CANstructive learning

The Salvation Army has teamed up with area schools to put a creative twist on the classic canned-food drive with CANstruction. I vividly remember canned- food drives in elementary and middle school; how I’d make a parent take me to Costco to get that last case of Top Ramen for a food drive just so our…

Stranahan’s named best hooch

We’ve known about the delights of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey for a couple of years now, awarding it Best Colorado Distillery in 2007 and enjoying its warming company on other occasions. But now Men’s Journal has named Stranahan’s one of its favorites as well, including it on the magazine’s list of…

Robert Thompson is headed back to Denver

When last we saw Robert Thompson, he’d closed Brasserie Rouge, was out of Atomic Cowboy, and was selling B-52 Billiards (which would become the Real World: Denver House, then Theorie). He moved on to Chicago, where he’s now co-owner of Seasoned Development — a restaurant company that just leased 5,500 space at 1433…

Grilling in a winter wonderland

Black is the new black, forty is the new thirty, and you know what? Winter is the new summer. Yeah, you heard me. Effin A. I didn’t grow up with a barbecue grill in the back yard (well, there was technically a grill, but it was more of a spider…

Elway’s Downtown is seriously lacking in fun

Elway’s — the original Elway’s — spawned this second location, which opened in January. The Ritz management, its F&B people and chef de cuisine Ben Davison all spent time poking around the kitchen and dining room of the Cherry Creek restaurant. In one of those quirks of synchronicity that I…

SAME Cafe makes the Washington Times

The idea — letting people pay what they can (or want to) for a meal — sounded crazy from the start, but SAME Cafe just keeps going. And growing, having recently expanded into the storefront next to its original home at 2023 East Colfax. And the restaurant just rated a story in…

‘Rebel or Submit’? Aix gives you the option

On Wednesday nights, Aix (our Best Taste of Provence) is now offering ‘Rebel or Submit’ dinners in addition to its regular menu. The rules are relatively simple: If you Rebel, you choose your meal; if you Submit, Aix chooses your meal. With the Rebel option, you get a number of salad, side and entree options. Submit, and the kitchen…

Mermaids Bakery and Pie House

Maybe it’s because I’m landlocked that I wonder about the magic of the sea, the rush of the waves and soft sand between my toes. Now, don’t go trying to take away my Colorado native pass, because I love my mountains! But when I drift away, I usually end up on…

Beer and Cheer: Ten FIDDY Imperial Stout

Ten FIDY Imperial Stout Oskar Blues Lyons Ten FIDY is a big, bad mutha. Almost completely black, it looks like motor oil when poured out of one of Oskar Blues’s unusual black-and-silver cans. But it tastes fantastic – rich, complex and brimming with roasty, toasty chocolate, nut and coffee flavors…

The Cody Inn’s new ownership

The Cody Inn is back in business. The restaurant located at 866 Lookout Mountain Road in Golden closed this summer, and reopened September 30 with Perri and Paul Gummerson as the new owners. The Gummersons renovated the eighty-seat restaurant, replacing lighting and adding a lounge area, a new bar and a patio that’s a…

What burn(ed) my toast

Recently I had a run-in with some less-than-delicious bacon. After I wrote about it, Sue from Whole Foods posted a comment that I should get in touch. So I did, and Sue Raney, store accountant at the Ideal Market in Boulder (which owned by Whole Foods), made a gracious offer of a gift…

The List: Best burgers

Every Monday through the end of March 2009 (when we unveil the Best of Denver 2009) we’ll be posting a list of some of our favorite Denver dishes/restaurants on Cafe Society. Have a request? A comment? Post it here. Jason Sheehan’s recent review of The Counter (shown here) got us thinking about…

Now open: Mangia Bevi at Palazzo Verdi

People have been raving about Palazzo Verdi since the office building housing the Madden Museum of Art as well as the Atrium event space debuted last month. And now Mangia Bevi is giving them more reason to applaud. The European-style cafe, created by Larry DiPasquale and run by his Epicurean Catering  (which also…

Chris Golub dives into the Swimclub/El Camino switch

  After I posted last Friday’s blog about the opening of El Camino, I received this note from partner Chris Golub about the new spot, which took the place of his four-year-old Swimclub32: Howdy Jason! Thanks for the mention in the blog! I have yet to reach out to you to discuss the…

But wait! There are restaurants in actual ski lodges in Colorado!

Echo Mountain, the ski area closest to Denver, just kicked off its third full season of operation on Friday, and while the mountain is relatively no-frills, it does have a restaurant: the Echo Cafe, located in Echo’s Garage. Fresh soups, sandwiches and pizzas have been added to the menu at this indoor/outdoor dining…

New York restaurants snowed by ski-lodge style

  Ski lodge-style restaurants are all the rage in New York City, the New York Times reports in “Antlers and S’mores,” a piece in the paper’s December 7 edition. There’s the Pinetree lodge, “a maze of comfy rooms with so many trophy heads mounted on the walls that you’d think they’d snagged…

Beer and Cheer: Big Shot Seasonal Ale

This beer was a welcome change of pace from a multitude of sweet, dark, heavy beers. But it wasn’t exactly light – more like a brown than an English strong ale, with thick head and a lighter, red hue. The nutty, roasted flavor reminded me of a holiday-season toffee –…

A tough cut at Deli Zone

Sad news on the sandwich front. The Deli Zone franchise at 955 Lincoln, my favorite local sammie joint, has closed for “economic reasons,” according to a handmade sign on the front door that was addressed to “loyal customers” (me). I reviewed Deli Zone’s Chrysler Building (pastrami, Swiss cheese and mustard…

Milking It: Eggo Maple Syrup Cereal

Eggo Maple Syrup Cereal Kellogg’s Rating: Two and a half spoons out of four Cereal description: Puffy wheat, corn and oat platters, light yellow in color, with a series of holes punched through them. The result suggests manhole covers with a thyroid condition…

Steuben’s toasts the end of Prohibition — 75 years ago

  How to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th Amendment? At Steuben’s, the two-year-old restaurant/watering hole at 531 East 17th Avenue that celebrates regional cuisines and quirks, they marked the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933 — which effectively ended Prohibition…