Amuzé at the FAC

If you were worried about the future of Café 36 and Deco Lounge dining, worry no longer. Even esteemed food critic, Ms. Farney, recognizes that the FAC kitchen is in good hands with our new partner and local award-magnet, Amuzé.

Café 36 will be CLOSED June 1-2 to reopen June 3 as "Amuzé at the FAC."

Our new restaurant, Amuzé at the FAC (pronounced AH-muz-ā) will initially be open for lunch on Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning on June 3. Call 719.477.4377 for reservations and stay tuned for the new menu, created by Chef Bill Sherman to complement the FAC experience. We can't wait. Here's what Chef Sherman has to say about his approach to cuisine: "We craft food from an artistic perspective. When we consider any item on our menu, the first requirement is … it has to taste fantastic. We are very much into food architecture, the depth and the color. For us, food is art."

Recent Awards and Reviews: 

Gazette, Best of the Springs, 2010: Best Hidden Gem
“Located in an historical station agent's house on the Rio Grande Railway in Palmer Lake, this intimate, special-occasion bistro specializes in local ingredients prepared in classic French style. Then again, you can't go wrong with the diver scallops with lobster ravioli, either.”

The Independent: “Palmer Lake bistro hits all the right notes with its masterfully crafted menu. The resulting composition could be called art before food.”

Tri-Lakes Tribune: “Cuisine and presentation distinguish Amuzé … truly offers a unique bistro dining experience.”

"Best of The Pikes Peak Area Chefs: Best Appetizer" - 2010 Glass Slipper Ball

FAC In good company with Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day (May 31) through Labor Day (September 6, 2010).

At the FAC, we'll start early and offering free admission from May 27 through September 5, since we're closed on Mondays.

More than 600 museums in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are participating in Blue Star Museums. These include children’s museums, fine art museums, history and science museums. The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is in good company with the likes of the Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Surf Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, Leadville's National Mining Hall of Fame Museum, and many more.

For a full list of participating museums, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families -- an organization which supports military families and increases awareness of the unique challenges of military life -- and more than 600 museums. To learn more about Blue Star Families, please visit BlueStarFam.org.

Thanks for making us the Best Of Colorado Springs

Dear Colorado Springs, we love you too! The FAC Museum, Exhibits, and Theatre Productions pulled in 15 Gazette Best of Awards:

Best Museum Gold Winner
Fine Arts Center
The Fine Arts Center seemed to find a fascinating balance this year. Instead of putting most of its eggs in the blockbuster touring art shows, the center mixed local and national artists around fascinating and provocative themes, such as NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration and Conflict | Resolution.

Best Local Exhibit Gold Winner
NASA | ART
Using the NASA touring exhibition as a foundation, this ambitious show ventured into new territory by mounting the space-related work of local artists - Vance Kirkland, Eric Bransby, Monica Aeillo and. The additional programming, which extended to the Bemis School of Art, lectures and a film festival, were fun, engaging and downright daring. "NYC in our own backyard," wrote one reader.

Best Actor Gold Winner
Marco Robinson
As Eugene in the Fine Arts Center's Broadway Bound, the young actor was both the narrator and central character. If his interactions with brother Stanley seemed particularly natural, maybe that's because Stanley has been played by his real-life brother, Oscar. Robinson also brought life to the Fine Arts Center's Christmas Survival Guide.

Best Actress Gold Winner
Eryn Carmen
With her flawless comic delivery and boundless charm, this vivacious actress did the impossible: she managed to make a manipulative murderess (in the Fine Arts Center's Sweeney Todd) lovable. And she's got some powerhouse pipes to boot.

Best Choreography Gold Winner
A Christmas Survival Guide
Michael E. Gold's jazzy, fresh and inventive choreography pumped plenty of life into the Fine Arts Center's musical about the joy and stresses of the holiday season.

Best Choreography GAZETTE PICK

The Music Man
Mary Ripper Baker created some of her most demanding routines yet for this beloved musical, but the Fine Arts Center's all-ages cast members made them look easy, captivating the audience with their infectious energy.

Best Set Gold Winner
Sweeney Todd
In this deliciously black comedy, Christopher L. Sheley's massive, multilevel set evoked its own grim mood, including the creepy shadows of the asylum and the fiery depths of Mrs. Lovett's kitchen. And who can forget that ultracool barber chair?

Best Costumes Gold Winner
Sweeney Todd
Though new to the Fine Arts Center, Nicole Harrison has already proved her consummate artistry in this show, creating an array of eye-catching costumes that look like they stepped right out of a Dickens novel.


Best Musical Gold Winner
Sweeney Todd
In a production that would have impressed Stephen Sondheim himself, the brilliant cast and top-notch design team worked hand in bloody hand to remind us just how powerful a really great musical can be.

Best Play Gold Winner
Broadway Bound
For the third installment of Neil Simon's Eugene trilogy, the Fine Arts Center brought back veteran actors from the first two, a cast that has become the first family of the local theater scene. Readers said: "Best play I've seen in a really long time"; "Amy Brooks is a star"; "The FAC gets better with each production."

Best Gallery Silver Winner
Fine Arts Center

Best Local Exhibit Bronze Winner
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero

Best Play Bronze Winner

Sweeney Todd

Best Actress Bronze Winner
Amy Brooks

Best Theater Company Bronze Winner
FAC Theater Company