“Where should I start?” responds Chris Cina, when I ask him about his new restaurant, Hideaway Steakhouse, that opens today in Westminster. Cina, whose name is synonymous with the Fourth Story, a long-gone restaurant that resided on the top floor of the former Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek, and, more…

Enrique Socarras Cuba Cuba 1173 Delaware Street 303-605-2822 www.cubacubacafe.com This is part one of my interview with Enrique Socarras, executive chef of Cuba Cuba. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. Enrique Socarras puffs on a cigar, intently studying the squiggles of smoke that swirl through…

“I’ve spent the last month as a babysitter, as a life coach and as a hustler,” quips Arik Markus. “Now, I finally get to do what I should be doing — cooking and feeding people.”…

True, there’s an abundance of roughage masking what lies underneath, but once you pluck the lettuce from the heap, you’ll discover a quartet of flautas, devoid of grease, swiped with crema and logged with deliciously spiced potatoes. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first…

If you’re looking to have a devilishly good time tonight, make plans to attend the Sotol Hacienda de Chihuahua dinner at El Diablo, the rollicking Mexican cantina in the Baker ‘hood, whose kitchen extols the virtues of exec chef Sean Yontz. Tonight though, Yontz is sharing his kitchen with his…

At exactly 11 a.m. today, the doors of TAG|RAW BAR, located in the newly remodeled Larimer Square walkway, swung open, and by 11:30, the orange sherbet seats at the pint-size raw bar were jammed with chefs, including Lola’s Jamey Fader, curiosity-seekers, tourists and regulars from TAG, the whimsical Larimer Square…

Earlier today, in Portland, the James Beard Foundation released the listage of superstar chefs, restaurants and restaurateurs who are finalists (semifinalists, of which there were several from Colorado, were announced in February) for the James Beard Awards. The winners will be announced on May 9, in New York City, and…

It used to be that no other macaroni and cheese in Denver rivaled the decadent, white-trashy version dished out at Tom’s Home Cookin’, but then, last week, I discovered a formidable competitor in town that might — dare I say it — even be better than Tom’s. Can you guess…

Beginning today, the Squeaky Bean, the wickedly cheeky stamping ground in Highland that turns out some of the best food in the city, is cutting back its noshing hours, eliminating breakfast and lunch altogether to concentrate on brunch and dinner. “Doing three services a day is really really hard, and,…

Rare is the breakfast barn that bakes a really good biscuit, but the one in the above snap, scented with sage, and topped with scrambled eggs, cheddar and ham, is a biscuit that busts our chops. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct…

Hail to the king — crab, that is. When I was growing up, my dad used to take me our for crab legs every Sunday, but then, one day, I I wearied of cracking the shells and dribbling butter down my chin. So I quit. Just like that. Recently, though,…

“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…

If you’ve ever been to the Valverde Country Club, a somewhat unsavory bar at 1319 West Alameda Avenue, then you know that the country club moniker is a little like comparing Fritos to foie gras. Still, the beers are ultra-cheap, the clientele, animated (to say the least), and now that…

Robert McCarthy Rialto Cafe 934 16th Street 303-893-2233 www.rialtocafe.com This is part two of my interview with Robert McCarthy, executive chef of Rialto Cafe. Part one of that interview ran in this space yesterday. Favorite restaurant in America: Lupa, Mario Batali’s restaurant in New York. It’s really simple, straightforward food…

Whenever I’m desperate for a breakfast burrito fix, I normally make the trek to the Taco Wagon in Lafayette, but that could soon change, because I recently discovered a taqueria closer to home that satiates my yearnings. Bonus: Excellent tamales and green chile, too. Can you guess where I’m eating?…

The Wash Park ‘hood, especially the stretch of Alameda, between Logan and Downing, is turning into a bona fide restaurant row, thanks to new restaurants like Bittersweet, Pho Pasta, and soon, a fifth outpost of Larkburger, joining stalwarts like Pete’s Central One, Lucile’s Creole Cafe, Fontana Sushi, Thai Basil and…

Robert McCarthy Rialto Cafe 934 16th Street 303-893-2233 www.rialtocafe.com This is part one of my interview with Robert McCarthy, exec chef of Rialto Cafe. Part two of our interview will run in this space tomorrow. Robert McCarthy shakes his head in aggravation and rolls his eyes. “The hoods went down…

i-Fish, a new Pan-Asian restaurant, opens tonight at 2200 Market Street, in a completely redesigned space that was formerly occupied by Saucy’s, a short-lived barbecue joint. The kitchen, helmed by Jake Rand, who used to be the head sushi chef at Elway’s Downtown, is turning out what he calls “Pan-Asian…

Late last week, Brian Laird, the executive chef of Russo’s Kitchen + Tavern, which opens on Thursday at Vallagio at Inverness, trotted out a non-stop medley of dishes during a staff tasting and orientation — and we were lucky enough to share in the food coma. And Laird, the former…

Tonight, at 5 p.m., the crew of FIVE, a bumper crop of local chefs who cook their hearts out in Denver, at the James Beard House in New York and at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, are gathering at Il Mondo Vecchio for their second collaborative dinner of…