In-N-Out Burgers Inc.

Guess where I'm eating drunken noodles?

My teenager is currently on a Thai food kick, which couldn't make me happier, because next week, when we're in California on vacation, it's going to be all In-N-Out, all the time, at least if he has his way. In the meantime, we Thai-d one on at this iconic Denver joint that still produces noteworthy ... More >>

Burger King brings back the California Whopper -- and rolls out Cinnabon

For all of the menu items that Burger King has come up with over the years, the Whopper has survived as a staple for good reason: The signature grilled hamburger tastes about as close as fast-food customers are gonna get to a flame-broiled, backyard burger. And even when ingredients are added to mak ... More >>

Top five chain-restaurant burgers -- completely naked!

A great burger needs to stand on its own, a Westword reader noted last week in response to my review of Red Robin's Burger Works, a new concept that the Colorado-based chain tried out at the Shops at Northfield Stapleton before rolling it outside Colorado state lines. That means the burger has to ... More >>

Reader: Trader Joe's is finally coming. Would you drive to Boulder to shop there?

It's official: Yesterday, Trader Joe's confirmed that it will open its first Colorado location at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall in Boulder: a 14,000-square-foot store that is slated to open in 2013 at 1906 28th Street, where an Applebee's is currently located. Although the future Boulder store isn't ... More >>

Reader: Park Meadows could use some new food spots

It's all about suburbia today. After reviewing Street Kitchen Asian Bistro, Laura Shunk went on a hunt for the "Five best places for lunch near the Tech Center," which inspired a number of suggestions -- some of them ethnic joints, which she'd said were in short supply in the southern 'burbs. The n ... More >>

Year in review: Denver's biggest food stories in 2011

Denver foodbeasts who eat up the city's culinary scene had plenty to chew on in 2011: Big-name chefs who abruptly closed their restaurants; other chefs who walked out; a restaurant that burst into flames -- and rose from the ashes; a very public divorce; and sadly, unfathomably, a beloved restaurate ... More >>

Top five pitches for John Hickenlooper and Michael Hancock to use on California businesses

Eat this, In-N-Out.​In a repeat of a trip he made with then-governor Bill Owens back in 2003, Governor John Hickenlooper is now winging his way to California. He and new Denver mayor Michael Hancock are officially trying to encourage businesses there to expand to Colorado -- and, unofficially, ... More >>

Amos Watts, exec chef of Jax-Denver, on Casa Bonita, English peas and cheese

Amos Watts Jax Fish House Denver 1539 17th Street 303-292-5767 www.jaxfishhousedenver.com The French Laundry, Thomas Keller's culinary temple in Napa, gets plenty of accolades, but Cyrus, a petite restaurant in the artsy Sonoma town of Healdsburg, is even better, insists its legion of junkies. And ... More >>

Behold...Denver's first Steak 'n Shake!

Lori MidsonThis guy -- and hundreds of others -- waited hours for a burger at Denver's first Steak 'n Shake.​ "I've been waiting five years for this!" screeched a woman who couldn't stop trembling. And Jeremy Smallwood was grinning from ear to ear, despite the fact that he had been sitting idl ... More >>

Denver's ten best burgers

The Steakburger​This town is already stuffed with burgers, and today another meaty addition joined the ranks: Steak 'n Shake, which opened in Centennial. While we have no doubt that this link in the Midwestern chain will quickly endear itself to Denverites, the Steak 'n Shake burger has some f ... More >>

Reader: In-N-Out is the best of the worst, and that's not good enough

Double your fun with a double-double.​Today's the day you can have a shipment of In-N-Out double-double burgers sent to your home in In-N-Out-deprived Colorado -- if you're willing to pay $50, plus shipping, for two of them. Deal, but no deal, says Devin: I love In-N-Out, but it is like a ni ... More >>

Simon Purvis, exec chef of EDGE, on love, sarcasm, smart arses and the customer he thought he murdered

Lori Midson​This is part one of my interview with Simon Purvis, executive chef of EDGE at the Four Seasons. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. Simon Purvis EDGE at the Four Seasons 1111 14th Street 303-389-3000 www.fourseasons.com/denver/dining Simon Purvis is siz ... More >>

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

​Cafe Society served up five Guess Where contests last week, featuring everything from Russo's Kitchen Tavern, which pours Nora beer, to a platter of In-N-Out burgers (which means Lori Midson definitely wasn't eating in Denver) to this plate of African cuisine, including goat meat. For corr ... More >>

Reader: Your In-N-Out Burger photo is just cruel!

​Denver has a lot of great burger joints (see our Five Best Burgers list here), but one iconic chain remains elusive. And just a photo of its burgers was enough to get readers salivating -- and Steveo65 fuming: There should be a law against posting pictures of In-N-Out when the closest one is ... More >>

Golden Spoon opens this weekend in Stapleton

​There are several frozen-yogurt shops opening soon in Denver, but possibly none so ambitious as Golden Spoon, which will open its first Mile High City outpost -- and fifth Colorado location -- this weekend in Stapleton at 7505 East 35th Avenue. And Mike and Julie Haslar, the franchisees behin ... More >>

Reader: Nothing beats a good burger. But where is Denver's best?

