Ask the Critic: A final question answered

So the big question last week (and the week before) was what restaurant I should review before saying goodbye to Denver for good. I got a lot of suggestions. Some of them were good. Some of them were ridiculous. In the end, I went with my gut (and the demands…

Restaurant Roll Call for 2009

Dozens of restaurants closed in the metro area over the past year, ranging from such old-timers as the Trail Dust Steak House, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Chez Jose to newcomers like XO, which both opened and closed in 2009. But many, many more restaurants that opened this past year stuck…

Top 5 ways Whole Foods’ new chairman can make the company whole

Whole Foods CEO and chairman John Mackey stirred the pot in an August Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing President Barack Obama’s health-care plan.”The problem with socialism,” he insisted, “is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” It was a bold — and some would say really stupid –…

Swing Thai to take over XO spot

XO, the ambitious noodle house that opened this year in the Jet Hotel, also closed this year, in one of 2009’s fastest fatalities. But its space won’t stay empty long: As predicted, an outpost of the local Swing Thai chain will soon open at 1612 Wazee Street…

Boohoo for Bimbamboo

Bump & Grind wasn’t the only restaurant to get bumped off before the clock struck twelve on New Year’s. After two years, Bimbamboo, the modern Asian kitchen at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, closed its doors on December 31. The web site promises a “new restaurant concept coming soon to…

Guess where I’m eating?

‘Tis the season for foods rich and warming, foods that comfort the belly and make you dread the next time you must venture outside. The tasty bowl of soup above boasts bright flavors of zucchini and roasted poblano peppers, and it’s finished off with toasted chile-lime pumpkin seeds. If you…

Denver’s Skychefs could be grounded

As if flying could get any more miserable, there’s one more complication in the “friendly skies.” Late last month, the FDA sent a warning letter to LSG Skychefs, LLC, indicating that Skychefs’ FDA inspection status had been changed from “approved” to “provisional.” While that may not sound too serious, one…

Restaurant Roll Call for December

RESTAURANTS OPENING IN DECEMBER Blue Rox Grill, 9271 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree Cielito Lindo, 4401 Tejon Street Circle, 1035 Pearl Street, Boulder Den Deli & Seafood Market, 1501 South Pearl Street Ernie’s Bar and Pizza, 2915 West 44th Avenue Ganja Gourmet, 1810 South Broadway Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, 1100 Sergeant…

Today: Learn the basics at Cook Street

Did you vow to really learn how to cook in 2010? From 6 to 9:30 p.m. tonight, Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, 1937 Market Street, will host a Kitchen Basics class. Tuition is $69, and the menu (which you’ll not only make, but eat) includes onion soup, roast chicken…

Tonight: Eat, drink and donate to Volunteers of America

Start the week out right tonight by partying at the Wynkoop Brewing Company, 1634 18th Street, which is donating 15 percent of all food and beer sales between 5 and 10 p.m. to Volunteers of America. Be sure to check out the special, $100 draft beer donation option! For details,…

Tonight: feast on art in northwest Denver

If your New Year’s resolution was to get out of the house, head to northwest Denver at 6 p.m. tonight, when the Navajo Street Art District will host Art a la Carte, a progressive dinner-slash-artwalk. It begins at D Gallery, 3558 Navajo Street, where you’ll enjoy hot toddies before moving…

Today: Free cupcakes, cereal…and art

If your New Year’s Resolution was to find more food for thought in 2010, head to Green Spaces Colorado, 2590 Walnut Street, from 4 to 8 p.m. tonight for a First Friday event featuring green artists and designers from the Denver area. The event includes a Re-Purposed Pop-Up Market with…

Guess where I’m eating?

Rise and shine! It’s the new year, and if your resolution was to eat more pork in 2010, you’ll be in hog heaven with the special here today. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: At the end of today, anyone who gave the first correct answer to any…

Drink up — it’s a benefit for Historic Elitch Theatre

Amendment XXI, a brand-new shop at 2548 15th Street, will donate 5 percent of all sales — fine wines, import beers, eclectic spirits — on New Year’s Eve to the Historic Elitch Theatre Foundation. “Help us return this landmark to its rightful place as a vital cultural venue in Denver,”…

Happy New Year!

Cafe Society is off doing important research for the new year, stuffing in the snacks and pouring down the drinks, all in an effort to find new tidbits to tantalize you with in 2010. But if you haven’t yet made plans for this last day of 2009, not to worry;…

A rearview look at the year in food

It was the year of the gastropub, the year of the gourmet hamburger joint and cupcake shop, the year of the noodle bar. For me, it was the year of the book, the year I lost my father, the year I found out it was to be my last year…

A toast to a law firm providing free taxi rides

Michael Sawaya has your number — and it’s the number of any cab company in metro Denver. If you grab a cab on New Year’s Eve rather than getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink, he’ll reimburse you for that cab ride. All you have to do…