Among the customers on this particular evening were a few slightly goth-looking women who work at the salon a few doors down a couple of older women, one of whom had a shock of dyed pink hair and a large group of bros watching football. My friend and I sat inside for a bit, but upon hearing about the back patio, we stepped outside, and a couple of other friends joined us shortly thereafter. Sarah McGill I stopped in on a Saturday afternoon that was fading into night. (Sounds about right in a town that loves graffiti art like Kanye loves Kanye.) He says that he just lets them do whatever they want, because he can't afford to pay for custom murals. Oakes tells me that once a month, the Poodle team hosts a party while artists redo the exterior graffiti. It's fitting that the patio allows dogs (and not just poodles, I hear). There's also an inviting, graffiti-covered patio out back with a small stage for live music. Despite the black-and-blood-red paint job inside, large windows facing Broadway and whimsical art involving the bar's namesake dog breed keep the mood from getting too oppressive. The theme of the bar, which can best be described as heavy metal meets friendly animals, might be intimidating for some who aren't fans of the harder types of rock and roll, but no one here seemed scared. We met Oakes on our venture into the bar, and you can tell he knows a thing or two about food and running a bar. Coincidentally, the Brutal Poodle is also owned by some folks in a band, namely Ryan Oakes, Wes Moralez and David Yoshikawa of local metal act Son Survivor. The Poodle took over a building briefly occupied by the short-lived but much-hyped bar called the Overland (I never made it in there because it was open less than a year), which was was partly owned by Denver's favorite local-musician-made-good, Nathaniel Rateliff. One of the newer establishments on this stretch of South Broadway at only a year old, the Brutal Poodle is already getting to know and love its neighbors in the Overland, Platt Park and Rosedale ’hoods. I have been wanting to check out the Brutal Poodle since I heard the name because, let's face it, that's an amazing name for a bar.

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