Jensen Cummings

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

See also: A closer look at Slotted Spoon

Fast-casual restaurants are on a roll, with Slotted Spoon joining the lineup

There's a land rush under way in the fast-casual industry, with restaurateurs nationwide frantically trying to grab a piece of this fast-growing segment. Just how fast is it growing? According to Technomic, eight of the ten fastest-growing chains in America (with sales of at least $2 million) are of ... More >>

Industry Denver's Kentucky Derby supper a winner for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry

No matter what horse won the Kentucky Derby, everyone who attended Industry Denver's benefit for Colorado Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign on Saturday came out a winner. The event included a three-course, Kentucky-style supper and paired cocktails, prepared by Matt Selby of Corner House, ... More >>

The five best Kentucky Derby parties in Denver

You've picked your horse, you've dusted off your largest hat, and you're ready for your annual guzzling of mint juleps -- but if Churchill Downs isn't in your weekend travel plans, where shall you go? Westword has compiled a list of the best derby-themed parties taking place in parking lots, five-st ... More >>

Reader: Meatballs are rolling into Denver three years behind the trend

The Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery will open next Monday, and when Lori Midson visited for a first look, it appeared that the place was ready to roll. "We've got a fun and playful menu, but we're just not using a heavy hand," says chef Jensen Cummings, who left Row 14 to open this spot. "We want this ... More >>

Exclusive first look: The Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery opens February 4

The Slotted Spoon, Denver's first bona fide meatball emporium, opens on Monday, February 4, and while that's more than a week away, co-owner and chef Jensen Cummings, along with his partners, Johnny Coast and Alex Comisar, are way ahead of the curve (ball). See also: - Photos: Behind the scenes wi ... More >>

Trends without end: Dining insiders offer predictions for 2013

Reader: Is Lori Midson doing PR for Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery?

Chef Jensen Cummings is about to leave his post at Row 14 so that he can concentrate on other ventures, including Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery, the spot he plans to open next spring with pals and business partners Johnny Coast and Alex Comisar. Lori Midson joined the crew in Comisar's test home ki ... More >>

Exclusive: Jensen Cummings is leaving Row 14 to focus on meatballs and Revelry | Pangaean Eats, another new restaurant project

"Sad, but excited." That's how chef Jensen Cummings, who's helmed the kitchen at Row 14 since July of last year, describes his forthcoming departure. Cummings is leaving Row 14 at the end of this year, he reveals, to concentrate on Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery -- his ballsy new shop devoted to sphe ... More >>

Do the Hoppa at Copper Kettle and the Friek at Odell

Last week, we told you about Boulder Beer Company's cameo in an episode of Parks and Recreation -- but this wasn't the only Colorado brewery to get a little air time. A can of Dale's Pale Ale made it into a reenactment scene in SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden, which premiered on November ... More >>

Matt Lewis, exec chef of Bones, on pop-ups, burgers and women

Matt Lewis Bones 701 Grant Street 303-860-2929 www.bonesdenver.com This is part one of my interview with Matt Lewis, exec chef of Bones. Part two of our conversation will run tomorrow. "Every time I walked through the door of my Italian grandmother's house, even if it was after dinner, the first ... More >>

Dine out for a good cause tonight

The thirteenth annual Flavors of Denver takes place this evening from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, 1111 14th Street. The event features signature dishes from twenty local chefs, including Daniel Asher of Root Down and Linger, Mitch Mayers of Black Pearl, Jensen Cummings of Row 14, Eric Ri ... More >>

Local chefs dish on Denver's dining scene

Rocky Ford cantaloupes are sweeter and safer than ever this year

After last year's listeria scare that wrongly targeted cantaloupes from Rocky Ford, the now trademarkedRocky Ford Cantaloupe™ is making a comeback. That's largely due to the efforts of the Rocky Ford Growers Association, which banded together to adopt new safety procedures, build a state-of-the-a ... More >>

Announcement: We have a winner of our guess the location of the Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery contest

Last week, we revealed the name of the new fast-casual meatball emporium that Row 14 executive chef Jensen Cummings and his partners, Johnny Coast and Alex Comisar, will open later this year: They're calling it the Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery. But we left it up to you to guess the location of the ... More >>

Contest: Guess the location of the Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery, the new restaurant from Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings

Everyone, insists Jensen Cummings, the exec chef of Row 14 Restaurant & Wine Bar, and one of the partners of a new fast-casual restaurant that will haul balls, owns a slotted spoon, knows someone who owns a slotted spoon, or, at the very least, has seen a slotted spoon in a kitchen shop. And that's ... More >>

Photos: Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings demonstrates how to make sriracha

"Sriracha," says Row 14 executive chef Jensen Cummings as he combines four kinds of garlic and serrano peppers in a food processor, "is like the new ketchup. I even saw it at a Mexican restaurant the other day." Here's how Cummings makes sriracha, in photos:

