Vote in every Street 16 elite eight match-up right here!

We started with sixteen neighborhoods on our quest to find the single-best restaurant neighborhood in Denver. Now we’re down to eight. And come Monday morning, we’ll have our final four. A few top seeds in our Street 16 restaurant neighborhood tournament were knocked out quickly (so long, Larimer Square!) while…

Guess where I’m drinking this batch of bubbles?

Here’s an offer you can’t refuse: a glass of bubbles that would go perfectly with a big meatball sandwich. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool — and every…

Pizzeria Basta will roll out cocktails next week

Changes have been at the works at Pizzeria Basta, the Boulder-based restaurant that has served Napolitano-inspired — but American-sourced — pizzas paired to a wine and beer list for the past two years. A couple of months ago, chef/owner Kelly Whitaker rolled out a menu of housemade pastas to supplement…

Denver’s five best empanadas

Just about every culture in the world makes some kind of savory stuffed pastry, and in South America, it’s the empanada that’s king. No two countries make the same type of hot pocket; whether an empanada is deep-fried or baked and what it’s stuffed with is a clear market of…

Guess where I’m eating this mushroom pasta dish?

It’s not imperative to seek out an Italian restaurant to get good pasta in this city. In fact, here, where the above snap was flashed, you’ll find pasta dishes that far surpass most of the joints that hold the noodle in high esteem. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special…

Five reasons why Marilyn Hagerty is good for the restaurant industry

Marilyn Hagerty , the 85-year-old woman who’s the “Eat Beat” columnist at the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota, has been getting an abundance of press since her review of the Olive Garden went viral. Marilyn-mania began with her original review of the popular Italian chain, which had some readers…

The Matchbox celebrates its first anniversary tonight

When Sudhir Kuva and his business partners took over the Orange Cat Studios underground-arts space at 2625 Larimer Street last year and transformed it into the Matchbox, Kuva was concerned about how a non-music bar would do in an area with three live-music venues within a block. But now he…

Free tour and tasting at Roundhouse Spirits in Boulder

Cap the week off with a free tour of Roundhouse Spirits, 5311 Western Avenue in Boulder, from 3 to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow. See how booze phenom Ted Palmer and crew craft and bottle their award-winning spirits — and then taste them. No RSVP required, and make a note:…

The Den Farm — and a new greenhouse — gets ready to sprout

Owning a farm, says Yasu Kizaki, was always a dream for him and his brother, Toshi, the owners of two Japanese restaurants on South Pearl Street: Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. “Our parents were farmers,” Yasu recounts. “It’s been a vision for a long time, but it’s hard work.” Dreams…

Oak at Fourteenth will host a quarterly pig roast

Since they first opened — and re-opened — then reopened Oak at Fourteenth, owners Bryan Dayton and chef Steve Redzikowski have tried to create a true neighborhood restaurant, pulling in crowds of regulars with their creative take on North American cuisine and an equally inventive beverage program. And starting April…

Daniel Kuhlman sells Roam to one of the founders of Gumbos

Long story short: Daniel Kuhlman, who abruptly shuttered Roam two days ago, leaving fourteen staff members bereft of jobs (including his former exec chef Tony Clement), and flipped out when yours truly photographed the crew he’d left high and dry, has sold the space to Gary Hvizda, one of the…

Rumor has it Root Down will open a location at DIA

Not long ago, searching for a decent meal at Denver International Airport was like trying to discern the literary value of the Twilight saga: it just didn’t exist. But over the past few years, the concourses have picked up a few decent options, including the Chophouse on Concourse A and…

Round two with Patrik Landberg, exec chef of Charcoal

Patrik Landberg Charcoal 43 West Ninth Avenue 303-454-0000 www.charcoaldining.com This is part two of my interview with Patrik Landberg, exec chef of Charcoal. Part one of our conversation ran in this space yesterday. Best thing about cooking in Denver: We’re on the cusp of being a bona fide food-centric city…