The Soviet bloc crumbled almost a decade ago, but Boulder’s Little Russian Cafe held on until last fall, when its owners finally decided that the stuffed cabbage and borscht had to go. “We knew we had to do something, because the business just wasn’t there anymore,” says Sasha Ionikh, who…
Someone may be in the kitchen with Dinah on weekend mornings, but whoever it is needs to brush up on food preparation. Brunch is a relatively new offering at the Denver ChopHouse & Brewery, the train-themed eatery that sits in the old Union Pacific Railroad headhouse between Union Station and…
Chef Sean Yontz says he was prepared for some scuttlebutt surrounding his departure from Zenith (815 17th Street) two weeks ago. After all, his exit signaled the breakup of one of Denver’s most successful culinary pairings — Yontz had been working for and/or with famous, sometimes four-star, restaurateur Kevin Taylor…
Q: A friend of mine is getting married on Labor Day weekend, and he’s having a very rough time finding a restaurant in the downtown area where he can hold a rehearsal dinner. Do you know of any hidden gems? A: Athough it’s hard to hide downtown these days, there…
Starting the day off sunny side up can be tough in a town where the morning options lean heavily toward quasi-cheery chains and dreary mom-and-pop dives. And the familiar standbys that don’t fall into those categories — Racines and Dixons, Dozen’s, the Delectable Egg — are always packed by the…
The first thing that hits you is the scent: chocolate. Subtle, not too sweet, but permeating the air in the spotless Boulder kitchen where Chris Widlar produces her Concertos in Chocolate. At the moment, she’s pouring great swirls of the stuff over a sheet pan on which she’s scattered dried…
Just like a million breakfast places across the country, The Perfect Landing offers a classic Denver omelette: ham, peppers, onions and cheese. It’s a combination that seems to have been around since at least the early 1900s, yet details regarding its origins remain as scrambled as the dish itself. The…
Q: I recently moved here from Canada, but I’m originally from Barbados. I’d like to know the locations of any West Indian food stores in the Denver area ‹ we really miss being able to buy Ting. Also, where are the good Caribbean restaurants? A: Ting is to the islands…
New York has the Carnegie Deli. San Francisco has the Fog City Diner, Chicago has Geno’s, New Orleans has Commander’s Palace, and Philadelphia has Pat’s. Every city has a restaurant that reflects the people, the culture, the reality of the place — not the town you see in a tourism…
Q: I want to take my boyfriend somewhere intimate and romantic for a celebration. We’ve already been to the Briarwood Inn and Flagstaff House, and we want that caliber of food in an elegant atmosphere. Any suggestions? A: Nothing tops Tante Louise (4900 East Colfax Avenue, 303-355-4488) for fancy French…
Ch-ch-ch-changes: It’s a testament to the Mercury Cafe’s unending appeal that it can keep on keeping on while the rest of the Denver restaurant scene continues to explode. According to the latest statistics released by the National Restaurant Association, Colorado will rank second in the nation in restaurant sales growth…
Somewhere in Europe, there may be a stinky, smoky, dimly lit bar with a Rebel flag hanging in one corner, greasy burgers and jalapeño poppers on the menu, nothing but Bud and Coors on tap, and a jukebox that plays Hank Williams Jr. and Elvis tunes. A broken pinball machine…
Show me a plate of bad food, and I’ll show you an unhappy chef. A chef who thinks his mood doesn’t have any bearing on a diner’s experience should think again: Anger makes a lousy sauce. Miserable chefs cook uptight, cranky food, which is delivered by servers who always look…
Suddenly, Denver’s a wee bit overrun with Celtic pubs. In addition to the Celtic Tavern (see review above), the growing list of “authentic” pubs in the area includes the Cheshire Cat Brewpub and Restaurant, at 7803 Ralston Road in Arvada, and Celtic Crossing, at 363 Village Square Lane in Castle…
Q: What Denver restaurants still have live bands and romantic after-dinner dancing? A: After-dinner dancing has never seemed to go over well in Denver: witness the demise of Pacific Star. In fact, the only place I’m aware of where you can dine and dance is the Mercury Café (2199 California…
No cuisine has its roots more deeply buried in this country than Southwestern, a cooking style that originated with the region’s first inhabitants and evolved as Spanish, Mexican, Texan, Cajun and Creole elements were added to the indigenous ingredients used by Native Americans. As a result, Southwestern cooking is full…
I ate my way through Santa Fe two weekends ago, a moveable feast that left me wondering not why Denver is so lacking in true Southwestern restaurants, not why green chile underwent such an evolution on its trip north, but this: Why don’t we have a crêperie? After three breakfasts…
Q:The soupy green chile you find in Denver can be tasty, but it’s not nearly as savory as what I grew up with in Santa Fe and Española. Do you know of any restaurants that serve a bowl of chile prepared in the manner of northern New Mexico? A:Check out…
Like any road that’s well-traveled, the Silk Road sprouted many resting places along the way. At first these were simple teahouses that offered yum cha, the tea ritual, and a place to put your feet up; back in the tenth century, the Chinese thought that eating food while drinking tea…
Here’s what Boulder chef and Slow-Foodie James Moore suggests you do when confronted with a bottle of olive oil: Pause to consider the color — is it greenish, yellowish, somewhere in between? Inhale. Assess the aroma. Pour a little oil onto your hands, rub them until they feel warm, cup…
The name of the game: When people talk about cruel and unusual punishment, they might be thinking about what the Moffat County Jail has been serving prisoners — elk and deer, the very meat that’s at the center of the current storm over chronic wasting disease. CWD, a degenerative brain…
Q:About a year ago, Westword raved about an Ethiopian restaurant. Is it still worthy? A:Denver has a surprising number of Ethiopian eateries, and Arada Ethiopian Restaurant (3504 East Colfax Avenue, 303-329-3344) remains one of my favorites. It’s run by a very charming, welcoming family; although the location is tough and…
