After getting derailed by a rogue electrician, Biker Jim wasn’t sure that he’d be open by the first home game of the Colorado Rockies, but after years of hustling wieners from a cartel of downtown carts, he unlocked the doors to his brick-and-mortar, a long labor of love — and…
Friends, neighbors and bartenders: Since early last year, I’ve made it my mission to discover a cocktail that is truly representative of our great state, much like the Manhattan is of New York City and the Sazerac of New Orleans. Along the way, I’ve been joined on this mission by…
If you’ve given up on finding great pasta at local restaurants, here are five mechanical contraptions that might help you make great pasta at home:…
No. 64: Chongqing Chicken from East Asia Garden Some of the best cooking in Denver comes from restaurants that are completely off the grid — those with generic names, facades as forgettable as last night’s one-night stand and featureless dining rooms where the color scheme clashes. East Asia Garden, which…
While the new food truck guide spells uncertainty for a number of mobile concepts in Denver, Pizzeria Basta is undeterred in its plan to unleash a mobile wood-fired oven on the state of Colorado. The crew is ramping up to unveil Basta Mobile, a portable extension of the Boulder-based restaurant…
“This restaurant is my passion, I own the real estate — we have zero debt — and as soon as I get the money that was stolen from us back from the banks. I’ll reopen Skew.” Those were the words of Ton Phairatphibon, the former owner of Skew, 2070 South…
Enrique Socarras Cuba Cuba 1173 Delaware Street 303-605-2822 www.cubacubacafe.com This is part two of my interview with Enrique Socarras, executive chef of Cuba Cuba. In part one of this interview, Socarras raps on integrity, stomaching raw bacon and his new Boulder restaurant. Best food city in America: I’m going with…
Vicente Domingo opened Viejo Domingo, an Argentine spot, quietly last year in the West 38th Avenue space that had housed Playa de Oro. And now Viejo Domingo has left left quietly, too. The Viejo Domingo sign is down, the phone rings without going to voicemail, and a handwritten scrawl in…
As mayor, John Hickenlooper frequented the gourmet food trucks that parked outside City Hall for Civic Center Eats. Now Denver City Council representative Carla Madison, as head of the city’s truck task force, is overseeing a study of the rules governing the operations of those trucks. She hopes to have…
Sean Kenyon is back from one of his many trips as this state’s premier alcohol ambassador, pulling together the final details of the Colorado Cocktail Contest and offering some advice about making margaritas — just in time for the warmer weather. Who makes a great margarita in Denver? Here’s Mantanot’s…
Support the academics by stuffing your face: From 6 to 10 p.m. tonight Root Down will host Sandoval Night, a tenth-anniversary bash and benefit for Academia Ana Marie Sandoval, featuring small plates, wine and cocktails, and live entertainment. Admission is $75; for more info, go to www.sandovalmatters.org. For information on…
At Interstate Kitchen & Bar, I ate my way through a board of American classics served up in digs reminiscent of a classic roadhouse. And just about everything I had — from the macaroni and cheese to the fried chicken to the house-cured pickles — was stellar. Here’s a side…
Talk about getting your just desserts! And, no, we didn’t wipe the plate clean, but we did mange to make a small, rather insignificant, dent. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…
Seattle has a beer week. So do Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. San Francisco’s and Philadelphia’s are famous world wide. Hell, even Eugene, Oregon; Louisville, Kentucky; and the entire state of Alabama have beer weeks. Denver has the Great American Beer Festival and the surrounding Denver Beer Fest events, but…
In some circles, sushi is synonymous with “raw fish” — and clearly not on the menu for vegan or vegetarian diners. Thankfully, even in landlocked Colorado most sushi houses offer at least one or two veggie rolls — and Japango, 1136 Pearl Street in Boulder, offers a multi-course veggie spread…
“Where should I start?” responds Chris Cina, when I ask him about his new restaurant, Hideaway Steakhouse, that opens today in Westminster. Cina, whose name is synonymous with the Fourth Story, a long-gone restaurant that resided on the top floor of the former Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek, and, more…
When Georgia natives Matt Alexander and Nick Reckinger were simultaneously laid off from their jobs a few months back, they were looking for a way to make some quick cash. So they turned to a hobby: barbecue. “We started selling barbecue to friends and co-workers. You know, like Paula Deen…
You won’t find many of Colorado’s brewers around Colorado this week as most of them have taken off for the annual Craft Brewers Conference, taking place in San Francisco. But that doesn’t mean you can’t toast them — and the industry as a whole — which reported retail sales growth…
Enrique Socarras Cuba Cuba 1173 Delaware Street 303-605-2822 www.cubacubacafe.com This is part one of my interview with Enrique Socarras, executive chef of Cuba Cuba. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. Enrique Socarras puffs on a cigar, intently studying the squiggles of smoke that swirl through…
The pot-for-food campaign seemed like such a smart idea to do some good and get some attention: Urban Cannabis, a medical marijuana dispensary on South Downing Street, would give away pre-rolled joints in exchange for customers donating canned goods to local food banks. Between March 1 and April 20 (a…
A couple of restaurants in town are now listing items that diners can order for the back-of-the-house, including a six-pack for the kitchen crew, in order to further enhance their meal. In a post about these new drink-list requests yesterday, Laura Shunk wondered if this trend was charming — or…
