Yelp released its second annual list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. last week, compiling user data of the most popular and well-reviewed eateries of 2014. And according to Yelp users, the one place in all of Colorado worthy of national attention is the Kitchen Table…

Will Tuggle Stout Street Social 1400 Stout Street 720-­214-­9100 As a kid growing up in Virginia Beach, Will Tuggle liked good food but didn’t have much exposure to cooking. Since his mom and grandmother were Polish, homemade pierogi and cabbage soup were among his childhood comfort-food standards. He was generally…

The Denver ramen scene has been heating up over the past couple of years, with high-profile noodle-house openings and anticipation over others. But in Aurora, the demand for Japanese noodle bowls has been bubbling beneath the surface, with few options despite the vast array of ethnic eateries in the sprawling…

Based on a month of exploring Denver’s Salvadoran scene, small is good when it comes to pupusas — at least as far as the eatery itself is concerned. Tacos Acapulco on East Colfax is bigger than the Pupusas trailer in Louisville, but not by much. With only four or five…

Bruxie, the fast-casual eatery that turned the standard waffle into the base for a host of playful sweet and savory sandwiches opened less than a year ago and made our list of the ten best new fast-casual restaurants in 2014. But a fun menu full of Belgo-American fare and a…

Odelay Tacos changed hands at the end of the summer, when the new owners — Dave Cleland, John Elliott and Toby Waters — expressed their desire to consolidate the name and image of the bar, which had previously been going under three separate monikers: 3014, Odelay and the Beetle Bar…

Wine enthusiasts in Denver and Boulder already know that Frasca Food and Wine is one of the top destinations in the country for wine service, thanks to co-owner and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey. And Wine Enthusiast magazine agrees, announcing that Stuckey is among the honorees of its annual Wine Star…

No. 54: Marrow Bone Brûlée at Mercantile Dining & Provision 1701 Wynkoop Street Denver 720-460-3733 When a server delivers a plate and the predominant feature is a big, split-open femur, it can be a little intimidating. There’s no meat, just a scattering of greens and few dabs of sauce, but…

Neighborhood Chinese restaurants are almost invisible to passersby in the strip malls and shopping centers around the city. Most aren’t destination dining establishments; they get by on take-out orders and a steady trickle of business from local customers. But over time, a place can earn a reputation for solid food…

It started out as the Denver FIVE and then became just FIVE. But this year’s incarnation of Leigh Sullivan’s eighth annual kitchen cabal is being billed as FIVE Colorado, in part because it includes its first chef from a Fort Collins restaurant. Sullivan founded FIVE in 2008 as a way…

Natalia Spampinato Bittersweet 303-942-0320 500 East Alameda Avenue “I was pretty burned out on school by the time I got to college,” recalls Natalia Spampinato, Bittersweet’s pastry chef, “and I really missed cooking when I was living in the dorms.” A Denver native, Spampinato had graduated from the International Baccalaureate…

Azucar Bakery, which sells custom-made cakes and other confections for special occasions as well as traditional Peruvian treats from owner Marjorie Silva’s homeland, recently received a notice from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) stating that a religious discrimination complaint had been filed against the bakery. The complaint stems…

Mexican restaurants that start with the letter Z haven’t had much luck of late. Zocalo closed two location in 2014 (on South Broadway and in the Golden Triangle), and now the doors are locked at Zanitas Mexican & Margaritas. Zanitas moved to south Denver in 2013 in a prominent new…

No. 55: 48-Hour Short Ribs at Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery 4990 East Colfax Avenue 720-550-7665 Chop Shop opened last summer with an upscale menu from chef and co-owner Clint Wangsnes — but in a casual, counter-service setting in a neighborhood clamoring for more dining options. Rather than following the…

Park Burger feels like a Denver institution even though owner Jean-Philippe Failyau opened the first one in Platt Park just under six years ago. Since then, he’s added two more Park Burgers (one in Lower Highland and one in Hilltop), Park & Co. in Uptown, and a pizza place called…

The pupusa joints I’ve visited for this month’s exploration of one aspect of Salvadoran cuisine keep getting smaller as January progresses. The first, El Chalate on Colfax, had a decent-sized dining room with a number of Salvadoran and Mexican dishes and even featured an attached market. The second, Pupuseria San…

Rocky Mountain Chili Bowl started out as a food truck in 2010, serving up chile verde and other Mexican-inspired bites on the streets of the city. In 2011, owner Matt Robinette opened the brick-and-mortar location at 35th Avenue and Quebec Street. Just over a year ago, Food & Wine magazine…

Matt and Rosemary Lopez closed Taza de Cafe, and Charlie’s Ice Cream Social next door, late last year with a promise to reopen with a slightly new menu and design. The couple changed the name of the corner eatery to Cafe 44 and opened the doors earlier this month in…

Coy and Rachael Webb are paying homage to Colorado’s barbecue roots at their new smokehouse, Roaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que, which just opened on Wednesday. Along with pork shoulder, beef brisket, house-made sausage and a few other specialties, the menu of smoked meats includes Colorado lamb shank and bison short ribs. Colorado…