Raise a glass to two charitable efforts this week

The Wynkoop Brewing Company, 1634 18th Street, kicks off its “Will Drink Beer for Food” drive today. From now through December 20, when you order the Metro Care Ring special, the Wynkoop will donate $1 for each purchased draft beer, sampler tray and Rail Yard Ale sixpack to the charity…

Today: Christmas tea in Evergreen

At 11:30 a.m. today, the Hiwan Homestead Museum, 4208 South Timbervale Drive in Evergreen, will serve an elegant Christmas Tea in the historic log mansion complex that’s decorated for the holidays. Admission is $12 to $15; make a reservation at 720-497-7650. For information on dozens of culinary events around town,…

Today: Bring back real fruitcake

Help A Grande Finale Patisserie, 641 Main Street in Louisville, with its noble mission of resurrecting the reputation of fruitcake. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, the patisserie will host its annual Rally to Bring Back Real Fruitcake, complete with a march and samples of a real fruitcake –…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you missed this week on Cafe Society while you were contemplating how you were going to sneak your way into Hush, the new “underground” supper club in Boulder that’ll be all exclusive and private and well, hush-hush: It’s not hush-hush that the (almost) iconic Cherry Creek Egg Shell is…

And presenting Ian Kleinman as Willy Wonka…

I heard this week from Ian Kleinman — our own personal Mr. Wizard, the man who brought molecular gastronomy to Westminster and blew the heads clean off almost everyone who was lucky enough to walk through the doors of O’s Steak and Seafood when he was running his molecular gastronomy…

Guess where I’m drinking?

Dear Mr. X, I’m admittedly smitten with your new cocktail lineup, but here’s the problem: I’ll drink one and want two, three, four more. And see, I’m normally toting my kid around with me, and since he’s only ten and incredibly impressionable, I have to either drink responsibly, which limits…

Sunflower Farmers Market keeps blooming

It’s rough out there. Stores and restaurants are shuttering their doors faster than it takes Colorado’s sunshine to melt the snow, and long-standing icons of the grocery store format (see Albertsons), have been forced to roll back locations everywhere, including Colorado. So it’s no surprise that Sunflower Farmers Market is…growing?…

The list: Top ten Larimer Square restaurants

Jason Sheehan just reviewed TAG and found lots to love at Troy Atherton Guard’s eponymous restaurant, including — but not limited to — the rice. Here are nine more Larimer Square restaurants we think deserve some props:…

Guess where I’m eating?

If you’re bound and determined to order the seafood soup that you’re ogling in the above snap, you could be out of luck. You won’t find it on any menu (ha! to all you Google cheaters), but you will hear it often recited as a special, usually by someone with…

Sugar High: Wystone’s African rooibos carrot cake

Tea and cake together is a no-brainer, but what about tea in cake? At Wystone’s World Tea Cafe, 7323 West Alaska Drive, it’s not just the cakes that are baked with a hit of tea leaves, but almost all their fare. From Lapsang Souchong smoked tea-infused chicken to black tea-roasted…

Gastro Gift Guide: Snow Day edition

Where else, but in Colorado, does the temperature fluctuate seventy degrees in three weeks. WTF? When your new space heater craps out because it’s been running for four days without a break, it’s too cold. When your nose hairs freeze to the point of breakage upon stepping outside, it’s too…

A busy weekend for KJ’s Coffee Bar

Kenny and Kristin Johnson, the owners of KJ’s Coffee Bar, have a date with the Denver Department of Excise and License at 1:30 p.m. today, a hearing where they’ll ask that their liquor license be changed to a cabaret license, so that they can present live music on a regular…

Guy Fieri: A reader review

Eric, who won the tickets to see Guy Fieri at the Paramount Wednesday night, posted this comment about the show — which we’ve pulled up so that everyone else knows what they missed: “Thanks so much for the tickets to see the Culinary Road Show. The best word I can…

Tonight: Mephistopheles shows its age in Boulder

For some fun with beer, head to the Avery Tap Room, 5757 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder, at 5 p.m. tonight, when Avery will be breaking out its latest version of the Mephistopheles Stout. It will also be pouring the four previous versions, so you can taste the changes from year…

Everybody into the pool! ZanZBar Billiards opens on Larimer

The Three Door Bistro project at 2049 Larimer Street is officially dead, but across the street at 2046 Larimer, ZanZBar Billiards finally opened on December 1. Ami Benari, who also owns Tarantula Billiards (1456 Champa Street), spent ten months renovating the former Market Central space into a pool hall/bar/restaurant. Right…

Schenectady: Center of the culinary universe

For those of you who both dream of a career as a chef and fear that you can’t make it in the big leagues… Schenectady’s first Culinary Boot Camp offers foodies professional training and exquisite dining at one of the nation’s top culinary schools at a fraction of the cost…

Beer and holiday cheer: Shopping at a brewpub!

Tonight’s holiday beer dinner at the Wynkoop Brewing Company is sold out, but you can still enjoy some beer-infused holiday cheer with two special (non-alcoholic!) items that Wynkoop has crafted out of its ever-popular Rail Yard Ale…

Beer and Cheer: Ska Brewing’s Euphoria

Euphoria – This hop-happy beer in a can is a crowd pleaser, with its bitterly delicious dollop of hops delivered cold and crisp from aluminum rather than glass. Similar to the Celebration Ale in style, this beer more closely resembles a American style IPA along the lines of Dale’s Pale…

Zen and the art of restaurant staff maintenance

Are you a restaurant owner? Does your waitstaff constantly jab your guests with elbows, point when asked where the restrooms are, or, god forbid, pick their nose in plain sight of the diners? Waiting tables is a skill and the best waiters can turn a disaster into a delight. Not…