James Rugile

Reader: Beast Bottle's menu sounds fantastic

Beast Bottle, which is owned by former Encore chef/owner Paul Reilly and his sister Aileen, opened Saturday night. Initially they'd looked at the Cherokee location, but instead the pair signed on for the spot then occupied by Olivea, bringing on chefs Wade Kirwin and James Rugile. "It's really ama ... More >>

Reader: Venue had promise, but it also had problems

Just shy of its fourth birthday, Venue has closed its doors. Owner Holly Hartnett had opened her restaurant in the former Highland home of 8 Rivers on November 12, 2008, and although the place met with early acclaim -- especially for chef James Rugile, now working with Frank Bonanno -- readers weren ... More >>

Venue Bistro closes in Highland

Earlier this year, in April, the staff from Venue, a New American restaurant in Highland, took a few days off to go on a fishing sabbatical. And now it appears that the sabbatical has turned into a permanent vacation. See also: - Chef and Tell with James Rugile of Venue - James Rugile is leaving ... More >>

Photos: Happy birthday to Vesta Dipping Grill

"We've done dipped for fifteen years." Vesta Dipping Grill celebrated fifteen years of dipping in LoDo last night with a six-course feast and fundraiser benefiting the nonprofit LoDo Cares. Owner Josh Wolkon invited former Vesta chefs Tyler Skrivanek of Duo, James Rugile of Mizuna, Wade Kirwan of A ... More >>

A birthday bash at Vesta, beer and wine and more on this week's calendar

Vesta Dipping Grill turns fifteen this month, and owner Josh Wolkon and crew have invited former Vesta chefs Tyler Skrivanek of Duo, James Rugile of Mizuna, Wade Kirwan of Adrift, Dillon Maddox of Solera, Drew Hardin of Lola and Brandon Biederman of Steuben's to cook at a six-course feast and fundra ... More >>

Vesta Dipping Grill owner Josh Wolkon reflects on fifteen years of success

His long, lanky body clad in a T-shirt, knee-length shorts and Converse tennis shoes, Josh Wolkon slips into a booth at Steuben's, orders a Pimms cocktail and stretches his arms. The last few months have been a whirlwind for the owner of Steuben's, which he unleashed in Uptown in 2007. Next month, h ... More >>

Reader: Cool of James Rugile to comment on Patrick Horvat interview

Lori Midson​Readers are raving about Lori Midson's Chef and Tell interview with Patrick Horvat, the exec chef at Venue. Among those commenting? Former Venue exec chef James Rugile: Great interview Patrick, I'm overdue to come up and see you. Let's grab a beer sometime soon. Cheers, buddy! ... More >>

Patrick Horvat, exec chef of Venue, on silly chemicals, egos and being "Master Frodo"

Lori Midson​ Patrick Horvat Venue 3609 West 32nd Avenue 303-477-0477 www.venuebistro.com This is part one of my interview with Patrick Horvat, executive chef of Venue. Part two of my chat with Horvat will run in this space tomorrow. Most chefs are quirky -- or at least have quirks -- and Pa ... More >>

The week in Cafe Society bloggery: James Rugile joins Frank Bonanno, octopus lovers unite and Alex Seidel cuts the cheese (and comes out smelling like roses in Zagat's America's Top Restaurants guide)

​Our favorite table scraps of the week from the Cafe Society blog:

James Rugile is leaving his exec-chef post at Venue to work with Frank Bonanno

Lori Midson​James Rugile, executive chef at Venue, which opened in 2008 at 3609 West 32nd Avenue, is vacating that kitchen at the end of the month to join Frank Bonanno's kingdom of restaurants -- specifically, the kitchens of Luca D'Italia and Mizuna, the two Bonanno restaurants, along with B ... More >>

FEDDY Awards honor Denver's most philanthropic chef and Denver's best food event

​"I'm really, really passionate about food, and we have so many food events in Denver that fly under the radar that I wanted to create a way to capture people who might want to be in the know about those events." That's the premise behind Food Events in Denver, a Facebook page created by Jer ... More >>

