“What the fuck is a McRib?!?!?!?!?!?!?” In a moment of drunken enlightenment, I put those words as my Facebook status. Some of the responses: “Even the bones are meat!,” “God’s gift to McDonald’s” and “It’s kinda good, but it’s probably better not to ask what it is…You can’t handle the truth.’  Once…

Denver’s food scene may not be as big as San Francisco’s or New York’s, but it isn’t bad. In fact, it’s the perfect match between intimacy and variety. And its size provides plenty of opportunities to get close not just to our restaurants, but to the specialty food shops around…

About a month ago, I heard about a Littleton restaurant named Swirls that was putting out some awesome food, so I made a note to get down there to try the Southern-style cuisine. But a few days later, I heard that Swirls had closed. Turns out that this fall, an odor began…

…for five weeks! The celebrated restaurant located inside the Hotel Teatro is offering a tempting three-course meal for $99 for two. The deal lasts until February 12, so you have a unique chance to get some of the best food in Denver for a reasonable price.  So far, I’ve heard that…

That’s right, the Miami-based chain has been around since 1964, growing from one humble, four-seater restaurant to 62 Benihana restaurants, nine Haru restaurants, and 22 RA Sushi restaurants. Benihana is best known for its flashy way of preparing your food — and frankly, everything tastes better when a 500° skillet is the…

n my recent blog on Frasca’s eventual move to a new building of its own from its current home at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, there was some confusion over where, exactly, that building will be. It will be constructed on the spot once occupied by Marisol Imports (where Jason Sheehan once took…

This past year, Frasca made plenty of buzz when the highly acclaimed restaurant that Jason Sheehan reviewed as Fantasy Land revealed that it would be moving from its home at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder sometime in the future. But not, as it turns out, in the immediate future. Surprisingly, the number…

Don’t write off 2008 yet. You can still do good for others — and for this year’s tax return — by donating to Food Bank of the Rockies. Just a buck will buy four meals for the hungry — with 96 cents of every dollar going directly to the purchase of food, and just…

I just finished eating my oversized fry-bread thingy at Tocabe: An American Eatery and was definitely pleased with my meal. I’d written about Tocabe, the Native American, Chipotle-esque establishment yesterday, and was eager to try the place when it opened officially today. Owner Ben Jacobs told me that despite the bad weather,…

Boulder-based Phil’s Fresh Foods has just won a $96,000 loan from Whole Food’s Local Producer Loan Program. Phil’s is a wholesale, all-natural burrito manufacturer; its product is stocked by local Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and Sunflower stores, as well as some King Soopers. Selling at about $2.50 each, this is “not the typical frozen burrito,” says Phil’s…

After more than thirty years in business, La Chaumiere, the charming, classical country French restaurant in Lyons, has closed its doors. Kyle Wagner loved the place when she reviewed it for Westword in 1998, and in “French Toast” recounted the tale of how Elizabeth and Heinz met in Munich, married other people,…

“Value.” “The economy.” “No new concepts.” “Staying open.” I talked to four of the top chefs in the state (and possibly the western United States) and asked each of them about the top Colorado food trends of 2009. I wanted to share their bold predictions, like “the new hottest dish will be anything with…

The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board has just announced its fourth restaurant recognition program, to single out restaurants that promote Colorado wine. Last year’s winners were Juicy Lucy’s (the original, not the second spot in Cherry Creek), the Mercury Cafe and Restaurant Six89 in Carbondale. For this year’s program, awards will be given…

Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery opens tomorrow at 3536 West 44th Avenue, and even in a city stuffed with restaurants, it has the potential to set itself apart. The creation of Ben Jacobs, a member of the Osage tribe whose home is in northeast Oklahoma, Tocabe (the word is Osage for “‘blue”, Jacob’s mom’s favorite color) will be…

Downtown Littleton has a new neighborhood joint: Merle’s, which occupies the old Merle’s Alignment Center at 2609 West Main Street, which started life as a gast station in the 1930s. The building was unoccupied for a number years; and a group of partners all chipped in and bought the place, turning it into…

Wingin’ It, a local wing joint boasting 26 different wing sauces made from scratch, recently closed two of its four locations: 6860 South Lincoln Court in Greenwood Village and 7541 South University Boulevard in Centennial. But you can still get Wingin’ It’s deep-fried Twinkies, candy bars and Oreos–winner of 2003…

Hung Kee, the Chinese restaurant that served unbelievably cheap Cantonese cuisine, has vacated its longtime spot at 1015 South Federal Boulevard. That space is now occupied by an Asian drycleaner’s, and when I tried to find out if Hung Kee had moved somewhere, I didn’t understand the answer. So if anyone reading…

Steuben’s will host a toy drive to benefit the Denver Rescue Mission tonight, beginning at 9 p.m. and running until about 2 a.m. And if you donate a toy, not only does God give you a pat on the back, but you receive a free cocktail or Great Divide beer! The cocktails are creations…

Saul Sierra is no tree-hugger. “I wasn’t always green,” he says. “My brothers learned about all that stuff in school, but I never went over it.” He is now, though, and both of his Mi Cocina restaurants are feeling the effects.  This fall, Sierra installed a solar patio at the…

In an economic meltdown, charitable organizations can find their coffers drying up — but the need for their services is greater than ever. So Project Angel Heart, which provides meals to people with HIV/AIDS, cancer or other life-threatening illness, has had to get creative to streamline its operation while still delivering the…

Mayor John Hickenlooper yesterday announced a Greenprint Denver initiative to promote reusable bags at various city agencies and businesses. The Denver Public Library, for example, is eliminating the use of plastic bags at all of the branches. And such companies as Safeway, Vitamin Cottage, King Soopers and Wal-Mart have signed onto a five-point plan to help spread the…