Mouthing Off

Then there's pressed caviar, which is a chewy sort of jam made from eggs that are too mature or broken to be used as fresh caviar. It's perfect for smearing on whatever you've got handy, and if the flavor of caviar gets you off more than the physical experience, pressed caviar is an incredible deal at half the price of regular caviar.

Too much information, I know, but caviar junkies--and I know you're out there, looking for the "good stuff" like an addict looks for uncut cocaine--will understand. In the words of G.K. Chesterton, "There is more simplicity in the man who eats caviar on impulse than in the man who eats Grape-Nuts on principle."

Speaking of eggs, there's a new breakfast eatery called The Egg & I in the Southgate Shopping Center at 6816 South Yosemite in Englewood. It's the first franchise of a chain that started in northern Colorado, with sites in Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland. No incredible surprises on the menu, but a good variety of skillets, omelettes, griddle goods and frittatas.

And speaking of egg, I've got some on my face. Last week I reported that an employee (it was actually two, one former and one current) had said that Chives American Bistro, at 1120 East Sixth Avenue, was on its last legs after a visit from the IRS. Well, it turns out the problem wasn't with the IRS, but with another tax issue, a minor one that many restaurants are faced with and that Chives owner Mark Chaffee says was quickly taken care of. "We're fine, we're healthy, we're not going anywhere," says Chaffee, who adds that he thinks he knows the disgruntled former employee who gave me the information.

I had put in a call to Chaffee before the item ran and didn't hear back from him--maybe someone still employed there has a gripe, too, and neglected to relay the message. Anyway, Chaffee makes a convincing argument that the restaurant is in good shape--which is good news for wine lovers, since Chives has one of the best-priced lists in town.

--Wagner