As you all know, large cities like New York and Chicago are very diverse. There are plenty of opportunities to explore a new culture in Chinatown, Brighton Beach or Italian village. Such diversity is more difficult to find it in other cities and states. Yet, the students who take Russian classes with us in Colorado know where to find some good Russian food and drinks and practice their speaking skills. We often take them on field trips to places around the state of Colorado where Russians have rather active communities. We will help you find everything Russian in the Centennial State. So if you are interested in Russian culture and want to explore what this beautiful state has to offer, know that there is more to Colorado than beautiful mountains and rocks!
Restaurants and Cafes
Red Square Bistro (http://www.redsquarebistro.com) in the heart of downtown Denver seems like an obvious choice but the food is more European than Russian here and there probably won’t be many Russian speakers there. What you will definitely find is a good selection of Russian style shots (with great dill pickles!) and some Russian beer. The place is a bit pricey.
Little Europe (http://www.littleeuropedenver.com) in the Denver suburbs is not overly fancy but is a good place to practice your Russian (the owner and the waiters are Russians). Try borscht, vareniki or pelmeni here. You can also try some famous Georgian wine here –Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara.
David’s Kebab House (http://www.davidskebabhouse.com) in Denver is simple and unpretentious, but if you have a craving for Georgian or other Central Asian food, this is the place to go! Try khachapuri (a Georgian cheese bread), chebureki (fried turnover with a filling of minced meat), lagman (Uzbek noodle soup) or golubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls). Meat shish kebabs are good too. Don’t miss the authentic Russian desserts – Napoleon cake and Chak-Chak (Tatar honey cake). They have some Russian and Ukrainian beer as well as Russian Standard vodka. It’s also a perfect place to practice your reading skills since they have a menu in Russian! A good place for lunch if you are in the Cherry Creek area.
Denver area also has some other interesting ethnic cafes such as Mirage in Aurora (http://www.miragesteakandseafood.com), National (not far from David’s Kebab House) and Kavkaz Bakery in Arvada (http://bakeryarvada.com).
The real gem in Colorado is the coffee chain DazBog (http://www.dazbog.com). It was founded by two Russian immigrants and is now expanding all over the state from Fort Collins to Castle Rock. They have fun designs with Cyrillic letters on the walls and great accessories as gifts for friends who are fond of Russian culture or just like how the alphabet looks. White Nights Espresso, KGBlend and Hermitage House Blend are some of the highlights.
Sparks Coffee in Denver is a cute local business that offers Russian pastries, chebureki and some other food. The coffee selection is great and the place is cozy.
Is there anything outside of Denver? Yes, Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder (1770 13th St.) is a gorgeous place with a nice creek-side patio. The tea house was a gift by the city of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Traditional afternoon tea features over 80 premium teas and it can provide a good educational experience on Central Asia.
Another interesting place outside of Denver is the cute little European Café (http://europeancafemanitou.com) in Manitou Springs. Located on the main street of this little mountain town, it serves breakfast and lunch. Choose Russian style pierogi or borscht and you might get a chance to speak Russian with your waiter.
Groceries
Denver has a lot of Russian grocery stores considering its size! You can visit them all and choose your favorite. We recommend M&I International Market (http://mandiinternationalmarket.com) in Denver. It’s a true Russian experience. As you step inside, you’ll see the best selection of fresh-baked bread, home-made salads and sugary goodies for your sweet tooth – Napoleon cake, Medovik (honey cake), fresh delicious Kartoshka pastries and etc. It has fresh smoked salmon and all kinds of mors (berry drinks) and pickled vegetables. Russians love to pickle just about anything, and it’s delicious!
Other good options include Royal Meat and Deli in Aurora, European Mart in Denver, Europa Grocery (http://www.europaworlddeli.com) in Aurora, Ukraine Market in Arvada and European Delicious in Arvada. Not a bad selection!
If you are in Colorado Springs, your only place for pelmeni (Russian dumplings) and some other goodies is the little store Euro Market & Deli (http://www.eurodelionline.com).
Paperwork
Russian ATA-certified translators, Cloudberry Language Solutions (www.cloudberrylanguageschool.com, 773-942-6262)
If you need your diploma or birth certificate translated to English by an ATA- certified translator, look no further. It’s very affordable and fast compared to other places. $50 to $100 per document depending on the document.
Russian visa – Tra-visa, www.travisa.com
Need a visa to Russia? There are many agencies out there that can help. The process is cumbersome but Tra-visa is highly experienced and responsive.
Business
Russian language & cultural training – Cloudberry Language School (Colorado Springs and Denver, www.cloudberrylanguageschool.com)
There is simply no better place for Russian language classes in Colorado. This is the only school in the country that focuses on teaching non-traditional languages and Russian is their strongest one (followed by Mandarin and Arabic). They work with both adults and children (including heritage speakers!) and do amazing corporate cross-cultural training to prepare employees for relocating to Russia, Ukraine or Kazakhstan. They have developed one-of-a-kind pre-travel programs as well as courses for bilingual and adopted children with Russian language background.
Russian interpreters – Cloudberry Language Solutions (www.cloudberrylanguageschool.com/translation-and-interpreting)
If you need an interpreter for a meeting with a client or a colleague from Russia, you can find one here. Cloudberry is not only a language school, it’s a one-stop language services company. If your company is adopting a commercial for the Russian market, Cloudberry is the place to go.
Children
Russian Language Lessons (Denver, Colorado Springs, Chicago and online around the world) – http://cloudberrylanguageschool.com
Cloudberry focuses on Russian, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic languages – critical and most spoken in the world but less commonly taught in the US. They have a good heritage program designed for children speaking another language at home. At Cloudberry they believe it is essential to teach language and culture together. Their programs foster true bilinguals and boost children's speaking, writing and reading skills. Cloudberry also offers innovative language and culture classes for children adopted from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and China.
Russian Ballet School in Denver – http://classicalballetofcolorado.com
Behind a simple sign of Zamuel Ballet School (http://www.zamuelballet.com) in Colorado Springs you’ll find a nice studio with highly professional trainers. The owners graduated from the world-renowned Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy. This place always has a good environment and beautiful music !Ethnic Dancing – http://www.awdance.com The owner is from Uzbekistan and speaks Russian.
Guitar lessons in Russian – http://gren-music.com
Annual Festival for Russian children – http://hmgweb.wix.com/russian-childrens-festival/crcf-2012#!__crcf-2012
Art & Media
Russian press – Some local Russian language newspapers are Gorizont and Russian Denver.
Russian library (http://arapahoelibraries.org/may) Eloise May Library is called a Russian library among locals. There are many books in Russian and many staff members speak Russian.
Russian Book Store (http://www.vipbookdvd.com) – here you can not only buy books but also some Russian souvenirs such matryoshkas, CDs with Russian music and t-shirts.
European Festival (http://www.eurofestival.us) – family friendly one-day event with lots of European foods, drinks and performing arts.
Beauty & Health
There are two major places to try Russian style saunas, or banyas: Banya Spa (http://www.banya-spa.com) in Denver and Izba Spa (www.izbaspa.com) in Parker.
Do you need a Russian speaking dentist? http://www.accorddental.org/contact_us.html
You can find some Russian products and medicine in Cherry Creek Pharmacy – http://www.cherrycreekpharmacy.com
Russian Martial Arts (http://www.systemacolorado.com) The owner of the studio was certified in Russia by both Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko (http://www.russianmartialart.com/founders.php) and is currently the only affiliated, senior Instructor of “The System” under Vladimir Vasiliev in the state of Colorado.
Have fun exploring!