Sugar High: Eggnog and snickerdoodle cupcakes from Happy Cakes

With the days of enjoying festive holiday flavors coming to an end, it would be a shame if you missed out on cupcake versions of a few classics: Eggnog and snickerdoodle. Happy Cakes Bakeshop in Highland is known for successfully translating offbeat flavors–Jack & Coke, bacon, kettle corn–into delectable frosting-topped…

Guess where I’m eating?

Fresh beets, however maligned by the people who swear they taste like dirt, are one of my favorite vegetables, especially this time of year. Their dramatic stained hues — yellow, purple, red, gold — lend themselves to beautiful presentations, and I love the root’s flavor and texture. At the restaurant…

Tonight: Santa and his naughty elves at Rockbar

Here comes Santa Claus…right down Rockbar’s lane. Rockbar is hosting its first ugly Xmas sweater party tonight. And guess who’s in town? You got it. Jolly old Saint Nick will make an appearance, and he’s bringing….well, backup. “Naughty elves” (and if you’ve ever been to Rockbar, you know exactly what…

Hana Matsuri opens today

Jessie and Steve Liu will open the doors of their second sushi restaurant today: Hana Matsuri takes over the former home of Village Bistro at 2821 West 120th in Westminster. The Lius have owned Land of Sushi, at 2412 East Arapahoe Road in Centennial, for nine years — and that…

Tonight: Organic, local food at the Mercury Cafe

Tonight, the Mercury Cafe at 2199 California Street will offer an Organic Local Food & Wine Pairing, a five-course meal that pairs Marilyn Megenity’s cooking with Jack Rabbit Hill and Peak Spirits Brandy libations. You can choose between an elk, fish, pork, vegan or vegetarian course lineup; the meal starts…

Domino’s Pizza admits it sucks, promises to do better

I hate Domino’s Pizza. Seriously loathe it in a way that ought to be reserved for the hating only of living things, not branded corporate entities. I hate it so much that when one of its commercials comes up on TV, I always turn away and give it the finger,…

Now hiring: Westword seeks critic, blogger to replace that Sheehan guy

By now you’ve read that disloyal ladder climber Jason Sheehan is leaving Westword for the grayer pastures of Seattle, which — shhhhhhh — he actually thinks is a borough of New York. We didn’t have the heart to tell him it’s just a wetter, NBA-less version of Denver. Kidding! We’re…

Top 20 worst food trends of the decade

I love the restaurant industry for so many different reasons. I love it because it is the last great American meritocracy, where nothing matters but what you can do on the job and where hard work, smarts and stamina are truly rewarded. I love it because it provides a creative…

Beer and Cheer: Wreck the Halls from Full Sail

Full Sail’s Wreck the Halls is certainly hoppy, and it’s crisp and tastes good. In fact, it’s like many other American IPAs, if just a touch more malty. But frankly, it shouldn’t take the holidays to produce a beer comparable to what many, many other breweries put out year round…

Breaking News: Management change at Mezcal

Last night was the sixth anniversary of Mezcal, the Mexican cantina and tequila bar at 3230 East Colfax Avenue that has played host to some of the best and some of the weirdest nights I have spent in the city over the past several years. Last night was also the…

Joel Stein on Thomas Keller and reality food shows

While having dinner recently, I overheard a woman trying to familiarize her dining companion with Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In an attempt to jog her memory, the friend asked, “What show is he on?” It’s an interesting state of affairs, more obviously a sign of the times. In a perfect world, we…

It’s true: Kathy Lee Gifford is a wine idiot

Yesterday morning, Bobby Stuckey, the wine director at Boulder’s Frasca Food And Wine, gifted himself to the Today show for a full four minutes to talk about some of the best wines to give as presents during the holidays. Stuckey, not surprisingly, made us admit, yet again, why he and…

Toss your cookies (if they’re from Melissa & Doug)

This Melissa & Doug wooden slice and bake cookie set seemed like the perfect gift for that toddler with baker aspirations. Unfortunately, among the painted-on sprinkles and icing, Health Canada discovered an unwanted ingredient: barium. Excessive amounts of the chemical were found in the surface paint, enough for Canada to…

Guess where I’m eating?

Chile today, hot tomorrow: They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day — and if you order this, it’s certain the most incendiary. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Every Friday, anyone who gave the first correct answer to any of the week’s Where…

Chef and Tell part two: Bob Blair of Fuel Cafe

This is part two of my interview with Bob Blair, executive chef/owner of Fuel Cafe. To read part one of this interview, click here. Culinary inspirations: I was the second-oldest of eight kids, so we hardly ever got to go out to dinner. But when my mom was away, traveling,…

The ten worst stocking stuffers of all time

Stockings can be a favorite part of the Christmas experience, mostly because of the surprise factor: While kids often write Christmas lists that rank items by price, catalog page and level of absolute need, they don’t often bother listing stuff that is stocking-appropriate. So tearing through that comically giant, un-wearable,…

Tonight: Get hopped at a beer-lovers’ meeting

Do you have what it takes to be a hop disciple? Great Divide Brewing Co., 2201 Arapahoe Street, is hosting its monthly Hop Disciples meeting at 6 p.m. tonight, when both delicious beer and esoteric knowledge will be dispensed. To attend, RSVP to info@greatdivide.com; get more information by calling 303-303-296-9460…

Chilling at the Pepsi Center’s Tuaca Chill Zone

Though the NBA is my least-favorite spectator sport, I always accept free tickets, especially when those tickets are in the nineteenth row and accompanied by a free ride. With my initial investment at $0 and my transportation on lockdown, the financial anal rape of an $8 beer (after tip) feels…

Yo’ momo! Nepal Cuisine knows how to make dumplings

In Nepal, momo — the small, white-flour dumplings that represent the Nepali contribution to the world dumpling culture — are used as currency. Goats and yaks can be bartered for on the streets with buckets of momo. A fine woman is said to be worth her weight in momo. The…

India’s Restaurant moves on to bigger things

The new India’s Restaurant is big. Seriously big. Big in the way that interstate chain restaurants are supposed to be big, or the doomed follies of restaurant owners with more hubris and cash on hand than brains. Whereas the old India’s (which was located across the street and out of…