Earl’s Cherry Creek gives us shelter from the storm

Happy Place: Earl’s Chery Creek, 201 Columbine Street, 303-320-3275. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $2 drafts; $3 well drinks; $4 vodka cocktails; $5 to $7 appetizers Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

Chipotle sued by workers fired in Minnesota immigration audit

Protesters demonstrated at Minnesota outposts of Denver-based Chipotle last month after the company fired a significant population of its workers in that state. The dismissals came after a federal immigration audit questioned the authenticity of the documents provided by several employees regarding their eligibility to work in the United States…

Colorado Cocktail Contest kickoff: Join the party!

Although plans for the Colorado Cocktail Contest, which will culminate in a two-day event in June at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, are fairly fluid right now, one event is solid: On Monday evening, the contest will kick off with a private party at the MCA, where bartenders will mix…

Guess where I’m eating?

There are very, very few restaurant menus in the Mile High City that lay claim to clam strips, which is why we were pleasantly shocked to find these. 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…

My tattoo has made its mark with the World Carrot Museum

Turns out, there is accounting for taste — at least according to the World Carrot Museum. Earlier this week, I posted a photo and explanation detailing why I now have a giant carrot tattooed on my body. Soon after, I heard from the curator of the World Carrot Museum –…

Metro State team gets in the game to kick hunger at the Taste of the NFL

In a country renowned for excess, the hoopla surrounding the Super Bowl could qualify as our crowning achievement in consumption. But at least some people are finding ways to do something positive with our over-indulgence. Over the weekend, Metropolitan State College professor and chef Jackson Lamb and fourteen of his…

Readers: Tiny buns, greasy burgers, and repeating lists

While comments about the ubiquitous butternut squash soup keep appearing, like the dish itself, at the end of Laura Shunk’s Groundhog Day list of The Five Most Overdone Menu Items , a few notes about the equally ubiquitous sliders were particularly tasty: For example, Max says: I want to open…

Today: Wynkoop releases the Coupler

Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver’s oldest brewpub, will release the Coupler, a Valentine’s imperial stout with hot peppers and cocoa nibs that’s been aged in a Stranahan’s barrel, today. For details, call 303-297-2700 or go to www.wynkoop.com. For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food &…

Food porn: Shots from real Southeast Asian markets

When I ate at ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro for this week’s Westword review, I was fascinated by how Lon Symensma and his partners, Jim and Alicia Deters, had reinterpreted the Southeast Asian market and turned it into a fine dining restaurant. And as I wrote the review, I referred frequently…

Five things we wish we saw on menus more often

Yesterday, in honor of Groundhog Day, we brought you five foods we wish would stop repeating themselves on menus. Now, to get the rest of the year off to a nice, fresh start, we offer suggested replacements. In no particular order, here are five things we wish we saw on…

Guess where I’m eating?

The number of restaurants that have left their doors locked (or shuttered early) over the past few days because of Denver’s chillathon is, frankly, a little unnerving, but the takeaway sushi in the above snap came from a restaurant that, despite the bitter cold, was busy till the bitter end…

Top Chef All-Stars: Judges get uptight about loose risotto

They sent Tre home on last night’s Top Chef All-Starsbecause his risotto wasn’t loose enough? Give me a break. Perhaps it tasted terrible. Perhaps Anthony Bourdain was right in saying the focus should be on the rice, not the accompanying ingredients (Antonia had commented earlier that Tre wasn’t cooking the…

100 Favorite Dishes: South African black ruff from TAG

No. 74: South African ruff from TAG Troy Guard, chef/owner of TAG (and soon, TAG Raw Bar), has roots in Hawaii, which may explain, at least in part, why his board at TAG swims with shellfish and fish, including things like Maine diver scallops puddled in a parsnip vanilla puree…

Uptown Brothers Brewing plans to put the brewing in its name

Nine months after Uptown Brothers Brewing Co. opened on East Colfax, the craft beer and sports bar finally has the gear it needs to back up that name. Last week, owners Paul and Nancy Lumbye bought three 31-gallon fermenters, a brite tank and the other equipment they’ll need to fulfill…

PETA can’t get its impotence billboard up in Denver

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has had a beef with Denver before, most recently when PETA’s McCruelty statue planned for the 16th Street Mall was determined to violate Denver sign ordinances. This time, PETA’s billboard of a sexy, sausage-draped model has been snubbed by the city (correction: the…

Five Super Bowl wines that score big

The Super Bowl ain’t exactly designed for wine lovers. Even though wine consumption in the United States is higher than ever, this annual football lovers’ celebration (and the vast majority of its commercials) usually revolves around that good old sporting event standby: beer. Don’t get me wrong; beer is great…

In the zone: When every dish, and plane, lands safely

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…