Jennifer Yu learned to bake for stress relief, first when she was in graduate school for geology at Cornell University, and then at Cal Tech. “I took cookies into work all the time,” she remembers. “People would ask, ‘How do you make your cookies?’ I’d tell them, ‘You use real…
When he founded the fast-casual Kokoro more than two decades ago, Mareo Torito had visions of growing the concept into a national chain. But from its original location at 2390 South Colorado Boulevard, it never spread beyond metro Denver — and now one of the three locations, at 555 Broadway,…
When Keith Arnold and Stephanie Bonin first leased the space that would eventually house Olivéa, they realized that the property abutted a piece of land leased by a rather unusual tenant: Elaine Granata was using the lot for the very urban Granata Farms. The farmer and the restaurateurs forged an…
“Hideaway Steakhouse brings on new Executive Chef, Todd Adkins, who has cooked for President Clinton and J Lo and has studied in Paris!” exclaimed the press release that landed in my inbox last week from Hideaway Steakhouse, the Westminster shrine to steer that opened in late March with Chris Cina,…
This week’s review sent me down a spiral of nostalgia, as I ate my way through Argentine staples at Caminito Tango, a Denver restaurant that you could find in any neighborhood in Buenos Aires. And everything from the pace to the pastries made me think of long meals enjoyed in…
Apart from rosé, is there any wine more universally misunderstood and underappreciated than riesling? There simply aren’t enough column inches allotted us to spout off the multitude of reasons this varietal is one of only three whites worthy of being classified as a “noble” grape, but its year-round drinkability, epic…
Oregon’s Deschutes Brewing is blitzing Denver this week as part of an eleven-city tour that promotes such staples as Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Inversion IPA and Black Butte Porter, as well as seasonal specialties like Jubelale, Hop Trip and the Abyss. The Deschutes reps started last Saturday with the annual…
With the arrival of fall comes the call for comfort food, and there’s nothing more comforting on a chilly autumn day than a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I…
Jensen Cummings Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar 891 14th Street 303-825-0100 www.row14denver.com This is part one of my interview with Jensen Cummings, exec chef of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar. A broom and a dustpan — these are the tools of my trade,” declares Jensen Cummings, who’s shuffling…
It may have a hard-to-locate front entrance, but that hasn’t prevented Colt & Gray from becoming a big player on the Denver restaurant scene since it opened in August 2009, offering upscale gastropub fare paired to a stellar list of cocktails, beer and wine. And when a bank exited from…
What’s a professional eater to do? After a year on the job, Cafe critic Laura Shunk found that she’d gained twenty pounds, and “I now had more rolls on my body than a pastry truck, more cottage cheese on my thighs than a breakfast buffet, more jelly in my belly…
Pete Marczyk, owner of two markets and wine shops in this town, loves to pour out both knowledge (you can find the recipes that he and his wife, Barbara Macfarlane, cook up on Cafe Society) and wine. And tonight Strings, 1700 Humboldt Street, will host hosting Marczyk while he discusses…
It’s been a while coming, since at least June, but Little H Burger Co should open its doors on Thursday. The first offshoot of the popular H Burger, at 1555 Blake Street, Little H is in the former Smiling Moose at 727 Colorado Boulevard. And about the only hallmark of…
When Vincente Domingo closed Viejo Domingo, an Argentine spot on West 38th Avenue, his cooks weren’t ready to quit making the food of their native country. So they convinced Tirso Abarca, who owns the building, to go into business with them in the same space, offering a menu of specialties…
There are numerous reasons why restaurants close to remodel, but it’s not often that it’s because a car comes careening through your kitchen, but that’s exactly what happened on June 21 at T-WA Inn, the stalwart Vietnamese restaurant on Denver’s Silk Road…
More than 175 years ago, Jean-Baptiste Combier, a French confectioner, and his wife were making liqueurs to inject into chocolates when they began getting requests from local residents to sell the liqueurs straight. So they began bottling an orange liqueur that was, really, the world’s first triple sec. “The distillery…
I’ve always loved mole for its spicy, chocolatey uniqueness. In fact, if I were forced to pick a favorite sauce, it might very well be mole (though Hollandaise holds a special place in my heart). Making it has always seemed like a daunting task, but the more I cook, the…
James and Tina Pachorek, who own the Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe, have quietly bitten their lips over the past two years as they watched new breweries, one after another, open in Denver. Now the couple plans to jump in themselves by taking over the space next door to their…
If you don’t like hot dogs, then we feel sorry for you. Yes, they are disgusting creations made from pieces of animal ground up, seasoned and disguised to look like “normal” meat — but if you opt for a veggie (or vegan) dog, then you get all the taste without…
Dave Query, the founder of Big Red F, the Boulder-based restaurant group that encompasses the West End Tavern, Zolo Southwestern Grill, Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace, a trio of Jax Fish Houses, the Bitter Bar and Lola, is one of the most successful restaurateurs in Colorado. A successful restaurateur…
Finding this off-the-eaten path joint that does a brisk breakfast business isn’t easy, its facade far removed from the street, but here’s a hint: The name includes two initials. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I…
Cafe Society carefully tracks openings and closings on the local dining scene, and late last week we got some back news about Micky Manor closing…or was that bad news? As Jeff notes: The last place in town still doling out Rockybilt burgers. Kind of sad I guess, though there are…
