Cinco de Mayo

Reader: Former youth corrections officer says the system is messed up

Photos: Cinco de Mayo 2012 at Civic Center Park

There were a lot of great places in Denver to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this past Saturday. But one of the best was definitely Civic Center Park. That's where we sent photographer Chris Morgan. Look below to see a generous sampling of the shots he brought back, and click here to see the full Cinco de ... More >>

Ten Mexican fast-food guilty pleasures

Mexican fare from fast-food chains usually isn't authentic, healthy or even pretty, but it's irresistible. And we all indulge from time to time -- hitting the window at Taco Bell at 2 a.m. after a night of mainlining vodka gimlets; finding any excuse to grab a sunflower-seed-stuffed veggie burrito a ... More >>

Weekend's best dance/party bets: Colette, Supervision, Polish Ambassador and much more

If you're looking to get your dance on along with your drink and your partying this weekend, you have lots and lots of options. Tonight, Colette's taking on Bar Standard with her deep Chicago house sound, and the following night 3Deep kicks off its latest Soiree at the club, while Casselman's Bar & ... More >>

3 Monkeys Cantina opens in the former Bistro One space

I was rather hoping to see a few monkeys when I stopped by 3 Monkeys Cantina, the new Mexican restaurant that owner Alex Waters opened yesterday in the former Bistro One space, which he closed four weeks ago after a four-year run at 1294 South Broadway. No monkeys, no trees. But the new quarters, ... More >>

El Mariachi will put you in the mood for Cinco de Mayo -- at gunpoint

When Tejano director Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi came out in the early '90s, we'd never seen anything quite like it, though the idea of an edgy, comic Western certainly had precursors, including the piquant Cat Ballou. But El Mariachi, famously -- and remarkably -- made on a $7,000 budget, is muc ... More >>

Culinary Calendar: Microbreweries for the Environment, a food truck blow-out and more

Food truck are revving up for the summer, which means plenty of parties -- including Boulder's first, set for June 8. But the mobile movement really gets in gear this week. Here's a taste of what's on the culinary calendar:

Yuri Kato talks Tequila Corrido, the "whiskey-drinker's tequila"

"Corrido," explains Yuri Kato, the director of Tequila Corrido, "is a type of music associated with the tequila smugglers of the border region. It's romantic and story-telling." And it's also the name of a highland-region tequila that launched two years ago in Arizona but, thanks to Kato, is startin ... More >>

Are Mexicans racist?

"Corrido," explains Yuri Kato, the director of Tequila Corrido, "is a type of music associated with the tequila smugglers of the border region. It's romantic and story-telling." And it's also the name of a highland-region tequila that launched two years ago in Arizona but, thanks to Kato, is startin ... More >>

South Platte light industry yellow onion adds aromatic flavor to Denver: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

​ Long before light industry's varnish and diesel fumes flavored the air of the South Platte neighborhood, truck farms utilized the area's fertile river bottom soil to grow the aromatic vegetable used to flavor the dishes of Denver dinner tables...

At one year, says owner Jesse Morreale, El Diablo ain't broke

Mark Manger​Jesse Morreale and chef/partner Sean Yontz opened El Diablo, the Mexican restaurant that I review for this week's Westword, just shy of a year ago. And the crowds -- which made it nearly impossible to nab a bar seat that first week of business -- continue to pack the place. "Enou ... More >>

Diego's serves up the taste of Pueblo -- and a Slopper!

Diego's serves a whopper of a Slopper.​Four months after it opened in an unlikely below-ground spot just off the 16th Street Mall, Diego's Mexican Food and Cantina won the People's Choice award for green chile at Denver's Cinco de Mayo celebration. And with good reason, we discovered when we d ... More >>

A hazy look back: May 2011 in photos

Aaron Thackeray​Oh, how the time does fly. Next thing we knew it, Memorial Day was over and it was time to pay rent, and yet again, all our memories of all the fun we had are pretty much completely blotted out by a thick haze of roofies and blow. Luckily, we have a dedicated staff of photograp ... More >>

West Coast travelogue part two: Night of Joy, Lust-Cats of the Gutters and Sara Century come home

Kentaro MuraiLust-Cats of the Gutters in Moscow, IdahoThere is something really awesome about being able to wake up and look at a day and think, I'm probably going to be in at least two states during the course of the next 24 hours. This is the epitome of what tour feels like, when it's going well, ... More >>

