Eating Out

Angelo's Pizza will become Angelo's Taverna, keeping some recipes and adding an oyster bar

The stained glass windows will stay. So will the proprietary meatball, sausage and red sauce recipes. But Angelo's Pizza is going to look and feel a lot different when its new owners reopen the Denver mainstay as Angelo's Taverna in August. On March 1, Denver-area restaurant industry veterans Eric ... More >>

A bao of respect for Lao Wang Noodle House

In A Federal Case, I'll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard -- south to north -- within Denver city limits. I'll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I'll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here's the report on t ... More >>

Jimmy Bernat, exec chef of Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill, on chewing, spitting and Go Fast

Jimmy Bernat Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill 1530 Blake Street 303-298-5000 lodojimmys.com This is part one of my interview with Jimmy Bernat, exec chef of Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill; part two of our chat will run tomorrow. Jimmy Bernat began working -- and cooking -- in a professional kitchen long befor ... More >>

Guess where I'm eating "homemade" spaghetti and meatballs?

I've apparently been duped...for decades! During dinner last night at a red-sauce Italian joint, I ordered "homemade" spaghetti and meatballs, only to learn from our server that the noodles aren't homemade at all. It's a carryover, he told me, from the old days, when spaghetti -- the fat strands mad ... More >>

Budapest Bistro closes on South Pearl to make way for a Mexican restaurant

After more than two decades at 1585 South Pearl Street, the Budapest Bistro has closed its doors. The restaurant owned by Anna Hellvig, who was also the chef, had updated its look several years ago -- but with all the other changes on South Pearl Street, the time looked right to now close altogether ... More >>

Want to extend the holiday weekend? Brunch starts at 9 a.m. at Parallel Seventeen

The official start of summer is still more than three weeks away -- but unofficially, once you've cleaned up (or sobered up) from that Memorial Day barbecue, summer is definitely here. And to encourage long, languid lunches during the hot days ahead, Mary Nguyen has expanded brunch hours at Paralle ... More >>

Reader: Looking forward to Pizzeria Locale Lite -- but would like the real deal in Denver, too

It's been in the works for years -- and, finally, tomorrow the crew behind Boulder's Pizzeria Locale (and, of course, Frasca Food and Wine) will open the doors on a Pizzeria Locale in Denver. But it won't be a carbon copy of the original in Boulder. For starters, it won't be a full-service, sit-dow ... More >>

Dining out paleo: Ten dishes to satisfy your inner caveman

The "caveman diet" is getting a real workout across Colorado. The creation of Loren Cordain, a Colorado State University professor who wrote The Paleo Diet and numerous follow-up books, the diet has been picked up by the Crossfit community and many other fans of healthy eating. But while it promises ... More >>

Guess where you're eating? At an EatDenver restaurant if you're Denver Dave

Cafe Society served up three Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a still-unidentified flight of craft beers from a brewery whose suds you'll never find in liquor stores, to a spicy Szechuan chicken dish from a Chinese restaurant that also remains unidentified, to a Greek salad from a pizza ... More >>

News, brews, reviews: A second helping of this week's Cafe Society

This week Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Taita Peruvian Cuisine & Bar, Mark Antonat's journey up Federal stopped at J's Noodle Star Thai, and Lori Midson traveled to Boulder to interview Nate Bychinski, executive chef of Mateo. And there was lots of other action on the Denver dining scene, including sever ... More >>

Win two free tickets to EatDenver's Big Eat bash on Sunday (updated with winner)

Update: We have a winner of our Big Eat contest giveaway! Last week, we asked Cafe Society commenters to guess how many people attended last year's Big Eat. Congrats to Aida1, who guessed 1150 people; the actual number is 1158. Aida1, we'll send you an e-mail with directions on how to claim your pri ... More >>

Central Bistro & Bar is lending a hand to Oklahoma victims this weekend

Central Bistro & Bar, 1691 Central Street, is hosting a relief effort for victims of the Oklahoma tornados this weekend. The restaurant is donating $1 from the sale of every regularly-priced cocktail today, Saturday and Sunday to the tornado relief effort. See also: - Central Bistro & Bar starts s ... More >>

