Bob Berlute came to Denver last week to see the billboard that his father had painted decades ago on the side of 2801 Welton Street, a ghost sign that was uncovered in the process of developer Star Mesa Property’s restoration work on the building. The sign, too, has been restored,…
At the end of February, Ian Clark, the chef-owner of Bru Handbuilt Ales and Eats, told us he’d be opening a new ice cream shop called Heifer and the Hen next door to his brewery-restaurant on Arapahoe Avenue in east Boulder. Clark is a self-professed ice cream addict who had…
A little spring storm didn’t deter pork and porter pros on Saturday; the Bacon and Beer Classic hosted two sessions in the chilly main concourse of Sports Authority Field at Mile High with beers from nearly fifty Colorado breweries and pig-based eats from more than thirty restaurants, food trucks and…
A recent rash of Denver restaurant break-ins has spread to the Berkeley neighborhood. Il Porcellino (4324 West 41st Avenue) owners Bryan Albano and Bill Miner were greeted this morning by a smashed-in front door and a missing cash register; nothing else was taken and the register was empty, they report…
There’s no shortage of good sushi in Denver proper, so what would motivate someone to drive to the suburbs for fresh fish? A menu of all-you-can-eat sushi for less than 25 bucks all day, every day — that’s what. Sushi Katsu at 2222 South Havana Street in Aurora (with a…
Since El Tepehuan closed up shop last fall and became the El Tep food truck, a prime downtown Englewood restaurant space has stood vacant. El Tep plans to eventually reopen a few doors down, but until now only rumors have circulated about who would move into 3445 South Broadway. But…
In the Best of Denver 2016, we named Berkeley the Best New Restaurant Neighborhood — not just for the new restaurants moving into the area, but because the mix of new and old have made this area just past Highland in northwest Denver an increasingly vibrant dining destination. You can…
Denver’s annual stoner holiday, 4/20, rolls into town this week — bringing with it a grab bag of events and clouds of smoke. Whether you’re planning on participating in the festivities or just catching a contact high, you can cure your munchies at numerous culinary events. And for those of…
Despite all the warnings of another snowmageddon hitting the Front Range, most residents of Denver should have no trouble getting out and about in what added up to six or so inches of snow — and if they holed up yesterday in anticipation of the storm, they’ll be hungry to leave…
A snowy Denver day — the perfect time to find a bar stool where you can spend an hour….or ten. Last week we served up our list of the Ten Best Bars in Metro Denver, and one choice drew applause from many fans. Says Kristen: The PS Lounge has the…
This week was a comeback week for several eateries around town. Leña and School House Kitchen & Libations both reopened on Tuesday after fires forced them to close earlier in the spring. That’s good news for the employees who decided to stay on as well as for customers. And an…
In February, La Loma announced that in two months, it would be leaving the spot at 2527 West 26th Avenue in Jefferson Park where it’s been perched for the past thirty years, and moving to the space vacated by the Trinity Grille, at 1801 Broadway, while it continues to plan…
When Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project got its start in Denver in 2012, the brewery raised money with a members-only Cellar Reserve club: to belong, fans coughed up $300 in exchange for guaranteed access to some of the brewery’s limited-release projects. Although most of the beers were excellent and helped…
Denver is losing some of its great dive bars, as development gobbles up the buildings that have long housed these down-and-dirty saloons. Some of the city’s classic watering holes have dried up altogether; others have been renovated out of true dive status, although they remain excellent bars (for examples, see…
We’ve had a good run of warm days recently, which can only mean one thing this time of year in Colorado: Bad weather is on the way. Although the weather is threatening to get nasty this weekend, you don’t have to spend your days off locked up at home. There…
Are dives an endangered species in Denver? As developers buy up the buildings that house them, these classic watering holes are drying up fast. In February, Denver lost the Filling Station; its home in RiNo is about to disappear. Other one-time dives, like the Squire and Don’s Club Tavern, have…
Fans of the wood-fired cooking of Leña have been missing the eatery’s Latin American menu since a kitchen fire closed the Broadway restaurant on March 30. But Leña reopened last night with new menu items to usher in it’s rises from the ashes. The restaurant posted this note on its…
Third-generation Colorado native Sean Smiley founded State 38 Distilling in 2013 with the goal of being the only all-agave distillery in the United States. And for the past three years, that’s been true; State 38 currently offers a lineup of three agave spirits — blanco, reposado and añejo — as…
Just about every brewery in Colorado makes an IPA, or two, or ten. Most are decent. Many are outstanding. But recently, the definition of what makes a good IPA has gotten a little murky. A couple of events this week, including one tonight at Jake’s Brew Bar in Littleton, will…
It’s often best to keep it casual, whether you’re on a second date or introducing your parents to your polyamorous anarchist collective. There’s no point in getting dressed up and worked up when you can take it easy. Since 1933, Billy’s Inn has existed as a living invitation to low-stakes…
Failure can be tough to handle. It can be brutal, soul-crushing and deflating. But often, and usually in retrospect, failure can be funny, and it can also be a stepping stone to success. Failures, just like successes, should be celebrated, but they rarely are — until FuckUp Nights comes to…
No. 83: The Meatball Hero at Lil’ Ricci’s New York Pizzeria In 1999, there was one Lil’ Ricci’s New York Pizzeria, and it was located in a strip mall behind Tamarac Square on East Hampden Avenue. The original Lil’ Ricci’s is long gone now, as is the entire Tamarac Square…
