America is awesome. Not because of all the freedom. Not because we were the country that invented the atom bomb, democracy, Pong, lasers and the Colt revolver. Not even because we rule the world when it comes to the depth and weirdness of our 4 a.m. children’s television programming (yeah,…
If you ever needed an excuse to eat at Troy Guard’s TAG, here’s a great one: The Restaurant Community Culinary Series is back for another first Tuesday serving up delicious food for a good cause. This month’s beneficiary is Food Bank of the Rockies, which will receive 20 percent of…
Every month, the Colorado Department of Agriculture shares a recipe created by chef Jason Morse of Valley Country Club in Aurora. The October recipe, Three Onion Soup, focuses on one of the state’s major crops and comes just in time for these suddenly cold days. In 2008, Colorado produced 270…
During October, Village Tavern ,at 1 West Flatiron Crossing Drive in Broomfield, is marking the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by serving up special Hope-tini cocktails to raise money for breast cancer research. “People are definitely interested,” says John Davis, Village Tavern bar manager. “It’s that time of…
For decades, Kapre Lounge, at 2729 Welton Street, served the town’s best fried chicken. After Wilfred O. Thomas closed his place six years ago, Stage 2 moved into the space, ostensibly serving up Kapre’s old recipe — but it just wasn’t the same. And now the joint’s closed for good,…
When this Ask the Critic thing started, it was with a very simple conceit: that I would use this space to answer some of the myriad questions about the Denver food scene that come across my desk every week. Wait, “myriad” means “four,” right? No? Damn… Anyway, over the past…
Back in high school, I had a little episode involving vodka and pig — as in I drank too much vodka during a “liquid lunch” and subsequently puked on a fetal pig in biology class, right after I proclaimed my love for Mr. Svenson and his Harley. My punishment was…
Despite the half-dozen “For Lease” signs posted in the storefront windows in Old Town Arvada, at least one restaurant is actually moving in. Udi’s Bread Cafe, which already has locations in Stapleton (7357 East 29th Avenue); Louisville (185 South 104th Street); Aurora (12700 East 19th Street); and north Denver (101…
Damn. Gourmet magazine, the Condé Nast publication that’s been pimping food porn for nearly seventy years, is done. The somber news, which was delivered in a memo from Condé CEO Chuck Townsend, didn’t come as much of a shock to industry insiders, many of whom have predicted the magazine’s demise…
We all know that drinking a glass of red wine a day is good for our health, but did you know that some wines are also good for the environment? October is Fair Trade Month at Whole Foods, and to help celebrate, Bernard Fontannaz, founder and owner of Origin Wines…
It’s been a fantastic five years for Frasca Food & Wine, the Boulder restaurant at 1738 Pearl Street that chef Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey opened in 2004. Even now, Frasca is still the restaurant-of-the-moment, the food shrine by which all others in Colorado are judged. And…
John Burr, owner of the Walnut Room at 3131 Walnut Street, spent two years searching for a location for his next venture. And now the Walnut Room Pizzeria is taking shape in the former home of Freaky’s, a space at 2 Broadway that suffered a fire last year. Originally, Burr…
The playground at Smith Elementary becomes quite crowded on Thursday afternoons. That’s when parents, teachers, students and community members gather to purchase fresh organic vegetables and fruits. The sales are designed to raise money to start a community garden — but they also educate students on the importance of locally…
Boulder’s Black Cat Bistro, at 1964 13th Street in Boulder, has its own organic farm — and its Dirt Dinners feature menus focusing on one ingredient at its peak of flavor. Tonight, everyone’s favorite tuber — the potato — takes center stage in a three-course meal. The dinner is $38…
I am peering from the inside out now. “The Kitchen Life” that I have fantasized about is now under way, as I experience the daily repetitiveness that makes a kitchen run, start acquiring the mindset necessary to work twelve-plus hour days.It’s interesting how consecutive “normal” days at my new office…
What you might have missed this week on Cafe Society while getting your free jolt of instant java at Starbucks: A second outpost of Toast, the kick-ass pancake palace, took up residence in the former Village Inn space in Cherry Creek. Fresko, an upscale Mexican restaurant in the Tech Center…
If you read yesterday’s post about chef James Mazzio’s exit from Icehouse Tavern and the uh…unusual changes taking place there, you already have the background for this story. But for those of you who might’ve missed it (and are too lazy to click on the link above), here are the…
Talk about green energy! For a slide show of Fruition Farms, Alex Seidel’s ten-acre parcel of land in Larkspur, click here. Seidel is also the chef-owner of Fruition, at 1313 East Sixth Avenue, and the subject of this week’s Chef and Tell interview…
While I am not generally one for hyping the cause of vegetarian-this or vegan-that, there has always been something about the art (yes, art) of vegan and gluten-free baking that has tickled my geek bone. It’s the same instinct that makes me love the molecular gastronomy menu done by Ian…
Rocktober is in full swing and if you’re looking for a bar before or after — or during — the playoff games that isn’t full of 22-year-olds, this is the spot for you. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet cute, fun, drunk guys named Smiddy or Smitty. Or have public TV-watching…
At last week’s Mile High Chef Competition between Argyll Gastropub cooker Sergio Romero and Jing exec chef Jay Spickelmier (who emerged victorious), the hit dish of the night was Spickelmier’s Tuscan lamb and white bean soup, the recipe of which he was happy to share with us. It’s the perfect…
As you already know from spending every second of your spare time immersed in the Cafe Society blog, Alex Seidel, exec chef-owner of Fruition (1313 East Sixth Avenue), recently bought a ten-acre farm in Larkspur, where he’s producing vegetables and fruits, raising goats and chickens and, soon, sheep. He’s also…
