Robert Thompson

Restaurants, like baseball teams, need time to work out the kinks

People often ask why Westword's policy is to wait three months after a restaurant opens before going in for a review, rather than jumping in while the paint's still fresh. I'm sympathetic to the argument that if a restaurant is charging full price for food, it's fair game. But if fairness is the iss ... More >>

Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink: From bowling to burgers, there's a lot to like

See also: Behind the Scenes at Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink

Reader: Two of the best meals I ever had in Denver were at Argyll

In advance of the Best of Denver 2013, which will hit the streets (and the web) later today, we took a look back at the winners of the Best New Restaurant award over the past decade. Most of those winners are still going strong; a few have lost the chefs that earned them the honor. And two are close ... More >>

Best New Restaurant: Our ten winners over the past decade

Twenty-four hours from now, the Best of Denver 2013 will start hitting the street -- and the web. This year's edition is packed with more than 400 winners (we're still counting). The the very last category in our Food & Drink section was one of the toughest picks this year: Best New Restaurant. In ... More >>

Denver's ten best new bars of 2012

With the additions of everything from neighborhood taverns to high-end lounges, Denver's bar scene got even better in 2012. Residents and tourists alike have many more options when they're looking for fun after the sun goes down -- or even before that. Here, in no particular order, are Cafe Society ... More >>

Trends without end, round two: Beer, beer cocktails and the whole beast

What will be the big culinary trends in 2013? As we prepare for a new year in gastronomy, we posed that question to dozens of people in the local food business, everyone from chefs and pastry magicians to restaurant brokers and PR consultants, from brewers and grape gurus to realtors and pig farmers ... More >>

Here it is! Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink opens to the public on Saturday

After months -- hell, years! -- of waiting and watching, Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink, Robert Thompson's 24,000-square-foot gastro-diner, coffee bar, lounge, bowling alley, ping-pong powerhouse, pool hall, marbles mecca, throwback video arcade and game hang (deck-shuffle, shuffleboard, darts, pi ... More >>

Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink hopes to roll a strike mid-month

While the future of the building right across First Avenue that holds El Diablo and Sketch remains uncertain, Robert Thompson sounds confident that he'll get Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink open by the middle of the month -- confident enough that he's already sent out a save-the-date notice. "We do ... More >>

Exclusive first look: Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink, opening at the end of October

This, says Robert Thompson, is the "most ambitious project I've seen in Denver in a long, long time, and I guarantee you that it's going to be worth it." "This" refers to Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink, the 23,700-square-foot, 900-person-capacity gastro-diner, bowling alley, Ping-Pong hall, marb ... More >>

Amazing Eats

The dishes of Dish: Le Grand's chicken liver mousse and lamb ribs

Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar was just a few months old last September, but owner Robert Thompson somehow found the time and energy to be a part of Dish 2011 -- our first outside dining event (after seventeen years inside!), and also the first one for which Cafe Society scribes invited their favorite ... More >>

James Lee back at the Bitter Bar full time

A year and a half ago, award-winning bartender James Lee gave up his post as bar manager of the Bitter Bar and beverage director of the Big Red F restaurants to embark on a journey that took him first to Salida and then Denver, where he's worked with Troy Guard, Leigh Sullivan, Robert Thompson and H ... More >>

Anika Zappe named bar manager of Punch Bowl Social, Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar and Argyll

It took two and a half years, but Robert Thompson, the restaurateur behind Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, the former Argyll and Punch Bowl Social, finally got his wish: Anika Zappe, one of the most respected and high-profile bartenders in Denver, Thompson told me today, is now the beverage director f ... More >>

It's been a banner year for Denver restaurants... and restaurateurs

At Le Grand Bistro, belly up to the bar for classic French fare

More Photos: Belly Up to the Bar at Le Grand Bistro

Photos: Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar

At Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar, Robert Thompson's new French restaurant near the convention center and the subject of my review this week, the bar was the place to be. That dark wooden counter was my favorite place to match fat sausages to Alsatian Riesing, oysters to Muscadet, or cocktails to mo ... More >>

Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar is Robert Thompson's version of a "grand brasserie"

Restaurateur Robert Thompson made his name in this town with Brasserie Rouge, a much-lauded, now-defunct French restaurant in the IceHouse that won our Best New Restaurant Award, then closed not long after. Thompson left town for a while, then made a strong comeback with Argyll, a basement gastropub ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: Pork chop from Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

Lori Midson​ No. 53: Pork shop from Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

