In the Best of Denver 2008, Jason Sheehan proclaimed Izakaya Den, the Japanese restaurant at 1518 South Pearl Street, as the Best New Restaurant last year. And now Izakaya’s gone one better — by adding weekend lunch, which could well be the most exotic brunch in town. The restaurant is…
Above is the season’s greeting that Nancy Levine, our intrepid Drink of the Week columnist, found when she was out last night judging the 2008 Holiday Cocktail Competition. Seventeen restaurants — all members of the Denver Independent Network of Restaurants — had signed up to create special holiday drinks for this contest…
Just got this e-mail from Jeff Osaka, the chef/owner of twelverestaurant, the elegant, if pricy, place that opened exactly a month ago. “Due to the current economy, and feedback from our loyal customers, twelverestaurant has responded quickly and adjusted its price structure to reflect this demand. However, changes will not…
Kristen Cofrades is the new executive chef at Warwick Denver Hotel, overseeing Randolph’s Restaurant & Bar (which has one of the best patios in town), as well as the room service and banquet departments of the hotel at 1776 Grant Street. Cofrades comes to the Warwick (and a post formerly…
The report in today’s Rocky Mountain News was a real eye-opener (and we’re not talking a Bloody Mary): According to Bill Scanlan’s “State fades a little in health stats,” Colorado fell from the 16th to the 19th healthiest state in the latest report from America’s Health Rankings, largely because of a rise…
Suddenly, all the political pundits are talking about a Salazar going to Washington. Not Ken Salazar, who’d apparently rather stay in his Senate seat than move to the Cabinet (but might be up for a future opening on the Supreme Court, where he’d be the first Latino justice), but his brother, John. And the talk…
In Bite Me this week, I talk about a couple of noodle joints coming to town — Bones and Happy Noodle House — and a New Yorker piece that helped fuel the fad. But Frank Bonanno and Dave Query aren’t the only local restaurant empire-builders getting in on this act. The Jet…
For more photos of the building in jeopardy, go to westword.com/slideshow. I just watched history being made. Or at least recognized. The last time I attended a Landmark Preservation Commission meeting, the commissioners voted to remove the oldest building on my historic block from landmark protection (“The View,” May 27,…
While the 2000-2200 blocks of Larimer Street are jumping, things quiet down past Snooze. And a rancorous project at 2425 Broadway, on the triangular parcel of property bordering Larimer that once held an auto body shop and the late, lamented Bamboo Hut, is currently on hold. The owners of that parcel, Focus Property…
On Saturday morning, the Christmas carols were pouring from the pawn shops on Larimer Street, and the chile at the Mexico City Lounge was appropriately red and green. But all was too calm across the street; judging from the unopened mail inside the locked space, it looks like Larimer Kabob…
Denver’s pho restaurants have seen some tough times lately. Last month, a car crashed into Pho 7, knocking the joint out of commission for a few days. Times were even tougher at Ha Noi Pho, our Best Taste of Hanoi in the Best of Denver 2007. Soon after we bestowed…
Last year, Adam Cayton-Holland checked out Taco Bell’s deal offering four tacos for a buck from 4-6 p.m. the day after the Colorado Rockies scored seven runs. By carefully mapping out his course, he managed to secure 28 tacos — and a severe case of heartburn. Now Taco Bell is advertising…
The national news is full of Colorado’s vituperative lover flaming his ex on the Internet (and getting smacked by this state’s bizarre criminal libel statute) and a future vituperative lover giving dating advice at the age of nine (here’s just one international sample, from Australia, as well our October blog…
How do chefs find time to run their own kitchens? Last night, Brandon Biederman (of Steuben’s), Jamey Fader (of Lola, shown at right) and fast fill-in Paula Lueske (Goose Sorenson was stuck at Solera) met in the big demonstration kitchen of Mise en Place, the cooking school in the Ice House…
Fresh from his ten-day eco-devo trip to Asia, Governor Bill Ritter is now off on the East Coast, attending a Democratic governors’ conference, talking with the Obama team — and definitely not interviewing for a spot in the cabinet, insists his spokesman, Evan Dreyer. Shortly after the polls closed on…
We’re still looking for a revised opening date for Root Down, the new restaurant coming to 33rd and Osage. But in the meantime, we have two updates: Yesterday, the original opening date, they were putting in grass (!) around the former service station, which will have a great outdoor deck and…
Cafe Cero, at 1446 South Broadway, was never really known for its food — although it found loyal fans who appreciated its intimate atmosphere, live music and convivial crowd. But not enough fans, apparently. Cafe Cero has closed, and in its place is the Open Tap & Grill, open from 11…
There’s been lots of talk about Root Down, the restaurant that Justin Cucci, former co-owner of Ye Waverly Inn in New York City, plans to open in an old service station at 1600 West 33rd Avenue, at the corner of Osage Street. One such conversation — recorded by…
Those “Best Burger” banners over CityGrille, at 321 East Colfax Avenue, got plenty of play last week when TV newscasts reported on a Colfax car accident November 24 that sent a car careening into the doorway. The bar/burger joint had to close for the night to assess the damage, but…
Buy local week continues through December 5. And while, with Barack Obama’s appointments announcement today, it doesn’t look like many Coloradans will be heading to D.C., there’s plenty to do here at home. Nothing gets the home fires burning like neighborhood fights, and Denver’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program — created by the…
Think local, eat local. Black Cat is celebrating this holiday month with “100 Mile” dinners, with four-course menus that will change nightly through December 30 — but will always feature ingredients that chef Eric Skokan can find within a hundred-mile radius. And as Jason Sheehan discovered when he reviewed this restaurant…
Red Trolley — the coffee house/ice cream shop/cafe that opened just this summer at 2639 West 32nd Avenue — left its second hang-tag of the week on the doors of houses in northwest Denver. “O.ver.zeal.ous,” it read. “Excessively enthusiastic.” The Trolley, it turned out, is moving so fast that it…
