Johnny Ballen, co-owner of the Squeaky Bean downtown, has made fine dining an entertaining prospect, with amusements like found-object decorations and a cocktail shrine to departed celebrities enhancing the dining room — all while maintaining a respect for seasonal ingredients, along with partner/farmer Josh Olsen and chef Chris MacGillivray. And…
Roaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que was a near-instant hit when it opened on South Downing in early 2015, earning our award for Best Barbecue this year, and selling out of smoked meats daily well before the dinner hour. Owners Coy and Rachael Webb are capitalizing on the success of their tiny eatery and…
While the loss of classic Italian eateries in the Highland and Sunnyside neighborhoods was punctuated by yesterday’s lamentable closing of Patsy’s after 95 years in business, there is some cause for celebration in north Denver. Despite issues with obtaining a cabaret license from the city, the Monkey Barrel is gearing…
Driving east along Colfax Avenue from downtown is a bit like journeying from Denver south through Central America. As you leave the modern, redeveloped blocks and head past Colorado Boulevard, the population thins and the scenery becomes a little more gritty. But diversity grows, with a patchwork quilt of international…
Change and growth continue to define the neighborhood that new arrivals know as LoHi but that longtime Denver residents simply call the North Side. Most notable — for food and history buffs, at least — has been the steady loss of classic red-sauce joints that were the legacy of the…
Restaurateur Robert Thompson has made several moves over the last few months to position his Punch Bowl Social empire for future growth. The latest is his biggest move yet: Thompson has brought on celebrity chef and cookbook author Hugh Acheson as culinary partner to add the Georgia chef’s distinct take…
No. 68: Korean Fried Duck Wings at Chow Urban Grill Everyone knows about the fried chicken in the red-and-white bucket, and seekers of international tastes have discovered the other KFC — Korean fried chicken — at a couple of eateries in Aurora. But what about KFD: Korean fried duck? There’s…
Chef Kelly Whitaker, owner of Basta in Boulder, recalls sleeping on the floor of a pizza restaurant in Campagna, Italy, where he studied the traditional craft of cooking with a wood-burning oven. That experience has shaped his career, lending Basta its theme and centerpiece, inspiring his second project, pizza and…
Cherry Creekers didn’t know a good thing when it slapped them on the face with a noodle. Chef/restaurateur Jeff Osaka is turning off the burners at Osaka Ramen at East 3rd Avenue and Detroit Street after only a year. The final bowls will be ladled out on Saturday night and…
No. 69: The Falafel Waffle at Moxie Eatery The first time we ordered the falafel waffle at this new Broadway shop, we admit we only did it because the name is fun to say. But chef/owner Dylan Moore (who Gretchen Kurtz profiled for Chef & Tell this week) packed so many…
This morning, we ran a list of our favorite cheese shops in town along with some tasty sandwiches and other cheesy delights found at each one. As proof that the metro area’s cheese scene continues to ripen, new cheese mongers were opening even as we were compiling our list. Cheese…
We would never consider moving to Europe — way too many crumbly old buildings and dangerous cobblestone streets. But parts of the European lifestyle appeal — and eating cheese is one of them. Walking into your neighborhood cheesemonger and snacking on something artisanal along with some fresh bread and perhaps…
No 71: Mini Chile Rellenos at La Loma La Loma has called West 26th Avenue in Jefferson Park home since 1973, moving once from its original home into the current location built from three conjoined miner’s cabins. A big move to 1801 Broadway downtown was announced in February, but construction…
If you’re craving an umbrella drink, you might need to wait a few weeks. Denver’s only tiki bar, Adrift, at 218 South Broadway, is closed for a remodel. The Polynesian themed bar and eatery was purchased by the group that owns Little Man Ice Cream, according to a sign posted…
Boulder kombucha brewer Rowdy Mermaid joined the ranks of Colorado’s craft-beer brewers with the release of two kombucha beers on Saturday, August 13. The two brews are wild, sour kombucha ales — one flavored with cherries and the other with notes of apple. The Wild Sour Cherry beer is a…
“Italians don’t do brunch,” says chef Max MacKissock of Bar Dough. But fortunately for Denverites, this LoHi Italian eatery is putting its stamp on the traditional weekend meal, launching brunch service this Sunday, August 14, beginning at 10 a.m. The mid-morning menu, designed primarily by chef de cuisine Blake Edmunds,…
No sooner does one South American eatery announce its intentions to invade the Denver’s southern suburbs than another flies the coop. Argentinian cafe Maria Empanada is heading to Greenwood Village in September, which is great news for commuters and residents of the Denver Tech Center — but just a few…
Empanadas are coming to the Denver Tech Center. Lorena Cantarovici, chef/owner of Maria Empanada at 1298 South Broadway, is opening a second location of her Argentinian bakery/cafe at 8000 East Belleview Avenue, in the Belleview Promenade shopping center. Cantarovici says she plans to open the first week of September in…
Just over a decade ago, we were so enamored of the happy hour burger at McCormick’s Fish House & Bar downtown that we gave it an award for Best Burger in a Fish House. For $1.95, you could load up on the tasty (if not very big) burgers before settling…
The Halcyon Hotel opened on Monday in Cherry Creek North, joining the Curtis downtown and the Crawford at Union Station in Sage Hospitality Group’s Denver lineup. And last night, Departure Restaurant & Lounge launched dinner service on the ground floor of the Halcyon at 249 Columbine Street. Already a big…
If you’re like many Americans introduced to Mexican cuisine in the 1980s and ’90s, you grew up with hard-shell tacos hiding miserly amounts of ground beef and shredded lettuce. Then came grilled chicken swaddled in soft flour tortillas and the revelatory steak tacos — sometimes bearing the seemingly exotic moniker…
Cobbler’s Corner, at West 44th Avenue and Alcott Street in Sunnyside, has slowly been filling its retail gaps — but since Cheese + Provisions and Bacon Social House opened there last fall, we’ve been keeping our eye on one conspicuous restaurant vacancy. As it turns out, Brendan McManus, owner of…