Lessons from Amy's Baking Company: Five lousy things restaurant owners do to employees

By now everyone who isn't hiding in a television-free cave has heard about the Kitchen Nightmares episode featuring Amy's Baking Company (an Arizona pizza place with bad food and worse owners) that was so ugly and combative that Gordon Ramsay walked away. This may have been the only episode I've see ... More >>

Photos: Corner House, Corner Office, TAG, Central and Le Grand win big at Toques & 'Tails

At last night's Toques and 'Tails cocktail and culinary bash at Casselman's Bar and Venue, a lively crowd showed up to sample foodstuffs and sip cocktails from some of Denver's best restaurants. The event, benefiting Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign, is the brainchild of Becky Creighton, ... More >>

Izakaya Den will leave its original home Sunday night, then reopen in new space next week

Izakaya Den will finally leave its original home at 1518 South Pearl Street at the end of service on Sunday, May 26, then reopen the following week in its brand-spanking new space at 1477 South Pearl, right next to its sibling, Sushi Den. See also: - Izakaya Den's move to new home next to Sushi Den ... More >>

Abrusci's goes under in subterranean Cherry Creek space

Heading to Cherry Creek for dinner tonight? Skip Abrusci's. The Italian restaurant that took over the former Campo di Fiori spot just over three years ago has closed, and there's a "for lease" sign on the basement space. See also: - Abrusci's brings more Italian dining to Cherry Creek - Steve Progr ... More >>

Taita takes diners on an unexpected journey through Peruvian cuisine

See also: Behind the scenes at Taita

Round two with Nate Bychinski, exec chef of Mateo

Nate Bychinski Mateo 1837 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-443-7766 mateorestaurant.com This is part two of my interview with Nate Bychinski, exec chef of Mateo; part one of my interview with Bychinski ran yesterday. Most memorable meal you've ever had in Denver: Although it wasn't a traditional meal, l ... More >>

Spuntino has reopened with a bigger menu, bigger bar...and yes, gelato

Spuntino, 2639 West 32nd Avenue, reopened its doors on Saturday after four days of renovations. The Italian restaurant now boasts a bigger menu, a larger bar and new furniture. See also: - Spuntino closes for a renovation and will reopen later this week - 100 Favorite Dishes: chocolate caramel sea ... More >>

Food, Glorious Food

At J's Noodles Star Thai, rice dishes also shine

In A Federal Case, I'll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard -- south to north -- within Denver city limits. I'll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I'll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here's the report on t ... More >>

Nate Bychinski, exec chef of Mateo, on cow tongue, TV drama and the McDouble

Nate Bychinski Mateo 1837 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-443-7766 mateorestaurant.com This is part one of my interview with Nate Bychinski, exec chef of Mateo; part two of my interview with Bychinski will run tomorrow. "I didn't play with knives, but I definitely did my fair share of cooking," says Na ... More >>

The Kitchen Next Door, Snooze and a new restaurant and market from Alex Seidel will open in Union Station

Today, at 10:30 a.m., in front of the Oxford Hotel, Larimer Associates announced the names of three new restaurants that will take up residence in Union Station, the historic, century-old train depot that's currently being redeveloped by the Union Station Alliance. A new restaurant and market conc ... More >>

Win admission for two to Toques and 'Tails on Thursday, May 23, at Casselman's (with winner)

Update: We have a winner of our Toques and 'Tails contest giveaway! Last week, we asked Cafe Society commenters to guess how many Culinary Connector tours owner Becky Creighton has conducted in Denver. Congrats to BSquared5280, who guessed 330 tours, the exact number. BSquared5280, we'll send you an ... More >>

Ghost Plate & Tap will shutter on Friday

Next month, Ghost Plate & Tap, an elevated pub with a formidable beer list and an excellent cocktail program, would have celebrated its second anniversary downtown, but the Wynkoop/Breckenridge concept, which opened in June of 2011, is shuttering just shy of its two-year anniversary, closing this Fr ... More >>

Guess where you're eating? At an EatDenver restaurant if your name is NickCO

Cafe Society served up four Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a mouth-numbing Colorado spirit poured at an Italian restaurant that has yet to be identified, to a old-fashioned from Bull & Bush, to a plate of fantastic tacos from a still-unnamed taqueria, to a scallop pooled in squid ink.

