Burgers, Pizza and Seafood with a Side of Local Color

If museums preserve and exhibit historical artifacts, then The Sink, one of Boulder’s most famous landmarks, is as much a museum as a restaurant and bar. Since opening in 1923, The Sink has undergone numerous transformations, from a “sunken garden” and postwar diner to fine dining and, finally, a funky and popular student hangout on the Hill. Through it all, The Sink has served up good food, good times and a healthy dose of local history.

A host of people have passed through The Sink, and many left their names on the ceiling. No one knows how far back the list goes, but from time to time people drop in to see their names scrawled there during a distant visit. Tables are covered with newspaper memorabilia—an old clipping of the snow-dusted Flatirons is faded but vividly captures the past—and old photos span the decades. One shows the original building, built in 1900, with the original turrets. Another shows a smiling University of Colorado homecoming class. A menu dated Dec. 14, 1947, lists roast sirloin, $1.10 shrimp, beef tenderloin and a ground steak sandwich, now the Sinkburger, for 35 cents. A note at the bottom reads: “In cooperation with the Government’s Conservation Policy, bread and butter will not be served at lunch and dinner unless requested from servers.”

The Sink’s front room ceiling is covered with a parodic painting reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings. Known as “The Sinkstine Chapel,” the drawing portrays God handing a cheeseburger to Adam with the accompanying words, “In the beginning God created the meat and the cheese and the sauce, and on the eighth day man created the Sinkburger and it was good.” Indeed, the half-pounder with hickory sauce is The Sink’s trademark meal.

Other eye-catching items include unusual cartoon murals created by Llloyd Kavish (he says the extra l is “just for the ’ell of it”). One titled “Escape From Yourself” features a person escaping from his own head. “The Rat Room” shows a picture of climbing rats, in honor of “The Sink rats”—people who spend inordinate amounts of time studying, socializing and eating at The Sink. Another wall boasts caricatures of real people. For those who’d like to take home a bit of this local lore, the restaurant’s cartoon murals are about to be immortalized on a new line of T-shirts.

A Slice of Time

Since the beginning, The Sink has had surprisingly few owners. It began in 1923 as Sommer Sunken Gardens—Sommer was the owner’s name—and had a large sunken fountain in the main dining room; hence, its nickname, “the sink.” A CU alum bought the place in 1949 and made the name official. In the early days, “the menu was fine dining, with shrimp and steak and that sort of thing, but the layout is still essentially the same,” says current owner Mark Heinritz, who bought The Sink in 1992 with his brother Chris. They bought it from Herb Kauvar, whose family ran it for 34 years and also owned Tulagi, a popular nightclub half a block away. “We had an opportunity, Herb was looking to sell and we liked what The Sink was about,” Heinritz says. “It had a future to it that we could work with.”

From 1970 to 1985, The Sink was Herbie’s Deli. Although the Sinkburger remained, the wall art was covered with pine-board paneling until 1989, when The Sink’s original artwork was revealed and the restaurant, complete with a full bar, was reborn. Through all the twists and turns (it became The Sink again in 1985), The Sink has been a place where CU students hang out. “It’s become a local icon and has always been a part of student life,” Heinritz says, “but families love to bring their kids here, too.”

For those whose memories of The Sink engender a sense of nostalgia, return visits are inevitable. Heinritz says people who met their spouses at The Sink often come back to celebrate anniversaries. He recalls one couple who celebrated their 50th anniversary there. “It gives people a lot of pleasure to come back to a place that is still here and is unchanged,” he says.

One celebrity who occasionally returns is actor Robert Redford, a janitor at The Sink in 1955. “He cleaned the floors at night and got the place clean for the next day,” Heinritz says. “He often stops through when he’s in town.” Other famous visitors include Dave Matthews, Martin Sexton, Big Head Todd Park Mohr and Widespread Panic band members, as well as famous athletes. The Sink is also featured in several segments of an upcoming motion picture, Spring Break: The Movie.

More is Better

While much has remained the same about The Sink, Heinritz embraces change for the sake of improvement. Three years ago, he hired Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Rolfe Loomis, and the quality of the food improved immensely. In addition to the famous Sinkburger, The Sink also offers salmon fish and chips, blackened tuna steak and the legendary Sink Whiskey Steak, a marinated 12-ounce rib-eye steak served with Jack Daniel’s dipping sauce, salad and choice of potato. A full complement of meatless pasta dishes, build-your-own pizzas and calzones, soups, salads and desserts are sure to please everyone.

“Hiring Rolfe improved everything,” Heinritz says. “Now we have consistency and good quality. We’ve been upgrading and broadening the menu. It’s been a work in progress.”

Since its earliest days, The Sink’s trademark “Sink Angel” painted above the entry has watched over the restaurant and its patrons. Some say the angel has ensured The Sink’s longevity. Whatever the case, The Sink will surely continue to be a part of Boulder’s community and history for a long time to come.

The Sink is at 1165 13th St.; the phone number is 303-444-7465. To read more about The Sink’s storied past, see its cartoon mural images or to order food online, visit The Sink website.

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