The Pole
Ear to the ground

“We call that the ‘Jim Jones’ – grape juice and vodka.”
– Local talking about one of his preferred summer cocktails

At last: an app app
Sometimes, not even Suri can help you decide between red or white. So, what’s a diehard applehead/wine connoisseur to do? Look no further than Season’s Rotisserie and Grill, where diners will now be handed an interactive digital Ipad wine menu along with their basket of free bread.

Seasons recently incorporated “Uncorkd,” a digital menu app developed by Chicago-based Ideavation. The iPad menus will allow diners to view wine descriptions, tasting notes and help demystify the art of food and wine pairings.

According to Josh Saunders, CEO of Ideavation, the “innovative approach” is meant to relieve diners of the oft agonizing wine-making decision over what in the world to pair with lamb shanks. “Selecting wine is intimidating and overwhelming for most diners.,” said Saunders. “The Uncorkd platform helps customers feel more confident making a wine selection.”

Seasons’ owner Karen Barger also said the app will benefit waitstaff as well. “We pride ourselves on our dependable and professional wait staff who go through great lengths to ensure the quality and consistency of the dining experience,” she said. “The move to the digital menus was something that we feel confident will only further enhance our hospitality.”

No word on whether the Ipads will arrive in a special spillproof case.


“Ni hao,” China
With nearly 1.4 billion speakers nationwide, chances are knowing a little Chinese may come in handy in the not so distant future. But for a long time, the only option for most Durangoans was a trip across the globe or Rosetta Stone.

But now, the Waking Tiger is coming to Durango. The Durango Adult Education Center has announced “Conversational Chinese,” which will be taught by a native Chinese speaker. The basic class will introduce useful phrases in Mandarin and emphasize common functions and verbal communication by focusing on vocabulary and sentence structure. And best of all, no prior knowledge of Chinese is necessary.

The class will be held twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Aug. 28 – Oct. 25. Cost is $135 and pre-registration is required.
For more information, call 970-385-4354.