Get a job! Sprouts is hiring for two new markets

Sprouts Farmers Market will host a pair of job fairs this week to hire up to 200 new employees to staff two markets — one in Centennial, the other in Castle Rock — slated to open February 12. (The Arizona-based company already has stores in Aurora, Boulder, Fort Collins, Parker…

New Ali Baba Grill finally has an opening date (maybe…)

The way things are looking right now, the new Ali Baba (which is just waiting on permits, according to the manager) might manage to get open before the end of December. Failing that, though, the fallback date is January 1. That’s what I wrote at the beginning of December, from…

Tough times in Boulder, too

No one ever said the restaurant business was easy. Most people (the smart ones) would actually say that, short of becoming a medical guinea pig or hand-grenade catcher, the food service-industry is one of the toughest out there. Fun, sure. Exciting. But not the easiest way in the world to…

Tonight: Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines in Vail

Tonight, the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival will kick off in Vail with a stellar lineup of breweries, some of which are even offering specialty brews for the tenth annual installment of the festival. Although the brewmasters’ dinners are all sold out, the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, 1300…

Up Close: Ondo’s

For his last supper (review) in Denver, Sheehan ate at Ondo’s, where he says Deicy Steinbecker’s fare is “easing into excellence.” See Mark Manger’s photos on the slideshow page…

Sheehan book signing tonight: A minor complication

As mentioned earlier this morning, my final book-signing in Denver (at least for the foreseeable future) is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the Broadway Book Mall (200 South Broadway). That hasn’t changed. I’ll still be there, in the flesh, signing pen in hand. I’ll probably read a bit, shake…

Mary Jane leaves Denver for the Coast

A recent LA Times business article about Denver-based Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda has given the company the buzz that CEO Matt Moody was looking for, but it also revealed his plans to close the Denver office by the end of the year and consolidate operations in California, where business is…

Guess Where I’m Drinking?

Very few mixed drinks include Scotch on their list of ingredients. That’s convenient, since I don’t really love Scotch — but I do enjoy a good Blood and Sand, and this one was great. You shouldn’t need coaching to answer this: Where was I drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…

Top 100 Chinese restaurants and the Denver winners

Yesterday, the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants awards were announced in Las Vegas, and three Colorado restaurants — Empress Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant, Ho’s Imperial of Superior and, despite the name, Sengataki Japanese Grill of Wheat Ridge — made the list for overall excellence. Seven Denver restaurants ranked in the “Local…

Happy Hour Hunt: Parallel 17

The Place: Parallel 17, 1600 East 17th Avenue, 303-399-0988 The Hours: Monday 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. The Deal: Food specials include six Asian-inspired small plates, ranging in price from $3 to $5. Drink specials include beer, wine and house sangria,…

Art Institute to host annual Best Teen Chef competition

Calling all young chefs: If you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Best Teen Chef, then sharpen your knives and fill out the entry form here by February 5. The contest starts April 17 at the Art Institute of Colorado, 1200 Lincoln Street; at the cook-off,…

Happy National Bean Day! How to celebrate, Colorado-style

Yes, you heard right: This is National Bean Day, an unofficial but dedicated span of 24 hours to all things bean. While an odd website that celebrates these hallmarks of food does not specify what type of bean, we suggest the following culinary regimen to celebrate the bean here in…

Chef and Tell with Kyle Fitzgerald of the Old Blinking Light

“I haven’t had lunch yet,” sighs Kyle Fitzgerald, plopping himself down on a stool. Soon a vase of flat tubers fried in duck fat arrives at the bar with three dipping sauces. “The duck-fat fries have always been popular,” he says, but “we’re always trying to make them better.” He…

Cooking with Pete: Winter Solstice Maple Pear Stiltonsnaps

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. For the next…

Lunch at Farro? It’s about time

I first met Matt Franklin through his cuisine…I wrote in April of last year, when I first visited Franklin’s then-new restaurant, Farro. Under the neon, tile and blue Miami Vice lights at 240 Union in Lakewood, he made me amazing lobster corn dogs, served in a plastic basket with homemade…

What Coloradans are missing at Trader Joe’s this month

What’s so great about Trader Joe’s? That’s a hard question to answer if you haven’t been there, and a rhetorical one if you have. Over the past decade, the California-based grocery chain has built a rabid following with its healthy bent, quirky products and typically low prices on everything from…

Tonight: Bid adieu to Jason Sheehan

Yes, Westword restaurant critic Jason Sheehan is packing his bags — but he’ll take time out for a last hurrah, which starts at 7 p.m. tonight at the Broadway Book Mall, 200 South Broadway, where he’ll be signing copies of Cooking Dirty. And afterward, head to Sketch, 101 Broadway, for…

A last taste of 2009

We find ourselves saying goodbye a lot these days. To Jason Sheehan, who’s moving on to our partner paper in Seattle. To Bump & Grind and Buenos Aires Grill and Ha Noi Pho and Chez Jose and all the other restaurants that closed last year. And now we’d like to…