Four unexpectedly fab wine and barbecue pairings

Do you ever feel like July might as well be renamed “barbecue month”? Even though this ancient cooking method hails from the Caribbean, we Americans have utterly claimed the summertime ritual for our own. Like with so many traditions though, they can get a bit – um — old if…

The Mudcat at Q Worldly Barbeque

I avoid perky waitresses. I can handle friendly, even cheery, but perky annoys me the way that a tennis-ball-obsessed golden retriever annoys me. With so much panting and slobbering around me, I find it hard to relax and enjoy myself. So when I sat down at Q Worldly Barbeque and…

Ten things that can make a good wine bar a great wine bar

What separates a good wine bar from a great one? More than you’d think. It’s an elusive mix at best: Easy-to-pinpoint characteristics can surely make you love a place at first glance, but it’s the more subtle, nuanced elements that will ultimately bring you back. Here’s how the best are…

Project delayed, Mike Henderson joins bar at Colt & Gray

Mike Henderson may have left TAG to focus on his own project, but in the meantime, he’ll be working, at least part time, behind the bar at Colt & Gray. Yesterday marked Henderson’s first day on staff, and he started learning the ropes of the dining room and kitchen. “My…

Mayor Hickenlooper’s cruisin’ for brews

Is Mayor John Hickenlooper’s tour around Colorado as he campaigns for governor really just an excuse for the former brewer to try out local beers? Campaign spokesman George Merritt denies it: “We certainly try to end up in local restaurants when we travel, and several times it has been a…

Another round of cheap, delicious beer at Patrick Carroll’s

I’ve never understood all the ranting and raving about PBR and hipsters, the media claims and blogger hate that fixies and Williamsburg wannabes drink it ironically. Maybe it’s true that a few self-image-humping a-holes who don’t like the taste and could afford a pricier brew drink it anyway because it’s…

Beer Floats shake things up for summer

Summer means beer. Summer also means ice cream. So why not combine the two? Beer floats, beer shakes and other beery desserts are gaining popularity as beer and food culture grows. And while Colorado doesn’t yet boast a Beer Float Showdown like L.A., you can find plenty of places to…

Hush speakeasy event gives a glimpse of what’s to come

With cocktail culture exploding in this town, it’s only a matter of time before a crop of speakeasies infiltrates the drinking scene, using storefronts and mundane delis to disguise hidden, dimly lit caverns of revelers imbibing pre-Prohibition libations long into the wee hours. Hush Denver, the not-so-secret supper club that…

Get happy at Kim and Jake’s Cakes hump day happy hour

It’s almost happy hour on hump day. Don’t feel like drinking? How about a slice of cake? Kim and Jake’s Cakes, which opened last month in Boulder’s Table Mesa shopping center, offers a hump day happy hour from 5 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday. During that hour, the shop offers…

Five Oregon wineries to make you rethink your Napa habit

For whatever reasons, Napa Valley is still viewed as the Holy Grail of wine destinations for a majority of American wine lovers. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve been to Napa many times and there’s no denying that some of the most fantastic juice in the world is produced there. But…