Danielle Blankenship: Charge for killing cat by blowing heroin smoke in its face dropped

Blankenship.​Last month, Danielle Blankenship, 21, was accused of misdemeanor animal cruelty for allegedly killing her cat by blowing heroin smoke in its face -- and Boulder authorities talked about upping the charge to a felony if any heroin turned up in the cat's system. But none did, prompt ... More >>

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 departees James Lee and Michael Pacovsky sign on with Robert Thompson and Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

​Robert Thompson, who owns Argyll, which just closed in Cherry Creek (but will reopen in 2012 in the Baker 'hood) and the soon-to-be-open Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, which has taken over the former Baur's space downtown and Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink, slated to open in November, also i ... More >>

Argyll will close in Cherry Creek on Sunday -- and reopen next year in the Baker District

Lori Midson​Argyll, a restaurant that we have loved, stalked and ballyhooed since it opened in Cherry Creek in 2009 -- it was our Best New Restaurant pick in Westword's 2010 Best of Denver issue -- has, for quite a while, been one of the only reasons to actually make the trek to a relatively l ... More >>

Readers: Dixons Downtown Grill served up memories as well as meals

​On Friday, we posted our "Restaurant roll call for June," a compendium of the town's recent openings and closings -- some of them quite surprising, including Squeaky Bean (looking for a new home, this one with a kitchen), Baur's Ristorante (Robert Thompson of Argyle will turn the space 1t 151 ... More >>

Reader: Plant Squeaky Bean in this neighborhood!

Squeaky Bean will get uprooted from Tejon: It was fun while it lasted.​Two restaurants are looking for new homes this month. On Friday afternoon, Lori Midson broke the news that Robert Thompson will be opening Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar in the current home of Baur's Ristorante; owner Jimmy ... More >>

Better Run, Turkey

This week in Cafe Society food bloggery: beer, Bon Appetit, Brandon Biederman and ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

​ Behold the highlights from this week's Cafe Society blog: 1. With the streets of Denver flooded in suds, it's likely that you're well and truly hammered while reading this, but if you can still see the screen without covering up one eye, and you haven't had your fill of hops and barley, the ... More >>

Big Lots on Broadway to become a big bowling alley and 24/7 diner, courtesy of Argyll's Robert Thompson

Lori Midson​You know the boarded up Big Lots on First and Broadway -- the behemoth, 23,000-square-foot space that was reportedly going to be a Sunflower Farmers' Market, then a Staples store and, most recently, an auto body garage? Yeah, well, it's not not going to be any of those things. ... More >>

Coming soon to Cherry Creek: Sweet Ginger Asian Bistro & Sushi

Lori Midson​While Cherry Creek just lost Tambien, one of the tony neighborhood's best independent restaurants, the downstairs space at 2710 East Third Avenue, formerly Plush, is poised to become Sweet Ginger Asian Bistro & Sushi. Located directly next door to -- and sharing a patio with -- ... More >>

Food Network to feature Argyll's corned beef hash on Unique Eats

Lori Midson ​Just heard from Robert Thompson, owner of Argyll, the Cherry Creek gastropub that snapped up our Best of Denver 2010 Best New Restaurant award, that he got a call from the brass at the Food Network, who's sending a film crew to Denver in August or September to shoot the pub's corn ... More >>

Argyll may put expansion on hold

​Robert Thompson's Argyll was the surprise hit of 2009; despite being labeled a "gastropub," it even took top honors for Best New Restaurant in our Best of Denver 2010. Argyll was doing so well that Thompson had considered taking on the space next door to the restaurant at 2700 East Third Ave ... More >>

Tonight: Argyll does good in a make-good

Diners on Argyll's patio will be looking at life through rose-colored glasses.​ Argyll Gastropub, proclaimed the Best New Restaurant in the Best of Denver 2010, is serving up a 5-Course Rose Wine Dinner tonight that's a benefit for the National Kidney Foundation. "It's our way to kick off sum ... More >>

Argyll celebrates its first birthday with bargain-basement lunch prices

Lori Midson​ Argyll, the Cherry Creek gastropub (and winner of Westword's Best New Restaurant 2010 award) at 2700 East Third Avenue, is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Friday, April 30 by offering one starter and two lunch entrees for $14, excluding tax and gratuity. "We're thanking ... More >>

Does winning Best New Restaurant have a Sports Illustrated jinx?

