Q: I want to take my boyfriend someplace fancy for a romantic dinner, but he hates places that make him feel like he doesn’t know which fork to use. Do you know a place that feels intimate but won’t scare him (or bankrupt me)? A: Mattie’s House of Mirrors (1942…
Ohana. That’s a Hawaiian term that translates as “the family and aloha spirit,” says Alex Fabrigas, the general manager of Roy’s Cherry Creek. But when Fabrigas left a Hawaii Roy’s to bring us this new restaurant in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, he didn’t just bring ohana with him –…
When Hemingway’s Key West Grille first opened in 1996 — actually, it sort of reopened, since a Hemingway’s (minus the words “Key West Grille”) occupied the same building on Old South Gaylord from 1977 to 1985 — the author must have been rolling over in his grave. I know a…
These days, the most common excuse for lousy restaurant service is the labor shortage — and diners tend to buy it, since many of them work in industries that are also feeling an employee pinch. Even I’ve tended to nod sympathetically as restaurateurs bitched and moaned about how they just…
Q: I’m getting married in June, and because my fiancé’s parents live out of state, they want us to choose the place for the rehearsal dinner. I was wondering if you could suggest some not-so-pricey restaurants that can accommodate about thirty people? A: Keeping the not-so-pricey part in mind, one…
A friend just back from Vietnam has been recounting the mouthwatering food she enjoyed there: dishes that involved dozens of fresh, just-plucked-from-the-ground- or-ocean ingredients; abundant feasts that brought platter after platter of multilayered concoctions; snacks much more inventive and healthier than a bag of potato chips. All things, of course,…
Saigon Terrace (reviewed this issue) isn’t Denver’s only worthy Vietnamese restaurant, of course. New Saigon (650 South Federal Boulevard) continues to turn out literally hundreds of excellent dishes (including several variations on frog legs); even when the kitchen’s hopping, the waitstaff keeps its cheerful cool. Other notable Vietnamese eateries include…
Q:I would like to locate a restaurant where the chef would be willing to accommodate someone with a low-sodium dietary restriction. I have found very few that offer more than a bone-dry chicken breast or fish fillet with steamed vegetables, and I’m looking for a little more excitement in flavor…
You can bet that while Wally and the Beav were washing up for supper, June wasn’t busy ripping the lids off to-go containers. And no way did Ward stop by the takeout market after a hard day at the office to pick up some ready-made pasta and sauce. Making dinner…
When Uncle Bobby comes visiting from Connecticut and college roommate Susie stops by on her way from Chicago to L.A., they always want to “experience” the Old West in a way that lets them return to friends and families and confirm that, “Yep, out there in Cularada, they eat that…
To market, to market: Downtown denizens have long complained about the lack of grocery stores in the area, but now that they have one, they aren’t exactly cheering. In fact, I’d heard so many negative comments about the Lemon Sisters Market, which opened last month at 1530 Blake Street (the…
Q: My parents, who are Polish, have never been anywhere outside of Poland and New York, which is where they live now. They’re coming to visit next month, and I want to take them somewhere unique to Denver. What would you recommend? A: When in roaming distance of buffalo, do…
The 3400 block of West 32nd Avenue is a melting pot. A green-and-purple-painted bookshop shares the street with antique stores, the South American eatery Sabor Latino, a coffee shop, a purveyor of new-age paraphernalia, a liquor store, a clothing exchange, several burrito spots and an ugly apartment building framed in…
Tom Sumner was wise to eschew typical Italian fare when he opened his Trattoria Stella, since Denver has more than its fair share of fair-to- middling red-sauce joints. And then there are those rare, old-time eateries that rise way above the rest, like Dardano’s, at 11968 West Jewell Avenue in…
The Cubs aren’t completely out of it yet, King Richard II continues to rule city hall, and hog jowl prices are holding steady at the Board of Trade. So life is good and spirits are high in Chicago — at least, in the stubborn little reminder of Chicago that has…
Q: Where can I take Mom for brunch on Mother’s Day? A: Mother’s Day is one of the busiest (read: money-makingest) days of the year for restaurants, so many eateries that usually aren’t open mid-day Sundays plan to be come May 14. Rue Cler (5575 East Third Avenue; 303-355-3775) is…
A big dish of spaghetti and meatballs smothered with a righteous red sauce — this was my idea of a collection plate. While legislatures debate whether the Ten Commandments should be posted in public schools or if Good Friday ought to be an official holiday, food remains comfortingly nondenominational. Everyone…
In spring, some young restaurateurs’ thoughts turn to fancy creations they can make out of asparagus and baby peas. But the sophisticated 240 Union doesn’t stop there. Chef Matthew Franklin pulls from his extensive experience to create elaborate combinations that not only showcase what’s fresh and readily available, but also…
Although Angelo’s has been around for 25 years, other joints in the area were tossing pies long before Angelo Laveo opened his eatery — and they still do. Claiming senior status is the Bonnie Brae Tavern, an outpost of culinary civilization when it opened in the ’30s at 740 South…
Texan ambitions seem to be as big as everything else down there. In the last year, two groups of former Texans have opened Mexican-oriented eateries within six blocks of each other in LoDo, and both are as ambitious as they come. Although the restaurants feature different styles that may appeal…
LoDo’s two new Mexican-oriented eateries replace a pair of long-timers that recently departed the scene. Shortly after Rio Grande moved into the neighborhood last year, Las Delicias, the third (and best) link in a homegrown chain that got its start in the mid-’70s, left its space on Blake Street when…
In Duffy’s Shamrock, a teeming downtown watering hole that has resisted change for almost four decades, the conversation is always changing. The adrenaline-crazed stock trader at your left elbow will discuss fluctuations in the NASDAQ until the place runs out of Jameson’s. But if baseball’s your thing, the retiree in…
