Happy Friday: Here's a good place to find a date

In the Best of Denver 2011, we named Common Grounds the Best Coffeehouse for Finding a Date, thanks to the constant crowd of young professionals who mingle over cappuccinos. And because we're big proponents of ditching online dating and blind set-ups every now and then in favor of meeting people the old-fashioned way -- that is to say, face-to-face -- every Friday, we're bringing you a Denver spot that we think is particularly conducive to meeting available members of the dating pool.

This weekend, we think you should stop in at Root Down to look for a romantic partner in crime.

We're big fans of finding dates at happy hours, because spirits are high and blood alcohol is usually still relatively low. Root Down nabbed our Best Happy Hour award in Best of Denver 2011, and a young, attractive crowd packs into the campy bar, spilling out onto the sun-kissed front patio. At some point, the place approaches standing-room-only capacity, which means it's easy to rove between groups, drink in hand, and meet eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

Of course, this strategy could also work for Root Down's brunch, too, where long waits for tables -- and then long waits for food -- coupled with liquid courage from hangover-fighting bottomless mimosas should give you ample opportunity to strike up a conversation with someone in a party nearby. And since brunch usually doesn't merit the debauchery of a wild night out, the chances are higher that you can actually finagle a date -- before saying something you regret.

More places to find dates:

- Lola

- Adult spelling bees

- Great Divide

- The Atomic Cowboy

- Ale House at Amato's

- First Friday at Infinite Monkey Theorem