For twelve years, Mona’s would attract crowds of hungry weekend brunchers to its storefront home at 2364 15th Street, in a neighborhood that became increasingly hip during that time. And it started out pretty cool: The eatery was just down the street from My Brother’s Bar, and Mona’s took its name from…
Puerto Rican cuisine is nearly impossible to find in the metro area. Native Puerto Rican Alex Rivera made it just a little easier when he started serving pasteles, alcapurias, arroz con gandulez ,pernil, mofongo and other traditional dishes earlier this year from his food truck, El Coqui D Aqui, which…
Four years have passed since restaurateur Jesse Morreale exited Denver’s dining and club scene with the closure of Diablo in the summer of 2012 and Rockbar later that year. Disputes with the city over building safety and money distracted from the fact that we lost a great Mexican restaurant, just…
A joint of Gorilla Glue makes its way to a waiter who trades biscuits, Palisade peach marmalade and butter for a hit. Welcome to the third Yoga With a View, a cannabis-themed event that has been growing exponentially over the years. Kendal Norris of Mason Jar Event Group says the concept…
Occasionally, the James Beard Foundation in New York City honors Colorado chefs by flying them out east to cook at the James Beard House. And while we love it that the culinary scene in Denver and Boulder gets recognition beyond our borders, a dinner happening more than 1,500 miles away…
Quail has a reputation as a fussy dish that you only order at white-tablecloth restaurants or stuffy French eateries. But because more farms across the country are raising quality quail — much of it organic and free-range — the delicate bird has landed on a growing number of menus. And…
Squeaky Bean’s Johnny Ballen and his partners will open a new place today: Cochino Taco, a Mexican cantina that’s transformed a former gas station into what’s sure to become a hip, happening place in a quiet area of Englewood hungry for more eateries. But some readers didn’t wait for the…
A few breweries are making a point this year of not brewing pumpkin beers. It’s not that they want to squash the pumpkin craze, it’s just that they want to do something different. Alaskan Brewing, for example, which distributes in Colorado, chose to forego its traditional pumpkin offerings this year…
My dog loves going to the bar. As summer draws to a close, it seems like a good idea to let my him go out with his friends a time or two before the cold and the Denver health inspectors limit his options when it comes to nightlife. The recent…
No: 66: The Classic Burger from Skirted Heifer Occasionally we like to get out of town on the weekend and search for good eats in nearby locales. Colorado Springs may be better known for its military bases and right-wing politics than for its culinary scene, but there’s plenty happening of…
There’s a brewing controversy in the craft-beer industry over the consolidation of one-time independents. In an attempt to counter the backlash, three entrepreneurs who sold their breweries to Anheuser Busch InBev — Todd Usry of Breckenridge Brewery, Garrett Wales of 10 Barrel Brewing in Oregon and Meg Gill of California’s…
Labor Day weekend will be full of food — at festivals along the Front Range, in back yards all over Denver, and at the biggest eating orgy around: Taste of Colorado. Whet your appetite for the holiday ahead at culinary events around town this week. Here are the tasty details…
The news that Patsy’s had suddenly closed — after 95 years in Denver — was our biggest food story of the week. But this chapter is just part of an ongoing story in northwest Denver, what started out as the separate town of Highland soon after the founding of Denver, then…
There was plenty of action to chew over on Denver’s dining scene this week, with unexpected closings — including Patsy’s after 95 years, and the Cherry Creek Osaka Ramen after less then a year — and announcements of other restaurants growing, with White Fence Farm opening in Westminster and Denver…
Italian restaurants around town are holding fundraisers for earthquake relief after devastating damage occurred earlier this week in the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Marche in Italy. Here are a few: Spuntino, at 2639 West 32nd Avenue in the Highland neighborhood, will be offering a daily special of fettucine all’Amatriciana…
Longtime Platt Park neighborhood gem Black Pearl is now closed at 1529 South Pearl Street. The restaurant’s website displays this message: After 11 great years, we will be closed for a few weeks, while we revamp the restaurant for our new food & drink gathering spot. In partnership with friends,…
Imagine this scenario: You’re on the brewery bus tour, hopping from taproom to taproom, trying out new beers and getting a nice buzz on without worrying about driving — and then you notice that the bus driver is drinking, too. In fact, he’s been matching you pint for pint. Would…
Chefs Kelly Whitaker (of Basta in Boulder) and Cody Taft rolled out their mobile kitchen and wood-burning oven, Ash, last Friday at the Infinite Monkey Theorem Urban Winery in the RiNo neighborhood — just in time for a heavy dose of rain. Tarps kept the food dry and fires safe,…
Restaurateur Robert Thompson’s Punch Bowl Social brand is growing quickly, with multiple new outposts planned to open around the country. To help maintain quality and give guests a fun dining experience to match the games and activities available at the restaurants, Thompson brought on chef Hugh Acheson as culinary partner…
Have you purchased your tickets to DISH, Westword’s annual celebration of the Denver dining scene? More than forty of our favorite restaurants will be at Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex serving tasty bites; there will also be beverage samples from our beer sponsor, Stella Artois, and a special corner…
Johnny Ballen, co-owner of the Squeaky Bean downtown, has made fine dining an entertaining prospect, with amusements like found-object decorations and a cocktail shrine to departed celebrities enhancing the dining room — all while maintaining a respect for seasonal ingredients, along with partner/farmer Josh Olsen and chef Chris MacGillivray. And…
Some addresses just seem cursed — at least until something comes along to create a little buzz and lure the neighbors. Such is the case at 2200 South Broadway, which has seen the South Broadway Grill, Hades Bar & Grill, Zocalo and El Olvido come and go in recent years…
