Sean Huggard’s SugarCube deal dissolves

“I’m sitting in front of my computer trying to put together a business and marketing plan,” says Sean Huggard, the former executive chef at Black Pearl and Encore. The business plan is for a new restaurant, but it won’t be for Newport’s, which was the LoDo restaurant Huggard had hoped…

Mysteries of Sheehan’s Desk: Day 4

Because of an office construction project, I had to clear off my desk — which meant moving seven years of accumulation. Every morning, I’ll share another uncovered item with you. Okay, so it’s fairly obvious what this is, right? A coconut. But where did said coconut come from? I don’t…

Milking It: Total Cranberry Crunch

Total Cranberry Crunch General Mills Rating: Two-and-a-half spoons out of four Cereal description: Brown wheat flakes of the sort that are typically described as “hearty” (presumably because they’re supposed to prevent your aorta from exploding), supplemented by wads of oat bits typically described as “oat clusters” (because “wads of oat…

Tonight: Frasca Food and Wine hosts quirky winemaker Abe Schoener

Tonight at 5:30 p.m., Frasca Food & Wine, 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, welcomes Abe Schoener, a former Greek philosophy professor-turned-esoteric-winemaker who’s shocked more than his share of snobby critics with his wacky wine trials and errors. One of those includes fermenting his red wines at temperatures as high as…

Mysteries of Sheehan’s Desk: Day 3

I found four squeaky cheeseburger toys while cleaning out my desk, from at least three different restaurants. This is one of them. I will spare you pictures of the rest. So now, the question becomes, what does a man with no dogs do with four squeaky cheeseburger toys? I mean,…

Bad economy got you down? Apparently kitchens are still hiring

I know that things seem like they’re bad all over. Between layoffs and down-sizing, companies closing and the just plain sluggishness of the job market in general, things seem pretty grim, right? Wrong, slacker. It appears that the restaurants in this town are going through something of a temporary cook-shortage,…

Guess where I’m eating?

Yes, that is a breakfast burrito. The question is, which breakfast burrito is it? Three clues: 1) It is not just wrapped in a tortilla, but wrapped and then baked in some mysterious manner. 2) That’s chorizo it’s filled with, and the place I got it from doesn’t offer them…

It’s ‘shroom Sunday at the Denver Botanic Gardens

There’s fungus among us on Sunday, August 16, when the Colorado Mycological Society unearths its mushroom fair at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York Street. The fair, which goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes mushroom displays, seminars on how to cook mushrooms and the 411 on where you…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you might have missed while stealing the letters from Bastien’s marquee…Jason Sheehan may hate green restaurants but that doesn’t stop him from having a list of his favorites.Think you know your Denver restaurant scene?  Here’s your chance to prove it playing Cook Street’s foodie photo scavenger hunt.Bad news for…

The List: Denver’s best green restaurants

This week, I talk a lot about green — about green restaurants and the green movement, about organic foods and natural foods and the perils of being a mountain locavore.  So for this week’s List, it seems only appropriate to slap together a spread of restaurants which, while sticking tooth-and-nail…

The Rio Grande celebrates ten years of tequila on Saturday

The Rio — home of those lethal, neon green margaritas concocted with a combination of secret liquids — is celebrating ten years of getting Denverites absolutely annihilated at its 1525 Blake Street location on Saturday, August 15. The celebration kicks off at 4 p.m. with live music on the patio,…

Colorado growers converge at Safeway to support Colorado Proud month

Today, at 11 a.m. at the Safeway located at 2150 South Downing, nearly a dozen local farmers from across Colorado will join the state’s Agriculture Commissioner to encourage consumers to buy local produce and boost Colorado’s economy. As part of “Colorado Proud” month, the growers will sample their locally grown…

Mysteries of Sheehan’s desk: Day 2

Because of an office construction project, I had to clear off my desk — which meant moving seven years of accumulation. Every morning, I’ll share another uncovered item with you. This is a Brazilian espeto that I (somehow) managed to smuggle out of a churrasco restaurant downtown.Honestly, I’m not sure…

Is Bobby Fitzgerald the nation’s top griller?

A couple months back, Bobby Fitzgerald — ex of Cherry Creek Grill, currently exec at the White Chocolate Grill at Park Meadows — brought honor to his home state by kicking ass and taking names in the oddest of possible locations: on LIVE! With Regis and Kelly.  He and his…

The Highland Tavern adds a kitchen

Just as the “Kitchen Now Open” sign says, the long-awaited kitchen is now open in the Highland Tavern, 3400 Navajo Street. It’s serving all the usual suspects…and some not-so-usual Slavic specials: beef shank pierogies, spaetlze and bacon. If you’re looking for more traditional pub fare, try the cheese Tots or…

Up Close: Organixx

This week at westword.com/restaurants, Jason Sheehan discovers Organixx — despite his aversion to “green” restaurants. See photos of the restaurant, by Mark Manger, at westword.com/slideshow…

Candy Girls: Indulge Gourmet Soft Caramels

This is serious caramel.  If all you’ve ever known is Caramello and Brachs, then Indulge Caramels will blow your mind.  It’s only related to that store-bought stuff in the most broad connection of similar ingredients.  But this fresh, melt-in-your-mouth candy is both easy on your teeth and not achingly sweet.According…

Behind the Bar: Ann Whitley of the Rio Grande

On Saturday, August 15, the Rio Grande will celebrate ten years of pouring on the fun — and pouring out the booze — in LoDo. This homegrown chain is a margarita powerhouse; with only six restaurants, the Rio Grande restaurant group claims to be the largest seller of Jose Cuervo…