The Squeaky Bean's Crickett Burns tapped as the kitchen manager at the Truffle Table

After nearly eight years cooking alongside Max MacKissock, chef-owner of the Squeaky Bean, Crickett Burns, the sole woman in McKissock's kitchen, is stepping away from the Bean team to join Rob and Karin Lawler at the new Truffle Table, which will open in Highland on June 4. See also: - Truffle ow ... More >>

Five things you shouldn't have to be told NOT to do in restaurants

A couple took their infant to a Denver Starbucks this week, and when they didn't find a changing table in the restroom, they decided to do a ragey protest-change on a table in the dining room. This incident didn't end well. After being confronted by store employees about the public diaper change, th ... More >>

First look: Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill opens in LoDo

You likely won't notice that the front door of Jimmy's Urban Bar & Grill slants, if only a little. It has something to do with luck -- good luck -- and Alicia Bernat, along with her husband Jim and their son and exec chef Jimmy, deliberately designed their new namesake restaurant with teases of feng ... More >>

Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery: Fast-casual is on a roll

See also: A closer look at Slotted Spoon

Toppings is tapped out in LoDo, but two more pizza places coming

A string of pizza joints opened in LoDo last year, in a neighborhood that already included the Wazee Supper Club and Two-Fisted Mario's, with Mellow Mushroom and Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria just a few blocks outside of LoDo. Wazee Wood-Fired Pizza was the first to open -- and also the first to close ... More >>

Cory Treadway, exec chef of Wynkoop Brewery, on smartphones, fried squirrel and heaven

Cory Treadway Wynkoop Brewing Company 1634 18th Street 303-297-2700 wynkoop.com This is part one of my interview with Cory Treadway, exec chef of the Wynkoop; part two of our conversation will run in this space tomorrow. "I was the first white kid -- the first gringo -- to ever roll egg rolls," ... More >>

Photos: Ace lobs up vegan bao buns and jungle curry for spring

We stopped by Ace recently to take a look at some of the new dishes on the restaurant's revamped menu. Continuing his foray into Asian cuisine, executive chef Brandon Biederman has added Vietnamese noodles, a dry curry and eggless bao buns to the mix -- lighter fare that won't leave you bogged down ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: Schezuan beef in numbing chile oil from Chef Liu's Authentic Chinese Cuisine

Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year -- which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn't it? But all those food dates a ... More >>

Jen Jasinski's James Beard win felt like a lifetime achievement -- although her career is cooking

Prince Harry might have stopped by The Market on Monday, but the real royalty was right down the street, at Rioja. Just a week before, Jennifer Jasinski, the chef who opened that Larimer Square restaurant with business partner Beth Gruitch almost a decade ago, was named Best Chef Southwest at the Ja ... More >>

Guess where you're eating? At an EatDenver restaurant if you're mariannemyers

Cafe Society posted five Guess Where We're Eating contests last week, ranging from a carne asada plate from the new (and festive) Adelitas Cocina y Cantina, to some lovely spot prawns from Super Star Asian, to bánh mì from a brewpub.

Spuntino closes for a renovation and will reopen later this week

Back in December, we broke the news that Spuntino, chef John Broening and pastry chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom's neighborhood restaurant in Highland -- a restaurant that turns out everything from unassailable gelato to equally unparalleled porchetta -- would temporarily shutter sometime this February to ... More >>

Fooducopia's Corner Store and Cafe has a liquor-license hearing tonight -- and a fight

Tonight, at 6 p.m., Fooducopia's Corner Store and Cafe, a charming market that sells a huge array of local products -- and serves many of those products in its adjoining little restaurant, will appear in front of a hearings officer at 6 p.m. in the Wellington Webb building to plead its case for a li ... More >>

Guess where I'm eating bánh mì?

