At two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, the place was hopping, the staff was clearly in the weeds and people were starting to pile up at the door, scanning for available seats in the dining room or at the bar. Luckily, there was just enough turnover that a line didn’t…
The weather’s getting warmer, so you have no excuse for not heading to one of two events that should be the taco the town. Tonight restaurateur, chef and author Richard Sandoval will be touting his new cookbook at La Biblioteca, where guests will get a lot more than just a…
Westword writer Bree Davies has made no secret of her love for the weirdly fun Denver institution, Casa Bonita, which celebrated forty years of business this year. But what seems to be a secret is why she couldn’t get permission to shoot video inside the 50,000-square-foot Mexican “village” that dominates…
Earlier this year, Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Palettes, the Kevin Taylor-run restaurant in the Denver Art Musem. At the time of her visits, the menu included selections created by executive chef Austin Cueto inspired by the Modern Masters exhibit at the DAM. This month, Cueto is applying his creative skills to…
We previously announced that international coffee chain Espresso Americano would open its first U.S. location in the Landmark development in the DTC. Now it looks like two of the cafes were in a race — and another location opened first. Espresso Americano opened its first spot today in the nearby…
Chik-fil-A always seems to be in the news for something: This month, Denver Chik-fil-A stores will be blessing customers with free Chick-n-Minis every Monday in November in the restaurants and the drive-throughs. It’s a struggle to recall a time when Chik’s wasn’t shooting free food from effin’ stadium cannons to…
The owners of Ratio Beerworks had stopped looking for space in River North — a district that already boasts seven breweries with at least three more on the way — when they heard about the 5,500-square-foot warehouse that Mile High Spirits was leaving behind after finding newer digs downtown. “It…
Wonderbowl Vietnamese Restaurant opened last week on South Federal Boulevard after an extensive remodel of what used to be a KFC. Wonderbowl is a sister restaurant to Pho Duy in the same shopping center and features a few house specials not common to Federal’s Vietnamese scene along with a typical…
Last week Mark Antonation served up Ten Things Visitors Should Know About the Denver Dining Scene, including the crucial fact that this city’s culinary contributions go far beyond the Denver omelette. Not only does Denver have great craft beer and bison, he points out, but it also has good very…
Author! Author! A trio of chefs — Ina Gartner, Richard Sandoval and Eric Skokan –will be talking about their new cookbooks this week, and there are many other appetizing events on the culinary calendar. Keep reading for a taste. See also: Illegal Pete’s Now Open in Fort Collins, Protesters Are…
The first Illegal Pete’s restaurant is now open in Fort Collins; it’s the largest of the seven Front Range locations. Among the guests at yesterday’s grand opening was a reporter from the New York Times — attracted to Colorado by the controversy over the Illegal Pete’s name, which some local…
This week in Cafe Society, Gretchen Kurtz declared Cart-Driver a winner in the fast-casual race, while Mark Antonation continued his pad Thai quest at Edgewater’s quaint Thailicious. See also: Paper Bird and Esme Patterson Had to Split Up Before Both Could Take Off…
The T-Wa Inn, Denver’s first Vietnamese restaurant, closed earlier this year on Federal Boulevard, leaving a building with good bones for a new owner to take over. Given the demographic of the area, another Vietnamese eatery would not have been a surprise, but instead Mariscos El Licenciado — which started…
Keeping it local. That’s the goal of Andy Nelson and Jason Reinhardt, who will open Locavore Beer Works on Saturday, November 15 in Littleton. “We use the concentric ring model and only go outside of that if certain goods or services aren’t available,” says Nelson, adding that the brewery is…
Golden Moon Distillery last week a added a new gin to it’s growing line of spirits. Their newest spirit starts with one of their oldest: Golden Moon’s citrusy, herbaceous gin is rested in barrels previously used to age port wine. The Port Cask Reserve gin takes on rich, red-wine flavors…
Lakeside, Colorado, located on the shores of scenic Lake Rhoda, boasts a Walmart, an amusement park that’s over 100 years old, and a total population of eight people, including Rhoda Krasner, for whom the lake is named. Lakeside is also about to become home to Molly’s Spirits, a high-tech beer,…
Fermaentra Brewing, Alpine Dog and Locavore Beer Works are all opening this weekend, all part of the continuing boom in the craft-beer business. By the end of the year, there could be fifty breweries operating within Denver city limits, with many more in the surrounding suburbs. But could this be…
Now that Left Hand Brewing has turned 21, it’s old enough to drink legally — and it will be celebrating circus-style with Nitro Fest, just as Boulder kicks off its own restaurant week. And in Denver, bacon and beer will be joining forces. Keep reading for a taste of what’s…
Each year since 2005, Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development has worked with the mayor’s office to select winners of the Mayor’s Design Awards, which go to homeowners, businesses, nonprofits, artists and other groups and individuals who add to Denver’s visual cityscape through excellent design. Among this year’s honorees…
When people walk into Fermaentra, owners Brennan Mann and Spencer O’Bryan want them to know they’re in a brewery. “Otherwise, you’re just in a bar in LoDo,” Mann says. That’s why beer drinkers at Fermaentra, which opens its doors for the first time on Saturday, will be able to look…
Denver isn’t known as a ramen town, primarily because there aren’t many joints that specialize in nothing but the Japanese noodle soup. In Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle you’ll find dozens of Japanese restaurants that have “ramen” or “noodle” in their names — but not so here in Denver…
Happy hour takes the edge off, helping us unwind after a long day. But for people in the restaurant biz, happy hour isn’t so happy: It marks the beginning of a long shift to come. That’s why Cart-Driver, which I review this week, stays open late, with food and drink…
