School Days The Sink is still a CU destination By Catherine Christiansen, Camera Restaurant Critic February 25, 2005

Joshua Lawton University of Colorado students Keith 'Bubba' Carr, 22, at left, and Chris Pace, 23, in beanie hat, enjoy a hamburger and a beer for dinner at the Sink on Friday.

When my mom was a sorority, girl it was the FAC hangout. They played Bill Haley and the Comets and, late at night, Henry Mancini. She drank beer and ate fat burgers and the guys wore khakis and penny loafers and girls wore wool pencil skirts and dickeys with Peter Pan collars.

When I was a disaffected journalism student with no tolerance for sorority-type fluff, it still was an FAC hangout. They played Jimi Hendrix and Van Morrison while we drank beer and ate fat burgers and the guys wore Levis that fit and girls wore tight Calvins.

When I visited with my 4-year-old niece last week, they were playing Jimi and Van Morrison, drinking beer and eating fat burgers, and the guys wore pants that sadly drooped to their knees while the girls wore low-rise jeans that squeezed their flesh out of the top like tubes of toothpaste.

Apparently, only the styles have changed at the Sink. It's gone through several owners, name changes and truckloads of beer, and it's still a place where college kids drink, flirt and load up on good grub.

On the low ceiling, layers of graffiti read like an archeological timeline, the floor has never stopped being sticky, and the walls boast wild and timeless beatnik paintings.

It's officially been called the Sink since 1949, with a short spell as Herbie's. Current owners Chris and Mark Heinritz have remodeled and dolled it up a bit, but its funky, beer-soaked character remains.

When I visited, I found food that's a serious notch above your average beer joint. In fact, even with a raucous atmosphere, slammed kitchen and overworked servers, dinner both Friday and Saturday night was darn good.

FOOD 1/2
SERVICE
AMBIENCE 1/2
$$

1165 13th St., Boulder. (303) 444-7465. American. Hours: Daily, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (kitchen hours only; bar stays open later). Reservations for parties of 10 or more. All major credit cards, checks. Wheelchair accessible. Vegetarian entrees. Noise level: High. Recommended dishes: Great West burger, salmon salad, California melts, calzones.

The chef is Chautauqua alum Miles Mormon, and he and his rockin' kitchen staff crank out everything from burgers to roasted salmon with red pepper polenta.

A friend and I were seated in a booth that allowed for observation of the mating rituals of 20-year-olds. After taking in the coif flipping and meaningful glances, we concentrated on the food, beginning with the California melt ($7.95). Clearly invented by someone with the munchies, it pairs avocado with brie luxuriously melted on French bread with cool salsa cruda on the side.

An impeccably executed salmon filet elevated the sesame-crusted salmon salad ($10.95) to something really swell. Perfectly pink, firm and luscious all the way through, it developed even more under a glaze of teriyaki that flavored the greens. On the side, a ramekin of tomatoey Greek dressing was a little weird but my dining companion deemed the dish a happy accident.

The verde verde calzone ($8.95) had a slow start but once the flavors melded it became another winner. Spinach, green peppers, pesto, feta, ricotta and mozzarella filled the crisp and tender crust, and we couldn't resist the dangerous portion of sweet roasted garlic.