Food & Drink

Fifteen years ago, remembers Rick Betance, he hired James Lee at Zolo Grill, giving the bartender his first real bar job, a position that would plant the seeds for Lee’s rise to mixology stardom. Now, after Betance spent years as an owner and operator of a boutique hotel in the…

I love fried chicken — from the triple-fried wing coated in sticky, spicy sauce of Southeast Asia to the Southern comfort of a battered and fried drumstick paired with mashed potatoes and gravy. But the Korean version could be my all-time favorite…

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with these — save for the fact that the jalapeños were completely bereft of heat and I’d prefer an absence of yellow cheese — but they still brought tears to my eyes in remembrance of the terrific jalapeño poppers at Encore. #Sniffle. Can you guess…

“I want a conversational bar — not a bar where people are going to zone out in front of the TV,” says Pete VanItallie, a former caterer and bar and event manager, who just inked a deal on the former La Brisa space at 375 South Pearl Street, which will…

Joe Freemond Cellar Wine Bar 2556 15th Street 303-455-9463 www.cwbon15th.com Read part one of my interview with Joe Freemond, exec chef of the Cellar Wine Bar. Best thing about cooking in Denver: Being a part of the culinary explosion that this city is finally experiencing. Having grown up here, I’ve…

While controversy continues to rage over the packed parking situation in LoHi, let’s return to a bigger picture: the geographic area Westword covers, and why we continue to refer to the entire metro area as simply Denver. Have we gone too far? Why not refer to the area as New…

Just over a year after opening the 1UP, the hot arcade/bar in LoDo, owner Jourdan Adler has taken over the former home of Pete’s Monkey Bar, which closed on Monday, and will be putting a second bar, the 2UP, in that spot. According to Adler, the 2UP will have arcade…

Christine Black is an avid home baker, one who bestows treats on her friends, family and co-workers. As requests for her goodies grew, she considered renting commercial space and actually growing her passion into a business. But when the “cottage food bill,” which allows home cooks to sell their goods…

Boulder Organic Pizza opened almost two years ago in a market already near-saturated with pizza joints, with a business plan that called for carving out an ingredient-focused niche. Two weeks ago, though, BOP packed away the pizza peels and closed for good, giving up the lease to Troy Guard –…

Creole is suddenly on a roll in Denver: Zydeco’s opened last fall on Wynkoop Street, a new Gumbo’s is going into the space that had been Roam on East 17th Avenue, and the 1812 Restaurant & Bar is currently amassing funds to build a restaurant in Five Points. Now you…

In 1962, husband and wife Frank and Barbara Finn purchased the old Bluebird Lodge and its dining hall, nestled in the mining town of Gold Hill (ten miles west of Boulder, up Sunshine Canyon). The couple turned the almost-century-old spot — now known collectively as the Gold Hill Inn –…

When was the last time you said, “Honey, let’s go to the clubhouse for dinner?” Right. That’s because most golf course grub sucks balls. But here, at this cozy golf club pub, the food is worth the drive from Denver — and beyond, thanks to a chef who allows his…

I was rather hoping to see a few monkeys when I stopped by 3 Monkeys Cantina, the new Mexican restaurant that owner Alex Waters opened yesterday in the former Bistro One space, which he closed four weeks ago after a four-year run at 1294 South Broadway. No monkeys, no trees…

Joe Freemond Cellar Wine Bar 2556 15th Street 303-455-9463 www.cwbon15th.com Read part two of my interview with Joe Freemond of the Cellar Wine Bar. Raw fish. That’s what Joe Freemond gravitated toward when he was a kid. Not burgers, definitely not pizza, and certainly not hot dogs. And if you…

Saturday could very well be a national holiday for drinkers, with Cinco de Mayo celebrations colliding with Kentucky Derby-watching parties. It’s not hard to find a good margarita around town — but a great mint julep? That’s a much more elusive creature. Still, I recently found a perfect version –…

Laura Shunk lives in a hot-hot restaurant neighborhood, in an old apartment building with no parking. What little street parking there is in LoHi is often filled by the cars of diners visiting some of the area’s great restaurants, and the few open lots are fast disappearing. And we mean…

Colorado is the birthplace of a number of popular chains, including Noodles & Company, Smashburger and that golden child, Chipotle Mexican Grill; we’re definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to the growing fast-casual movement. And also when it comes to the growing group of fast-casual chains that emphasize…

Little Man Ice Cream, 2620 16th Street in LoHi, is celebrating May with new hours and a variety of events throughout the spring and summer. “We really view Little Man as a gathering place for the community,” says Little Man manager Loren Martinez. “It’s a place to not only grab…