Panzano Restaurant, one of my favorite eateries, at 909 17th Street is doing a fun promotion to kick off their new Zeppole program this coming Monday, September 28th.  On that day they will be giving away 1,000 hot fresh Zeppole and coffee from their patio at 17th & Champa.  Zeppole closely resemble donut holes and are an Italian delicacy.  After this kick off, from 7:00 am to 8:30 am every Monday a Panzano chef will be outside cooking the confections that will be available for sale to people passing by.

Two flavors are planned; plain and one filled with hazelnut chocolate ganache.  Freshly brewed coffee will also be available by the cup for $2.  Zeppole will be sold by the half dozen and dozen and range from $3 for a half dozen plain to $7 for a full dozen of the chocolate filled (prices include tax).  I think this is a fun idea and look forward to trying my first Zeppole on Monday.

Yesterday I went on a guided tour of the Denver Pavilions with the design team that is overseeing its $25 million dollar renovation and modernization project.  It was fun learning about a number of details that I was not aware of.  The photos below were taken since my last update on August 2nd and are in chronological order up through the tour.

The new escalators and stairways on both sides have been installed and you can already see what a difference they will make in the circulation at the center.  Brick pavers will eventually replace all of the slab concrete on the ground level plazas - that process is well underway.  Work on the elevators continues and the bathrooms on the second floor are being remodeled.  The new plaza stairs are almost complete and today I learned that they will be heated and feature accent lighting that has been incorporated into the treads.  All of the painting has been completed and I am a fan of the updated color palate.

Another exciting development is that the demolition and construction work for the expansion of Forever 21 has begun.  You can now see a giant hole that has been cut out of the second floor along Welton that will eventually be the two story glass facade for the 31,000 SF flagship store.  As part of my tour today I got to enter the space and see Downtown from that vantage point and confirmed that a new escalator will connect the second floor with the existing first level store that opens onto Welton Plaza.  That existing facade will also be expanded as part of the project which is scheduled for completion in first quarter of 2010.

Also in the scope of the project is the updating of the public parking areas where new paint and upgraded lighting will make a much better first impression for shoppers and visitors who enter there.  In about three weeks Glenarm will be closed off and the new crosswalk installation will commence.  The “tunnel” that runs through the Pavilions will get LED lighting that should greatly improve the pedestrian experience during the day and especially at night.  As part of the overall lighting plan new chandeliers will be installed above each plaza - one is being tested now - and I think they will make a huge difference in brightening up those spaces.

New directories, wayfinding and LED signage will also be installed both in the plazas and along the 16th Street Mall.  All of this work is scheduled to be complete in early November just in time for the holiday shopping season.  Later in 2010 a new glass valet elevator will be installed on Glenarm adjacent to Hot Topic that will service future restaurants on the second level of the center.  As more work is completed the entire scope and vision for repositiong the Denver Pavilions is obvious and I am excited about its future. 

The Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences Denver reached a new milestone on September 17th when it was crowned with its “mast” securing the building’s prominence in Denver’s skyline.  I very much wanted to attend the event on Thursday but was out of town.  It was awesome to see the mast in place as I came back into town via I-25 on Friday afternoon though!  That final 75 foot piece really defines the building and is the only element of its kind in Downtown Denver.  I will post updated photos showing the mast and the almost complete glass facade on the upper floors soon.  Congratulations to the entire team on this accomplishment.

Belatedly I am posting about my experience at this year’s Taste of Colorado which was held in Civic Center Park over Labor Day weekend.  I volunteered on Friday night so I went early to walk around and check things out.  While some elements were still being completed for Saturday, the crowds and energy were fun.

My favorite area as always is the fine dining area and the culinary showcase where they have celebrity chefs doing kitchen demonstrations.  There was a wide variety of music and other performances throughout the evening.  Even though I am a native I still am amazed at how beautiful the park, the fountain and its surrounding buildings are - the dome of the Capitol at dusk was stunning.  I tried chocolate covered bacon and bacon ice cream for the first time, both were interesting.  I also had my first Chicago dog at Mustard’s Last Stand.  Taste was a great way to wrap up a summer that just flew by.

Last week Cilantro Fusion opened in the former Juan’s Restaurant space at 1531 Stout Street.  Featuring high-quality home style Spanish/Mexican cuisine they will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a casually elegant atmosphere.

Cilantro Fusion also offers Mexican beer, fresh fruit Mojitos, margaritas and martinis.  As a tribute to its predecessor Juan’s green chili will stay on the menu.  I wish the owner, Gabriela Bossy, luck and look forward to checking it out.