First Look: Kazoku Sushi opens in Lakewood

A new sushi den has opened in Lakewood, and with its extensive sushi menu, full liquor license and elegant decor, it’s a welcome addition to the westside food scene. Kazoku Sushi, located at 10665 West Colfax Avenue, quietly took the plunge at the end of September. And depending on how…

Five best Halloween candies to give out — don’t be the cheap house!

You really, really don’t want to have the reputation of being the worst Halloween candy-giving house on the block. So don’t hand out Tootsie Rolls, candy corn or those nefarious orange-and-black-wrapped chewy things. And don’t even think about gifting trick-or-treaters with shwag like toothbrushes or anything homemade — unless you…

Ploughboy is the Nature’s Plate People’s Choice winner for Colorado

Last week we told you about the Nature’s Place People’s Choice contest to choose the greenest restaurant in Colorado, as well as 23 other states. Well, the votes have been counted, and while WaterCourse Foods and The Kitchen in Boulder both were among Colorado’s finalists, the Ploughboy in tiny Salida…

Guess where I’m eating a “Bronco Sunday” sundae?

I’d normally go for the lemon sorbet or something else with a fruity tang, but when the guy in front of me ordered the “Bronco Sunday” ice cream, his enthusiasm was too infectious not to follow suit, so I did, only to find out that “Bronco Sunday” ice cream tastes…

25 things you never knew about Brandon Forrester, bartender at the Skylark Lounge

As Westword’s Ask the Bartender columnist, I’ve talked with many bartenders for Cafe Society’s “Behind the Bar” series, posing numerous questions to Denver’s top bartenders…and often receiving the same answers: “I love chartreuse,” or “I’m really into smoked cocktails/barrel aging/bottled cocktails.” See also: A bartender by any other name…is still…

Meet more kinds of mock meat, a specialty at Sunny Gardens

Mock meat, the kind stir-fried with carrots and green peppers at Sunny Gardens, which I review this week, doesn’t just come from Taiwan. Whole Foods sells a chicken look-alike from Beyond Meat, both packaged and in the vegan hot bar. Curious, I took a look at the package of lightly…

Symphony of Tastes combines music and beer tonight

An wholly likable alliance has formed between the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra and Blue Moon Brewing Company, and the result will be tonight’s Symphony of Tastes, an evening of classical music and brews. See also:Ten Denver restaurants that use beer in their savory dishes…

Peyton Manning owning it…at running Papa John’s?

Besides setting touchdown pass records and putting the Broncos at 6-0, Peyton Manning also scores big in business: His Papa John’s franchises are booming since he took over, according to TMZ.com. See also: Peyton Manning wants a slice of the pie — Papa John’s, that is…

Guess where I’m eating a taco plate to satiate a crowd?

Last weekend, after I took two teenage boys to a haunted house, they were screaming with hunger pangs, so we stopped for a plate of tacos at this cantina, which my son described as “incredibly hip” — the kind of place, he said, that he’d love to go with his…

Cooking with Pete and Barb Marczyk: slow cooker barbecued ribs

Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with a spacious kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them and cook up a feast. As you can imagine,…

Pull up your big-boy chinos and dig into a Bubba Chinos burrito

In A Federal Case, I’ll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard — south to north — within Denver city limits. I’ll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I’ll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here’s the…