Is this the best burger in Denver?​The news that Steak 'n Shake is finally coming to town -- Centennial, to be exact, with a ground-breaking this month -- has fans of this iconic Midwestern burger drooling. Consider this from Lynn: Thank god there is finally good food coming to Denver! There ... More >>

Ho boy! Denver is getting a Steak 'n Shake!

Bring home the burger and shake, baby!​What may very well be the greatest of all American burger chains is coming to Denver. Well, not Denver, exactly, but close enough. And, no, it's not In-N-Out, although that, too, will come to Denver at some point in our lifetime. But not yet. Instead, we ... More >>

Five Guys burgers tie with In-N-Out; McDonald's at the bottom of the McBarrel

Consumer Reports gives Five Guys a high-five.​Consumer Reports takes on fast-food burgers in its October issue, and the results aren't good for the world's burger behemoth. The magazine asked 28,000 subscribers for their opinion on fast-food burgers, and McDonald's came in last -- by a margin ... More >>

Zagat Fast Food Survey gives high marks to local chains Chipotle and Red Robin

​Everyone loves to hate on fast-food chains -- but even restaurant ratings experts like Zagat recognize their utility in a rundown now and then. The restaurant rating aggregator just released its third annual survey of fast food faves:

1515 Restaurant exec chef Chuck James on Miracle Fruit, James Beard and cheeseburgers

Lori MidsonChuck James, executive chef of 1515 Restaurant​It's just after eight on a Tuesday night when Chuck James slides into a booth after a long day on the line at 1515 Restaurant. He lets a heavy sigh escape before he springs into conversation. "This is the highlight of my career," he say ... More >>

IKEA groundbreaking: Store's pros far outweigh cons, says Centennial

A Flickr photoA sign of the times for Centennial.​Yesterday, we told you about the literal countdown to the IKEA groundbreaking ceremony, set for 11 a.m. today. Look below to see a graphic of the site and an IKEA release featuring more details. Unfortunately, the event isn't open to the publi ... More >>

Part two: Chef and Tell with Jeff Osaka of twelve

Lori Midson​This is part two of my interview with Jeff Osaka, exec chef of twelve. You can read part one of my interview with Osaka here. Rules of conduct in your kitchen: I don't have any rules per se. The only thing I ask from my kitchen staff is to pay attention and be respectful. There's ... More >>

In-N-Out Burger: worshipping at the mecca of meat

​ I touched down in Las Vegas Saturday night, went to Avis to get a huge SUV for the weekend, and immediately headed to the meat mecca, a shrine that calls our name. In-N-Out Burger. This wasn't the first burger chain to make it in Southern California, but it was the best. Still privately own ... More >>

Dodger Talk host treats Denver like a joke

Ken Levine.​Ken Levine, the host of the Los Angeles Dodgers post-game radio show called Dodger Talk, is a comedy writer whose TV credits include Cheers, Frasier and The Simpsons -- good shows all. But Denverites may not be terribly amused by his latest offering, a blog headlined "Things To Do ... More >>

Meet Mr. Burger: Tom Ryan of Smashburger

​Smashburger has long been a point of contention in Denver's highly competitive cheeseburger scene.  There are those out there who love the place all out of proportion -- swearing up and down that it is our answer to In-N-Out, that it is the long-awaited Chipotle for the American food ent ... More >>

Park Burger could turn into the cheeseburger grill of my dreams

Smashburger goes big

Mark Manger​Yesterday I was called out of a very important Cafe strategy meeting at the Fainting Goat to take a call from a fellow scribbler, up against a deadline at the Chicago Tribune and looking for a few words about local chain Smashburger. "Tell me," he said, "on a scale of one to ten w ... More >>

California fast food more In than Out in Colorado

So close and yet so far away.Colorado has plenty of homegrown fast-food and fast-casual chains to keep locals happy. There's Chipotle, Qdoba, Smashburger, Einstein Bagels and Quiznos just to name a few. But Coloradoans also love their California fast food, and we've made some gains in the past few ... More >>

Shmuck of the Week: Anyone wearing stripes

I was feeling a little Shmuck Light this week, unsure that anyone had really risen their shmuck game to a level deserving of this honor, which is fast becoming the Teen Choice Awards of the half-baked-insult-blog world. I engaged our Twitter friends, and even they, at first, were a little unsure. ... More >>

Zpizza to open z doors in Greenwood Village

I haven't admitted this to a lot of people, but I recently returned from hanging with Mickey and the gang at Disneyland, which actually went better than i'd imagined it would. Save for the restaurants, which sucked, except for In-N-Out Burger, which simply sucks in prey, including my nine-year-old s ... More >>

Broncos-Saints Preview: Things that may or may not slow down Reggie Bush

The near-death of the Circle Jerks' Keith Morris

Buns on the Run

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger

Second Helping

Old School Burgers

Bite Me

Kelly's Lune Eclipse

Bite Me

Social Studies

Bite Me

Building a Better Burger

Bite Me

Big, Fat Fun