Half-price bottles at the Wine Loft today

Denver’s two Wine Loft outposts — in the Landmark project at 7600 Landmark Way in Greenwood Village, and at 1527 Wazee Street –host wine tastings every Wednesday evening.But the real deal is on Tuesday, when both Lofts offer half-price bottles of wine. Find more details on the wine-bar chain’s website. …

Ask the Critic: Vegetarian death march

Okay, so say you’ve got a friend. And this friend, for whatever reason (religious aversion, misguided sense of moral outrage, PETA brainwashing), has chosen not to eat meat. Still, you, as a proud carnivore, want to go out somewhere where both of you can have a decent feed. This week’s…

Fogo de Chao is fired up for a mid-July opening

This past weekend, when I sneaked through the open doors of Fogo de Chao, the new Brazilian churrascaria going into 1515 Wynkoop Street, to take photos of the space, a pair of hands came between my camera and the construction dust. “Absolutely no photos are allowed!” yapped the guy with…

Colorado’s highest-altitude brewery closes

Colorado’s highest-altitude brewery, Rosie’s Brewpub in Leadville, has served its last pint as of May 30, according to its website. “Unfortunately with the economy, we here at Rosie’s Brewpub must close our doors. This past winter has impacted us in the worst way possible. Thanks to the many that did…

Three Door Bistro set to debut in July

There’s more movement on the 2000 block of Larimer Street, where Three Door Bistro, an American/Italian restaurant, is skedded for a mid-July opening at 2049 Larimer. The space, run by Marion Hoffman, who briefly owned Fantastic Bistro and Catering at 2740 South Wadsworth Boulevard, is named for the three wooden…

Obama burger watch

At this point, it’s safe to say that I could commit myself to a full-time position of doing nothing but reporting on where the President (or VP) decides to eat his lunch every day. I mean, we’ve already had the Grey Poupon controversy (and the resulting, tongue-in-cheek marketing push by…

The Market Report, May 30

Summer is just around the corner, and it shows at the market. While the selection is still focused on vegetables of the lettuce variety, warmer-weather vegetables are beginning to peak through. But that wasn’t the highlight of my visit to the market Saturday. No, the highlight was a conversation inspired…

Former Root Down chef finds new piece of turf

As reported here last month, Ryan Leinonen, the starting chef at Root Down, 1600 West 33rd Avenue, was uprooted on April 24, when owner Justin Cucci snipped his stem. But chefs are survivors and Leinonen is no exception. He’s landed the sous position at Colt & Gray, the farm-to-plate gastropub…

New kings of the Castle

The venerable Castle Bar, at 6657 South Broadway, has new owners: Tapp (great name for a tavern owner!) and Kara Smith. After several years in the bar and restaurant business (Tapp most recently at an Old Chicago on South Wadsworth Boulevard and Kara at the Elephant Bar in Belmar), the…

KJ’s Coffee Bar going for its bar exam

KJ’s Coffee Bar opened last summer at 1710 East 25th Avenue, but it finally held its grand opening celebration on May 23. And KJ’s could soon have more reason to celebrate. This community gathering place for the Whittier neighborhood is going for a beer/wine liquor license, with a hearing slated…

The restaurant roll call for May

RESTAURANT OPENINGS IN MAY Belemonti’s Pizzeria, 644 Santa Fe Drive Otto’s Grill, 2200 Market Street Pho on 6th, 1312 East Sixth Avenue Olivea, 719 East 17th Avenue Buffalo Wild Wings, 15570 West 64th Avenue, Arvada Recovery Room, 819 Colorado Boulevard Pizza Republica, 5375 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village Gelato Spot, 607…

Milking It: Smart Start Toasted Oat

Smart Start Toasted Oat Kellogg’s Rating: Two-and-a-half spoons out of four Cereal description: Heavy, dark oat flakes that ripple and curl like shingles that should have been replaced a few decades earlier. They’re supplemented by rolled oats, wheat, rice and God knows what else bound together in light-hued wads that…

Frasca Food & Wine hosts the hottest pastry chef ever

Tonight, at 5:30 p.m., Frasca Food & Wine, at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, is hosting a winemaker dinner with Jean Georges porn star exec pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini, who also did time in several other celebrated New York kitchens, including Payard and Restaurant Daniel. Iuzzini, along with Frasca exec…

CRA Distinguished Service Award: Dick Weil

This month, the Colorado Restaurant Association inducted three people into its Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on those who’ve had a huge impact on the local restaurant scene. The CRA also awarded the Richard P. Ayers Award for Distinguished Service to Dick Weil. Weil’s restaurant career began humbly, when…

Black Cat Bistro gets down in the dirt

With the Boulder Bolder over, it’s safe to head back up I-36 — particularly if you’re bound for the Black Cat Bistro, at 1964 13th Street in Boulder. Owner/chef Eric Skokan is continuing his Sunday “Dirt Dinner” series that focuses on ingredients grown in his own garden; the May 31…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you might have missed on this week’s Cafe Society:Just in time for the warm weather, we found 10 of our favorite patios.Joe Biden stopped by and got himself some Jason-Sheehan-approved barbecue.The Squeaky Bean got its share of praise from hipster Highland folks.We enjoyed our beer from a schooner.Drinking and…

Judging Tony’s by its cover

So I’m walking around over at Tony’s, just trying to get a feel for the place and the lay of the land. And it’s nice, sure. There’s ten kinds of barbecue sauce, so many different kinds of mustard that the shelving unit looks like my fridge at home on a…

There’s Beer Yoga brewing in Colorado Springs

Perhaps, in the distant past, beer drinkers looked down their red, shiny noses at alfalfa sprout-munching yoga lovers, while those body-mind-and-soul spiritual types disdainfully ignored the smelly hopheads. But not anymore. The Bristol Brewing Company has created a place for everyone to come together, first in the downward dog position…

The List: Real McCoys

This week’s review of China Jade gave me another excuse to bounce around the cuisine and culture of a faraway land without having to worry about the attendant shots, jet-lag or passport issues. More important, it gave me yet more examples of the myriad ways in which pigs can be…

The hangover Saturday brunch following a fuzzy Friday night

In apparent anticipation of The Hangover, a new movie going straight to DVD coming to a theater near you on June 5, the Northglenn-based Allied Advertising and Public Relations Group is trying to convince us that after lubricating ourselves with booze tonight, we’re going to wake up tomorrow morning (presumably…