Part two: Chef and Tell with Brandon Biederman from Steuben's

Lori Midson​ Brandon Biederman Steuben's 523 East 17th Avenue 303-830-1001 www.steubens.com This is part two of Lori Midson's Q&A with Brandon Biederman, exec chef of Steuben's. To read part one of that interview, click here. Rules of conduct in your kitchen: Be smart, be safe, be clean, be ... More >>

Contest alert! Win two free seats to the Highlands Chef Collaborative Farm Dinner at Aspen Moon Farms

Lori Midson ​The final Highlands Chef Collaborative Dinner of the year is exactly six days away, and take our word for it: You don't want to miss it. Why, you ask? Well, consider this: The five participating chefs -- Max Mackissock (Squeaky Bean); James Rugile (Venue); Brad Rowell (Colt & ... More >>

Flaming hot food porn from the Denver Burger Battle

Lori Midson ​At last night's Denver Burger Battle, a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters, ten of Denver's best beef bruits went bun-to-bun, patty-to-patty, topping-to-topping in a cow-friendly competition to see whose burger would kick gas. The throwdown, held at the Wynkoop Walk, and hoste ... More >>

Squeaky Bean's patio farm stand takes root today

Lori Midson ​"We want people to understand the quality of produce that we use here at the restaurant," says Max Mackissock, exec chef of the Squeaky Bean, the seasonally-driven, New American restaurant with an alter to the late Farrah Fawcett and a thimble-size kitchen that's rolling out its ... More >>

Ten of Denver's beef barns will battle it out for best burger title in August

Lori Midson Park Burger's sliders​Jeremy Kossler and his wife Robin are waging war. On August 17, the couple plans to unleash the Denver Burger Battle, a beef-to-beef combat that'll pit ten Denver cow-friendly palaces against one another in a showdown that will ultimately end with the crowni ... More >>

Food and Shelter

Squeaky Bean's first anniversary party was all wet with top Denver chefs getting dunked for charity

Lori Midson Pageant contestant Max Mackissock strutted flowers​If you missed out on the Squeaky Bean's first anniversary party, yesterday's porkstravaganza and birthday bash that put the fun back in Monday, then you also missed Squeaky Bean owner Johnny Ballen baring his buttocks, exec chef M ... More >>

Cafe Society: Week in review

Lori Midson Mussels from Argyll Gastropub​What you may have missed this week on Cafe Society while bickering over whether Argyll, Colt & Gray, Olivea or TAG should have walked away with the Best New Restaurant award in this year's Best of Denver 2010 (Argyll, if you didn't already know, won th ... More >>

James Rugile invited to cook at the James Beard House in September

Lori Midson​Early last week, when the James Beard Foundation announced the crop of chef and restaurant finalists vying for the Foundation's annual awards, there wasn't one Denver chef or restaurant that made the cut. In fact, Colorado's culinary prowess, save for Frasca Food & Wine (Outstandi ... More >>

Homeowner associations attract a full house of complaints. There blows the neighborhood!

Tonight: Get your dine on at one of three special meals

Enjoy dinner at Venue or one of two other venues.​Looking for something special tonight? The good news is, you've got choices; the bad news is, you'll have to decide between three great dinners. Here's what's going on around town:

No Bones about it: Frank Bonanno is looking for another restaurant

Frank Bonanno is hands-on at the award-winning Bones.​Frank Bonanno, who was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur in this year's James Beard Foundation Awards, didn't make the cut when the finalists were announced Monday. But he's already won a string of honors, including Best N ... More >>

Sunday's hot food ticket: Chefs Up Front

Lori Midson Matt Selby at the 2009 Taste of the Nation event in Denver​More than twenty of Denver's star chefs will converge on the Colorado Convention Center this Sunday, March 21, for Chefs Up Front, a culinary bash to benefit Operation Frontline Colorado, a local nonprofit that fights hunge ... More >>

What’s Cooking?

