Tonight: Renegade Genius Wine Dinner at Jax

Jax Fish House will present the Renegade Genius Wine Dinner at 7:30 p.m. tonight, when Abe Schoener will join forces with chef Sheila Lucero for a three-course wine dinner with six selections from the Scholium Project. Tickets are $65 each; call 303-292-5767 or go to www.jaxfishhousedenver.com. For information on dozens…

Free French toast (sort of) at Strings tomorrow

“I have heard,” writes Noel Cunningham, “that I have the best French toast in town. I’m not sure if you knew that or not, but that’s the word.” Cunningham, the chef/owner of Strings, will put his money where his mouth is tomorrow morning, when he offers free French toast to…

Guess where I’m eating?

I had every intention of starting the morning off healthy — with Greek yogurt and a jog around the park — but then a trio of soft corn tacos, studded with chorizo, scrambled eggs, avocado, cheese and a duo of salsas, swayed me in a different direction. Can you guess…

Earthy delights make us happy at Forest Room 5

Happy Place: Forest Room 5, 2532 Fifteenth Street, 303-433-7001 The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $2-3 beer; $5 wine and sangria; $5-6 specialty cocktails; $5-8 appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

April Fools: Five ways to mess with your co-workers

Welcome to In the Weeds. Kyle will be right with you — most likely to complain about something. Usually he is pleasant, but this is his place to blow off some steam. Don’t take it personally; he just needs to vent because he’s been doing this for about thirteen years…

Today: Opening Day specials at Morton’s, Dixons and Randolph’s

Morton’s, at 1717 Wynkoop Street, will holding a Colorado Rockies Opening Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that will feature bar bites, beer and cocktails starting at just $2. For more info, call 303-825-3353 or go to www.mortons.com. Randolph’s, at 1776 Grant Street, will offer $4 bratwursts and…

Ho boy! Denver is getting a Steak ‘n Shake!

What may very well be the greatest of all American burger chains is coming to Denver. Well, not Denver, exactly, but close enough. And, no, it’s not In-N-Out, although that, too, will come to Denver at some point in our lifetime. But not yet. Instead, we’re getting a Steak ‘n…

Yogurt Time opens tomorrow — and hosts a free day on Saturday

We’ve been eying the green-tiled space outfitted with ten or so self-serve yogurt machines that flanks the walking bridge on Platte Street for a while, wondering when the place would start serving frozen treats. Yesterday, we noticed a new development: a sign. And we also got word that Yogurt Time…

Top Chef All-Stars: A fight to the finish, and then some

He hadn’t actually lost, Mike Isabella explained after the judges named Richard Blais the winner of Top Chef All-Stars. It was just that they had inexplicably withheld the title from him. You really have to admire the man’s cockiness, but nonetheless I’ve come to dislike his bragging and swaggering, his…

First Look: Ale House at Amato’s

Ale House at Amato’s, the latest venture from the Breckenridge Brewing Company, opened at 11 a.m. today with a gorgeous view of the Platte Valley, the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains. The highly anticipated LoHi-area beer bar and restaurant is located in the former Amato’s statuary store, at the…

Club 404 available for lease…but still open

We almost lost Club 404 before, back in 2008, when Jerry Feld and his family had a deal to sell the iconic bar that Feld had bought back in 1951 — when he wasn’t even old enough to have a liquor license — and had run ever since. That deal…

Need a xiao long bao fix? Try Star Kitchen

My craving for xiao long bao unfortunately coincided with the four-day closing ofLao Wang Noodle House,which is remodeling. We gave Lao Wang Best Xiao Long Bao in the Best of Denver 2011, and with good reason: The Wangs make excellent soup dumplings, packing pork and gelatin cubes into doughy wrappers…

Guess where I’m drinking?

There’s far more emphasis on the menu than on the cocktail syllabus (as it should be) at this contemporary restaurant, but the tequila-based, berry-muddled drink pictured in the above snap was a huge hit with everyone at our table. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…

Cooking with Pete and Barb Marczyk: Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast. In honor of…