Ignore Jaya Asian Grill’s unassuming exterior and dive into the host of tasty menu options.

Strip-mall location, nondescript storefront, generic name: Looking at Jaya Asian Grill from the outside, I was hard put to distinguish it from the average greasy chopstick where some jack-of-all-noodles, master of none, blurs the lines between pad, mein and bun. But I’m glad I finally managed, because from the inside, Jaya resembles the sort of Eastern gem that remains all too rare in these parts.

Granted, it doesn’t exactly sparkle. The entry staircase leads down to a small, spare basement space brightened only slightly by chile- red walls. But a full bar in the corner offers a glimmer of recognition that Jaya’s no typical takeout joint. So does the wine list, which promises “a constantly changing selection of wines to suit your palate.” Sure, it lists only four varietals. But order one and then watch, charmed, as your smiling waitress plucks three or four different bottles from a shelf behind the bar and plunks them down on your table for you to scrutinize.

Of course, it’s the multifaceted menu that really shines.

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Does Brandi Shigley know something you don’t? Head to the Oriental Theater on Saturday to find out. Photo from MySpace.com.

If Brandi Shigley looks familiar, it’s because she is. The busy designer and entrepreneur is all over town as the brains behind Fashion Denver and the small business and marketing company B.23, as well as a “co-fabricator” with the on-hiatus Fabricate magazine.

Get ready to add another notch to resume: Shigley will debut her new band, the playful, melody-drenched b.sous (pronounced “bee sue”) at the Oriental Theater on Saturday as part of Fashion Denver’s Fresh Spring Fashion Market.

We recently e-mailed Brandi some questions about Fashion Denver, this weekend’s event and her band, which also includes Jon DeStefano (Hate F*ck Trio), Brian Hendrick (Separate Cars, Blast Off Heads) and, for the next couple shows, Ani DiFranco drummer Daren Hahn .

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Dour as he seems, this gargoyle just wants to party. No seriously.

Goths get a bad rap on a lot of things. People get freaked out by the piercings, the boots, the grinding music. Some think they’re bloodsucking vampires. Others just think they’re, like, so weird.

One of the biggest goth misconceptions is that they don’t have fun. That they’re gloomy ghouls who only want to sit together, miserably staring into their beers. Tina Berger-Everroad begs to differ. She thinks that, like everyone else, the goths want to dance.

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Hungry? Hope you like beef, because that’s the main course at Columbine Steak House and Lounge.

Gazing at the Columbine Steak House and Lounge’s glowing yellow sign, one might expect a meal there to unfold like the delicate state flower that shares its name.

Instead, it’s all about hunks of steak and jaunty martinis.

The Columbine Steak House takes its food seriously. Diners come here to eat meat and eat it quickly. There are no fancy appetizers, no elaborate garnishes, and good luck if you’re a vegetarian.

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The ladies of Burlesque As It Was. Photo courtesy of Michelle Baldwin.

The lovely artists of Denver’s Burlesque As It Was — which is celebrating ten years this summer — have moved over from downtown’s cozy but limiting Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret to the Soiled Dove Underground — and they brought a new show with them.

“Springtime in Paris: A Night at the Moulin Rouge” adds just the right neo-burlesque touch to familiar French imagery (maids, the can-can) while introducing new host Big Mama Red. We spoke with Burlesque As It Was founder Michelle Baldwin, a.k.a. Vivienne VaVoom, in advance of Saturday’s premiere show.

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