Lotus Vegetarian will take over the shuttered Vietnam Grill

Back in May, when I stopped by Vietnam Grill for an education in Vietnamese cooking as part of my Federal Boulevard restaurant tour, I wrote that I was looking forward to “many more surprises and culinary lessons,” including a bowl of rice porridge with the simple yet intriguing modifier of…

Dishes of DISH: Shrimp ceviche from Lola

On Sunday, September 22, DISH will dish out food and drinks from dozens of Cafe Society’s favorite restaurants and trucks, as well as Best of Denver readers’ winners, in the Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Lola will join the fiesta, serving its shrimp ceviche (no, not the…

Oktoberfest, DISH and more on this week’s culinary calendar

Harvest Week begins this Sunday and runs through Friday, September 27. The week-long celebration features 36 EatDenver restaurants collaborating on a series of pop-up dinner parties at the GrowHaus, 4751 York Street. The parties (a brunch and five dinners) will have interactive themes and sell out incredibly quickly; go to…

Guess where I’m eating shrimp with black bean sauce?

It’s a shame when you go to a restaurant for a very specific dish — in this case, duck — only to discover that the duck (cold, cold duck) is superseded by a rudimentary dish of shrimp with black bean sauce. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone…

25 things you never knew about Chad Michael George, bartender at Williams & Graham

As Westword’s Ask the Bartender columnist, I’ve talked with many bartenders for Cafe Society’s “Behind the Bar” series, posing numerous questions to Denver’s top bartenders…and often receiving the same answers: “I love chartreuse,” or “I’m really into smoked cocktails/barrel aging/bottled cocktails.” See also: A bartender by any other name…is still…

Highland’s Garden Cafe on the block for a million bucks

On the last day of August, Highland’s Garden Cafe closed for the season, with promises to reopen the restaurant — two connected Victorian houses — in its lovely garden setting next April. But will Highland’s Garden Cafe really bloom again? See also:-Highland’s Garden Cafe pulls up stakes for the season…

Palace closes on East Evans, sends regulars to Imperial

Johnny Hsu has shuttered his Palace. Although its website doesn’t indicate that the longtime Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant on East Evans has closed, both the phone number and a sign on the door send Palace customers to Imperial Chinese Restaurant. That’s Hsu’s 28-year-old mainstay on South Broadway. See also: Imperial…

Bacaro Bloody bar — vodka is stronger than rain

Despite the weather, Chris Holston, general manager of Bacaro Venetian Taverna in Boulder, has decided to brave the elements and continue serving the specialty Bloody Marys introduced last weekend for a new rooftop brunch. See also: Best Bloody Mary Bar 2013 — the Corner Office…

Coming of age with 21 drinks: Sake and poppycock at TAG| Raw Bar

Fun fact: before microbreweries took over Colorado, Golden was home to the state’s first — and so far, only — sake brewery. The Hakushika Sake U.S.A. brewery opened in 1992 and produced sake for America and the ravenous European market until the Japanese recession tanked the business six years later…

Guess where I’m drinking a marsh of margaritas?

One surefire way to make your belly swish? Swallow four margaritas, or in my case, just one, which is still enough to do the job. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post is entered into a pool…

Three ways to chow down on Mexican Independence Day

Although Cinco de Mayo has become a major holiday in tequila-loving cities across the United States, the real Mexican holiday is Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 15 or September 16 (back in 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo rallied the troops with his church bells at midnight between those…

Dishes of DISH: Philippine-style empanadas from Orange Crunch

On Sunday, September 22, DISH will dish out food and drinks from dozens of Cafe Society’s favorite restaurants and trucks, as well as Best of Denver readers’ winners, in the Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Orange Crunch, our pick for Best Food Cart in the 2013 Best…