Gretchen Kurtz

Red Star Deli and Studio F shutter in the Icehouse

A "rising star." That's how Westword restaurant critic Gretchen Kurtz described Red Star Deli, a smashing sandwich joint that opened in the Icehouse, along with Studio F, a spacious culinary stage -- and pop- up venue -- for local and visiting chefs to shine in front of captive audiences, in March o ... More >>

Potager's Teri Rippeto raises a kitchen garden -- and goats!

After I've eaten a few times -- sometimes numerous times -- at a restaurant that I plan to review, I find it helpful to talk to the chef so that I understand his or her vision and inspiration. We always chat by phone, to preserve my anonymity, and it's never easy finding a good time to converse with ... More >>

A second helping of this week's Cafe Society

Here's a second helping of some of what we served on Cafe Society this past week: Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink, and found a lot to like...even if she's not in love with the place. Mark Antonat continued his travels up Federal Boulevard, and stopped off at Pho 555. And ... More >>

Reader: Five Star Burgers looks lame, but now I can't wait to try it

While Gretchen Kurtz was eating a $13 burger at Tom's Urban 24, Jenn Wohletz dropped by a link in the tiny Five Star Burgers chain. "The green chile cheeseburger was an exercise in Southwestern excess and ecstasy, with a fat, medium-rare burger that dripped pinky beef juice, smothered with diced gre ... More >>

Tom's Urban 24: Is it ready for prime time?

You might not know the name Tom Ryan, but you've probably heard of Smashburger, the fast-casual concept he founded in Denver in 2007. Smashburger has been a smashing success, expanding to 200 locations worldwide in just a few years and nabbing the Forbes' title of "most promising company" in America ... More >>

Reader: An Americanized Korean chain is better than no Korean chain at all

Bop & Gogi, a fast-casual Korean joint, opened last fall in Centennial. Gretchen Kurtz reviews Bop & Gogi this week and likes many things there, including spicy radish kimchi, with chunks of daikon radish and a touch of ground pear -- but not much stink. See also: - Bop & Gogi: A fast-casual Korean ... More >>

Reader: Chains may dominate the south suburbs, but we have some great ethnic fare

For this week's review (which will be published later today), Gretchen Kurtz ventured south to La Polleria, the Peruvian polleria that opened in a strip mall in 2011, bringing authentic ethnic flavor to a suburban space. And it was a welcome addition, says one reader: See also: - It takes pluck to ... More >>

Reader: When I go out to eat, I don't want to eat what someone else has decided is healthy

For her most recent review, Gretchen Kurtz went to True Food Kitchen -- a restaurant that definitely focuses on good food that's good for you, even if the menu isn't overt about its good intentions. But when you go out to eat, do you want someone else to have decided what's healthy for you? See a ... More >>

A second helping of Cafe Society

Gretchen Kurtz reviewed True Food Kitchen, which opened last fall in Cherry Creek. Lori Midson interviewed Shaun Motoda, chef of TAG|RAW BAR, for Chef and Tell. See also: - True Food Kitchen is good...and good for you - Shaun Motoda, chef of TAG|RAW BAR, on the perfect bite and his obsession with ... More >>

Reader: Cafe Byblos is pretty darn good -- but the pita is pitiful

Last week Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Cafe Byblos, a new Mediterranean restaurant whose sunny interior and bright flavors transported her to a much warmer place. Over the last few months, Cafe Byblos has collected many fans...but not of its pita, apparently. See also: - Review: A quick trip to a land o ... More >>

Reader: Don't forget Il Posto -- the food can be outstanding

Il Posto just celebrated its sixth birthday, and Gretchen Kurtz marked the occasion by presenting Andrew Frizzi's authentic Italian restaurant with a nice, shiny review. And she's not the only one who appreciates the place: See also: - Andrea Frizzi's traditional trattoria has become a Colorado cla ... More >>

Denver's Troy Guard will TAG New Orleans for the Super Bowl

Troy Guard has again been selected to represent Denver in the annual Taste of the NFL, a charitable food and wine tasting that takes place Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans. Guard -- who owns TAG, TAG|Raw Bar, and TAG Burger Bar, which Gretchen Kurtz just reviewed -- will join over thirty other che ... More >>

Have you eaten at Early Bird? Serve up your own review!

