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We recently had dinner and took in the show at the Adams Mystery Playhouse in Denver, CO (2406 Federal Blvd). The tickets to the show were a birthday present for Crystal, and we ended up going with a group of 6 people. Tickets were $39 per person (including our add-on group members). The show we attended was “Murder at an Irish Wake,” and the entire experience was fun. The ‘theater’ is actually a converted house, which according to the staff at the show, used to be a mortuary. The way they have the place setup is actually pretty cool; before the show starts the audience is brought into a parlor/waiting area with a cash bar, and anyone interested is given a scavenger hunt to complete while they wait. The scavenger hunt is simple, but it kept us entertained before we were seated.
During the pre-show mingling time, the cast of the show is also interacting and talking with the audience. I personally talked to ‘the priest’ - gave a confession, and had fun chatting with him for a few minutes. Crystal was given an audience role, as were a handful of other audience members, to encourage audience interaction. A pretty large area of the house was converted into a dining room with a small stage. Once we were allowed into the dining room to take a seat, the staff started bringing one table at a time over to go through the buffet of catered food, while they sang a few Irish and Scottish songs, and kept everyone entertained.
The catered dinner choices were actually more limited than I imagined they would be, but were decent quality. We had salad, fruit trays, rice pilaf, baked chicken, and bread to choose from. I took some of everything, and although basic, it was satisfying. I had been expecting at least two choices of dinner entrees, and I was somewhat disappointed to only find chicken. The rice was very tasty. On the tables were pitchers of lemonade and water, and alcoholic drinks and sodas were available for purchase at the cash bar in the parlor. For desert we were offered coffee along with brownies and pirouline type cookies on trays.
The show lasted from about 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, and was very funny and entertaining. The entire cast was good, and had excellent comedic timing as well as commitment to their roles. The plot of the “murder mystery” was actually surprisingly complex, and all of the audience involvement helped get people in the mood for solving the crime. The Irish theme of the show was fun, and fit well with the recency of St. Patrick’s Day. At the end of the show we were all asked to form our tables into teams and decide which of the characters was the culprit. The entire experience was fun, and there was a mood of relaxed humor throughout the night.
I enjoyed the entire production, and I was satisfied, if not impressed with dinner. I enjoyed the effort and commitment that many of the cast put into their roles, and I would definitely be interested in seeing what other shows they come up with in the future. I am not sure if I would be willing to pay $39 per person on a regular basis to enjoy these shows, but I can see it being a fun outing every few months. If you are looking for a unique way to spend a fun evening in Denver, I would recommend checking out what’s playing at the Adams Mystery Playhouse.
Adams Mystery Playhouse (Denver, CO):
4/5
4/5
Have you ever been to a dinner theater?
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Today I had the pleasure of eating at Jay’s Bistro in downtown Fort Collins. It was an incredibly convenient place to eat lunch, because I happen to work in the offices next door. My boss and I decided to eat there for a lunch meeting - but we also decided that it might as well count as our “holiday party” too (it’s still quite a small company). This was my first dining experience at Jay’s, but I have heard a lot of positive things about them in the past, so I had high expectations. I was surprised by how many people were dining there for lunch, and the crowd made for a good atmosphere - the people gave the restaurant a warm, inviting, and energetic feeling.
We sat in a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, and even though there were plenty of people seated around us, it felt more private than most restaurant booths, and we were able to carry on a conversation without really hearing other people’s conversations. The atmosphere in Jay’s is very stylish, and they went a little overboard with their Christmas decorations (think formally dressed dolls), but it was warm and welcoming.
The staff were all very nice and polite. Our server gave us excellent service, he checked on us regularly to refill drinks and find out if we were doing well.
We were served freshly baked bread as an appetizer, and it was very soft, fluffy, and enjoyable. Included with the bread was a tray with plain butter, some sort of spicy butter, and what I think was a fruit jam. I tried the spicy butter and it was pretty good, but I didn’t try the jam.
The menu had a great variety of choices, so many good things in fact that I seriously had a hard time deciding between 2 or 3 different dishes, but I finally settled on “The New Yorker” ($9). The New Yorker is a sandwich described on the menu as, “Our popular Seasoned Corned Beef Reuben with Housemade Sauerkraut, Gruyere Cheese on Pumpernickel with Russian Dressing and Fries” (check out the website menu). 
I believe my sandwich had marble rye bread, and not pumpernickel, but it was delicious anyway. The corned beef was seasoned very well, and tasted great. Although I am usually not a fan of sauerkraut (even on ruebens), it was the perfect compliment to this sandwich, and it had a unique taste. The gruyere cheese was very melty and added a lot to the sandwich, as did the russian dressing. Overall, this sandwich was the perfect combo of quality ingredients, and every bite was scrumptious. The fries were a good compliment to the sandwich, they were seasoned well, and didn’t even require salt. I ate everything on my plate, and even though my appetite was satisfied, I was left craving more.
My boss ordered Linguini with Clams, which she described as, “very, very good.” We decided not to get any dessert, as we were both too full to eat any, but I would love to return to Jay’s sometime in the near future to try their famed chocolate raviolis.
This isn’t necessarily a cheap place to eat for lunch, all the entrees ranged from $8 to about $13, but it was definitely worth the experience, especially since the business paid for my meal :) I plan to go back to Jay’s in the coming months to experience their dinner menu as well, and I will give you all an update when I do.
Atmosphere: 4/5 (would be a 5, if the creepy christmas dolls weren’t sitting above my table)
4/5 (would be a 5, if the creepy christmas dolls weren’t sitting above my table)
Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Price: 3/5 (slightly pricey for lunch)
Overall Rating:
Have you ever been to Jay’s? What did you think? Have any restaurant recommendations for me?
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