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,…
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…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
“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…
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…
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’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…
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…
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…
“This might be the last time, you know?” Laura said. “Our last chance.” And she was right. While Curt and Deicy Steinbecker and Ondo’s might just be starting out in Denver, we were finishing up, doing last things, handling final details before aiming ourselves west and making for the distant…
Having trouble coming up with a New Year’s resolution you can keep? Here’s a suggestion: Try a new Colorado microbrew every month, starting with Mountain Sun’s Resolution Ale, which hit taps at its three locations — the Vine Street Pub in Denver and the Mountain and Southern Sun Pub &…
Chances are that if you read or watch anything (besides McCommercials) regarding the state of our food system in the United States, it will mention the staggering amount of processed crap we manufacture and the integrity of our diets versus the price — both financially and physically. Michael Pollan, professor…
Word went out yesterday that James Rugile was looking for a fresh body for the line at Venue: “James Rugile needs a part time line cook ASAP,” his Facebook status update reported, emphasis on the ASAP. I put in a call to Venue and spoke with one of the managers,…
I’ve started out the new year with a string of classic cocktails, including this Manhattan, poured in a classic Denver restaurant. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to any of the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a…
For the second time, Steuben’s decided to welcome the new year with a special, round-the clock celebration that kicked off at opening on December 31 and ended at closing January 1. Last year, the special was chicken and waffles. This round? Pork and eggs. According to exec chef Matt Selby,…
The Curtis Hotel, at 1405 Curtis Street, has joined up with Doubletree Hotels, and is celebrating the new affiliation with free milk and chocolate chip cookies — a Doubletree trademark — given to anyone who stops by the hotel between 3 and 5 p.m. today. The hotel already given handed…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
Ah, the coveted McRib. Stealthily injected and then quickly jerked away from McDonald’s menus worldwide, this barbeque-ish sandwich is a classic example of “scarcity marketing.” Consumers are driven to believe that at any moment, the supply of pressed pork patties shaped to resemble something akin to a real pork rib…
On a cold night, nothing is as satisfying as a hot sauce and a serving of…what, exactly? Can you guess where I was eating? Extra points for guessing what I was eating, and posting your answer(s) below. Another bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to any of the…
Greg Gallagher didn’t quite get the lights on by the end of 2009, as he’d hoped, but it looks like Gaslamp, his new tavern at 1437 Market Street, will be opening by this weekend. Gallagher put the extra time to good use: The space, which is under the original Westword…
The landlord finally found a tenant for the former home of Buca di Beppo, a choice space at 1400 Market Street that’s been empty since summer 2008. And what’s going in? Another big-name national eatery, like Ted’s Montana Grill just up 14th Street? Another prestigious local restaurant, like TAG or…
Elvis Dumervil, the Denver Broncos sacking machine who will be a starter in the 2010 Pro Bowl, puts those long arms to use from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at 8 Rivers, where he’ll be bartending to help raise money for Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives, a group he’s been…