Michael Hancock and Chris Romer are locked in a political game of Survivor

Michael Hancock​At 8 a.m. yesterday, Michael Hancock was going mano-a-mano against Chris Romer in the first debate of the mayoral runoff. Twelve hours later, he was pressing the flesh at a packed Cinco de Mayo party at Lola. And his day wasn't done yet: After months of slogging through the pol ... More >>

Update: This weekend's The Great Food Truck Race -- and our guess at which truck won't be feeding the masses in Denver

Can a vegan food truck win The Great Food Truck Race? Denverites will judge with their mouths this weekend​ The big story on the streets of Denver is this weekend's The Great Food Truck Race, the Food Network hit of the season, hosted by Tyler Florence, that struts the street-food prowess of ... More >>

Bravo's Top Chef will take its tour to Larimer Square on Saturday

Top Chef contestant -- and Vail restaurant owner -- Kelly Liken will be part of Bravo's Top Chef tour on Saturday in Larimer Square​Because, you know, we don't already have enough eatertainment in Denver this weekend to satiate our hunger pains, what with The Great Food Truck Race motoring in ... More >>

Beer calendar for the week ahead: homebrew, Ghost Face Killah and Lips of Faith

Flickr​New Belgium releases two new Lips of Faith beers this week, Abbey Grand Cru and Super Cru, which celebrates the Fort Collins brewery's twentieth anniversary. Super Cru is a double version of Fat Tire, meaning it has twice the malt and twice the hops; it has also been enhanced with Asian ... More >>

Make a pig of yourself at Lola's Roast to Spring

Jamey Fader rolls out the barrel at Lola.​Bars and restaurants across town will celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow -- but you'll have to go pretty far to beat the celebration planned at Lola. For the third annual "Picnic of the Pig: A Roast to Spring," which runs from 5 to 11 p.m. on May 5, Lo ... More >>

Dead bin Laden party favors help lift economic recovery: Kenny Be's Worst-Case Scenario

​ Dancing in the streets and cheering U!S!A! to celebrate the murder of an enemy may seem vulgar. However, there's no denying that Osama bin Laden's death will do wonders for America's economic recovery efforts as May holiday celebrations push increased demand for dead bin Laden party favors.. ... More >>

Ghostface Killah signs off on Colorado's Ghost Face Killah, the hottest beer in the world

​When news about the hottest beer in the world, Ghost Face Killah, went national, the staff at Boulder's Twisted Pine Brewing was a little nervous. After all, they'd named the beer, which is made with ghost peppers, after rapper Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan without asking for his per ... More >>

Elder Statesmen

​When news about the hottest beer in the world, Ghost Face Killah, went national, the staff at Boulder's Twisted Pine Brewing was a little nervous. After all, they'd named the beer, which is made with ghost peppers, after rapper Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan without asking for his per ... More >>

Twisted Pine is bottling Ghost Face Killah, the hottest beer in the world

​Boulder's Twisted Pine Brewing Company is bottling fire. The brewery, which is fond of adding unusual flavors to its whimsically named beers, will release Ghost Face Killah in twelve-ounce single bottles for Cinco de Mayo. It's the first time this very hot (very hot!) cult beer has been sold ... More >>

Machete will bring tacos and tequila to Cherry Creek

Lori MidsonElway's Cherry Creek alum Jose Avila will be the exec chef of Machete​Dan Ohlson, the former owner of Chez Jose, the burrito joint in Cherry Creek that shuttered last December after a seventeen-year run, swore up and down that he'd never open another restaurant in Cherry Creek. Neve ... More >>

Part two: Chef and Tell with Roberto Diaz from Mezcal

Lori Midson​ Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com This is part two of Lori Midson's Q&A with Roberto Diaz, executive chef of Mezcal. To read part one of that interview, click here. What you'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint ... More >>

Men will strut their stuff at Hunks, the show just for women

Lori Midson​ Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com This is part two of Lori Midson's Q&A with Roberto Diaz, executive chef of Mezcal. To read part one of that interview, click here. What you'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint ... More >>

Hog Heaven

Lori Midson​ Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com This is part two of Lori Midson's Q&A with Roberto Diaz, executive chef of Mezcal. To read part one of that interview, click here. What you'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint ... More >>

Drown your sorrows in a Rio Grande margarita

Lori Midson​ Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com This is part two of Lori Midson's Q&A with Roberto Diaz, executive chef of Mezcal. To read part one of that interview, click here. What you'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint ... More >>

Blood Brothers

Sal Martinez says he's no snitch. But rumors have a long life on the street.