Chef and Tell with Alex Seidel of Fruition

“We set out to do a small, simple restaurant, not to blaze any trails,” says Alex Seidel, executive chef of Fruition, the indelible American restaurant that’s been the object of everyone’s affection since he and co-owner Paul Attardi opened the place two and a half years ago on East Sixth…

Tonight: Get out of town to Taste of the Mesa

The event includes a two-night stay at Far View lodge inside Mesa Verde, a chef’s demo and wine tasting, a meet-the-chef reception, a tour of Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings and ancient sites, a four-course Chef’s Table dinner (paired with wines), and a souvenir etched wine glass; packages start at $359…

Getting healthy at Taste of Thailand

They were giving away irises at Taste of Thailand the other day — free to a good home, free to anyone who wanted to take away a little beauty. I was too late to get one; the cardboard box that had held the plants was empty. But the restaurant was…

What’s cooking? Pete Marczyk kisses up to sticky lips chicken

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 usually bring a selection of some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast…

Guess where I’m eating?

You’d think the four free hot sauces would be enough. But toss in a heaping mound of pork fajitas — only $8 at lunch on Tuesday — and you’ve got an unbeatable deal. To enjoy that special, though, you’ll need to answer this question fast:Where am I eating?…

Behind the Bar with Bryan Dayton of Frasca Food & Wine

Bryan Dayton has been behind the bar at Frasca, the legendary three-star restaurant, since the eatery was eight months old. But he’s been in Boulder a lot longer than that, and is an expert on fake IDs, trail running, the dangers of a “dirty” martini, and how important it is…

Guess where I’m eating?

1. Grease-fest2. You could use them as whips3. Droopy 4. Unsalted5. Undercooked, by like a mile6. Tasted like dirt7. Cold8. Over 600 calories of yuck9. One more artery. Clogged. 10. GrittyTranslation? Worst. Fries. Ever. Guess where you should never eat french fries? Bummer, too, because I really like the burgers…

America’s Most Wanted: The criminal cereal-mascot edition

Attention Cereal Eaters: The following ten cereal mascots are wanted by the authorities for a variety of criminal activities. They are fugitives from justice and currently at-large. United States law enforcement agencies encourage the community to assist in the fight against crime by overcoming the three key elements that inhibit…

Tonight: Beer pairing dinner at Second Home Kitchen & Bar

Right on the heels of your lingering Great American Beer Festival hangover comes tonight’s beer and food pairing dinner at Second Home Kitchen & Bar, the comfort food restaurant inside the JW Marriott at 150 Clayton Lane. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and includes four courses, all paired with…

Mangiamo Pronto! could be opening pronto

Mangiamo Pronto!, which is taking over the former LoDo home of Common Grounds at 1607 17th Street (the coffeehouse moved across the intersection), looks like it should be opening pronto — perhaps even this week. The sign’s up, the doorway’s painted — and the liquor license is secured…

Old Chub Chicken: Beer today, gone tomorrow

The Great American Beer Festival ended Saturday night, leaving behind many hangovers, almost as many awards (including a surprise win for Aurora’s Dry Dock), and some very fond memories of the new Farm to Table Pavilion, a 2009 innovation that had local chefs pair farm-to-table Colorado foods with local beers…

New Belgium’s on a bike

Here’s another example why the folks at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins are some of the coolest beer cats around. As 5280 first reported, for the last installment of its summer “bike-in movie” series last Wednesday, New Belgium, makers of celebrated Fat Tire Amber Ale, unveiled “I’m on a…

Guess where I’m eating?

We’d spent the day riding in southeastern Colorado, in a region of the country that produces more beef than any other region. So it only made sense that beef was what was for dinner. Beef, Mexican-style, and plenty of beers, all served up in a room that had just the…

Ask the Critic: Beating a dead horse

My last Ask the Critic was all about changing seasons and foods we were looking forward to either A) making at home or B) having Denver’s chefs add to their menus once the cold weather settled in permanently. There were a lot of very interesting comments, a lot of wonderful…

The week’s culinary calendar

Here’s a sample of the week’s culinary events to whet your appetite; for much, much more, look at our Food and Drink listings in the online calendar. Monday, September 28: Alba introduces Mezzo Mondays, when all bottles of wine are half-price starting at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.albaboulder.com. Tuesday, September 29,…

Guess where I’m eating?

Last week, while corrupting indoctrinating our new Cafe Society intern, we ordered a pizza. But because we were trying to impress a smart Johnson & Wales University student with more extracurricular activities to her credit than Gordon Ramsey has kitchen disasters, we asked the pizza dude from a nearby pie…

Colorado cleans up at the Great American Beer Festival

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Colorado was the top winning state during this year’s Great American Beer Festival, which wrapped up on September 26: after all, the hundred or so brewers here make the best beer in the world. What was a surprise were the breweries that…

Chopsticks China Bistro opening slated for Wednesday

We’ve been waiting patiently for Chopsticks China Bistro to unveil its new space at 5117 South Yosemite Street — and it now looks as though there’s a definitive opening date on the calendar. Owner-chef David Lee and his crew are aiming to open up the new spot on Wednesday, September…

Under Fire: No buyer’s remorse

Our former Cafe Society intern just decided to chuck college in favor of a real education: as a sous chef. In Under Fire, he chronicles his daily trials and tribulations in the kitchen. I am now a month into my quest of sous chefdom, but I feelt like I just…