Foodography: A food porn voyage of Chefs Up Front

Colorado chefs cook their asses off -- not just in their respective restaurants but at culinary events all over the city, and last night was no exception, as thirty chefs from Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs convened at the Colorado Convention Center to cook at Colorado Chefs Up Front, a benefi ... More >>

Biker Jim's brick-and-mortar celebrates one year in the wiener business with a bash on Sunday

At last night's one-year milestone bash at Row 14, chef Jensen Cummings managed to throw one of the best stoner food parties we've ever seen: carne asada fries, rabbit nachos, hellaciously hot chicken wings slicked with sauce killing us softly with ghost chiles, and tempurara-battered meatball slide ... More >>

Tonight: Row 14 celebrates its one-year mark with a blowout industry bash

Yesterday, while sharing space at the bar with Jensen Cummings, the executive chef of Row 14, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "This is going to be a big, very cool party, and you know why it's going to be big and cool?" he asked. "We're one of only seven restaurants in the country -- and the ... More >>

Readers: Meatball concept proves what goes 'round comes 'round

Balls! Yesterday Lori Midson revealed that Jensen Cummings, the executive chef of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar, will be launching a new venture devoted to meatballs -- yes, meatballs -- with two partners, probably in the University of Denver area. "I'm not leaving Row 14, but I am opening a new, fast- ... More >>

Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings opening a fast-casual meatball shop

Rumors have been flying across Denver chef circles that Jensen Cummings, the executive chef of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar, was ditching his gig behind the line to open a new restaurant -- a rumor that's only half true.

Matt Selby dishes up an advice-driven Denver Restaurant Week survival guide

Denver Restaurant Week -- or, as Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings coined it, "Denver Restaurant Half Month" -- began in earnest on Saturday night, with 340 food temples across the metro area offering multi-course menus for two for $52.80. Chef Troy Guard and his crew from TAG and TAG RAW BAR were gearing ... More >>

Over the weekend: Blues Traveler, Daniel Junge, Matt Selby and Buffalo Bill

Big pics below.​You were busy this weekend. We know, because we've been keeping track of the phone you had on our Show and Tell, Backbeat Online and Cafe Society blogs, as well as our slide show page. Look below for samples featuring Blues Traveler, Oscar winner Daniel Junge, Matt Selby and B ... More >>

An underground gathering of Denver's best chefs convenes at twelve

Two years ago, when I did a Chef and Tell interview with Jeff Osaka, the owner/chef of twelve, I asked him what he'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint. His answer was poignant, straightforward and inclusive: I want more chefs working to build camaraderie. Sure, we want to b ... More >>

Give us more! Denver chefs want more markets, "cheflucks" and butcher shops in 2012

For last week's Year in Review issue, we recapped what the subjects of the 2011 Chef and Tell interviews would like to see less of in Denver. This time, we're serving up their wish lists of what they hope to find on Denver's plate in the new year -- everything from year-round farmers' markets to who ... More >>

Good riddance! Local chefs don't want to see trash talk, crappy Mexican food, discount programs or mediocrity in 2012

As we've discovered in our weekly Chef and Tell interviews, Denver's kitchen commanders are, if nothing else, unapologetically opinionated. We pepper them with dozens of questions, and sometimes their answers are salty -- especially their responses to what they'd like to see less of in Denver from a ... More >>

In the kitchen with Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14: Alamosa striped bass crudo

Jensen Cummings​In this week's chef and tell interview with Jensen Cummings, the exec chef of Row 14, he sings the praises of Alamosa striped bass, which he procures from Colorado Catch located in -- where else? -- Alamosa. "It took a trip to Alamosa, in a plane that I'm pretty sure had duct t ... More >>

Round two with Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14

Lori Midson​ Jensen Cummings Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar 891 14th Street 303-825-0100 www.row14denver.com This is part two of my interview with Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar. Part one of that interview ran yesterday. What you'd like to see more of in Denver/Boulder fr ... More >>

Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14, on the one ingredient that tastes like "burnt toenails marinated in Kroger brand vegetable oil" and "nooders."

Lori Midson​ Jensen Cummings Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar 891 14th Street 303-825-0100 www.row14denver.com This is part one of my interview with Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. A broom and a dustpan -- these are ... More >>

Denver's five best very late-night meals near the Great American Beer Fest

Thousands of beers will be pouring this weekend at the Great American Beer Festival, but the event is a little short on food. Inside the Colorado Convention Center, you're limited to concessions and pretzel necklaces, and while food trucks are a welcome addition to this year's festivities, they'll ... More >>

It's crunch time for Jensen Cummings, who's just unleashed four new menus at Row 14

Lori Midson​It's been a busy few weeks for kitchen magician Jensen Cummings, who stepped behind the line of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar just three weeks ago after leaving behind his chef de cuisine position at TAG to fill the shoes of Arik Markus, the executive chef who originally opened Row 14. ... More >>

Eater unveils another Denver heat map detailing where to eat right now

Lori MidsonWhere to eat right now: Linger had one of Denver's hottest recent restaurant openings.​Quick, what are the hottest restaurants that have opened in Denver since the last time Eater did a heat map of our fair city, chronicling where to eat right this very second?

