Top five new names for Midtown at Vallagio

As a resident of a town even further south than Vallagio at Inverness, the new development at Dry Creek and I-25 that’s now trying to call its restaurant-centric self “Midtown,” I have to admire the guts of developer Peter Kudla. By bringing a number of established restaurateurs and chefs, including…

Tonight: Winter Beer Pairing Dinner at Freshcraft

Freshcraft, the beer-centric restaurant at 1530 Blake Street, will feature a Winter Beer Pairing Dinner tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. (spots can be reserved by time slot). The dinner features five courses paired with winter brews and costs $45; for more info, go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/153111. For information on dozens…

Today: Ling & Louie’s celebrates Chinese New Year

Both Ling & Louie’s locations (8354 Northfield Boulevard, and 1201 16th Street ) will be observing a Chinese New Year today through February 5. The celebration includes a special “Feast of Fortune” menu; for more information, go to www.lingandlouies.com. For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our…

Big Papa’s BBQ closes a Littleton location

Serving barbecue is a world away from high-end fashion retail, but Big Papa’s BBQ owner Frank Alfonso compares his decision to close his location at 12652 West Ken Caryl Avenue in Littleton to the decision Saks Fifth Avenue made to close its store in the Cherry Creek mall. “We’re like…

Happy Groundhog Day! Now let’s stop repeating these things on menus

Groundhog Day may be officially devoted to celebrating a rodent that allegedly has some sort of ability to predict the onset of spring (and we think he’s wrong, because despite Phil not seeing his shadow this morning, it’s negative degrees outside and very much still winter). But unofficially, it’s a…

Illegal Pete’s rolls out vegetarian burritos late into the night

Mission-style burritos might be named after San Francisco, but let’s face it: Between Chipotle and Qdoba, Colorado has put its own stamp on foil-wrapped behemoth burritos. And although those two chains are the most widely known outside of the state, the four metro locations of Illegal Pete’s are local favorites,…

Ten super bars in Denver for watching the Super Bowl

Football fans aren’t too picky about the watering holes where they watch the Super Bowl; their requirements typically include multiple large televisions; lots of beer, preferably cheap and cold; and food, preferably cheap and abundant. But those bars that go the extra yard beyond such standard offerings really score. They…

Local Spanish language soap opera takes on obesity

Long-lost evil twin? An intergenerational love affair between family members who don’t know they’re related? A romance forged via ESP between two people in a coma? As long as the dramatic music was right, we wouldn’t blink if we saw one of those absurd scenarios unfold on a daily soap…

Drink of the Week: Groundhog at Luca D’Italia

They say that Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, did not see his shadow in Pennsylvania this morning, which means it will be an early spring. For those of us who’ve suffered through Denver’s sub-zero temperatures these last few days, that’s hopeful news — but we also know from years past that…

Ask the bartender: Win tickets to the Colorado Cocktail Contest kickoff

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…

Marco Ramirez, exec chef of The Palm, on life in a crazy-busy kitchen, the flood that almost drowned it, and how hard work and determination fulfilled his American dream

Marco Ramirez The Palm 1672 Lawrence Street 303-825-7256 www.thepalm.com This is part one of my interview with Marco Ramirez, executive chef of The Palm. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. Marco Ramirez, a self-described “child of a poor farmer family” in El Salvador, was shooed…

Swift’s Steakhouse #4 becomes Ismini’s Grill

“The neighborhood has changed a lot. People like to go out to dinner and sit down and have a drink.” That’s Ismini Giakouminakis’s explanation for the changes that are under way at the restaurant she’s owned at 8 South Broadway for five years. And the first of those is the…

Tonight: Elderton Wines Australian Wine Dinner at Pesce Fresco

Pesce Fresco, 6600 South Quebec Street in Englewood, will host the Elderton Wines Australian Wine Dinner, featuring five courses paired with wines from the Barossa Valley of Australia. The meal starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $45; for more information, call 303-290-9705 or go to www.pescefrescobistro.com. For information on dozens…

Ba Le serves authentic banh mi and more

Of all the food sold on the streets and at the markets in Vietnam, banh mi may be the most universal, peddled by wandering vendors hauling baskets of baguettes on their backs and at tiny slivers of shops wedged into the never-ending rows of storefronts. But in Denver, there are…

ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro channels a Southeast Asian market

Just 24 hours after I returned from Asia, I was craving the cuisine I’d left behind — and I was particularly hungry for the food stalls of the markets. So I headed straight for ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro, where Lon Symensma channeled Cholon, the Chinatown market in Saigon, when he…

Jeff Osaka on monthly menu creation and twelve’s February lineup

Several Denver restaurants make seasonal changes to their menus, but none with the clockwork regularity of twelve, which rolls out a new board on the first of every month. And Jeff Osaka, chef-owner of the place, isn’t simply recycling items from a dozen different menus. “We’ve been through three Februaries…