Too busy to get to everything on Cafe Society's plate this week? Here's another helping of some of our entrees: Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Early Bird Restaurant in Westminster. Here's the capsule version of her full review: It might seem easy to make an omelet, but it isn't -- as the dishes flying out ... More >>

Reader: People born and raised in Denver deserve competence at restaurants, too

The discussion over Gretchen Kurtz's review of Restaurant Fourteen Seventy-Two has demonstrated how passionately people care about Platt Park (however it's spelled), why you shouldn't eat Mexican food in Charleston, what constitutes low-country cuisine and other lessons of geography, including itsbo ... More >>

Is Craig Claiborne really the Westword pot critic?

By 9 a.m. this morning, Westword pot critic William Breathes had received at least three e-mails asking how he felt about his "real identity" being outed in the New York Times today by Frank Bruni, the former Times restaurant critic turned columnist. In a piece titled "Colorado's Marijuana Muddle," ... More >>

Reader: Fourteen Seventy-Two shows Gretchen Kurtz writing for top 2 percent of population

There's been a lot of action on South Pearl Street this season, with Restaurant Fourteen Seventy-Two joining the lineup, bringing low-country cuisine to the Mile High City. But when Gretchen Kurtz reviewed the restaurant last week, she found both highs and lows. But one reader thought here review wa ... More >>

Photos: Curtis Park Creamery II opens in Aurora

For decades, Curtis Park Creamery has been a mainstay for good Mexican food in the Curtis Park/Five Points area. The take-out joint got its start back in 1969, when Lawrence and Beatrice Rodriguez opened a neighborhood market in a spot already known as Curtis Park Creamery, where Lawrence's brother ... More >>

Reader: Kachina reminds me more of Disney in the '90s than Epcot

To the Hopi, Gretchen Kurtz writes, kachinas are spirit-beings associated with rain, corn, animals and other elements critical to life in the desert. Not that you'd grasp this from the splashy Southwestern restaurant of the same name that opened in the Westin Westminster in September. According to t ... More >>

Ace serves up a new menu today

In her recent review of Ace, Gretchen Kurtz noted that the four-month-old restaurant was a work in progress, and that owners Josh and Jen Wolkon and executive chef Brandon Biederman would soon introduce a revised menu, one that increased the number of tried-and-true dishes -- including the Brussels ... More >>

Reader: Lance Barto's departure from Central Bistro & Bar is "shameful"

Lance Barto left Central Bar and Bistro, the six-month-old restaurant he helped create, "on good terms," says Isiah Salazar, Central's owner, who decided to let Barto go on New Year's Eve -- right before Barto cooked for a full house. But even if Barto's departure was amicable, diners aren't feel ... More >>

Reader: Central Bistro is hot, but its HOT sign is not

Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Central Bistro & Bar this week, and although she loved many of chef Lance Barto's dishes, she didn't like the giant HOT sign that dominates the decor. Even though it comes with a tasty back story -- the six-foot-high letters used to be part of the sign on the defunct Regency ... More >>

Reader: If Frasca is a "neighborhood" restaurant, the term is obsolete

What defines a neighborhood restaurant these days? That's what Gretchen Kurtz asked yesterday, after eating several meals at Central Bistro & Bar for this week's review (which will be posted here later today). Chef Lance Bardo, who opened Central in July, wanted to create a "gathering place" for the ... More >>

Reader: To follow in Craig Claiborne's footsteps, Gretchen Kurtz needs to get out of Cheesy Creek

Would legendary New York Times critic Craig Claiborne have approved of Gretchen Kurtz reviewing So Perfect Eats? "If the granddaddy of restaurant criticism didn't think restaurants had to have tablecloths, a maître d' and a mixologist to be considered fair game," she writes, "then neither do I." ... More >>

Reader: I was never a good cook, until I discovered cooking shows

"Food programming has come a long way since Julia Child cooked her way into our hearts," Gretchen Kurtz wrote earlier this week. "For all her affability, Child was trying to do one thing: demystify fine cooking for an audience dependent on canned soup and casseroles." But did Child, and all the foo ... More >>