Reader: TAG's game of musical chairs -- and chefs -- continues

Brian Melton will soon be mixing it up at ChoLon.​TAG, you're it. The fallout from TAG continues to radiate across the restaurant scene, with the news yesterday that James Lee and Michael Pacovsky are going to Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, Robert Thompson's spot slated to open in the former ... More >>

TAG's former chef de cuisine, Jensen Cummings, is the new executive chef at Row 14

Marc Piscotty​Two weeks ago, when we broke the news that more than a dozen staffers from TAG, Troy Guard's restaurant in Larimer Square, had walked out the door or submitted their two-week notice as a result of personal issues between Troy and his wife (soon to be ex-wife) Leigh Sullivan, peop ... More >>

Colorado beer calender for the week: Captain Midnight saves the day at Bull & Bush

​Saturday, June 18, was supposed to be the day of the second annual Burning Can festival, an all-canned beer bonanza featuring craft beers from around Colorado and the rest of the country. Sadly, it was not to be. Oskar Blues, which created and hosts the event, canceled it, saying logistical i ... More >>

Ice Cream Alchemy is behind the goods at one of Denver's five best spots for ice cream

Peter Arendsen and his company, Ice Cream Alchemy, is behind TAG's ice cream.​A week ago, we brought you a list of the five best spots for ice cream in Denver, including a couple of restaurants that happen to serve up great scoops. But while one of those -- Frasca Food & Wine -- makes its gela ... More >>

Denver Restaurant Week has a record-breaking year

​If you booked a table to cash in on the $52.80 prix fixe deals offered during Denver Restaurant Week (or, as TAG's chef de cuisine, Jensen Cummings, more accurately put it, "Denver Restaurant Half-Month"), you helped create a banner year for the event. According to Visit Denver, the seven-yea ... More >>

Round two with Madison Street's Rob Michaels

Lori Midson​ Rob Michaels Madison Street 1222 Madison Street 303-736-2260 www.madisonstreetdenver.com This is part two of my interview with Rob Michaels, chef de cuisine at Madison Street. In part one of this interview, Michaels dishes on dumbing down menus, the pitfalls of parsley, and pork ... More >>

Hey, servers! Win an EatDenver Dining Deck for your Denver Restaurant Week stories

​"Restaurant Week brings out the worst in people," lamented one chef this week, after a woman lambasted his menu for offering three courses rather than four. "What the fuck is this?" she shouted at her server, who was so stunned she broke into tears. The restaurant -- one of Denver's best -- ... More >>

Colt & Gray Denver Restaurant Week dessert: Brioche bread pudding

​We've been eating our share of prix fixe menus over the last week, partaking in our share of Denver Restaurant Week (or Denver Restaurant Half Month, as TAG chef de cuisine Jensen Cummings calls it). And while some of what we've eaten has been entirely underwhelming -- and has made us excited ... More >>

Chicken? What chicken? TAG forgoes cluck during Denver Restaurant Week, trumpeting kangaroo instead

Lori Midson​Jensen Cummings, the chef de cuisine at TAG, jokingly calls Denver Restaurant Week "Denver Restaurant Half Month," a phrase he's coined to remind diners (and the service industry) that DRW is definitely longer than the one week its name implies. But if DRW was, in fact, one week l ... More >>

Knives, jokes and hunks of meat fly at MCA Denver's bison-butchering bash

Teal NippPete Marczyk (left) and Jimmy Cross meat the audience.​It wasn't bloody, it wasn't smelly and it didn't attract flies. But then, the bison had already been slaughtered and quartered at a Nebraska ranch, separated from its head, hide and organs and hung up to age for two weeks. Anythi ... More >>

Who won the Beer vs. Wine contest at TAG?

​Does craft beer deserve a place at the dinner table next to -- or instead of -- wine? That's a question that guests at TAG sought to answer last night during a fantastic Beer Vs. Wine dinner hosted by Troy Guard's restaurant at 1441 Larimer Street, as well as master sommelier Doug Krenik and ... More >>

Beer and Wine go head to nose tonight at TAG

​Ali vs. Frazer. Chocolate vs. Vanilla. Blue Ray vs. HD DVD. Jacob vs. Edward. They are the battles of our time. Now, add Beer vs. Wine. While wine has held the place of honor for hundreds of years next to fancy food and grub at well-set dinner tables around the world, beer has come on stro ... More >>