Underscoring the University of Denver’s impact on the Mile High City, Westword’s 2016 Best of Denver Awards, which were announced Wednesday, boast multiple DU connections.
The Enrichment Program at University College was named “best intellectual exercise,” praised for its varied offerings that “range from art- and music-appreciation courses to writing workshops and cooking classes, culture-soaked trips abroad, lectures on current events and more. … Think of these sessions as booster shots for the mind and spirit, without the tedium and hefty tuition bills of full-time higher education.”
Also garnering praise from the Denver alt-weekly was “Learning to See Color,” an exhibit that ran from Jan. 14 to March 6 at the Vicki Myhren Gallery on campus. Westword named it “best ode to color.”
The DU hockey team, which is headed to the NCAA Frozen Four next week, took the Readers’ Choice Award for best college sports team.
In alumni news, new jazz club Nocturne, owned by Daniels College of Business alumna Nicole Mattson and her husband, Scott, was recognized for best service and “best oyster treatment,” while Youth on Record — whose executive director is alumna Jami Duffy — was named “best school for young musicians.”
Finally restaurants owned by Daniels alumnus and Denver restaurateur Frank Bonanno received a total of six Best of Denver Awards, including three Readers’ Choice Awards. According to Westword, Bonanno’s Lou’s Food Bar serves Denver’s best eggs Benedict, while his eatery Bones has the best Asian-Italian fusion. Westword also named Bonanno’s Mizuna Denver’s best French restaurant.
Westword readers gave top honors to Mizuna’s wine list and Lou’s Bloody Mary bar and chose Bonanno’s Osteria Marco as best Italian restaurant.