They’re a good crew,” Mary Clark said, laughed proudly, then paused. “They work hard. They’re a really good crew.” She was talking about her kitchen crew at Fisher Clark Urban Delicatessen, possibly the most multi-tasking, versatile band of mercenaries working in the city right now. And she was laughing because…
Believe it or not, beer and I haven’t always been inseparable. Once upon a time, we didn’t have the same understanding of each other that we do now. As a teen, for example, I didn’t get why beer tasted like ass, or why it didn’t “work” as quickly as Kamikazes…
Both spots were serving the same purpose, separated by two dozen years and a million miles of desire. That old grocery store was dedicated to its community of farmers, drunks, rednecks and fishermen, just as Fisher Clark tends to the needs of the yuppies, old folks, new money and urban/suburban…
Today is my birthday. Which is all well and good. St. Patrick’s Day babies get to be honorary citizens of Ireland; our birthdays are remembered by more people; and there is an entire section of greeting cards dedicated to those born on March 17 (if you divide the U.S. population…
While Denver itself frequently ranks in national polls for having one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, none of our local Irish pubs ever get so much as nod from out-of-towners. Whatever, we don’t need some national booze critic to tell us where to get soused. For a town…
The host at French 250 is young — new to the business, I think, because as he walks me down the narrow space between tables, I can see that he doesn’t yet have the smooth grace of the servers, who move like dancers: smoothly, fluidly, and with the confidence of…
French 250 is a fascinating place, unlike any French restaurant I’ve been to before. Yes, it’s fancy, and terribly expensive (I dropped about $120 on my solo dinner with only two glasses of wine). And yet it’s still comfortable, relaxing, almost homey. The service is informative and informal, the kitchen…
The suicide slushie is classic Americana. It’s also one of my most vivid memories of childhood summers spent at a campground on Clear Lake in Milton, Wisconsin. My family began this tradition by camping in a tent when I was too young to have memories; we upgraded to a pop-up…
Vietnamese cuisine had a long, noble history before the French arrived in the 1940s and launched their ill-fated adventures through Indochina. But the French army didn’t just come with rifles, trucks and funny hats; they were also considerate enough to bring along their cuisine. Though historians would no doubt disagree…
“Is this your first time dining with us?” she asks, smiling. In response, I just bob my head like a moron—completely gone on whatever weird cocktail of hormones and brain chemicals it is that makes a grown man fall in love with a menu, with nothing more than words on…
Denver has had newspaper wars for as long as there have been newspapers, and just because the size of the papers is shrinking doesn’t mean this war is any less intense. But another, newer battle between media outlets took place last week, and it was even more…heated. The Women’s Bean…
View larger specimen In order to make more sense of the world around us, illustrator and public house naturalist Nate Stone is compiling here a taxonomy of different barflies. While you’re out and about in Denver, if you spot any of these specimens please add your observations about their habitat…
Mel Master, current owner of three restaurants in metro Denver, former owner of a half-dozen more in Denver and Manhattan, wine guy, ex-street musician, enthusiastic raconteur of all things boozy and delicious, and the guy I blame for loosing Bobby Flay on the world, is not in the house tonight…
In the process of scouting out Agave Grill (see review), I did catch sight of Mel and Jane Master (for more on that, see From the Gut) and even had a long chat with Charlie Master, son and floor man. Our conversation was wide-ranging, but what really stuck in my…
The Brown Palace has been open for business every day since it debuted in 1892. I haven’t been around quite that long, but since I was a child, I’ve always loved the grandeur of the old hotel. As a little girl, I looked forward to our annual ladies’ holiday outing…
I have a young, hip uncle who grew up in trendy West Coast locales such as Seattle and Oakland. I came of age in clueless, couture-less Illinois. Once, when I was in my teens, he said to me, “I’d rather look good than feel good.” I could never quite get…
I was surprised this week to get an email from DISCUS, the national trade group for distilled spirits producers and marketers, about a pro-Sunday sales press conference to be held at Argonaut Wine and Liquor — of all places. Two years ago, when I was reporting on a campaign to…
Originally, my review of Agave Grill was supposed to be a two-fer — a kind of culinary Entebbe Raid whereby Laura and I would roll in fast on slow nights to the King Soopers plaza at Orchard and Holly, where both Agave and Mel’s Greenwood Village incarnation are located, have…
About three weeks ago, Chad Clevenger put Agave Grill through a mid-season menu overhaul, altering or outright dumping about two-thirds of the opening board. While the result could have been a return to the mixed Chihuahua-meets-Lyon Old World/New World fusion of the Cherry Creek Mel’s during Clevenger’s days there, he…
View larger specimen In order to make more sense of the world around us, illustrator and public house naturalist Nate Stone is compiling here a taxonomy of different barflies. While you’re out and about in Denver, if you spot any of these specimens please add your observations about their habitat…
I wanted cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers and beer, a shot of whiskey. Laura wanted Mexican food — chips and salsa, top-shelf mezcal and tamales. New Mexican would’ve been all right with her. A bowl of pozole, a plate of tacos and thee. She was chasing after some memory of our destitution and…
Sometimes it seems like Bite Me World HQ is all about the esoteric discussion of cassoulet, coq au vin and the perils of foie gras production (those ducks and geese can get pissed, and they stand just about crotch-high). I’ve written about crepes (see my review of Crepes ‘n Crepes),…
