Explore downtown Colorado Springs eateries via The Local Motive party bike | Table Talk
Courtesy of The Local Motive
Johnny Joy, owner of The Local Motive party bus has introduced The Local Legends bike crawls option for visiting downtown Colorado Springs eateries and bars.
And yes, you will have to work for your food and drink.
“As with our Local Motive party bus rides, our mission and passion are to support local businesses,” Joy said at one of the three recent maiden rides for The Local Legends bike crawls on the Fourth of July weekend. “Downtown is the perfect spot for a fun ride. We’re all about creating memories and encouraging riders to return to these businesses.”
Joy has partnered with Kinship Landing, 415 S. Nevada Ave., and the hotel’s Homa cafe, which serves as the bike rides’ starting and end point.
For $30 (does not include the cost of drinks and food), you can be one of 16 to pedal the trolley around downtown to visit three food and watering holes. The scheduled two-hour ride starts at 7 p.m.
On our crawl, we stopped at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, Shivers Taphouse and COATI Uprise. All three spots were fun in vastly different ways. At Jack Quinn’s, there was a designated seating area for our group of fun seekers. Those who wanted could order drinks and food at the bar and settle back to enjoy live music.
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Next up, we pumped our way to Shivers Taphouse, 401 S. Nevada Ave., formerly The Garden on the southeast corner of South Nevada Avenue and Costilla Street. There, we found a large patio with firepits, standing heaters and a terrific view of Pikes Peak. Dennis, the yeti mascot, is at the entrance to the bar. Rick Arrick, who with his wife and son own the establishment, offered free beers for anyone who could ring a bell in the courtyard with a toss of an empty tequila frozen shotglass. There was one lucky bell ringer in our festive group. Chef Rob’s Soul Food and Seafood food truck was available for purchasing eats.
Our final stop was at COATI food hall, which offered several food options and drinks from the huge bar at the back of the building. We got there when a silent disco was in full swing with a bevy of other party animals having a fun time.
The bike ride was full of some old and new places to experience. It makes for a fun evening for sure with the bonus of an extra workout. If you’re still thirsty or hungry, you can always have an after-party at Homa. Like The Local Party Bus, the Local Legends Bike Crawls are available for private event rentals, too. Visit localmotivebus.com/party-bike-events.
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Grocery store expansion
Stephanie Calvert, owner of Calvert’s Mini Market, 4 Colorado 105, Palmer Lake, has moved her little market from the upstairs space above the former Bella Panini’s to the larger space of the restaurant downstairs. The neighborhood market opened in October 2024 and has been an enormous success for the community.
Stephanie Calvert, owner of Calvert’s Mini Market in Palmer Lake, has moved the grocery store into the former Bella Panini’s restaurant.
“We have more than tripled our business during that short time and, with the bigger area open downstairs, it was a perfect transition,” said Calvert, who opened the new space on July 4.
The new place for the market is still filled with mostly Colorado-sourced produce, fresh flowers, cheeses, meats and baked goods. The little store that could is now brimming with full shelves, freezers and refrigerators. Calvert takes pride in stocking local top-quality brands and clean-label goods (whole foods without any artificial ingredients).
A few of her Colorado purveyors include The French Kitchen, Springside cheese, Sara’s Sausage, Two Sisters Ranch, Natural Start Sourdough Breads Co., Jerry’s Nut House, Zuberfizz Sodas and Prodigy Coffeehouse syrups.
“With the addition of a working commercial kitchen, we will be making our own sandwiches, soups, salads and eventually grab-and-go meals,” Calvert said. “We have left some space on the side of the store for tables and chairs if customers want to have a place to eat. And we have the patio too.”
Hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Tuesdays. Details: 719-290-9930, calvertsminimarket.com.
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Eat out to help out
The Taste of Pikes Peak is a not-to-miss event Thursday 6-9 p.m. It will be located at the intersection of Vermijo Avenue and Sierra Madre Street directly in front of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
For $65 at the gate, you can sample food and beverages from more than 70 vendors by Colorado Springs finest chefs, coffeehouses, breweries, distilleries and wineries. The event benefits the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, supporting the Colorado Restaurant Foundation and ProStart programs in regional high schools. Visit tasteofpikespeak.com.
Wine dinner
There will be a wine dinner at Joseph’s Fine Dining, 1606 S. 8th St., 7 p.m. July 30. For $120, you get a four-course dinner paired with wines. Call 630-3631.
Chocolate fondue
The Melting Pot, 30 E. Pikes Peak Ave., invites chocoholics to celebrate World Chocolate Day all month with 24K Chocolate Fondue.
And why not? It’s Melting Pot’s golden anniversary.
For the 24K chocolate fondue, they melt smooth, silky milk chocolate fondue with cookie-butter caramel, swirling in toasted marshmallow, then topping it off with gilded pecans and liquid gold flambé. It’s a stunning showstopper, the perfect end to a perfect night out with the limited-time dessert. Details: 719-385-0300, facebook.com/TheMeltingPotofColoradoSprings.
contact the writer: 636-0271.
