Bender’s Sports Bar and Grill

Your humble food scribe is a veteran of the fabulous newspaper biz. One of my biggest influences was the great Ralph Moore, my eighth-grade football coach at St. Anne’s in Arvada who covered golf for The Denver Post to award-winning effect. Current conditions at newspapers are difficult, and I mourn the recent casualties—especially Post sports columnist Jim Armstrong, whose “Opening Shots” was always a great read; I appreciated the huge amount of work and savvy it required.

These days Jim is the proprietor of Bender’s Sports Bar and Grill, located in the Ice Centre at the Promenade, bringing the same smarts and discipline to his foray into the slightly more fabulous restaurant biz. “It’s something I always wanted to do,” he shrugs. He knows sports. He knows bars (I have fond memories of some legendary sessions at Brooklyn’s). So why wouldn’t he know sports bars? Bender’s offers more sports viewing than any other local bar, and Avs and NHL fans consider it the top hockey hangout (the Ice Centre provides a built-in clientele, and out-of-town guests at the nearby Westminster Westin find a road haven to follow their teams). Great service, lots of memorabilia, fun atmosphere—when the hockey slang starts flying and some guy yells, “Go top cheddar on that tender,” he’s not ordering a cheeseburger.

But he should. Jim has made his mark on the menu, increasing the simple satisfaction of bar food with the help of Chef Nate, his impressive young charge. Consider the wings, as I always do: Jim buys a premium wing and, instead of frying it raw, par-bakes it until fully cooked. He then fries the wing, rendering much of the fat gone and keeping the skin crispy. There’s a number of delicious burger options. The Huevos Ranchero, served open face, is smothered in green chile and topped with cheddarjack cheese, pico de gallo, scallions and a fried egg. Order the Hang Over if you crave a cheese overload to salve self-inflicted wounds—it’s smothered in soft, creamy Boursin cheese and a whiskey peppercorn sauce.

But the larger menu has some nice touches. The Hot Queso appetizer with Mexi beef or chicken achieves the desired solid, smooth consistency, and Reuben Egg Rolls are a finger- food twist on the classic sandwich. Of the sandwiches, the Honey Turkey Bavarian is a winner, with Swiss, bacon and honey mustard on…a toasted pretzel roll. Plus many creative entrees give an edge to Bender’s—my wife loved the Signature Salmon with balsamic glaze and candied pecans; a cohort enjoyed the Teriyaki Chicken with grilled pineapple. I coveted the Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie à la Mode delivered to another table; too bad I filled up on wings early.

Jim is typically sanguine about his impressive scope. “We try to make everything go good with cold beer,” he explains. “Or just have more cold beer.”

10710 Westminster Blvd.; 303-974-5215; benderssportsbar.com

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.