I recently profiled Jim Pittenger of Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, purveyor of elk, reindeer, and jack-a-lope wieners, for Confluence Denver. Read it here.

It's July 23 and the bountiful winter means there are still a few turns to be had in Telluride. I figure the first snow will hit in about two months. I love Colorado.

At Alameda and Knox, the gateway to the Barnum neighborhood.

I'm a sucker for octopi, so the cephalopod mural on the wall at Stoic & Genuine immediately grabbed me. (Puns somewhat intended.) But then I tasted the food, and the fresh oysters, jumbo shrimp, mussel soup, and lobster rolls proved every bit as engrossing as the tentacled artwork by Denver artist Lui Ferreyra. 

It's opening July 9 as the first of four new restaurants at the $500 million Union Station redevelopment in LoDo, and it definitely looks like a keeper.

I asked Jennifer Jasinski, the chef/owner, about the Stoic & Genuine moniker. She said it emerged from a conversation that snaked its way around the country, and led to a bicoastal analysis. "The East Coast is stoic," she said, "and the West Coast is genuine." To this end, the eatery will have fresh seafood flown in daily from both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

But I can't get enough of that octopus -- I'll definitely be back.

1701 Wynkoop St., in Union Station; 303-640-3474; www.stoicandgenuine.com.