Food & Drink

See more of Mark Manger’s photos from Cheeky Monk, the subject of this week’s restaurant review, at westword.com/slideshow…

Robb Walsh, restaurant critic for our sister paper, the Houston Press, book author and genial man-about-town, has followed what has now become a well-trod path among the rapidly decreasing ranks of full-time restaurant critics: He has blown his own cover and chosen to face the world as a non-anonymous critic…

Okay, so yesterday I used my not insignificant Staffing Up mojo to give some suggestions as to what ought to be done with the former Mojitos , which closed last week at 1120 East Sixth Avenue. And then this morning, guess what happened? I get a phone call from Alex…

This letter, which was published in today’s issue, could be the best letter Westword has ever received about a review: Having suffered through Jason Sheehan’s unconscionably vindictive review of Mark & Isabella, I will make a point to try the place, simply to protest Sheehan’s (as always) self-indulgent hatchet job…

Just in case you haven’t heard, there’s a new steak house in town — and it comes with a side of strip … tease. Cliff Young, one of Denver’s best-known restaurateurs, recently returned from a 12-year extended holiday in France at the Chateau Cote d’Or to open C Y Steak,…

One potato, two potato, three potato … That’s it for clues. You, too, can be a potato head if you can guess where I’m eating…

This is part two of Lori Midson’s interview with Mary Nguyen, exec chef of Parallel 17. You can read part one of Midson’s interview with Nguyen here. Most embarrassing moment in the kitchen: Before I started cooking, I worked in finance. When I was just starting out in this industry,…

“It’s cool. I mean, not right now. But when the time is right, the view is amazing.” I was standing out in the back parking lot — the smoking lounge of the Nob Hill Inn, the classic dive at 420 East Colfax Avenue that Westword writers staked out for a…

The first time I saw the Cheeky Monk, I thought to myself, “Well, that’s going to last about five minutes.” An upscale Belgian beer cafe on one of the weirdest, wildest stretches of Colfax? It would be a nice idea somewhere else — like, say, Portland or Antwerp. But as…

Years ago, I stumbled on the Royal Hilltop, a faux-British pub in the middle of a suburban strip mall that, despite its geographical and cultural challenges, was a fine neighborhood bar for those truly in love with greasy fish fries, hand-pulled Fullers, pints of black and creamy Murphy’s stout, and…

Braised Oxtails and Sugo with Homemade Pappardelle Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them, and…

Last week I spent some time at the Nob Hill Inn, a great dive at 420 East Colfax Avenue, chatting with the regulars — some of whom have irregular hobbies. Doctor Ray takes care of the homeless in the neighborhood. Outreach, he told me. Getting them into shelters for the…

Buchi Cafe Cubano is a great Cuban restaurant. Step inside Cuba Cuba on a good night, and you need an oxygen tank (or a powerful constitution) because the air in the bar is like breathing muddled mint and rum. But while Denver has some Cuban restaurants, what this city does…

XO Noodle Bar, the hip (but hardly happening) noodle bar that opened in June at 1612 Wazee Street in the Jet Hotel, shuttered on Saturday. “We totally believe in the concept,” insists exec chef Jose Guerreco. But, he adds, “it was a huge struggle to get people in that back…

“Food is the one thing that I grew up knowing would bring family and friends together, soothe wounds and mend hearts as well as improve any party or celebration,” says Mary Nguyen, chef-owner of the Vietnamese-French bistro Parallel 17. “I entered this profession because it’s the way I express my…

Tonight, the Colorado Chapter of the March of Dimes will host its annual Signature Chefs Auction at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Denver, 650 15th Street. Tickets to the event are $150 per person and include small plates from many of Denver’s top chefs, as well as live music…

Long before pizza and fois gras joined the line-up on this street, there was green chile, offered both mild and hot and served over big, fat burritos. And while the dining in this neighborhood may be getting finer, that chile was just fine from the start. Guess where I’m eating?…