Cooking with Pete and Barb Marczyk: Eggplant a la Turk

Pete Marczyk (who’s interviewed in this week’s chef and tell) and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them…

Guess where I’m drinking a (snort) smurf fart?

I know, right? A smurf fart, otherwise known as blue vodka and Sprite in a shot glass. I’m seriously too old for this shit. And while my kid is too young to drink it, he’s also at that age where saying “smurf fart” five billion times can keep him and…

Karl’s Deli had a beer garden before beer gardens were trendy…

Did beer gardens exist before hipsters recently discovered them? You’re darn Teuton! For more than thirty years — since before its hometown was officially known as Centennial — Karl’s Deli has been serving German specialties, including beer, on its front patio overlooking a suburban strip mall. Christoph Zierhut purchased the…

Chipotle brings its Cultivate Festival to Denver in October

Chipotle Mexican Grill got its start in Denver, and in October it will be bringing its hometown a major thank-you present: the free Cultivate Food, Ideas & Music Festival. The one-day festival, which Chipotle introduced last year in Chicago, drew 17,000 people to a city park for demonstrations by celebrity…

Wazee Supper Club reopens today after renovations

Wazee Supper Club, 1600 15th Street, opened its doors today after closing in late April for a remodel. The renovated space now boasts air-conditioning, new furniture, an upstairs lounge and, most important, a fully redesigned kitchen — which Wazee chef Randy Balch couldn’t be happier about. Read why in his…

Photos: The Squeaky Bean reveals Squeaky Acre, its Lakewood farm

When the new Squeaky Bean finally opens next week in LoDo, much of what will appear on your plate will come directly from Squeaky Acre, a one-acre farm in Lakewood that’s growing the majority of vegetables that executive chef Max Mackissock, his kitchen crew and the rest of the Bean…

Guess where I’m eating bibimbap?

Our waitress — she was tiny — nearly fell over from the weight of the bibimbap at this funky Korean restaurant, where the gargantuan portions result in leftovers for days to come. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s…

Whole Foods stores add Dero Fixit bike stands

Whole Foods doesn’t just fill your shopping cart — and empty your wallet. Several of the stores, including the Whole Foods in Capitol Hill, now offer a one-stop shop for basic bike problems: a Dero Fixit bike stand. “There are fifteen to twenty bikes parked out in front of our…

Reader: Torta Grill delivers real bang for the buck

Some new restaurants open with big publicity campaigns and wind up delivering little but disappointment. Not Torta Grill. Opened by Steve Clifton and his wife, Ardeni, in the former Pineapple Grill space at 1818 East Colfax Avenue on June 1, Torta Grill is tiny — but delivers big. And it’s…

Announcement: We have a winner in our Celebrity Chef Tour contest

Amanda Cohen, the chef-owner of Dirt Candy, a vegetarian restaurant in New York that’s generated national accolades, will be in Denver Wednesday night as part of the Celebrity Chef Tour, a moveable feast that traverses venues all over America to pay homage to the late James Beard, the “father of…

Mexico City Lounge finally calls itself a restaurant

For more than forty years, the Mexican City Lounge has held down its particular patch of Larimer Street, serving up hot, hot green chile and great greasy steak tacos to generations of faithful fans. Back in the early ’70s, when the Garcia family opened this neighborhood joint, it was in…

Tacos y Salsas is a smash hit in Aurora

Tacos y Salsas has been a hit since the original opened on Federal Boulevard six years ago — and since then, this homegrown chain has spread out across the metro area, with more than a half-dozen locations in the metro area now open. Not, however, the Aurora location at 2284…

Guess where I’m eating mochi ice cream?

I love these bright-hued Japanese ice cream orbs with their soft mochi exterior, and after a wonderful dinner of sushi, sashimi and udon noodles, it’s the perfect sugar finale. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Guess Where posts…