Authenticity–now, there’s a concept. If more restaurateurs understood what they were trying to do–and why–there would be more good restaurants out there. Instead, all too many restaurateurs cook up some half-baked “concept,” then proceed to force-feed it to customers. Exhibits A through Z: the Olive Garden. This national chain recently…
Aspen extremes: James Caan glanced over the booth in Aspen’s Boogie’s Diner and gave me that look of his that says, “You want a piece of me?” No thanks, I decided. I’d rather have another piece of Boogie’s banana cream pie. Or anything at Boogie’s, for that matter. Although the…
As you get older, your ability to consume enormous quantities of food at one sitting noticeably decreases. I can remember college all-you-can-eat spreads that saved me from starvation, because I’d pack enough food into my stomach to sustain me for at least two days and a couple of all-nighters. But…
Good taste: The Fourth Story has more going for it than just Sunday brunch (see review above). At 6:30 p.m. March 24, the eatery will host the Great Divide Brewing Company for a beer tasting accompanied by a four-course dinner (cost still to be determined). Two days later, at 3…
Standing Pat: McCormick’s Fish House & Bar, at 1659 Wazee, has established several fine traditions (not counting its oysters) in the dozen years it’s been in business here. First there’s the $1 Irish coffee offered in the bar whenever it’s snowing. The second tradition is a daily event (more on…
If the test of a good ethnic restaurant is the number of customers from the cuisine’s alleged country of origin, then the Armadillo fails miserably. After eating twice at the lower-lower downtown location of this homegrown mini-chain–the Armadillo operates nine eateries in Colorado and one in Cheyenne–and a week’s worth…
Uncle Sam’s wants you–and, believe it or not, your kids. For that alone, Denver families should stand up and cheer. At most area restaurants, children are about as welcome as anthrax–and twice as deadly to the diners around them. But not only does the four-month-old Uncle Sam’s truly welcome families,…
To the Manor born: Sure, Uncle Sam’s (reviewed above) specializes in American food–but is there anything more red-white-and-blue than a really bad-for-you burger? A recent 1 a.m. run to My Brother’s Bar (2376 15th Street) to quell a post-booze craving for a cheeseburger–which Brother’s satisfied by once again handing me…
If you’ve survived the fall of Saigon and fled your native country, how frightening can it be to start a restaurant? Very, it turns out. “It has been scary,” says Van Vo, who opened Tay Do seven months ago. “I admit that I know very little about cooking, but I…
Noodlin’ around: People always think that the best part of my job is getting to stuff my face. They’re wrong–that’s the second-best part of my job. The best part is letting people know about out-of-the-way, unheard-of eateries that serve excellent food, like Tay Do (reviewed above). Of course, in the…
Talk lobster: David Francavilla, owner of the three Chowda House Light House restaurants (see review above), thought he might attract some attention with the recent lobster giveaway at his newest location, at 158 Fillmore Place. But the fundraiser netted much more than $300 for Lakewood’s Hospice of Saint John and…
Cherry Creek isn’t exactly overflowing with cheap eats. Then again, a restaurant can’t charge five bucks for an entree when it’s paying top dollar for rent. That’s why David Francavilla passed up Cherry Creek when he opened a second location of his Chowda House Light House three years ago, opting…
Wienie roast: The current controversy engulfing Governor Roy Romer hasn’t distracted him from all of his duties. The outcome of a friendly Super Bowl wager between Wisconsin governor and loyal cheesehead Tommy Thompson and Romer is even now being consumed at the Denver Rescue Mission: 32 pounds of cheese. And…
When Jason and Vanessa Helfrich leased a hard-luck spot on Seventh Avenue for their JV’s The Cork, they faced the enormous challenge of turning the odd space, with its stifling, wall-separated dining areas and problematic lighting, into a workable, appealing restaurant. But they managed to do what Transalpin, and later…
It isn’t every day that you find a restaurant billing itself as “a Peruvian seafood and Chinese cuisine salsa and karaoke nightclub.” But that’s exactly how Francesca Reese describes her latest Los Cabos II, the third in a series of Los Cabos eateries with which she’s been involved. The other…
Mex and match: The most delicious sight of the week was the solo diner at the Mexico City Lounge (2115 Larimer Street) last Thursday tucking into a plate of greasy, cheesy tacos and reading a copy of The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet. Will the real El Azteca please stand up? Although…
Oldies but goodies: The Broker (see review above) isn’t Denver’s only restaurant in the over-twenty club. Tante Louise (4900 East Colfax) serves incredible French food, and the Normandy French Restaurant (1515 Madison) is pretty good, too. La Cueva (9742 East Colfax Avenue) is one of the best Mexican joints in…
If you’ve lived in Denver at any time over the past 25 years, chances are pretty good that you’ve eaten at one of the Broker restaurants. Maybe it was for prom, or a tenth wedding anniversary, or a big business meeting, or a nooner. Maybe grandma took you there when…
Having two restaurants is a little like having two lovers. When you’re with one, you’re wondering what’s going on with the other one. You go broke trying to make both of them happy, and you’re too worn out to give either the attention it deserves. Mark Chaffee knows this all…
Voice wail: A guy I referred to as a “gutless wonder” (Mouthing Off, January 1) for not leaving his name when he called to complain about my review of Maharaja, at 233 East Colfax (“A Tale of Two Eateries,” December 11), turns out to have guts after all. Brian Wills…
Denver’s restaurants are multiplying so rapidly that businesses are forced to take on staff members who clearly aren’t qualified, just so they have enough bodies to get the food out. I’m tired of being waited on by irritated eye-rollers who make it clear that they think their jobs are only…
Greasing the wheels: Although there’s no such thing as a free lunch, on January 2 there were free fries. To introduce its new, allegedly improved French fry, Burger King offered potatoes au gratis–over 15 million small orders of them–at its 7,600 (and counting) restaurants as part of a $70 million…
