The soon-to-be-over year of 2012 has given us savory soups, awesome appetizers, munchable main dishes and even a few scintillating smoothies. But these taste-tempting morsels and sips were sadly sullied by the emergence of some unimaginably horrific eats that Satan himself would not take a poke at with his big,…
Mark Antonation has an ambitious resolution for 2013: He’s eating his way through Denver city limits along Federal Boulevard, from the southern border to the northern, and blogging about it for Cafe Society in “A Federal Case.” But he got off to a rough start, when he found that the…
Westword ho, ho, ho. Cafe Society will be busy in the kitchen through December 25, but we’ll be cooking up plenty of tasty stories for when we return early on December 26. And in the meantime, we’re leaving you some holiday food for thought in this post by Jenn Wohletz,…
After nearly four years on Seventeenth Avenue’s Restaurant Row, Olivea, the intimate Mediterranean restaurant owned by husband-and-wife duo Stephanie Bonin and Keith Arnold, who also oversee Duo in Highland, will close in mid-January. The couple, who opened Olivea in May 2009, are moving to the East Coast in June. See…
Some of the best holiday memories are made in the kitchen. The wafting aroma of ham and reheated Hawaiian rolls, the rush to make sure the cream of mushroom soup moistens that green bean casserole, the agonized sighs after reading the calorie count on the Sara Lee pie box. And,…
Gatsby’s has opened in the former home of the Wine Loft at 1527 Wazee Street. The speakeasy-style lounge is now offering a preliminary menu of “gourmet bites” and crafted cocktails — and that lineup will expand once the restaurant puts the finishing touches on its concept. See also: -Gatsby’s will…
Metro Denver lost some longtime institutions this year. Pagliacci’s.The Burnsley. Gabor’s. And now El Rancho, once a dining destination for tourists and Denver residents alike, a place so popular it had its own exit off I-70, is gone, too. See also: – Historic El Rancho Restaurant has new owners and…
Apparently, the cocktail sphere is getting punched. Earlier this week, Food & Wine magazine pointed out, correctly, that prior to the popularity of the Manhattan, martini and mai tai, there was punch, which dates all the way back to the 17th century. >See also: – Anika Zappe named bar manager…
Hugo’s Colorado beer & Spirits opened today in Capitol Hill, just in time to catch the last part of the holiday liquor store rush — something that should help owner Joe-Michael Wright catch up after permitting delays that have held him up since October. See also: – Freshcraft, Right Coast…
Federal Boulevard is one of the most interesting stretches of pavement in the entire United States. The cultural and economic diversity represented in a few densely populated miles means that you can drive past looming Victorian mansions, the playground of the Denver Broncos, llanteros selling retread tires, Vietnamese seafood markets,…
Everyone and their brethren seemed to be celebrating the holidays at this culinary house of comedy, where the theatrics outshine the food. That said, there’s absolutely nothing with what these dynamic jokesters serve, although I’m especially sweet on the addictive fried rice, shaped in the form of heart. Can you…
In the Christmastime classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart, as George Bailey, gets a taste of what the world would be like if he had never been born. It’s not a pretty picture, and it reminds Bailey, and the audience, of the joy he created. The Wynkoop Brewing Company,…
In early February, Spuntino, the Highland restaurant and dessert palace overseen by betrothed couple John Broening (he’s the chef) and Yasmin Lozada-Hissom (she’s the pastry chef) will close for a week — maybe two — to undergo a major makeover, and when it reopens, guests will not only be treated…
This last year has brought us some terrible chain restaurant trends, including serving up sodium-soaked “healthy” meals; shrinking dessert sizes and charging the same prices; peddling fancy cocktails with more ingredients than a hair-relaxing solution; and restaurants labeling everything “natural.” But despite the obvious failures, 2012 also produced five trends…
Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew, 2810 Larimer Street, is hosting a food drive this evening from 4 p.m. to midnight. The nanobrewery is offering free pint glasses in exchange for non-perishable food donations…
Update, 4:50 p.m.: We heard from Carol Mrzlikar, one of the neighbors upset over the smoke emitted from Il Vicino’s wood-fired oven. Continue reading for her comments. Should the smoke emitted from a wood-burning pizza oven be considered air pollution? The neighbors of Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza on South…
At Ace, Randy Layman knows how to serve drinks…and ping pong.Whether it’s a night at the Nutcracker, a performance of Handel’s Messiah, or old-time caroling with friends, we all have our favorite holiday traditions. For Randy Layman, bartender at Ace, which I review this week, Christmas Eve wouldn’t be the…
Every February, the three Mountain Sun Pub breweries celebrate Stout Month, pouring dozens of stout varieties. In advance of Stout Month, the company sponsors a homebrew competition, and the winner gets to brew his stout at Mountain Sun and have it served on tap all of February — which is…
All this week, I’m featuring my favorite culinary stocking stuffers and presents for the fervent foodnik, cook and restaurant fiend in your life, including the indulgent hot chocolate and salted caramel marshmallows from Spuntino, and EatDenver’s gift that keeps on giving — the 2013 EatDenver dining deck. These are all…
No, I didn’t eat the gingerbread house, which is created from graham crackers by the chef, who spent more than forty hours on this project…but, like me, I betcha he was drinking margaritas and snacking on chips and salsa in between plastering his masterpiece with candy canes, icing and gumdrops…
When the Brewers Association blasted the nation’s two largest beer makers last week for not labeling some of their smaller brands with the names “MillerCoors” or “Anheuser-Busch,” the Boulder organization risked losing a lot of money. After all, the two companies kick in at least $20,000 annually to be a…
Daniel Ramirez Gaetano’s 3760 Tejon Street 303-455-9852 www.gaetanositalian.com/ Part one of my interview with Daniel Ramirez, exec chef of Gaetano’s, ran yesterday; this is part two of our chat. Favorite food city in America: San Francisco is unrivaled when it comes to food diversity, and it’s also the home to…
