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Article Launched: 08/10/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT entertainment | bars Oh, Monroe Tavern, let me count the ways By Ricardo Baca Denver Post Staff Writer

Monroe s is the place for happy-hour characters. (DP / Ricardo Baca )
I could start at the point we walked into the Monroe a few weeks ago. It was early happy hour, and Sade was bumping and grinding her way through "No Ordinary Love." There was also this older cat named Poodle, who danced entire jams by himself, and also answered the pay phone and acted the role of barback, cleaning up spills and collecting glasses. There also was the reluctant mother-daughter bartender duo who poured stiff drinks with quizzical smiles that spoke volumes about their divey surroundings. "I wasn't a fan of her working here, but what do I know," the mother said. And there's also Joan, one of my new best friends. The first time I met Joan, I knew we were meant to be bar buddies. We're similar in many ways, really. She's a champion of local music, and so am I. She's passionate about her convictions and is always up for debate, which I appreciate. And like me, she's also a fixture at Denver rock clubs. But I'm 29, and Joan is 54. Awesome. We hadn't known each other five minutes and we were already planning future happy hours and pitting our rock calendars against the other's. The path eventually led us to the Monroe, where we rocked the house along with Nichole, Erin and Tim to the tune of Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son." The outing was fully comedic, with five people drinking Advertisement heavily for three hours for $50. Tim told us that some scientists had discovered a new dinosaur and named it after Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler. (We didn't believe him, but it turns out he's right.) Poodle tried to dance with Joan but she wasn't having it, so instead he told us the story of his nickname. "It was '79," he said, "and I snuck in here to steal a newspaper so I could roll my own cigarette." From the sound of it, he never quite left. And the Monroe is better for his presence. He's a personality, and he's history. He's a good time, and he's a story. He's a great dancer, and next time I'm convinced Joan might rock out with him. ---------------------------------------- Monroe Tavern 3602 E. Colfax Ave., 303-333-4345 Funky: Poodle for mayor! Skunky: The jukebox, while it bumps, is due for an update.

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