Sign of the Times: Candlelight getting a facelift

After 55 years, the Candlelight Tavern is getting a facelift. It’s starting with the neon sign, which hasn’t been refurbished since the days when trolley cars passed by on South Pearl Street. The bar will host a grand-reopening party when the work is done — but fans of this classic…

Archive Room closes in Arvada

Four months ago, the Archive Room, which originally opened in 2009 in Olde Town Arvada, a charming neighborhood that boasts an abundance of bars and restaurants, underwent some major changes, including a big one in the kitchen: Aaron Youngblood, the former exec chef of the now-gone Dixons, took over the…

Reader: If only 7-Eleven were as classy as Dunkin’ Donuts…

Have you noticed the number of 7-Elevens popping up around town? Often right across the street from an abandoned 7-Eleven that turns into a neighborhood eyesore? Bree Davies did, and wrote about it yesterday on our arts and culture blog — inspiring quite a conversation about 7-Eleven, urban-planning and fast-food…

Chomp hosts a vegan pop-up dinner in the Horse Barn tonight

Join Plants & Animals Denver , a vegan advocacy group, for Chomp, a pop-up vegan dinner that starts at 7 p.m. tonight at the Horse Barn, 1031 33rd Street. In keeping with that setting — an old stable that’s been converted to a work space for non-profits and other do-good…

The best food-and-drink government shutdown tweets on Twitter

Right, so here we are without a government. Isn’t that just dandy? Thousands of federal employees are facing the prospect of shrunken paychecks, while the House and Senate are at a standstill, with both sides refusing to budge. And this whole debacle is making people cranky — really cranky, kind…

The menu has expanded at WaterCourse — and so has its market

When Dan Landes opened WaterCourse Foods in 1998, people assumed vegetarian cooking revolved around two ingredients: tofu and portobello mushrooms. Thankfully, options have broadened significantly since then, not simply at WaterCourse, where the menu is today is not just vegetarian but often gluten-free or vegan, but in general. See also:…

Crimson & Gold changes hands, keeps pouring

Crimson & Gold just changed hands — but it’s continuing operations. Chris Potter, who’s new to restaurant ownership, has bought the University of Denver spot. He plans to keep the name — and the DU clientele, of course. See also:Six restaurants where Obama should eat near the University of Denver…

Chow Down, the IFS Food Film Festival, to debut October 9-13

Julia Joun had been doing volunteer publicity for the International Film Series, working closely with IFS director Pablo Kjolseth, for over a year when she realized that IFS was missing a major opportunity. “Boulder is such a vibrant food city,” says Joun. “I wanted to create a sense of excitement…

Del Taco, the friend-zone Mexican fast-food restaurant

It had been a few years since I’d cheated on Taco Bell with Del Taco — and even then, I’d smuggled in Taco Bell sauce packets to use on my Del Taco food. It’s not that I thought Del Taco was that inferior to the Bell; I’d just somehow fallen…

Guess where I’m eating pizza…stiffened with Viagra?

Last night’s dinner table discourse encompassed just about every subject imaginable, but the conversation took a sharp turn when one of the pizzas, its stiff crust unyielding to flop syndrome, prompted the owner to quip that the dough benefited from a jolt of Viagra. He was kidding (I think), but…

Reader: Hypocritical towns ban recreational pot, but pack in brewpubs

Today is October 1, which means that businesses that want to sell recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014, can start applying for their licenses. But not in many municipalities around Colorado, which have put prohibitions on the sale of pot. Meanwhile, Denver’s recent craft-beer revolution continues to ripple outward, and…

Tonight: A party for the service industry, and beer and wine dinners

People in the restaurant business have worked hard all summer, and now The Lobby, 2191 Arapahoe Street, is throwing its second annual “Roll in the Hay” at 10 p.m. tonight as a party for this city’s hard-working service professionals. Guest bartenders Justin Lloyd and Allie Geppert of Star Bar will…