Nightlife in Denver

Fill up on fare at 5280's editor's pick for Top New Bar with today's Groupon. For $25, you'll get $50 worth of hearty grub and Colorado-based brews at Jonesy's EatBar, a warm and cuddly dinnery that houses an original soda fountain from an original 1950s pharmacy.

Welcome to Groupon Denver! For our inaugural deal, $7 gets you a ticket to the Impulse Theater, located at 1634 18th St.—that's 61% off a retail value of $18 worth of laughs. You're probably thinking, "That sounds great, but I've never bought a car or a computer without first reading the Wikipedia definitions for car and computer—I'm not about to buy a Groupon either without a briefing." Well neither would we, and since this is everyone's first Groupon, allow us to briefly explain how it works.

Urban Dare Adventure Race is a fast-paced competition that challenges two-person teams to decipher clues, navigate the city, and perform playful stunts. A dozen trivia-based clues lead contestants to checkpoints all over Los Angeles, where they must use a camera to document their presence and, in some cases, the completion of challenges, such as scaling a wall or shooting hoops. In addition to running and walking, contestants may use public transportation to move from checkpoint to checkpoint, though taxis, cars, and bikes are off-limits. Races generally last less than four hours, and the winning team receives free entry in the Super Dare, a cruise-based take on the Urban Dare concept that features a $5,000 grand prize. Proceeds from the race are used to help battle breast cancer.

Hamburger Mary's expert sandwich stackers plate up an array of classic American fare to fill stomachs to the brim within a quirky, charismatic setting. Like a George Washington–inspired leisure suit collection, the burger-laden menu fuses traditional and modern tastes, creating half-pound Angus delicacies such as the Queen Mary burger, with melted cheddar and monterey jack, grilled onions, and applewood-smoked bacon ($10.95). Anchor incisors into the blue-cheesy Blue Boy burger with applewood-smoked bacon ($10.95), or start a mouth fire with the Mile High Flamer, smothered in homemade green chili and topped with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and diced tomatoes ($11.50). The Saturday and Sunday brunch serves up midmorning munchables, such as the California Benedict, featuring two poached eggs, tomatoes, and avocados atop an english muffin, all drizzled in hollandaise sauce ($9.95). Wash down early eats with a Smirnoff Bloody Mary ($4) or a mimosa ($2), soothing the week's damages like a Barry White lullaby.

You'll discover all manner of delicious meats tucked into the crunchy bolillo rolls of Ay Caramba!'s tortas, including plump chipotle shrimp, tender pulled beef, and pork that's been braised in Negro Modelo for more than 20 hours. The eatery's chefs whip up more than a dozen varieties of these traditional Mexican street sandwiches, dabbing fresh rolls from a local bakery with refried beans, cilantro butter, and adobo chipotle aioli before piling on the meats and veggies. As chefs whip up tortas, guacamole, and Mexican snacks in the kitchen, bartenders keep busy behind the bar. They blend tequila-infused cocktails with fresh juices such as tart limeade and tangy grapefruit juice, and then add in inspired ingredients such as charred serrano pepper and muddle jalapenos.

A lively crowd of carousers can easily pack into the two-story seating area, which features leather banquettes and rustic wooden tabletops. The walls of the colorful, contemporary space are decorated with strings of colorful lights, vivid paintings, and old black-and-white photographs of mariachis strumming guitars and furtively giving each other bunny ears.

Surf 'n' turf at Opus doesn't mean steak and lobster. Instead, Chef Sean McGaughey pairs braised beef cheek with Atlantic monkfish, arraying them with glazed vegetables and bay-leaf butter in one of the restaurant's artful platings. It's one example of how McGaughey defies expectations at the combined restaurant and wine bar, where he merges French and Old World influences with contemporary American cuisine.

A salad might feature pink grapefruit flavored with black-pepper jam instead of lettuce. Hollandaise might be a foam instead of a sauce. And the burger you get from the menu isn't ground beef, but buffalo. For diners who love surprise so much they're engaged to a jack-in-the-box, the chef also prepares two separate tasting menus—one for omnivores and one for vegetarians. Each course has a suggested wine pairing, featuring sips from destinations such as Austria, France, and Chile. The weekend brunch menu is likewise international, with soufflé pancakes and waffle BLTs embodying the eternal battle of sweet versus savory.