Cliff Young stakes a claim on CY Steak

When Cliff Young’s opened back in 1984, it was the hottest restaurant in town — a beautiful space on East 17th Avenue that was full of beautiful people eating beautiful food. (That space later became Dante Bichette’s and then Hamburger Mary’s, which Drew Bixby writes about on page 38.) After…

Chef Elise Wiggins wants you to feel good about food

I want people’s eyes to roll into the back of their heads when they eat my food,” says Elise Wiggins, the über-talented executive chef of Panzano, a Northern Italian restaurant in the Hotel Monaco. Food, like sex, should always be sensual, she explains. The lovely Louisiana native would put her…

There’s more to Hamburger Mary’s than burgers — lots more

I’ve always thought of Hamburger Mary’s as a place for burgers rather than beers. This is partially because I’m a breeder (and a married one at that), and Mary’s is a gay bar with a packed calendar of drag-show and Cycle Sluts Bingo entertainment. Not that there’s anything wrong with…

Nate Windham dishes dirt on the “dirty” martini

Nate Windham, cocktail and spirits specialist, created the bar program at Paragon Culinary School in Colorado Springs in 2003. He’s currently the head bartender at The Office@Blondies and a proud member of the Colorado Bartenders Guild. Earlier this month, he left his office at the Office to join his CoBG colleagues…

The Irish Hound is an old dog that doesn’t need new tricks

“So, I don’t know what the protocol is here. Am I supposed to pretend like I don’t recognize you?” I looked up from my beer at the waitress standing beside my table at the Irish Hound. “No,” I said. “You don’t have to pretend. It doesn’t much matter anymore these…

Great American Beer Festival Q&A: Stone Brewing Co.

The Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest, staggers into the Colorado Convention Center this weekend. Last year, 46,000 attendees sampled nearly 3,000 beers, and this year’s Fest is already sold out. Check Cafe Society through the week for survival tactics and beer recommendations from some of the breweries bringing…

Our Weekly Bread: Three Sisters Cafe & Catering

The sandwich: Three Sisters Club What’s on it: Roasted turkey, shaved ham, smoked bacon, red onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo on a Bavarian roll. Where to get it: Three Sisters Café & Catering (1717 Stout Street, 303-991-8772) How much: $5.95 I’m not a big fan of standing in line…

Meet Mile High Chef Contestant Jay Spickelmier

Jay Spickelmier, executive chef at Jing, will face off against Sergio Romero, executive chef at Argyll Gastropub, in the Mile High Chef Competition at Dish-the Westword Menu Affair at the Fillmore tonight. Before the cooking competition gets too heated, we asked both chefs to dish out some thoughts on Denver’s…

Meet Mile High Chef Contestant Sergio Romero

Sergio Romero, executive chef at Argyll Gastropub, will face off against Jay Spickelmier, executive chef at Jing, in the Mile High Chef Competition at Dish-the Westword Menu Affair at the Fillmore tonight. Before the cooking competition gets too heated, we asked both chefs to dish out some thoughts on Denver’s…

Tonight at TAG: Beer, wine or both?

The question, says Jenson Cummings, the sous chef at TAG, 1441 Larimer Street, is whether wine or beer pairs better with exec chef Troy Guard’s food. You can be one of fifty people to make that decision tonight, when Guard hosts a $75 per person beer vs. wine dinner at…

Sean Kelly, grilled at his LoHi Steakhouse

Sean Kelly, chef/partner at LoHi SteakBar, at 3200 Tejon Street, calls the board at his new place “plain American bar food,” even though that’s far from an apt description. It’s not like he’s just sitting in the back, drinking the cooking wine while a bunch of nose-picking fuckups dump frozen…

Great American Beer Festival Q&A: August Schell Brewing

The Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest, staggers into the Colorado Convention Center this weekend. Last year, 46,000 attendees sampled nearly 3,000 beers, and this year’s Fest is already sold out. Check Cafe Society through the week for survival tactics and beer recommendations from some of the breweries bringing…

Chef and Tell: Elise Wiggins of Panzano

“I want people’s eyes to roll into the back of their heads when they eat my food,” says Elise Wiggins, the über-talented executive chef of Panzano, a Northern Italian restaurant in the Hotel Monaco. Food, like sex, should always be sensual, she explains. The Louisiana native would put her hands…

Zaidy’s Downtown Deli reaches the end of the line

Zaidy’s Downtown Deli/ Fusion Cantina has closed — officially. The final blow came on September 16, at a bizarre liquor license hearing on Zaidy’s application to change to a cabaret license, which would have allowed the restaurant to host salsa nights and dancing. The application was dismissed, in part because…

Second life for Roast

Across the street from Swedish Medical Center, Roast, once a coffee and paninni shop, is going through a face lift and concept change. And how do I know this? Because I happened to see this sign hanging in the front door of the space at 500 East Hampden Avenue. Now,…

Today: Pints & Bites with Jeannie Ritter

There’s a cornucopia of culinary events in Denver tonight, with everything from the Westword Dish/A Menu Affair at the Fillmore to Penny Parker’s Sense of Security benefit dinner at Lola. And for an appetizer, First Lady Jeannie Ritter is hosting “Pints & Bites,” a benefit for the Governor’s Residence Preservation…

Sean Kelly stakes a claim at LoHi

June 25 –that was opening day for LoHi SteakBar. But prior to that? Owners Joe Vostrejs, Jeff Hermanson and Rod Wagner had spent months talking and plotting — and after they hired Sean Kelly, who’d already parted ways with Mark Berzins and the Little Pub Company, they all talked some…

Power to the People: Redux

Yesterday, I started culling the best answers I’d gotten from my deliberate rip-off of Grub Street’s 2009 Grub Report foodie poll. Today, I am continuing to pimp for my own 1st Annual Cafe Society Poll about Food and Chefs and Stuff by picking another fantastic response that has come in…

Great American Beer Festival Q&A: Lb. Brewing Co.

The Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest, staggers into the Colorado Convention Center this weekend. Last year, 46,000 attendees sampled nearly 3,000 beers, and this year’s Fest is already sold out. Check Cafe Society through the week for survival tactics and beer recommendations from some of the breweries bringing…

Behind the Bar: Nate Windham from The Office@Blondies

Nate Windham, cocktail and spirits specialist, created the bar program at Paragon Culinary School in Colorado Springs in 2003. He’s currently the head bartender at The Office@Blondies at 20 North Tejon Street in the Springs, and a proud member of the Colorado Bartenders Guild. Earlier this month, he left his…

Ten hard-to-find beers you should try from Colorado

Colorado makes some of the best beers in the world. Am I biased? Maybe, but I’m also right. Luckily for the rest of the nation, many of these brews are available on liquor store shelves in other parts of the country. But not all of them. Some only come from…