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Volume 3, Issue 22
October 25 - November 7, 2001
OUT OF THE
DARK
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TARANTULA CAFÉ
1456 Champa Denver
720-932-6666
11 am - 4 am 7 days a week
I was just creeping around a few of the
coffee shops downtown, exuding kind of
an aqualung vibe of depravity when the
need for sustenance arose. I had been in
a truly dark state of mind for days, residing
somewhere between Hannibal Lector
and Captain Howdy. I was fairly convinced
that I wasn't truly dangerous....
well, not in the conventional sense. But I
did seem to be getting a little creepier as
the days wore on. Being hungry coupled
with this Hannibal-esque vibe that I had
developed wasn't lending to very comforting
thoughts, so I figured I had better
get something to eat as soon as possible
before it got out of hand.
Before I knew it, I was wandering down
Champa marveling at the dichotomy of
lives taking place around me. Business
people were scurrying about in their
well-pressed clothes, always behind
schedule, never enough hours in the day.
The homeless shambled among them
hoping an outstretched hand might be
caught in the distracted gaze of someone
in the midst of a cell phone conversation.
Here and there were a few backpack-laden
teeny boppers listening to their
disc players, maintaining a level of
oblivious aloofness to the hustle and bustle
around them.
Then amidst the usual flora and fauna of
the urban jungle I saw a tiny dark flower
growing. There was this little vampiric
creature dressed in black from head to
toe, standing facing a building with her
alabaster face turned upward. A slim
hand shielded her sunglass-shrouded
eyes from the cruel light as she tried to
make out the sign before her. I stood
motionless watching the breeze tug at the
lacey ebony fabric of her dress wondering
what could have drawn this rare bird
from the velvet darkness of her nest.
Then an unusually
thick bustle of people
grew up around
her, swirling like a
tide pool and in an
instant she was
engulfed. When the
tide ebbed she was
gone, the spot
where she had stood
a moment ago
seemed strangely
vacant. I decided I
had to see for myself what she had found
so alluring. Completely unyielding to the
onslaught of on-coming traffic, I crossed
the busy street never taking my eyes off
of the spot that she had disappeared
from. The honking of car horns and
angry shouts of drivers were barely audible,
I would not be deterred from my
quest! I had to see what she had seen!
Nothing else mattered!
As I threaded my way through the traffic
jam I had inadvertently created, a red
neon sign was coming into view it read;
Tarantula Café. Just beneath the sign
were two tall arched wooden doors like
the kind you might see at the entrance of
a medieval castle. Behind those doors I
found a long staircase, which I of course
climbed to the top. Once inside I immediately
forgot about the quest that had
brought me in. There were pool tables
everywhere, and I was standing in the
middle of an Italian deli! As usual I was
a little hungry, so I grabbed a table
amidst a few business people.
Ami, the owner, came over, welcomed
me and took my order. I decided on the
beast, hot roast beef with provolone,
avocado and red onion on rosemary sage,
onion bread topped off with homemade
mustard and mayo. It turned out that with
lunch you get free pool games so I tried
out one of the custom tables. Absolutely
perfect...I suck at pool but the table was
so awesome I almost looked good playing!
Before long my food arrived and
I headed over to the deli part of the place.
I submitted Ami to the usual Q&A as I
ate. The thing I found most interesting
was his passion for food and service.
After running a couple delis in New York
he came here and opened up his third.
Most of the food is imported, including
all of the deserts, and every sandwich is
made to order.
As we talked I ate my beast sandwich; it
was obvious why it was called the beast.
I could barely get my mouth around it!
The roast beef was as tender as it could
be and the homemade mayo and mustard
were better than anything I have ever
had. For desert I decided to try
the tiramisu, an area in which I
consider myself to be a connoisseur
of sorts. It was by far the
best I have had in years, as a
matter of fact, my vote for best
in Denver! I enjoyed an
espresso over a game of chess
with Ami while we talked about his plans
for the near future.
The installation of a cyber Café is in the
works. And in a couple of months he will
be serving beer! A couple of other really
cool things Ami is doing are starting at
about 9 pm on the weekends. DJs like
Kid Metric play until 4 am. And one
Saturday a month the Tarantula stays
open all night and serves a continental
breakfast Sunday morning!
The one thing that Denver nightlife has
been lacking is a place to come after the
party is over. Up until now you always
ended up at one of the downtown greasy
spoon dives that put a damper on the
night's festivities. Now you can end a
night of partying by mellowing out in a
classy atmosphere with some great food
and music. So not only is the Tarantula
Café a great place to eat and play pool
but it's a much needed shot in the arm for
Denver's abundant nightlife. Just what
the doctor ordered!
A+
www.noctul.com
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