Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast. The Marczyks, not…

“This is taking fucking forever!” Those are the words that tumbled out of Biker Jim’s mouth thirty minutes ago, when he called to give me an update on the new brick-and-mortar joint he’s opening at 2148 Larimer Street — a joint that was initially slated to open last month. “I’m…

The swamp of oily sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp that tasted of freezer burn, cheap feta and insipid sauce was just the beginning of a depressing meal that I’d give anything to take back. Never. Again. Will. I. Ever. Go. Back. Here. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who…

Chef, restaurateur and pig pusher Chad Clevenger, who already pimps fine swine from the Porker cart at Seventeenth and California streets, is gearing up to add a second cart to his repertoire, followed by a bona fide truck…

Give a guy a Las Tortugas franchise, and what does he do? If you’re JuanCarlos Wong, you keep it for a few months before concluding that you can do your own thing — and do it better. Wong, who opened a Las Tortugas outlet earlier this year in June at…

A beer, a margarita, fresh chips ticked with salt, guacamole and piquant salsas litter the bar of this convivial hangout that turns out better than average south of the border grub to easygoing crowds of locals who often amplify their drunken debauchery with Jägermeister. Can you guess where I’m eating…

In case you haven’t heard, homegrown chain Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering a Facebook deal this weekend whereby if you “check in” using Facebook Places Mobile on your smartphone and show your phone screen, proving that you’re not a big, fat liar to the eye-rolling workhorse behind the register, you’ll…

If you get clocked speeding, blasting through a stop sign or committing a minor offense in the city of Golden, Ronald Miller, the hamlet’s municipal court judge, is offering a far more civilized choice in lieu of paying your mandatory $25 court cost fee: the judge — the kind we…

“Believe it or not, it’s been pretty calm today,” said Frank Bonanno, standing in the kitchen of Osteria Marco, the turf for last night’s Celebrity Chef Tour dinner, a gathering of five Denver chefs — Bonanno, Alex Seidel (Fruition and Frution Farms), Eric Skokan (Black Cat and Black Cat Farm),…

There’s nothing like a bodacious slice of chocolate cake to end a meal that begins with chicken wings and continues through cheeseburgers and a really, really lackluster plate of enchiladas. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am…

The newest Jack-n-Grill, 9310 Sheridan Boulevard, had just opened its doors, and already there was a food warrior attempting — and epically failing — to stuff the New Mexican joint’s notorious seven-pound burrito down his throat. “There’s no way I can finish this, no way,” he bemoaned before pushing the…

Matt Anderson Bistro Vendôme 1420 Larimer Street 303-825-3232 www.bistrovendome.com This is part two of Lori Midson’s interview with Matt Anderson, chef of Bistro Vendôme. Part one of that interview delves into Anderson’s take on WHIRL, EVOO, brains and Bourdain. Culinary inspirations: The seasons, and the way they make me feel…

It’s not a done deal — yet — but Dedria Catalano, who owns Nonna’s Chicago Bistro and Bella Vino Wine Bar, 6603 Leetsdale Drive, is thisclose to securing a second space at the Streets at SouthGlenn in Centennial, joining Tarbell’s, Pho 95, Saj Mediterranean Grill, Snooze and a whole litter…

Last week, a certain Denver restaurant, with locations throughout the country, dumped a carpetbag of calzones on our doorstep, which were promptly snatched up — and devoured — by the gluttonous Westword crew. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the…

Matt Anderson Bistro Vendôme 1420 Larimer Street 303-825-3232 www.bistrovendome.com Matt Anderson wanted to become an Olympic downhill skier from the time he was three and wobbled on skis for the first time. But eighteen years later, he threw his skis in the trash. Anderson, once a member of the U.S…

For months, the rumor mill has been swirling with rumblings that Hades Bar & Grill, the live music/poker/beer pong/karaoke venue with a hot ladies night and a flaming sign at 2200 South Broadway, was closing. And a drive-by earlier today all but confirmed the speculation, thanks to a dark restaurant…

I have, in my grubby little hands, a copy of the just-published Vesta Dipping Grill cookbook, 151 pages of recipes (including chef Matt Selby’s fifty dipping sauces), hot food porn, biographies of Selby and owners Josh and Jen Wolkon (who also run Steuben’s) and a section on the “Vesta Vibe,”…

Swamped with everything vegetarian, including tofu, the Thai green curry that hails from the kitchen of this swanky food temple is far different from what you’ll encounter at most Thai joints that litter Denver’s globalized streets. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct…

“I’ve wanted a Big Boy for years after my first trip to Burning Man,” says Charlie Puma, owner of Enzo’s End Pizzeria, 3424 East Colfax. Burning Man, an annual week-long art and dance festival held every year in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, commences with a ritual burning…

For years, this dark and moody restaurant — a playground for affluent singles and an absolute annoyance for those who have no desire to be pawed — has turned out the same short board of simple dishes, including an ambrosial rotisserie chicken, which used to be unassailable. But on a…