You might not know the name Tom Ryan, but you’ve probably heard of Smashburger, the fast-casual concept he founded in Denver in 2007. Smashburger has been a smashing success, expanding to 200 locations worldwide in just a few years and nabbing the Forbes title of “most promising company” in America…
You might not know the name Tom Ryan, but you’ve probably heard of Smashburger, the fast-casual concept he founded in Denver in 2007. Smashburger has been a smashing success, expanding to 200 locations worldwide in just a few years and nabbing the Forbes’ title of “most promising company” in America…
The dining scene at Park Meadows has taken a few hits lately, with Grand Lux Cafe the most recent to leave the area. But it’s about to get a heck of a consolation prize: Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno will be opening Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria, named in honor of their two…
Update: Denver Comic Con and Breckenridge Brewery have selected The Caped Brewsader, submitted by Nathan Bowker as the name for the new beer. And the world is safe again. There are evil villains on the loose, trying to twist a naming contest for the special beer that is being brewed…
Aw, shucks! Last night Jax Fish House and friends threw a great party at the Boulder Theatre for a great cause: Veteran’s Expedition, which helps returning vets. The annual oyster celebration started sixteen years ago at the Jax in Boulder; this year it morphed into the first annual High West…
The massive Craft Brewers Conference, an annual industry-only meeting, wrapped up in Washington, D.C. last week, but a beer-themed art exhibit and auction, Amber Waves, sponsored by the Dogfish Head and Victory breweries continues through Friday. And it features a cool sculpture piece by Denver bottlecap artist Amanda Willshire of…
Forget pancakes and waffles. The newest craving of breakfast-goers appears to be leaning toward tortas, in this case, a French toast torta. It’s savory, sweet and so much better than anything made with Bisquick or pulled from a L’Eggo My Eggo carton. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…
“We’re basically coining the term ‘craft casual,'” says Jason Rogers, the executive chef at the newest dining concept from Oskar Blues, CHUBurger, which is slated to open April 5. The term defines CHUBurger’s approach to fast-casual dining — sure, you walk up to the counter and put in your order…
There are certain snacks and sips that were just too good to last forever — but they damn well should have! Some really great ideas didn’t last much past their initial hype; the companies responsible hurled them almost as quickly as they’d unfurled them. And while discontinued items do, on…
Jonathan Power The Populist 3163 Larimer Street 720-432-3163 thepopulistdenver.com This is part one of my interview with Jonathan Power, executive chef of the Populist. In part two of our chat, which runs tomorrow, Power reveals his favorite Denver restaurants, his fantasy splurge and what he looks for when hiring his…
In A Federal Case, I’ll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard — south to north — within Denver city limits. I’ll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I’ll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here’s the…
Denver’s great dive bars are disappearing — but there are still many worthy of celebration, including Bar Bar (Carioca Cafe), which just won Best Dive Bar in the Best of Denver 2013. And there was stiff competition for that award, as evidenced by our list of the dozen best dive…
DStill, an American Craft Spirit & Cocktail Showcase, takes place tonight from 6 to 10 p.m. at the McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue. The event is a collaboration between the Colorado Distillers Guild, the Colorado Bartenders Guild and Eat Denver — and just happens to coincide with the American…
I am always skeptical when anyone calls anything unrelated to sports a “game changer.” And when the allegedly “game-changing” item is a turkey burger at Burger King, my eyebrow hits my hairline. I caught this description in a random Internet story about how, with its spring menu rollout, BK became…
I drove by a sign yesterday that said, “The weather’s changed 136 times in the past 24 hours, it must be spring.” At least, it said something to that effect; the guy behind me honked before I could read it again. Whatever the wording, the sentiment rings true. Spring is…
Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…
After a long dispute with a similarly-named homebrew store in Massachusetts, Denver’s Strange Brewing Company has gone on the offensive, asking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the store’s right to the name “Strange Brew.” Strange said in a motion filed with the agency that it was taking…
Two brewmasters with the Colorado-based Rock Bottom chain will strike out on their own this fall by opening a full-scale brewpub and pizzeria in a high-profile spot between Capitol Hill and the Golden Triangle neighborhoods. Unlike most of the tap rooms that have opened recently around Denver, Lowdown Brewery and…
Beer, say some, is what makes the world go round. And here, at this center of suds, there’s seemingly enough beer to sink the world — or, at least, the stomach of one food writer whose belly sloshed for hours after the last drop was drained. Can you guess where…
Earlier this week, we posted a contest, giving one Cafe Society reader and a guest the opportunity to attend DStill’s American Craft Spirit & Cocktail Showcase, which runs tomorrow night from 6 to 10 p.m. at the McNichols Building at 144 West Colfax. We told you that 44 distilleries would…
Denver’s a great town for vegetarians and vegans, as the Best of Denver 2013 attests. In that issue, you’ll find accolades for Best Vegetarian Green Chile and Best Vegan Market, as well as many more green categories. But if you’re looking for the best plant-based dishes in the city, look…
While some people puzzle over the readers’ pick for Best Fried Chicken, Leah wants to know the specific dish readers voted for when they awarded Euclid Hall the prize for Best Vegetarian Dish in a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant. “They have pretty much nothing vegetarian on their menu,” she writes, “so if…
