I wanted to weep tears of joy when I bit into my first empanada at Maria Empanada, the restaurant that’s the subject of this week’s review. I ate empanadas on a daily basis while living in Buenos Aires, but I hadn’t had a real addiction-worthy version of the treat in…
Owning a farm, says Yasu Kizaki, was always a dream for him and his brother, Toshi, the owners of two Japanese restaurants on South Pearl Street: Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. “Our parents were farmers,” Yasu recounts. “It’s been a vision for a long time, but it’s hard work.” Dreams…
Since they first opened — and re-opened — then reopened Oak at Fourteenth, owners Bryan Dayton and chef Steve Redzikowski have tried to create a true neighborhood restaurant, pulling in crowds of regulars with their creative take on North American cuisine and an equally inventive beverage program. And starting April…
Not long ago, searching for a decent meal at Denver International Airport was like trying to discern the literary value of the Twilight saga: it just didn’t exist. But over the past few years, the concourses have picked up a few decent options, including the Chophouse on Concourse A and…
Chris Dailey — owner of Boulder Creek Events and a pair of Flatiron Crossing restaurants, Street Legal Pizza and Street Legal Burgers – has had a lifelong fascination with America in the ’50s. So when he found an open spot in Boulder’s Twenty Ninth Street project (soon to be the…
I wanted to weep with joy the first time I bit into an empanada at Maria Empanada, the subject of this week’s review. Years ago, I accepted the fact that I was never going to find an authentic Argentine empanada in this country — but at Lorena Cantarovici’s tiny shop,…
Three years ago, after searching for but never finding some of her favorite foods from Argentina, Buenos Aires native Lorena Cantarovici opened a Denver-area catering company that used her mother’s recipes for empanadas, tartas and dulce de leche…
It may be a bit brisk for outdoor dining but as of this morning, spring has official sprung. For us, that means it’s time to make an excuse to get out of the office for an extended lunch, grabbing a seat on a patio and enjoying some time in the…
Almost every culinary culture embraces the delicious concept of filling a pastry shell with meat and/or vegetables, then serving it up as a snack: The Chinese have pork-stuffed bao, the British make meat-and-gravy pasties, India puts potatoes in samosas, and in America we heat up Hot Pockets — which were…
As Denver’s coffee culture expands, Travis Gilbert and Greg Gerken, both coffee shop veterans, want to give consumers the chance to go deeper into exactly what they like about their cups of Joe because, claims Gilbert, “a lot of people don’t know much about why they like coffee.”…
One of Denver’s most iconic hometown heroes was Bruce Randolph Senior, a Five Points restaurateur who ran a soul food restaurant, Daddy Bruce’s, and a legacy that has endured for nearly fifty years. Randolph Senior, considered one of the godfathers of barbecue in Denver, got his start using a self-engineered…
Tomorrow morning, Hugo Matheson, Kimbal Musk and Jen Lewin will open the doors to the The Kitchen Denver, the Mile High City outpost of their expanding empire which started in Boulder eight years ago. The new restaurant — which features a massive bar, three patios and several nooks and crannies…
In this interview, Freshcraft’s Adam Dunbar weighs in on the night of the Beast, his go-to beer and where he heads for a perfectly made Manhattan…
Jerry Sturm, a former Denver Broncos guard and pro bowler, along with his wife, Deb, have run the South Restaurant in Greenwood Village for more than four decades, turning out Mexican-American fare and giant margaritas to patrons who frequent their sports-bar-like haunt. But when they partnered with their son, Brett,…
When I interviewed Josh Burbank of Jax Fish House last week, he had an excellent rule of thumb for bartending: “Never shake a Manhattan,” he said. “Next time I see someone shake a Manhattan, I’m going to leap over the bar. That’s my biggest pet peeve, for sure.” We wholeheartedly…
An old pool hall on Sheridan Boulevard at Mississippi is showing signs of new life: Construction is under way at this colorful, decrepit arcade, and a sign posted in the window — plus a liquor license application — indicates the address is becoming El Flamingo Billar. Details are sparse, although…
Is it possible to change your food reputation after 25 years? The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is certainly trying to. For decades, the Colorado-based chain was known for its boozy margaritas, but by last summer, that was no longer enough. So the managers moved back into the kitchen to try…
2914 Coffee may seem like an obvious name for a shop going in at 2914 West 25th Avenue, but it wasn’t just the address that prompted owner Anthony Davis to choose that name for his new spot. “The numbers are meaningful because they’re my anniversary,” Davis explained when he announced…
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?…
It’s been 25 years since husband-and-wife team Thai Nguyen and Ha Pham took over New Saigon, which I reviewed last week, and in their capable hands, one of the oldest Vietnamese restaurants in the city has remained one of the best. So I was stoked when the New Saigon Bakery…
For 34 years, people have flocked to Caldonia’s Tavern and Roadside BBQ for beers and ‘cue, parking on the large patio in warm weather, huddling in front of the TVs inside to watch sports the rest of the year. But if you were looking forward to celebrating the return of…
Although I certainly appreciate craft cocktails, there’s a special place in my heart for white-trash margaritas that come in a multitude of colors and fill birdbath-sized glasses. Is that nuclear juice made in a blender with flavored syrup and alcohol that’s maybe not even tequila? Bring it on. So I’ve…
