The perfect deli sandwich, says Frank Bonanno, goes something like this: “a ton of meat, sliced to order and paper-thin; shredded iceberg lettuce; paper-thin, sliced tomatoes; and a slightly crunchy, soft and toothsome hoagie roll.” That’s the kind of sandwich that Bonanno, who will open Salt & Grinder, a New…

The guy who cooks the food at this diminutive Mexican joint always has a twinkle in his eye, and his chalkboard of south-of-the-border eats, especially the al pastor with pineapple, always turns a good day into a great day. Awesome housemade horchata, too. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special…

DJ Nagle Humboldt: Farm, Fish, Wine 1700 Humboldt Street 303-813-1700 humboldtrestaurant.com This is part one of my interview with DJ Nagle, executive chef of Humboldt: Farm, Fish, Wine; the second installment of our chat will run tomorrow. Even though it wasn’t a requirement, DJ Nagle always sported a tie when…

In March, Glaze: the Baumcake Shoppe, a gorgeous Japanese bakery in Congress Park, shuttered, leaving a litany of ardent admirers of the bakery’s macarons and baum cakes starving for news that co-owner Heather Alcott would make a comeback. And she has, collaborating with Wayne Conwell, chef-owner of Sushi Sasa, on…

The small cocktail syllabus at this neighborhood hangout doesn’t require a mixologist and a bag of tricks, but the admittedly sleep-deprived bartender who mixed my cocktail — a concoction of whiskey, berries, lemon and basil — rose to the occasion, making me a strong cocktail was just what the long…

I recently spent several days eating my way around Los Angeles, and whenever I’m there, I clamor for Korean food, and then I clamor for it again as soon as I get back to Denver, and this Korean restaurant, in particular, always gives in to my cravings. Can you guess…

Tonight at 5 p.m., restaurateur Robert Thompson, along with an incredibly pedigreed pool of talent, including executive chef John Broening, beer-and-whisky king Ryan Conklin and front-of-the-house czar Steve Kingsbury, will open Argyll Whisky Beer Gastropub in Uptown, in the former Las Margaritas space. See also: Exclusive: Robert Thompson opening Argyll…

Cafe Society served up five Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a box of noteworthy scones from Adagio Baking Company to a vase of citrus-sprayed bay scallop ceviche from El Chingon to a plate of chicken wings from a steak joint in LoHi…

Each year, after the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, a feast of piggish proportions follows, namely Grand Cochon, a swine showdown that gives the pork entourage the opportunity to stuff as much pig down their gullet as possible. Ten chefs compete in the battle, all of whom have won…

Last night, on the stage of George Washington High School, my kid received his certificate of continuation — he’s now a high schooler — and to celebrate, we went out for a late Thai dinner, which sucked, so to compensate, I fed him his favorite breakfast: hot scones from a…

“As excitement builds over the World Cup 2014 hosted by Brazil this summer — and with the Olympics taking place in Brazil in 2016 — there’s more and more interest among Coloradans in Brazilian culture and food,” insists Jessica Dries, who, along with her husband Edglas Prado, recently launched Brazilian…

Chefs, like the rest of us, have their guilty pleasures, and yesterday, during a late-afternoon lunch, one particular Denver chef admitted that his guilty obsession is chicken wings, and to prove his point, he horded the little suckers…but not so much that I couldn’t snatch one off his plate when…

Jeff Jones P17 1600 East 17th Avenue 303-399-0988 p17denver.com This is part two of my interview with Jeff Jones, chef de cuisine of P17; part one of our conversation ran yesterday. Your three favorite Denver restaurants other than your own: I love Snooze on Larimer, and when I’m craving a…

It started with a reflective traipse through the mountain wilderness, says Samir Mohammad, recounting the day he made the difficult decision to quit his job at Black Pearl, where he’s been the executive chef since January of this year. But he’s not just departing the kitchen of Black Pearl; he’s…

UPDATE: We have a winner of our Avery beer vs. Peach Street spirits dinner contest, in which we asked Cafe Society readers to answer this question: How many barrel-aged Cheeky Peach cocktails can Green Russell get out of its Peach Street barrel before the barrel runs dry? Congratulations to dlitfin,…

When the joint next door sternly turned us away, claiming that a catering order would prohibit the kitchen staff from cooking for its customers for at least thirty minutes (seriously?), we opted, in a pinch, for Italian food instead. And my kid, who’s obsessed with Caesar salads, ordered one here,…

Jeff Jones P17 1600 East 17th Avenue 303-399-0988 p17denver.com This is part one of my interview with Jeff Jones, chef de cuisine of P17; part two of our conversation will run tomorrow. When you’re a kid, there’s nothing worse than constantly being on the move. Unless, that is, you happen…

Rick Marion, owner of the Pizza Pedal’r, which calls itself “the pinnacle of pizza in the Park” — that would be Winter Park — is opening a second Pizza Pedal’r in Denver, namely in the Prospect neighborhood, where it will join a mini restaurant row, including Santiago’s and Tokio, a…

After Taki’s, a twenty-year veteran on East Colfax, closed in November of last year, sisters Nancy Brady and Helen Patterson, both of whom own CityGrille next door, fulfilled one of the objectives on their bucket list: They opened a breakfast spot with good coffee. “We’ve always had a dream of…

While this Mexican restaurant dispenses tacos, burritos and tostadas, the kitchen performs best when it detours from cheese and green chile. In fact, it’s the ceviches, all citrus and sweet ocean, that are the star of the show. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the…