Reader: Westword's marijuana cover is perverted and debauched

Reader: Gietost is the Scandinavian equivalent of those tacky port wine cheese balls

After getting a taste of ekte gjetost, a cheese made of caramelized goat's-milk whey, at Trillium, the restaurant she's reviewing this week, Gretchen Kurtz tried to track it down in town. She had no luck at the usual suspects: The Truffle, Marczyk Fine Foods, the Continental Deli. But she did find ... More >>

Reader: Forget green chile -- nothing beats New Mexico red

Although Denver diners are obsessed with green chile, red chile has its fans, too. As Gretchen Kurtz notes, "red chile has an even deeper, more intriguing flavor, as fruits and vegetables left to reach their fully ripe potential tend to do." She couldn't get the Curtis Park Creamery, which she recen ... More >>

Reader: Schnitzel is my number-one comfort food

Do people care about schnitzel? You're darn Teuton! As a side to her review of Cafe Berlin, Gretchen Kurtz served up the five best restaurants for a schnitzel fix -- and her list has taken a pounding. Where is Cafe Prague? Sobo 151? And where's that umlaut? See also: - Five best restaurants for a ... More >>

Reader: Carol Chambers is leaving office? Good riddance.

Reader: Squeaky Bean deserves the cutting-edge cuts

The discussion of Gretchen Kurtz's recent review of Squeaky Bean resulted in our latest Comment of the Day, in which one reader argued that despite all the hype over some restaurants in this city, Denver was just not on the "cutting edge of the food scene." Which led to this hilarious exchange: Di ... More >>

Reader: Squeaky Bean shows that Denver is not on the cutting edge of the food scene

Is the food at Squeaky Bean overrated? Gretchen Kurtz loved almost everything she tried there while dining out for this week's review (not the fried chicken ballontine, however), but other diners have a few bones to pick with her. See also: - Review: Squeaky Bean could write the book on innovative ... More >>

Reader: Should restaurants that have been reviewed be reviewed again?

Yesterday Gretchen Kurtz offered a taste of her review of the new Squeaky Bean that will be posted here later today: a look at the "eggplant & plum" appetizer that is one of the most difficult dishes to plate, according to exec chef Max MacKissock. But Steveville isn't hungering to learn more. "It ... More >>

Reader: La Guarida Cubana needs to pick up the pace as a neighborhood place

At La Guarida Cubana, a tiny Cuban restaurant that opened in June on a stretch of East Colfax known more for McDonald's and pot shops than good food, the Rosell family is using authentic family recipes -- but something is in danger of getting lost in the translation from the kitchen to the table. T ... More >>

Reader: What is NREL's return on taxpayer dollars?

Are stairs a stumbling block to a successful restaurant?

In my next review, I explore a restaurant that's above grade. Despite how that sounds, the term has nothing to do with caliber. "Above grade" is architectural speak for spaces that are above ground. "At grade" is the term for street level and "below grade" is, well, you get it. All of which got me ... More >>

The Kitchen [Upstairs] celebrates community with Sunday chef nights

In her review of The Kitchen Denver, Gretchen Kurtz said she missed the sense of community that's such a hallmark of the original Kitchen in Boulder, as well as its offshoots there. And now the The Kitchen [Upstairs] is just bringing even more community to Boulder, with a monthly Community Chef Nig ... More >>

Reader: Maybe LoDo got lucky with Lucky Pie -- Louisville didn't

Gretchen Kurtz had good luck with the pizzas at Lucky Pie Pizza & Tap House, which opened this past winter in (part of) the former home of Dixons and is reviewed this week. But a diner who's eaten at the Lucky Pie in Louisville wasn't as impressed with the cheesy original.

