Man, it is a tough time to be a celebrity these days.  They just seem to be dropping like flies.  Michael Jackson?  Dead.  Walter Kronkite?  Gone.  Karl Malden?  In the dirt.  Even Mollie “The mere sight of my pussy drives him mad” Sugden (who played the inimitable Mrs. Slocombe on…

I had a pretty good turn-out for my first book signing at Katie Mullen’s a couple weeks ago.  There was a good crowd, plenty of drinking, lots of laughs.  Surprisingly, lots of people seemed to be very excited about finally getting their hands on a copy of my book (Cooking…

Q: What’s the highest rated television show in the history of everything? A: American Idol. Q: And who is the most high-profile judge on American Idol? A: Simon Cowell. That’s right.  And if there’s one organization in the world that knows how to exploit celebrity (even if it happens to be “celebrity”…

As reported here last week, Toshi and Yazu Kizaki are expanding their empire on South Pearl Street. The brothers who own Sushi Den and Izakaya Den just slapped down over seven figures to buy the building at 1501 South Pearl, and plan to transform the longtime Seams Like Olde Times…

We’d timed our exit as skillfully as possible, Laura and I. The bill was paid, the plates cleared, and we were sitting at our table at Mel’s Bar and Grill almost silently, our heads down, making just enough uncomfortable small talk to dissuade anyone from coming over and starting a…

Sure, the plate could be Texas barbecue — if not for those french fries. It could be some fancy-pants dinner entrée — if not for that ugly tin cup in the corner (which, by the way, was filled with coarse-grain mustard). Yes, the above picture looks like it could be…

Yup, you read that headline right. Nine75, the embattled hipster enclave and jumped-up comfort food joint inside the Beauvallon complex at 975 Lincoln Street, is finally throwing in the towel. Nine75 was already closed once, by original owner Jim Sullivan, then rescued and revived by the guys from the Jet…

I recently got an e-mail from Chris asking one of the classic questions posed to restaurant writers in young food cities:”Westword always posts reviews of restaurants in the metro area, but have you ever done a review of late-night restaurants?  I work nights and am usually up for some food…

My meals at Buchi Cafe Cubano were awesome.  And not only was the review a blast to write, for the first time in a long time I found myself at a restaurant where I actually wanted to eat every single thing on the menu.  Twice.That just doesn’t happen that often. …

Westminster, while never exactly the center of the culinary universe, has been seeing a few interesting openings lately, and now there’s another to be added to the books: Mamma Mia Trattoria. Mamma Mia is scheduled for a July 21 opening at 9008 West 88th Avenue. As if you couldn’t tell…

PETA — the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — is a lot of things.  It is a political organization dedicated to saving all the cute critters on the planet.  It is a finely-tuned donation-gathering machine that preys on weepy liberals who’d rather empty their wallets than think too much…

Germany is now short one chef and the science of molecular gastronomy has claimed another victim. This, from the Daily Telegraph: “The 24-year-old chef was experimenting with a recipe involving liquid nitrogen, which is used by chefs including Heston Blumenthal to freeze food, when there was suddenly an ‘enormous explosion.'”Said…

I don’t think there’s any such thing as a slow night at Cuba Cuba anymore. It used to be that if you showed up early enough on a weekday, you could be assured of getting some kind of table. Maybe not the best in the house, maybe not the one…

I was not born in Florida, thank God. I did not grow up there. I actually spent only a short portion of my life in the Sunshine State — a few months buried to the eyes in the damp and lizard-infested sloughs — and most of that time was spent…

Last week, I asked a simple question: What’s the worst meal you’ve had in a restaurant that was supposed to be good? I posed the question because I was feeling a bit pissed off myself. Because I have had more than my share of terrible experiences in restaurants where I…

There is virtually nothing to this small storefront space in northwest Denver, which is as it should be. A patio out front, soft yellow walls, a couple of framed prints of things Cubano, a counter, a few tables, a coffee machine, a small kitchen tucked away in a closet in…

Want to know one of the things I love about Jonesy’s EatBar?  It serves amazing bowls of perfect french fries with a bacon-studded macaroni and cheese bechamel. Want to know one of the other reasons I love it?  Owner Leigh Jones’s staff is willing to get (almost) naked for a good…

As mentioned here yesterday, Chipotle is underwriting a screening of Food, Inc. tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Chez Artiste Theater at 2800 South Colorado Boulevard. The first 280 or so people in line all get in free. But wait, there’s more!  Before the screening, you’ll get a free lecture…

Wow.  Last week’s Ask the Critic question (which had to deal with worst meals and devolved fairly quickly into a toes-to-top indictment of Denver’s FOH crews) certainly had you folks up in arms. This week, though, I’m taking things in a different direction, one less about food and restaurants in…

With this week’s review of Mikuni and a visit to the new Hapa Sushi in Greenwood Village, I figure that rookie fish-eaters are taken care of.  But what about those of us who want more than fake crab wrapped in rice or deep-fried shrimp in mayonnaise sauce?  What about those…