Beer Today, Here Tomorrow

Here's my favorite story about the Mexico City Lounge -- a great neighborhood joint that was in the ballpark neighborhood long before Coors Field ever entered the picture. Back in the days when Denver having a Major League Team was just a pipe dream, Pete Coors was having lunch with some pals at the Mexico City, and the bar was having problems with its Coors tap.

So Pete went down in the basement (which couldn't have been pretty, because this storefront at 2115 Larimer Street dates back to Victorian days), fixed the tap, and then came back upstairs and finished his beer and tacos.

Now, just in time for the Colorado Rockies' first home game this season, the Mexico City Lounge has unveiled its long-anticipated facelift. Regulars thought it was exciting enough when Robert Muniz took over and gave the place a good cleaning (revealing that the floor was green, not brown), but now the linoleum floor has been replaced altogether with tile, and the walls are painted a nice, rustic gold. But while the look may be more upscale, somehow the classic cantina feel has been enhanced, not erased.

It helps, of course, that the kitchen still turns out the town's very best fried steak tacos, as well as terrific salsa, green chile served both mild and hot, and breakfast burritos that are sometimes the only reason to get up in the morning.

The Mexico City usually closes after lunch, but its hours stretch on game-day. For details, call 303-296-0563. -- Patricia Calhoun