Reader: Appetizer sizes are small, but prices are creeping up

As Gretchen Kurtz notes in her review of The Kitchen Denver, much of the menu is devoted to starters and small plates. Why? To find out, she went straight to the source, Hugo Matheson, chef/co-founder of the Kitchen empire that now includes four restaurants. "Being able to eat without having to com ... More >>

Reader: The Kitchen Denver left me wanting more

For her first Westword review, Gretchen Kurtz visited The Kitchen Denver, the fourth restaurant in the Kitchen empire that got its start in Boulder eight years ago, and finally reached LoDo in March. Her review? Mixed. And, not surprisingly, so are the comments on Kurtz's review itself. See also: ... More >>

The Kitchen's Hugo Matheson thinks small...with a big list of starters

Talk about coincidence: Long before this week's review of The Kitchen Denver came out, I began mulling over the reasons for the restaurant's starter-heavy menu. Economics? (People order more of them, driving up the bill.) Grandstanding? (A place to strut local, organic and seasonal ingredients.) Mis ... More >>

Reader: Green chile is central to Denver's culinary culture

It's green chile season. In her advice for new Cafe critic Gretchen Kurtz, former restaurant reviewer Laura Shunk said that it was important to have a favorite green chile...and then served up her own: Chubby's. And while one commenter dissed the mean green, far more readers are fans of Colorado's ... More >>

New Cafe critic Gretchen Kurtz dishes up a few words on her philosophy

A presidential honeymoon lasts about 100 days. Having devoured well wishes and advice from Kyle Wagner, Laura Shunk, John Kessler and Jason Sheehan, I'm bracing myself for a honeymoon about 99 days shorter than that. I'm sure donning a thick skin will be hard -- possibly as hard as not shouting "Don ... More >>

Reader: Green chile is not inspiring, interesting or satisfying

We asked several of Westword's previous restaurant reviewers to offer advice for Gretchen Kurtz, our new Cafe critic, whose first review will be published next week. Laura Shunk, who left the job for a move to New York in June, came up with ten tips, including this one: 9. If you don't have an opin ... More >>

Jason Sheehan: Don't take anyone's advice about anything

In advance of Gretchen Kurtz's debut next week as the new Cafe critic, we asked some of our previous restaurant reviewers to weigh in -- and given their jobs, we do mean weigh in -- with advice for our newest critic. Kyle Wagner, now the travel editor at the Denver Post, served up her thoughts first ... More >>

Reader: Laura Shunk's advice for the new critic was one of the best things she's written

How quickly we forget! Laura Shunk took a beating when she debuted as our restaurant reviewer two years ago, and some of those comments featured prominently in the advice that Shunk offered the next Westword critic, Gretchen Kurtz, in a piece posted yesterday. A piece that's winning raves.

John Kessler warns our new critic about 7/Eleven hot dogs

In advance of Gretchen Kurtz's debut next week as the new Cafe critic, we asked some of our previous restaurant reviewers to weigh in -- and given their jobs, we do mean weigh in -- with advice for our new newest critic. Kyle Wagner, our reviewer for close to a decade who's now the travel editor at ... More >>

Laura Shunk dishes out some tips for the new Cafe critic

In advance of Gretchen Kurtz's debut next week as the new Cafe critic, we asked some of our previous restaurant reviewers to weigh in -- and given their jobs, we do mean weigh in -- with advice for our new newest critic. Kyle Wagner, our reviewer for close to a decade who's now the travel editor at ... More >>

Reader: My advice to the new critic is don't look at comments

We'll publish our first review by our new Cafe critic, Gretchen Kurtz, next week, and in the meantime, you'll have plenty of chew on when our point/counterpoint on tipping appears here tomorrow. But as commenters and critics alike know all too well, there's never any shortage of material on Cafe So ... More >>

Kyle Wagner serves up some advice for our new Cafe critic

In advance of Gretchen Kurtz's debut next week as the new Cafe critic, we asked some of our previous restaurant reviewers to weigh in -- and given their jobs, we do mean weigh in -- with advice for our new newest critic. Kyle Wagner, our reviewer for close to a decade who's now the travel editor at ... More >>

Westword has a new Cafe critic

And the wait is over. On September 6, we'll publish the first review by our new Cafe critic: Gretchen Kurtz, the latest in a list of distinguished Westword restaurant reviewers that stretches back three decades and includes Laura Shunk, Jason Sheehan, Kyle Wagner and John Kessler.