Beer Calendar: Party at Breckenridge and Odell New Brew Releases

The River North district has seen an explosion of new breweries over the past year, the most recent of which, Ratio Beerworks, opened earlier this month. But the big daddy on the block is going to be Great Divide’s $38 million, five-acre campus between Brighton Boulevard and the South Platte…

100 Favorite Dishes: Sesame Pockets at Golden Plate II

No. 46: Sesame Pockets at Golden Plate II 9880 West Girton Avenue, Lakewood 303-763-9028 Golden Plate II (no relation to the former Golden Plate Chinese restaurant that once graced East Hampden Avenue), occupies a nearly invisible space in a nondescript strip mall which had, up until January, featured the hair-metal…

Chef Laurent Mechin of Jill’s Restaurant on Buying Comté at Costco

Laurent Mechin Jill’s Restaurant/St. Julien Hotel 900 Walnu t Street, Boulder 720-406-7399 Laurent Mechin moved to Boulder six years ago to take a job as executive chef and culinary director at Jill’s Restaurant, which also serves as the kitchen for the St Julien Hotel. Mechin’s French upbringing and training are…

Review: Sarto’s Is Fit to Be Tried in Jefferson Park

Brian Laird spent so many years running a high-end Italian kitchen, he got good at explaining why spaghetti and meatballs wasn’t on the menu. Today Laird co-owns Sarto’s, an Italian eatery that he opened with Taylor and Kajsa Swallow in Jefferson Park last fall, and he now finds himself explaining…

Celebrate National Chowder Day at Jax

On the calendar, there are special days dedicated to almost everything: National Go Skate Day, National Margarita Day, National Bacon Day. And today we celebrate one of the more tasty days of dedication — National Clam Chowder Day!  To celebrate, Jax in Lodo will be offering $7 bowls of New England clam…

Opening Chef Lance Barto Let Go From Brazen

When Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Brazen in January, she was wowed by the  West Highland eatery’s chef counter and the “unpretentious, seasonally inspired” dishes of chef Lance Barto. Not only did we include Brazen in our list of the Fifteen Best New Restaurants in Denver for 2014, but the restaurant also…

Zoe Ma Ma Provides the Antidote for Winter Chill

The snowstorm that swept through Denver over the weekend didn’t quite live up to the dire predictions that had residents clearing grocery-store shelves in advance of the weather, but more cold temperatures and snow are in the forecast for the next several days, making the tease of mild, sunny days…

Justin Cucci Leads a Cooking Class at Cafe Options Tonight

Work Options for Women is hosting its monthly cooking class at Cafe Options today from 6 to 8 p.m. Chef Justin Cucci, chef/owner of Root Down and Linger, will return as the guest instructor, bringing the same “field to fork” mentality that has made his restaurants so popular to lessons…

Stoic & Genuine, Linger Extend Restaurant Week Deal to Lunch

Restaurants participating in Denver Restaurant Week just made it through the first weekend of the ten-day stretch of $30 deals that kicked off on Friday. And even with the blast of winter weather, some spots received more reservation requests than they could handle. Since it wouldn’t be practical to add…

Five New Questionable Foodie Products

There’s never an end to the profusion of food, drink and accessories that cause a double-take, followed by an audible “WTF?!” The latest parade of fascinating eats, sips and gear includes some that aren’t too whacked-out, like Trader Joe’s new pretzel bagels and sweet Sriracha bacon jerky, the good news…

Stem Ciders Expands With New Bottling Line and Retail Accounts

Stem Ciders has released a line of bottled ciders, which makes available for the first time a range of products from the Denver-based cidery. The 750-ml bottles are on shelves now in liquor stores across the metro area, and can also be purchased in Stem’s tap room, at 2811 Walnut…

Reader: Mercantile Dining & Provision Blows Me Away

Alex Seidel worked on his concept for Mercantile Dining & Provision for three years before he finally opening the combination restaurant/market/bar in the renovated Union Station in September. Gretchen Kurtz just reviewed Mercantile, and says it’s a definite winner. Seidel’s new place is three times as big as Fruition, the…