Food & Drink

Several years ago, Purina started broadcasting a line of commercials featuring a dog awakened by the scent of Beggin’ Strips. Not knowing the odor didn’t belong to real bacon, the dog frantically ran through the house, then finally found a strip and exclaimed, “It’s BACON!” But while dogs may not…

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…

The neighborhood surrounding the University of Denver has always been transient, at least where restaurants are concerned, but the latest joint in which to get a beverage and a bite seems to have staying power. Beantree Coffee and Deli, which recently opened at 2076 South University, is one of those…

Cheba Hut is much more than a pot-based joke. The small chain of “toasted” sub shops may be based in Tempe, Arizona, but it definitely appreciates local customers, local produce and local beers — the Cheba Hut in downtown Denver has twenty Colorado beers on tap. And now it also…

Several people recommended that I try the breakfast burrito from this weird little joint that squats directly adjacent to a gas station, which happens to reek of incense. The breakfast burrito was merely pedestrian, as was the green chile that was more mild-mannered and mellow than the spacy dude in…

Leo Goto, the legendary restaurateur who passed away on March 3, will be remembered with a Requiem Eucharist at 1 p.m. Friday, March 15, at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington Street in Denver. Goto, who opened his first restaurant, Leo’s Place, in 1969, was the youngest person ever inducted…

The Cruise Room is a Colorado classic. Modeled after a lounge on the Queen Mary, the bar opened the day after Prohibition ended in December 1933. By which point the jazz age had given way to the Depression — but that didn’t stop Landry’s, the new owner of McCormick and…

The third outpost of Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs opened last week in the former Office Depot building at 600 East Colfax Avenue. The two-story restaurant features funky decor and the same menu as the original location at 2445 Larimer Street. Westword’s Danielle Lirette brought back these pictures of the renovated…

Cana Wine Bar finally opened last month at 2554 South Broadway, in what used to be a day spa. The bistro offers assorted cheese and charcuterie plates in addition to wine, spirits and beer. Flip the page for a first look at the casual spot. See also: – Restaurant roll…

Udi’s Café and Bar opened today on the B Concourse at Denver International Airport — the ninth location in this homegrown chain that emphasizes salads and sandwiches made with fresh, natural ingredients — and Udi’s artisan breads, baked fresh daily. And Udi’s has plenty of dough to spread around these…

He didn’t win in 2011, but Max MacKissock, chef and co-owner of the Squeaky Bean, has another opportunity to emerge victorious in Food & Wine magazine’s People’s Best New Chef battle — an award that MacKissock was also nominated for in 2011. See also: – An exclusive first look of…

Tater tots are one of my guilty pleasures, and these little suckers, dusted with Cajun spices, arrived crisp and hot, just like the weather that’s predicted for later this week. And so much for that blizzard, which failed to materialize on the same day that I was toasty inside the…

Cafe Society dished out five Guess Where? contest posts last week, ranging from a barrel-aged Manhattan from Central Bistro & Bar, to a bowl of Bahia-style shrimp stew from Jonesy’s, to a sandwich, whose innards included french fries…

Formulaic, oft-repeated recipes are not going to produce the kind of barbecue you buy from a dim, smoke-sputtering cart on the street, or the kind you eat at a charmingly tattered mom-and-pop barbecue joint. But if you want fast, moderately priced chicken, brisket and pork, accompanied by fixins with all…

Last week Jenn Wohletz served up a heaping helping of the appetizers she hates seeing at parties — including the dreaded queso dip. But some readers thought that Jenn’s list was the real party-pooper. See also: – Five appetizers I hate seeing — and eating — at parties – First…