No, this bánh mì isn't from a Vietnamese restaurant. In fact, it comes from a restaurant where you'd likely never expect to see it on the menu. Can you guess where I'm eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post is entered into a pool -- and every Mond ... More >>

Potager: Teri Rippeto's restaurant sends you seasons eatings

See also: Behind the scenes at Potager

Round two with Taylor Drew, exec chef of Russell's Smokehouse

Taylor Drew Russell's Smokehouse 1422 Larimer Street 720-524-8050 russellssmokehouse.com This is part two of my interview with Taylor Drew, exec chef of Russell's Smokehouse; part one of our chat ran yesterday. Favorite Denver/Boulder restaurant(s) other than your own: I don't get out to eat nearl ... More >>

Guess where I'm eating carne asada?

The space that harbors this Mexican restaurant has seen its share of dining dens -- it's a revolving door of restaurants -- but this one may have the chops to stick around longer than the rest, thanks to good food and an even better tequila selection. Can you guess where I'm eating? Special bonu ... More >>

Ondo's welcomes spring with a new menu, paella special tonight

Ondo's Spanish Tapas Bar, 250 Steele Street, is introducing a new spring menu this evening, and hosting a special paella night beginning at 4 p.m. today. For $28, patrons can choose up to four ingredients to create a customized paella dish, which feeds two to four people; call 303-975-6514 for reser ... More >>

Photos: Steuben's lightens up with revamped spring menu

With winter finally behind us, Steuben's Food Service has swapped out some of its heavier menu items for lighter springtime dishes that should be as "Steuben's" as the meatloaf and fried chicken in no time. Executive chef Brandon Biederman looked to his team of chefs and sous-chefs to revamp the ... More >>

Bácaro has a new chef, a new menu and new hours: It's now open for lunch

The menu isn't the only thing changing at Bácaro Venetian Taverna. The restaurant recently hired a new executive chef, Patrick Halloran, and is now open for lunch. Having recently relocated from Austin, where he was a chef at Texas Coffee Traders and Vespaio Inoteca, Halloran says he'll draw fro ... More >>

Karin and Rob Lawler, owners of the Truffle, opening the Truffle Table in the former Cellar Wine Bar space

Oh, it's a happy, happy Tuesday for those of us in the food world, and an even happier day for those of us wholly obsessed with cheese. Earlier this afternoon, Karin and Rob Lawler, the owners of the Truffle Cheese Shop (otherwise known as stinky paradise), inked a lease on the Cellar Wine Bar, whic ... More >>

Live music at Big Mac & Little Lu's, a food truck party and more on this week's calendar

Making plans for Mother's Day? Big Mac & Little Lu's -- the seafood market and restaurant that recently opened at 2851 West 120th Avenue in Westminster -- is hosting live music, a "Jimmy Buffet-style" band, from 2 to 5 p.m. every Sunday in May. The shop is also offering stuffed lobster tail and cham ... More >>

Guess where you're eating? At an EatDenver restaurant if you're Matt

Cafe Society served up four Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from an exquisite bloody Mary from The Squeaky Bean (thank God, it doesn't like like any of these), to a deep-dish pizza from Old Chicago, to a bowl of beautiful tomato soup streaked with olive oil.

Photos: Adelitas Cocina y Cantina is now cooking on South Broadway

Adelitas Cocina y Cantina -- a family-owned and -operated restaurant that focuses on traditional Mexican fare with a Michoacan focus -- just opened at 1294 South Broadway, in the space that had been Bistro One, then 3 Monkeys Cantina; it promises a family-friendly atmosphere during dining hours, wit ... More >>

Frank Bonanno's 47 points of good service

Service has been a big topic on Cafe Society this week, what with Jonathan Greschler getting the boot from Old Major for his apparent inability to connect with his former staff, despite the fact that guests adore him. "Jonathan is amazing with customers, but I just don't think he applied that same ... More >>