for a future Hiloism.) denim, blazers and shoes, just to name a few. It's very important in shopping at the correct type of "vintage store". Do not attempt on getting your vintage wear at the Goodwill, instead try more of an overpriced upscale selection like Decade.

Exposed brick and white light decor

The holiday season is upon us. Family coming to visit loved ones, shopping crowded malls with a tall soy latte in hand, talking to the overenthusiastic apple genius who's telling you to back up and sync your iPhone. It is the time for over-privileged teens walking around in Ugg boots, texting their friend who happens to be ten feet away. Yes that's right, everyone's getting into the holiday spirit. But for some HiLoians the holiday spirit can be celebrated year round.

Nothing says style and intellect like Decorating your home using a white light theme. The addition of white lights to the home can be dazzling and sophisticated. If you're a HiLoian, and have exposed brick walls with modern art pieces hanging, you can bet a stream of white lights will be a splendid addition. Hiloians believe that a wall accented with white lights creates a great atmosphere for the HiLoian to feel comfortable and content. Along with Tibetan flags and hanging Sky chairs white lights brighten any HiLoians front yard and are a perfect conversation piece at your summer night soiree. So pour another glass of Mark West, Pinot noir and chat about the latest episode of Mad Men, because nothing makes a night shine like exposed duct work, brick walls and white lights.

Using eco-friendly bags to carry your groceries.

Paper or plastic? Ha! not for the HiLoian. Thinking green, the HiLoian pride themselves in helping the environment anyway they can. One of the easiest ways for a HiLoian to help raise awareness is to use eco bags to carry their groceries. not only does this easily enable the HiLoian to help the environment, it also lets them convey their message to others without any confrontation.

Many of us haven't the time to prepare for a trip the super market, let alone carrying eco bags around with us, but for the HiLoian it's a well planned outing. First and foremost the HiLoian will make sure they have a check list of everything needed for the week. Since the HiLoian usually shops organic, you will almost never find a HiLoian doing last minute grocery shopping at a Wal-mart. For HiLoians Wal-mart is not fair trade, therfore they will stay as far away as possible from huge corporations. HiLoians do not mind paying a little extra for the products they purchase, because they will feel good about themselves and the environment. So the next time you are at the super market checkout, in front of a HiLoian, with only a pack of gum, make sure you tell the clerk, "No thanks, I will not be needing a bag today."