Two Denver-area bars named among best in America

Zoom in: Traveling Mercies — which debuted in December on the top floor of Aurora's Stanley Marketplace — is James Beard Award-winning chef Caroline Glover's second restaurant.

• The 28-seat cocktail and oyster bar features a seafood-centric menu and coastal-inspired wines and spirits.
• Esquire recommends a sake-infused oyster shooter and a couple of "bone-dry" sherry-and-gin martinis to drink.

Sunday Vinyl is a music-driven wine bar that opened in 2019 near Denver's Union Station. It was nominated for a James Beard Award this year for its "outstanding wine and beverage program."

• The dinner destination is part of the award-winning hospitality group that includes Tavernetta next door and Michelin-starred Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder.
• Esquire suggests sampling one of the wine flights of some "cellar gems."

Zoom out: Traveling Mercies and Sunday Vinyl join Denver's Yacht Club on the top shelf.

• Yacht Club received international recognition last year when it was named among North America's 50 Best Bars.