Open and shut cases: Lala’s and Prime 121

Some locations just seem doomed. The latest black hole: 121 Clayton Lane, which on Monday swallowed Prime 121 after two years of struggle and a chapter 11 filing in May. The first occupant of this address didn’t even last that long: Bob’s Steak & Chop House, home of the giant,…

The earls of sandwich

At Masterpiece Delicatessen, partners Justin Brunson and Steve Allee do some pretty amazing things with a little bread, a little meat, a little this-and-that. Their simplest creations — egg sandwiches, grilled cheese, turkey with pears and cranberry honey — show their command of the artistry of restraint (just enough, never…

Two chefs deliver our daily bread at Masterpiece Delicatessen

Libertines though they may be, chefs love making sushi because sushi is so limiting, so rigorous in what is allowed and what is not, so rooted in tradition and steeped in modernity. There is nowhere to hide with sushi, no cover for mistakes or dumbassery. You’re either on your game…

Maloney’s Tavern may be a corporate Cheers, but don’t change the channel

In the bizarro world of corporate coolness that is Maloney’s Tavern (1432 Market Street), packs of Marlboro Lights cost $9, all finger food arrives in wax-paper-lined metal buckets on strangely shaped porcelain plates and accompanied by perfectly portioned sides, policy allows Top 40 songs to make only one appearance every…

At Tacos D.F., the torta takes over for the sandwich

American sandwich-makers have come a long way. Now that serious, heavyweight chefs have begun muscling in on the action (see my review of Masterpiece Delicatessen, page 51), a boy of eclectic appetites can easily score a Cuban, a banh mi, a beef on weck, a Croque Monsieur, a panini or…

Pastrami and egg salad make magic at Heidi’s

The happy couple. Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli 831 Colorado Boulevard (and numerous other locations) 303-355-6494 Bronx Bomber Egg salad and pastrami $6.99 Pastrami and Egg Salad. The words go together awkwardly like Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts, Michael Jackson and Priscilla Presley. But unlike the other…

Spitting bachelorettes invade Cuba Cuba, ruining life for everyone

“Can I stir your mojito?” Cuba Cuba (1173 Delaware) may as well have been Cancun Cancun this past Saturday the way a gaggle of bridal-shower whore-trollops were treating the place. Fucking whore-trollops. I went there with a few college friends –- no strangers to debauchery themselves -– and as is…

North Star space snapped up by Larimer Square gang

I heard last week that recently vacated North Star Brewery space at 3200 Tejon Street (left) had been snapped up by Joe Vostrejs, Jeff Hermanson and Rod Wagner—the Larimer Square gang, in part, and the crew most recently behind the resurrection of Billy’s Inn at 4403 Lowell Boulevard. So I…

Masterpiece Delicatessen stuffs a great sandwich

Justin Brunson and Steve Allee, the masters behind Masterpiece. Sriracha has become like a badge of craft among chefs slumming it on the wrong side of the culinary tracks. You see that bottle sitting on the table, lurking around the counter somewhere, and you know you’re in a place run…

At Parsley, a quick trip to fast-foodie nation

Parsley knows its sandwiches, if not its radicchio Parsley is a tiny, newish sandwich shop located at 303 West 11th Avenue, not too far from Westword headquarters, open for lunch every day. I’ve eaten there twice now and enjoyed their offerings quite a bit: fresh, simple ingredients, a menu that’s…

Stellar service at Cafe Star

The customer was always right at Cafe Star Sunday. I went to Cafe Star, at 3201 East Colfax Avenue, last night with my friend, Cathy, for the Sunday night special. It’s a great deal: $12 for either a pizza or pasta entree with a glass of wine. Cathy’s a vegetarian,…

Milking It: Special K Cinnamon Pecan

Special K Cinnamon Pecan Kellogg’s Rating: Three spoons out of four Cereal description: Brown-tinted flakes made of rice and wheat of various shapes, sizes and textures. Imagine a topographical map of a mountainous region run through a blender set on “chop.” Pecans are part of the combination, too, but finding…

Some good dim sum news at Alameda Square

Super Star Asian could be on the move. Some good news for those as depressed as I am over the coming “revitalization” of Alameda Square at 2200 West Alameda Avenue, home to some of my favorite spots in Denver. I have it from a good source that several of the…

Ka-ching! Blake Street Vault opens its doors

For months, the former American Costume Company has been undergoing a transformation — and you now can see the results for yourself, since Blake Street Vault has finally opened its doors at 1526 Blake Street. The restaurant/bar’s opening this week was a few weeks behind schedule, but as one partner…

One time only! My Brother’s opens on a Sunday

Never on Sunday. That’s the unofficial motto of My Brother’s Bar, the classic, signless joint at 2376 15th Street, which has always been closed on Sundays. Until now. For one Sunday, and one Sunday only, My Brother’s will be open from 2-6 p.m. on September 7. But it will only…

Candy Girls: Brach’s Milkmaid Caramel Apple Candy Corn

We know there are candy corn detractors out there, but the Candy Girls can’t help loving the seasonal treats that appear as fall rolls around. While we would normally wait until next month to start in on candies that might otherwise appear in the Halloween category, it’s been so positively…

Marczyk for Market!

Meaty promises. Obama! McCain! Udall! Ron Paul! Lois Court! Joshua Sharf! Marczyk! Driving around Denver last week, it seemed that every other car had a political bumper sticker on the back and every third house had a candidate’s sign staked out front. And as the election season heats up, the…

Bistro One joins the lunch bunch

Things didn’t go well for chef Olav Peterson at Euro, but his move to South Broadway seems to be going smoothly. After a few months of just dinner and brunches at Bistro One, 1294 South Broadway, he and owner Alex Waters have started lunch service, with an emphasis on seasonal…

Local eateries sum up the DNC action — or lack thereof

So it’s over. The political circus has folded the big top, loaded all the donkeys and elephants, packed up the clown cars and skipped town. Was it fun? Hell, yeah. I wish it was still going on, would go on forever, if only for the sudden injection of action and…

Surviving the shrieks at Sengers on the Fax

It’s not the volume of the screams that’s so troubling; it’s the pitch. “Shrill” is the first adjective that comes to mind, then “piercing.” We’re sitting on the back patio of Sengers on the Fax (3014 East Colfax Avenue), trying not to stare as a table of sequined tank tops…