The “special” curry, billed as “spicy” on the menu, wasn’t particularly spicy at all, although the flavors were deep, but the service? That’s a whole different story. In between waiting fifteen minutes for a beer, even longer for water and a hurried server who managed to spill a bowl of…

Andrew Knowlton, the appointed “Foodest” at Bon Appetit magazine — and the guy who named Boulder America’s Foodiest Town in 2010 — has just released his listacle of the country’s fifty Best New Restaurant nominees, and two Denver restaurants — their names won’t surprise you — made the cut. See…

It wasn’t exactly cold yesterday, but it was chilly enough that I gravitated toward of bowl of chili smacked with chipotle peppers — and it was a damn good rendition, especially given the fact that the menu favors frankfurters. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…

UPDATE: We have a winner of our Ballpark Plates contest, in which we asked Cafe Society readers to answer this question: How many “bites” of gazpacho did Trillium sell during last year’s Ballpark Plates? Congrats to Sinnney85, who guessed 284; the actual number is 299. Skinney85, we’ll send you an…

Colin Mallet Sassafras American Eatery 2637 West 26h Avenue 303-433-0080 sassafrasamericaneatery.com This is part two of my interview with Colin Mallet, chef of Sassafras; part one of our chat ran yesterday.. Describe the biggest challenges facing Denver chefs: The amount of competition is enormous. There are so many new restaurants…

I slept for more than twelve hours after draining these beers (and quite a few more), lulled to slumber by the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel and John Denver — the same mellow artists that this taproom chose to play on a lazy afternoon. Can you guess where I’m drinking?…

Colin Mallet Sassafras American Eatery 2637 West 26h Avenue 303-433-0080 sassafrasamericaneatery.com This is part one of my interview with Colin Mallet, chef of Sassafras; part two of our chat will run tomorrow. “Hey, I’ll be back in a sec. I’ve got a fire to put out,” says Colin Mallet, who…

Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…

I love the name of this beer, especially when it’s delivered with an Italian accent. And while it’s not my favorite beer to drink, it pairs well with the menu at the restaurant where it’s poured. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct…

UPDATE:The Denver Burger Battle is sold out, but we’ve been hoarding two tickets to give away to one Cafe Society commenter and a guest — specifically the reader whose guess came the closest to the answer of this question: Crave’s “Wiseguy” burger won the people’s choice vote at the 2012…

Last week, when I interviewed Delores Tronco about the end to the Justice League of Street Food — and the group’s pavement parties that pioneered Denver’s mobile food movement, the last of which took place on Saturday — the initial organizer of those gatherings had this to say: “We hope…

It doesn’t matter if the sky is pounding the pavement with rain, or dumping flakes of white powder on grassy surfaces, because the forecast is always pouring chile at this Mexican joint. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess…

Cafe Society dished up five Guess Where? contests posts last week, ranging from a cup of curried tomato soup from Gather, to a corned beef sandwich from Finley’s Pub, to a parade of curries from an Indian restaurant…

UPDATE: The correct answer to our contest question — How many kegs of beer has the Justice League of Street Food untapped since its first event in 2009? — is 131 kegs. The person who came the closest to that number, actually nailing it on the head, is ebethcheese. Ebethcheese,…

Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…

In this week’s Chef and Tell interview, I chat with Jonah Munson, chef of the Walnut Room, a restaurant and bar that’s popular for its pizzas. Munson, who makes his own dough, also bakes desserts, a skill he learned at an early age, when he started baking cakes from scratch,…

Despite a menu that boasts a large vegetarian section — and mock meat — it’s not all carrots and mushrooms at this Chinese restaurant that also turns out an excellent plate of fried rice…liberally pelted with pork. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first…

Despite a familiar menu that mimics its counterparts, this is not your average curry-in-a-hurry Indian joint — not by a long shot. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post is entered into a pool — and every…

Jonah Munson Walnut Room 3131 Walnut Street 303-295-1868 2 Broadway 303-736-6750 thewalnutroom.com This is part two of my interview with Jonah Munson, exec chef of the Walnut Room. Part one of our conversation ran yesterday. What do you enjoy most about your craft? Working with my hands with simple, wholesome…