​Despite the lousy economy, last year saw an unprecedented number of impressive new restaurants opening in Denver - everything from Olivea to Squeaky Bean to TAG to Colt & Gray. But the team of eaters working on the Best of Denver 2010 were unanimous on which spot had earned the Best New Resta ... More >>

What's the Best New Restaurant? Argyll

Inside Argyll, Denver's Best New Restaurant.​Last year may have broken all records for restaurant openings in metro Denver -- despite the lousy economy. The roster literally ran from A to Z, with more than a dozen new spots all strong contenders for the Best New Restaurant award of the Best of ... More >>

Chef and Tell with Sergio Romero from Argyll Gastropub

Lori Midson ​"My goal," says Sergio Romero, "is to be on a wait as often as possible, to have people love our food and eat it up, and to provide an experience that's a little different from everything else in Denver." And the exec chef of Argyll Gastropub fiercely believes that the Cherry Cree ... More >>

Argyll Gastropub taps into vacant Plush space next door

Lori Midson​Argyll Gastropub, the subterranean grub-and-ale house at 2700 East Third Avenue, is about to get bigger -- much bigger. That's because Argyll owner Robert Thompson just snatched up the Plush space directly next door, which closed following New Year's Eve. Thompson's first priority ... More >>

The List: Top ten pubs with good grub

Mark MangerArgyll's food is far from average pub fare.​Argyll might have saddled itself with the horrible label "gastropub," but by any name, Robert Thompson's new place is a pretty sweet bar, with seriously great food. But while the menu at Argyll, which I review here, is more ambitious than ... More >>

After my first bite at Argyll, I was ready to eat my words

Argyll goes gastropubbin'

Mark Manger​It worried me that Argyll is located in a subterranean address in Cherry Creek -- which seems to almost always doom any restaurant to a slow, lingering death. It worried me that this particular subterranean address used to be the home of the Squealing Pig: a terrible excuse for an ... More >>

There's no business like snow business at Argyll

​For sunny days, Argyll Gastropub, at 2700 East Third Avenue, has a great patio. On snowy days, it has the "Snow Days Deal." At any time when it's snowing, Argyll will sell you a 20-ounce Imperial Pint of Murphy's Stout for half price -- 50 percent off the usual $5.25. That's handy news for ... More >>

Tonight: Indulge in five courses at Argyll GastroPub

​ Head over to Robert Thompson's Argyll GastroPub, 2700 East Third Avenue, at 7 p.m. tonight for a five-course wine dinner featuring an array of truly decadent dishes paired with the perfect wines. Menu items include Goose Point oysters, a peach-and-goat-cheese tart, smoked trout, autumn salad ... More >>

Why I hate the word "gastropub," again

Snaps courtesy of Maggie Helseth. Thanks, Maggie!​ I want to make myself absolutely clear here: I hate the word "gastropub." Just to be sure, I'm going to repeat that: I hate the word gastropub. Got it, everyone? The word. Words are my business. I take them very seriously. And as far as ... More >>

On tap this weekend: Real beer, real food, real pub, good cause at Argyll

​Argyll Public House, Robert Thompson's swanky gastropub at 2700 East Third Avenue, is hosting a service industry night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, August 1 to benefit the Colorado Autism Society. If you work in the restaurant biz and have the cred to prove it -- "Bring a pay stub, come in ... More >>

GastronoMe

Argyll joins the brunch bunch

Argyll, and its patio, will be open for brunch this weekend.Robert Thompson's Argyll, in the old Squealing Pig space at 2700 East Third Avenue, made its debut on April 30 with a slow roll-out. First there were dinners. Then, a few days later, lunch service was added. And this Saturday, Thompson and ... More >>

Argyll opens today

Just got word that Argyll is opening today in the former home of the Squealing Pig, 2700 East Third Avenue. It's brought to us by Robert Thompson, best known for Brasserie Rouge, our Best New Restaurant of 2004. Sadly, Brasserie Rouge didn't last (its space in the Icehouse will soon become the Iceho ... More >>

Noca is no go

Back in December, Robert Thompson (formerly of Brasserie Rouge, the Atomic Cowboy and B-52 Billiards) announced that his Chicago company, Seasoned Development, would open its first Noca Kitchen at 1433 17th Street in Denver. "Noca Kitchen is going to be a substantial growth vehicle for us in Denver ... More >>

Robert Thompson is headed back to Denver

When last we saw Robert Thompson, he'd closed Brasserie Rouge, was out of Atomic Cowboy, and was selling B-52 Billiards (which would become the Real World: Denver House, then Theorie). He moved on to Chicago, where he's now co-owner of Seasoned Development -- a restaurant company that just&nb ... More >>

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