Email Author Laura Shunk

2010 Stories by Laura Shunk

• Top five street food dishes in 2010

  published Dec 30, 2010

  In this week's Westword, I headed down to Alameda for a glimpse of the loncheras that ruled the streets before this year, when tricked out mobile vendors (or luxe loncheras) became a hot trend. And i... More >>

• Primebar seized for not paying sales tax, leaving non-profit Denver Gives high and dry for New Year's Eve Party

  published Dec 30, 2010

  We reported yesterday that Primebar, the 300-seat restaurant at 1515 Arapahoe Street, had closed without warning a year and a half after it had opened. We received no comment from Restaurants America... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Laura Shunk's story begins with Chipotle Mexican Grill

  published Dec 30, 2010

  Early this month, Jason Sheehan gave Chipotle Mexican Grill a glowing review in the Seattle Weekly, our partner publication where he now works -- and where the haters haven't stopped rolling their eye... More >>

• Drinkwel: the hangover cure that works

  published Dec 30, 2010

  At the risk of riling up those readers who like to tell me I drink too much, I plan on ringing in 2011 the same way I welcomed 2009 and 2010: with plenty of bubbly followed by a cocktail or five. And ... More >>

• Primebar calls it quits

  published Dec 29, 2010

  National brand Restaurants America dropped Primebar into its massive space at 1515 Arapahoe Street back in May of 2009, using the former Palomino digs to turn out New American fare in lodge-inspired d... More >>

• Forbes rounds up eleven bizarre U.S. restaurants, calling out two in Colorado

  published Dec 29, 2010

  The most bizarre restaurants in the country include Casa Bonita -- and another Colorado joint. Forbes just published a list of the most bizarre restaurants in America, giving credence to gimmicky plac... More >>

• La Villa Real and the old-school loncheras

  published Dec 28, 2010

  We're just about to say goodbye to 2010, but we're betting that this year's top trend, the new-school food trucks that hit the pavement in Denver, will be holding on through 2011. Before those trucks... More >>

• Top five Denver hotel restaurants

  published Dec 28, 2010

  If you're the kind of traveler that books trips around gastronomic endeavors, you might want to take a look at Zagat's top-ranked hotel restaurants in 25 cities. Based on the survey, those spots are t... More >>

• Noodles & Company sold to investment group Catterton Partners

  published Dec 28, 2010

  Since Noodles & Company opened its very first location in Cherry Creek in 1995, it's expanded into a fast casual chain with 250 locations in eighteen states, offering noodle bowls that run the gamut f... More >>

• Don't call them gourmet food trucks; call them luxe loncheras

  published December 30, 2010

  "Calling them gourmet trucks is such bullshit." I was on the phone with Gustavo Arellano, author of Ask a Mexican and managing editor... More >>

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  La Villa Real serves traditional northern Mexican food from its lonchera

  published December 30, 2010

  They infiltrated the city this year: a gleaming... More >>

• Lamenting the loss of the professional host

  published Dec 27, 2010

  New York lost a legend this year when Elaine Kaufman, of the eponymous Elaine's, passed away. She was a remarkable front-of-the-house restaurateur, a big personality who made her place a regular stop... More >>

• The Peaks Lounge offers best skyline view until patio weather returns

  published Dec 27, 2010

  We don't normally frequent hotel bars in Denver, but searching for a place to show some relatives the lay of the land, we stopped at the Hyatt Regency, 650 15th Street, over the weekend for a couple o... More >>

• Oasis Bar and Hookah Lounge now serving Colombian food

  published Dec 27, 2010

  It's located in an unlikely spot, but there's a new Colombian kitchen on the scene, serving up specialties from that Latin American country for lunch and dinner seven days a week. La Cocina de Paula i... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gratuitous food porn: Masterpiece Delicatessen's cassoulet

  published Dec 27, 2010

  It may be an unseasonably warm winter in Denver this year, but we're still craving cassoulet, the bean and meat stew that's chock full of sausage and duck confit. Normally, that means braving the wait... More >>

• Laura Shunk's top five meal memories of 2010

  published Dec 23, 2010

  Cafe Society writers consumed hundreds of meals in restaurants over the course of 2010, but a few really stood out. Next week, several of those writers will be serving up memories of their favorites (... More >>

• Comfort Cafe doling out free Christmas dinners on Christmas day

  published Dec 22, 2010

  Since it opened back in June, Comfort Cafe, 3945 Tennyson Street, has fed the community as a non-profit, pay-what-you-can restaurant, offering comfort-food meals to anyone who walks through the door f... More >>

• The first snow cat food truck isn't in the Rocky Mountainsr

  published Dec 22, 2010

  The next generation in mobile food has arrived: In California this week, the Roving Mammoth hit the slopes at Mammoth Mountain, using a snowcat-like base to bring burritos and beverages to skiers all ... More >>

• Syrup tries to offer a glimpse of the sweet life

  published Dec 21, 2010

  Know what I'm really looking forward to this holiday seasonr Not the gifts or the family time or the generosity of spirit or the tidings of comfort and joy. Nope, I'm looking to the fact that having C... More >>

• Second Helping: After 25 years and a new location, the Egg Shell still shines

  published December 23, 2010

  It's late on a weekday morning — too early for lunch, but well past the breakfast hour, and the Egg Shell is still half full. A woman... More >>

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  Syrup is a sweet Cherry Creek brunch spot

  published December 23, 2010

  Our family led a pretty modest existence when I was a child, but weekend mornings were sheer luxury. My brother and I would plod down the... More >>

• Pizzeria da Lupo opens in Boulder

  published Dec 21, 2010

  Boulder might be a college town, but we're still a little surprised at the influx of pizzerias there over the last year, especially because these aren't greasy slice joints -- they offer gourmet pies,... More >>

• Gaia Bistro lands a liquor license, will open for dinner in January

  published Dec 21, 2010

  For years, Gaia Bistro has been a serene breakfast and lunch spot, serving crepes, salads and sandwiches to diners packed into the charming dining room or sunning themselves at tables on the large pat... More >>

• For holiday high tea, try the Denver Tea Room

  published Dec 21, 2010

  We're into any social activity that involves eating and drinking, but something about the cozy traditional vibe of the holiday season makes us want to put on a fancy dress and head out to a high tea, ... More >>

• Five non-hotel, non-Chinese Denver restaurants open on Christmas day

  published Dec 20, 2010

  Whether you don't celebrate Christmas or you'd simply rather abstain from holiday cooking, eating options constrict significantly when you're choosing a place to dine on December 25. Thanks to hotel r... More >>