Frank Bonanno, Alex Seidel, Jennifer Jasinski, Steve Ells and James Rugile among James Beard semifinalists

Lori Midson Venue chef James Rugile ​Restaurant and chef semifinalists for the 2010 James Beard Foundation Awards were released this morning, which gives all the nominees exactly 32 days to chew on their success before the five finalists in each category are announced on Monday, March 22. The ... More >>

50top is the most exclusive dinner invitation in Denver

After-action report: Broadway Book Mall and beyond

​So how many people braved the weather last night and came out for my last book signing? Eleven. Which some people might see as sad, but not me. First, because that doesn't even take the record for my least-attended signing (which would be eight people showing up on a night without apocalyp ... More >>

Cook needed at Venue -- and don't f#@& it up

​Word went out yesterday that James Rugile was looking for a fresh body for the line at Venue: "James Rugile needs a part time line cook ASAP," his Facebook status update reported, emphasis on the ASAP. I put in a call to Venue and spoke with one of the managers, wh said that Rugile was look ... More >>

A rearview look at the year in food

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: From a collaborative dinner to gingerbread workshops.

​The holiday season is in full swing, and there are plenty of food-and-drink events for every denomination -- atheists included! See our online Food & Drink listings for dozens of culinary events around Colorado; meanwhile, here's a taste of what's to come this week: Monday, December 14: The ... More >>

Chef and Tell part two: James Rugile of Venue

Lori MidsonJames Rugile, executive chef of Venue​Culinary inspirations: Thomas Keller of the French Laundry for his pursuit of perfection and emphasis on technique, and Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns for his emphasis on sustainability. He sources most of what's on his menu directly from hi ... More >>

Cafe Society: Week in review

​ What you may have missed this week on Cafe Society while you were buried in gravy, a slave to stuffing or checking out Sheehan's roundup of Denver's best pub grub, which is exactly what you want after too much tryptophan: Saul Hudson learned that Chipotle Mexican Grill is entering the Lond ... More >>

Chef and Tell with James Rugile of Venue

Lori MidsonJames Rugile, executive chef of Venue​Head down 32nd Avenue in Highland, and you're likely to find 25-year-old James Rugile in the kitchen at Venue, turning out some of the most incredibly delicious food in Denver (if you haven't tried Rugile's shrimp and grits, go now). The studiou ... More >>

Tonight: March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction

​Tonight, the Colorado Chapter of the March of Dimes will host its annual Signature Chefs Auction at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Denver, 650 15th Street. Tickets to the event are $150 per person and include small plates from many of Denver's top chefs, as well as live music and an auction th ... More >>

Highland chefs unite at Venue for the first in a series of collaborative dinners

​ First, the good news: Venue executive chef James Rugile, Max Mackissock from Squeaky Bean, Shazz Cafe exec chef Benny Kaplan, Tyler Skrivanek of Duo and Brad Rowell of Colt & Gray have all hooked up to create the Highland Chef's Collaborative, a five-dinner series that begins tonight at Ven ... More >>

Partake in tonight's Plates for the Peak at Vesta Dipping Grill

One of the best food events of the year, Plates for the Peak, a small plates fundraiser and silent auction to benefit Urban Peak, a non-profit that saves kids from the jaws of homelessness, returns for a sixth year to Vesta Dipping Grill, 1822 Blake Street, tonight from 6 to 10 p.m. The star-st ... More >>

For Venue's Holly Hartnett, a room of her own

Venue pairs with wine guru Fran Kysela for wine dinner

Venue opened just a few months ago in the former home of 8 Rivers. But already on February 3, it's offering its first wine dinner, pairing up with Fran Kysela, who was named one of the top selectors of wine by Wine Advocate. And the pairing has proved such an advance hit that the dinner's already so ... More >>

Venue: a new venue for Highland

The space at 3609 West 32nd Avenue that 8 Rivers left on October 1, when it finally opened its LoDo restaurant, is now home to Venue.   Venue, which opened two weeks ago, serves "American fare with European influences," explains owner Holly Hartnett. formerly of Table 6. "We're usi ... More >>