Ex-Elway’s Chef Tyler Wiard Signs on to Helm Guard and Grace

Chef and steak expert Tyler Wiard didn’t take long to find a new home after his departure from Elway’s earlier this month. The TAG restaurant group, headed by chef/restaurateur Troy Guard, just announced that Wiard has joined the team as executive chef of Guard and Grace, the group’s upscale steakhouse…

WongWay Veg Takes Vegan Cooking to the Streets

Lisa Wong, owner and operator of the WongWay Veg food truck, has always had a passion for good food. With a desire to change the perception that vegan and vegetarian food as boring and bland, the concept for WongWay Veg was born. We talked to the chef about her food…

The Post Brewing Company Readies for Thursday Opening

Dave Query, founder of the Big Red F restaurant group, is heading back to Boulder with his next project. His tried-and-tested chicken and beer concept, the Post Brewing Co., will become the second full brewery and kitchen in Query’s lineup when it opens on Thursday, November 2, at 2027 13th…

French 75: This Bistro Is No Beauty

When it opened this summer, French 75 became the tenth restaurant in the local empire created by Frank Bonanno. This one is a French bistro, dressed to impress. But it doesn’t.

How the California Wildfires Impacted a Denver Winery

Far away from the wildfires that devastated parts of California’s wine country in recent weeks, Chad Yetka, co-founder of Bigsby’s Folly Winery & Restaurant at 3653 Wazee Street in RiNo, and I discussed the fire’s impact on the wine business. The grim subject seemed out of place in the sunlit…

Farmers’ Market Finds: The Season Finale With Chef Adam Branz

The farmers’ market at Union Station (part of Boulder County Farmers’ Markets) is officially over — for this year, anyway. But as one thing ends, another begins. In this case, it’s a new restaurant at the station called Ultreia, the latest venue from Beth Gruitch and Jennifer Jasinski’s Crafted Concepts…

First Look: The Bindery Opens in LoHi

New apartments and condos continue to clutter the portion of the Highland neighborhood now known as LoHi, replacing aging warehouses and rows of bungalows in equal proportions. While some of the architecture is of questionable merit, at least many of the new buildings come with retail space on the ground…

What’s for Dessert? Beer, of Course

“Invention, my dear friends, is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation, and 2 percent butterscotch ripple.” Those are the words of Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Brewing beer in Colorado could be said to be much the same, especially these days, when creative…

Four Non-Halloween Events on the Culinary Calendar This Weekend

This is the weekend before October’s biggest day, and the calendar is packed with costumed events. You won’t find those celebrations here, though; check them out on our list of the best Halloween and Día de los Muertos dinners, parties and deals. Instead, here are four events for folks who don’t…

Denver Central Market Changes Out Its Seafood Counter

When the Denver Central Market opened a year ago, one of the first scenes visitors encountered after walking through the front door was the expansive fresh seafood case at Silva’s Fish Market. But partner Jesusio Silva departed earlier this year, leaving the market’s founders Ken Wolf and Jeff Osaka to…

Liquid Chocolate Manufacturer Stumbles on Untapped Beer Market

Boulder entrepreneur Ira Leibtag wasn’t that surprised last year when he started getting cold calls from breweries around the country asking for the liquefied chocolate he sells under the name Cholaca: After all, “chocolate is the most popular flavor in the world,” he says. But he was taken aback at…

The Stockyard Saloon Is Haunted by Ghosts of Denver’s Past

It’s getting close to Halloween, so for me, it’s a season all about ghost stories. One of my favorite reliable, and reliably haunted, neighborhood bars in town is the Stockyard Saloon. Although, I suppose the location, nestled among the warehouses and National Western Complex at 4710 National Western Drive in…

Beer Calendar: Chocolate Beers, a Rumpus and New Cerebral Cans

Oskar Blues has set a date in late November for the opening of its third new Colorado location — this one is the two-story former Croc’s space at 1630 Market Street in LoDo. The 10,636 square-foot Oskar Blues Grill & Brew will offer traditional restaurant and bar service upstairs, along with…

Ten Great Denver Pizzas for Plant-Based Eaters

Being a vegan doesn’t mean missing out on those classic foods that everyone loves. Pizza is often characterized by a thick layer of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or sausage, but Colorado pizza spots are switching things up to appeal to a wider range of customers. These ten local pizzerias and…

Kendra Anderson on Soulmate Pairings, Ownership and Bar Helix

Kendra Anderson, aka Swirl Girl Denver, has been educating the Mile High on the magic of food-and-wine pairings — and unsung wine varietals — on social media for years, via hashtags (#justdrinkpink) and a regular column at westword.com, and through events she’s organized. Now she’s opened Bar Helix in RiNo,…