Valente’s Italian Restaurant, which had been up and running for 44 years, closed today following a combination Columbus Day/retirement party for owner Ray Valente. And that festive, long goodbye wasn’t the only thing that distinguished the Valente’s closing from another recent high-profile closing: that of Jim Sullivan’s Nine75 (the restaurant…
Drink up! I went to the Great American Beer Festival last Thursday, October 9, and concluded that craft beers made West of the Mississippi River are, with a couple of notable exceptions, better than those created on the Eastern side. Many of you offered suggestions as to where I could…
Smorz Kellogg’s Rating: Three spoons out of four. Cereal description: Corn-flour squares with rounded corners and a color scheme that runs the gamut from tan to light brown; that’s quite a range. They’re supplemented by cylindrical white marshmallows featuring streaks that are supposed to make diners think of chocolate. As…
Damn the economy — full speed ahead! The Vistas at Park Meadows Mall gains another restaurant today when White Chocolate Grill opens at 4 p.m. Although the name seems to promise a fried-ice-cream-like experience, White Chocolate’s menu actually includes a full range of American dishes, from fresh seafood flown in…
First you get yourself a real big pork tenderloin… Want to read some unfortunate phrasing? Check out this teaser from the website of the Aurora Economic Development Council, which is hosting an event tonight called A-List 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Denver: A-List 2008 is the most highly anticipated event…
Jealous? Let’s face it. For all of its prestige, for all of its variety, for all of its cachet, it’s hard work to have fun at the Great American Beer Festival. There are lines to get in, lines at many of the beer stands, and masses of people every way…
Fans would apparently give the shirt off their backs to visit Bagali’s in Vail. The chain gang will be getting some competition in Broomfield. After a private event tonight, Bagali’s Italian Kitchen will open to the public tomorrow at 570 Zang Street. “We just saw this spot, it’s among a…
Hershey’s Candy Corn Kisses While we generally like candy corn and Hershey’s Kisses separately, we really weren’t too sure what they would taste like combined. Because when you think about it, candy corn is really just flavored like…. sugar? Maybe slightly caramely sugar? Not a flavor that would hold up…
Calling all bar chefs! Finlandia is looking for Denver’s best bartenders to compete in the eleventh annual Finlandia Vodka Cup regionals at Martinia Ranch on October 20. This is a fabulous opportunity to show your creativity, as the contest emphasizes crafting delicious, original cocktails, not just bartending skills. I judged…
Nine75 is slated to reopen on Friday, October 10, under its new owner, the Jet Entertainment Group. There are lots of questions involved in this deal — for example, will suppliers who’d cut off former owner Jim Sullivan return to Nine75? Will those outstanding bills be paid? How many of…
The original Santa Fe Tequila Company on Santa Fe Drive. Santa Fe Tequila Company has gotten mixed reviews (including mine) since it opened on Santa Fe Drive (technically at 901 West Tenth Avenue) last November, but that hasn’t prevented the concept from expanding to Littleton. A second Santa Fe Tequila…
Sometimes I really crave a good plate of sesame tofu. Crunchy, golden tofu that’s burning hot on the outside and so soft inside that it melts in your mouth. Crisp, steamed veggies; brown rice; sticky, sweet delicious sauce. Yum! The craving hit a couple of days ago when I was…
Hungry for some non-offensive food porn? Check out the Whole Foods Market Secret Ingredient videos blog . The varying hosts take ingredients — a different one is highlighted each week — from Whole Foods and then create healthy, simple meals, including Spicy-Coconut Braised Black Cod, Lakeside Turkey Burgers and Grilled…
It didn’t take long to learn who’d done that amazing cupcake gelato served at Relish up in Breckenridge (see page X). In fact, had I turned just a few neurons to the matter, I probably would’ve been able to guess. Because it was Pete Arendsen from Ice Cream Alchemy in…
Lemon-braised artichoke with roasted garlic herb butter. Venison carpaccio with Humboldt Fog blue cheese, organic olive oil and black pepper. Steak Diane with truffled garlic mashed potatoes, and a New York strip with white cheddar sweet-potato fries. There was also a quote/unquote Niçoise — a loose chef’s interpretation with Colorado…
Many people tell me they dislike sake. When I mention sake to neophytes, they complain that it’s just hot turpentine served in small, white vases — or, worse, that concoction of bad sake and Chambord called Purple Haze. But saying you don’t like sake based on this dreck is like…
Watching Chine inspect wine glasses — the way he delicately scoops each stem from the counter, elevating it high above his head and rotating it below the track lights at the recently reopened Gelman’s Restaurant & Bar (2911 West 38th Avenue) — is like watching poetry emerge from the page…
Before there was Limón or the Arvada Grill, chef Alex Gurevich had Cafe Bisque. I first wrote about the restaurant not long after it opened, and excoriated the harebrained international floundering of the menu. I was much more effusive about the restaurant in 2005, and even welcomed Cafe Bisque back…
Jay Chadrom hasn’t been able to settle a dispute with his landlord at the Beauvallon — but he did managed to settle something else: He just closed Aqua, his raw bar and kitchen-free restaurant at 925 Lincoln, and reports that he’s “very busy removing everything.” But some of the things…
This sandwich is much better than my picture. Daphne’s Deli 393 Corona Street 303-733-1212 The Daphne $7.75 (with a pickle and side of potato salad) Turkey, avocado and Cajun sauce on sourdough bread How best to take the measure of a man or a meal? A fine question. For a…
With the Great American Beer Festival opening the taps tomorrow, the time is right to clear up some lexiconic confusion we’re having with Drunk of the Week columnist Drew Bixby. Says he: “Shitcanned is just one of many adjectives I use for drunk.” Says we: “Shitcanned” means cut off –…
The idea sounded too good to be true. But after less than two years in business, SAME Café — the philanthropic restaurant based on the simple yet revolutionary idea that everyone deserves a healthy, fresh, organic meal at whatever price they can afford– is expanding. The name of the place…
