Food & Drink

I was zooming down I-25 through New Mexico, trying to knock off the thousand miles from Denver to Tucson in a day, when I saw a billboard that made me hit the brakes: It was for the Owl Bar in San Antonio, just a wide spot in the road –…

Opening today, April 2, is Café Options, the breakfast/lunch spot at 1650 Curtis Street that’s brought to us by Work Options for Woman, the non-profit that trains women coming off welfare for careers in the food-industry world. WOW already runs a cafeteria at the Denver Department of Human Services building…

I don’t know where to begin. Should I start with the girl in the full-length (faux) fur over her sundress in the dining room — the one I’d pegged as a Russian mafia princess until I heard her speaking flawless English — or the beautiful people on the patio discussing…

While eating my way through the Best of Denver 2009, I tried Which ‘Wich, an Aurora sandwich shop that’s part of a chain of a hundred-some shops that has grown like kudzu across the country since it started in Dallas in 2003. Which ‘Wich makes sandwiches and only sandwiches (okay,…

I have to extend an apologetic hand to both my fellow Westworder Joel Warner and, by extension, the Highland Mommies — the web message board group in North Denver; See, at Monday’s editorial meeting, Mr. Warner brought up a rumor he’d heard that Chipotle was changing its menu. There weren’t…

Until yesterday, I hadn’t spoken to Sean Kelly in a long time — not since he shuttered Somethin’ Else (now Fruition) in 2006. Not since he hooked up with the Little Pub Company, whose fourteen pubs, bars, taverns, saloons and (sort-of) restaurants are strewn all over the city. And not…

When Obama began his presidency, he pledged transparency. And last week, the USDA had new regulations go into effect for labels of origin. The labels of origin will be put on beef, pork, lamb, chicken, goat meat, fish and shellfish products, noting which country the product came from. When I…

Arugula restaurant, which opened at 2785 Iris Street in Boulder in February,  had a BMW get a little too close for comfort last week.On March 24, an X5 parked facing the restaurant began to pull out. But instead of doing the, you know, logical thing, like reversing, the driver pressed…

RESTAURANT OPENINGS IN MARCH:My Pizza Peel, 1645 Stout StreetFull Belly, 2779 Iris Street, Boulder Tosh’s Cantina, 8101 East Belleview Avenue Hi*Rise, 2162 Larimer StreetArvada Tavern, 5707 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada Barking Goat, 363 Village Square in Castle Rock (former Celtic Crossing) Sketch, 101 Broadway Larkburger, 2525 Arapahoe, Boulder Lenny’s Sub Shop,…

Many great restaurants opened in 2008, as I discovered while researching the Best of Denver 2009. Root Down, which I review in this week’s paper, was not one of them. My favorites:1) Bones2) Shazz (same goofy philosophy, same kind of ridiculous name, much better food.)3) Venue 4) The new 8…

There is something so sensual about tearing into an airy croissant, steam gently rising as you let the pastry melt on your tongue. Creating this masterpiece is no easy feat (as I learned in my baking class at Johnson and Wales), necessitating hunks of butter and dough, steady hands and…

Between April 1 and 4, more than 700 professional foodniks — writers, editors, columnists and critics, culinary directors, cookbook authors, food stylists, recipe developers, nutrition experts and food and restaurant PR flacks — are expected to share in a little culinary camaraderie, namely the kind that comes packed into a…

As my brother said on our way to Boulder this weekend, “It’s pretty hard to fuck up a plate lunch.” We were driving to check out 8 Islands, an eatery that specializes in the uniquely Hawaiian culinary phenomenon known as the plate lunch. With our parents living on Oahu along…

Today at 10 a.m., the contents of Angel’s Sports Bar and Restaurant, which formerly occupied a prime location at 1630 Federal Boulevard, go up for auction to satisfy debts to the City and County of Denver. Among the items being sold off by SchurSuccess Auction Services: 3 large TVs with…

Just got off the blower with Pete Marczyk at Marczyk Fine Foods, and he passed along a nugget of really good news: As of April 6, the market will be bringing aboard John Hinman — renowned pastry, pie, cake and cookie guy — as a full-time staffer.If his name sounds…

Craving a Philly cheesesteak? A big salad? Lenny’s Sub Shop opened late last week at 726 Lincoln Street, in the spot that formerly housed Scooter Joe’s. It’s a link in a small chain that prides itself on great customer service and large portions, according to owner Dave Saporta. A fifteen-inch…