The Eighteen Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar in Denver, June 10-12

The weather’s not the only thing heating up: Denver’s culinary calendar will be sizzling with tasty events all weekend long, including bar crawls, farmers markets’, charity events, cooking demos, anniversaries and more. Keep reading for all the details.  Friday, June 10  Globe Hall will host Saucy: an Evening of Burlesque…

Paxia’s Happy Hour Is Part Taco Run, Part Upscale Mexican

Happy-hour conversation usually doesn’t turn to debates over authenticity. However you want to define culturally appropriate cuisine, it’s rarely an issue when cheap tacos or pork buns are coming fast and furious. There are plenty of deep happy-hour cuts beyond the sangria and Brussels sprouts syndicate — and Paxia Authentic…

The Ten Best Gluten-Free Menus in Denver

Thanks to Celiac disease awareness and diet trends, nowadays finding gluten-free options at most restaurants isn’t so challenging. But while you are pretty safe dining on sushi, ordering a steak with potatoes or nibbling on a salad, sometimes the gluten-averse crave other staples like pizza, burgers, pasta and scrumptious dessert…

Denver’s Neighborhood Bars: Where to Go When You Outgrow LoDo

When Allison moved here ten years ago, she frequently visited bars in lower downtown. But now Allison, who took Westword on a tour of LoDo one recent Friday night for this week’s cover story, “From LoDo to BroDo,” prefers to escape the bros and go to bars in other neighborhoods,…

CigarBQue Will Be Smoking Tonight!

If kicking back with a plate of great food in front of you — a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other — is your idea of a perfect summer evening, don’t miss CigarBQue. The event will feature an all-star lineup of chefs (Justin Brunson of Old…

The Ten Best Happy Hours for Summer Drinking and Dining

It doesn’t take much to get thirsty Denverites out to happy hour after the 5 p.m. whistle blows. But for the next few months, bright sun and rising temperatures will bring many more out to crowd the patios and partake in drink and dish discounts. But a good summer happy…

Spatola Brings Sicilian Cooking to West Highland

After a quick turnaround of the old Julia Blackbird space, Spatola is now dishing up traditional Sicilian cuisine at 3434 West 32nd Avenue in West Highland. The restaurant is the work of Franco Spatola, who also owns Dolce Sicilia Italian Bakery in Wheat Ridge. Along with classic antipasti, insalate, primi and…

Reader: Quit Telling Hipsters About Hamburguesas Don Jesus

When readers saw our video of the giant La Tribu burger at Hamburguesas Don Jesus, a ten-patty dish designed to satisfy a tribe, most had just one response: We’ve gotta try it. But a few commenters got far more specific. Says Lucrecia: Excellent service, delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. Responds…

Ian Kleinman Cooking Up “Science of Ice Cream” Class for Kids Today

Chef Ian Kleinman, Denver’s own Willy Wonka, is constantly blurring the line between science and food with his molecular gastronomy, and today The Inventing Room will launch a series of “Science of Ice Cream” demonstrations designed just for kids. The Ballpark neighborhood dessert shop will host four demos, the first of which…

Cocktail of the Week: LoHi Punch Is a Neighborhood Knockout at Brider

LoHi Punch at Brider Some cocktail ingredients grow on trees, and some actually are the trees — and they’re delicious. When Bryan Dayton opened Brider in January, he and general manager Jason Isch left the city and foraged the nearby landscape for fresh flavors, finding them in juniper berries, lavender…

Union Station Farmers’ Market Kicks Off Summer Cooking Season

The Union Station Farmers’ Market kicked off its inaugural season on Saturday, June 4, with a multitude of produce, meat and prepared-food vendors set up on the plaza outside the train station on 17th Street downtown. The farmers’ market is run by Boulder County Farmers Markets, a non-profit that until…

The Ten Best International Dishes Over the Past Year of Ethniche

Two years have passed since I began my exploration of Denver’s international food scene with the Ethniche series. Originally a monthly study of a single cuisine, it morphed into a look at individual dishes and their provenance, as well as a study of interpretations of specific preparations across various cultural…

Photos: Burning Can 2016 Brings a Can-Do Attitude to Lyons

Oskar Blues brought another Burning Can festival to Bohn Park in Lyons on Saturday. This was the fourth year in a row the brewery that pioneered canned craft beer gathered several dozen other breweries from around the country who package their brews in outdoors-friendly, recyclable aluminum cans. And to prove…