My strange aversion to the smell of some Asian restaurants dates back to my glamour days as an advertising exec in Manhattan, when I was barely eking out a living and my lifestyle was a lot more like Dick Whitman’s than Don Draper’s. I lived with three roommates in a…
When I sat down at Japoix and took my first sip of the Electric French Kiss ($11), made with Ty Ku Liquor, lemonade and a Szechuan button, I was shocked — for myriad reasons. The most obvious was the Szechuan button (sometimes referred to as an electric or sansho button)…
For years, this establishment’s ads have featured photos of actual diners — and I’ve always been amazed that I’ve never recognized a single person. But when I visited recently, I was the one with the camera — taking this shot of the restaurant’s homemade sangria. Can you guess where I’m…
During a quick stop to have a cocktail, I decided I was hungry and ordered the tagliatelle with roasted mushrooms and crème fraiche, which I’d eat every day, if only I didn’t have to drive to Boulder to get it. Can you guess where I’m drinking (and eating)? Special bonus:…
Every time I go to the restaurant where the above pic was flashed, I order one of the infused spirits. They change regularly, but lychee and ginger are favorite ingredients of the bartenders. Yum. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to…
I wasn’t thrilled with the margaritas at this Mexican spot opened this spring by a couple of restaurant veterans, but the beers were icy cold. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered…
As a native Denverite, I both hate and love Boulder. Its self-righteousness sends me over the edge: Give Boulderites a chance, and they’ll recite all the statistics about how they are healthier and better educated than everyone else, and know exactly which local farm each morsel of food on their…
This is Guinness and champagne — which, if you’re drinking low-end champagne (or, more likely, sparkling wine), is a great way to temper the sweetness. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered…
I’m not much of a champagne drinker, but at the posh digs where the above photo was taken, I couldn’t resist this summery champagne cocktail made with Averna, an Italian liqueur. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where…
There are a lot of rules regarding alcohol that I don’t follow, but using the right glass for the right wine is a dictum that I have learned — after hundreds of hours of personal research — is key to giving wine the only chance to taste as the vintner…
The devil’s in the details at El Diablo, the latest project of Jesse Morreale — who also brought us La Rumba, Rockbar, the original Mezcal, Tambien and Sketch, right next door in the old First Avenue Hotel. Those details begin and end with the lighting, which includes outdoor signs that…
If I’m willing to drive to Boulder for a cocktail, you know it’s for a good reason — like amazing, knowledgeable and accomplished bartenders making spectacularly inventive drinks. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating…
When I was a teenager looking for trouble in Denver, I had relatively few choices downtown. There was always Larimer Square, though, where I got into more than my fair share of shenanigans at Soapy Smith’s Double Eagle Bar, the Bratskellar and Josephina’s. Today Larimer Square is more popular than…
Shochu is one of the most underrated spirits out there, and this Shochu margarita showed just how adaptable it can be. The crushed, dried plum rim was a brilliant enhancement of a modern Asian margarita. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer…
This is easily my favorite drink of the past month. Made with Myers’s Rum, habanero- and ginger-infused simple syrup, Pom juice, club soda, muddled lime and mint, it’s surprisingly delicious. The biggest surprise of all? It’s poured at a bar without a single “celebrity” bartender. Can you guess where I’m…
Denver’s third-annual Harvest Week begins Saturday, August 21 and runs through August 27, when nearly forty of Denver’s best independent restaurants will be offering special menus. Last night’s EatDenver Harvest Week kickoff party at Balistreri Vineyards was a fantastic celebration of local products and harvest flavors, as ten chefs worked…
A great martini is a joy, and this one, which comes from a new restaurant in town, more than lived up to my expectations. Poured at the table, perfectly chilled and generous in size, it had the added bonus of a red olive as part of the olive garnish, which…
Sometimes when you try the favorite cocktail of your server, you find a hidden treasure. And sometimes you encounter a regional taste that isn’t really something you’d want to try again. The cocktail in the above photo belongs in the latter category, but I’m not sorry I tried it, because…
Three words: Bloody Mary bar. Fourth word: YUM! Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool — and every Monday, we select one lucky winner who’ll receive an EatDenver dining…
While I have my “go-to” cocktails, I often want to break out of my cocktail rut. And when I do, I have go-to bars where I know the mixologists can work magic. I’ll tell the bartender the spirit I want to imbibe, answer a few questions about the degree of…
I am a creature of habit. In the past, when I found myself at the bar at Capital Grille — which was quite often, since this steakhouse in Larimer Square is both an easy spot to start an evening and a handy place to end one — I always ordered…
As part of Denver’s Taste of the Nation/Share Our Strength benefit last night at Mile High Station, eight generous drink slingers from some of the city’s hottest bars participated in a spirited cocktail competition to raise money for the non-profit organization, whose mission it is to make sure that no…
