In this interview, Anika Zappe, newly appointed beverage director for Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar and the upcoming Punch Bowl, weighs in on transitioning from beer-and-shot bars to craft cocktails, the drink that’s brilliant unless the limes suck, and her most memorable night while managing a punk-rock bar…
“We just got our certificate of occupancy thirty minutes ago; we’re drinking cheap champagne and PBR as we speak to celebrate,” says Eric Chiappetta, who owns Chia’s Breakfast & Lunch Counter with his fiance, Jamie Gulick. The couple took over the space at 16400 South Golden Road in Golden that…
We’ve had some spectacular dishes at Encore on Colfax since it opened in 2008, and the restaurant recently landed our award for Best Brunch in Best of Denver 2012, thanks to chef-owner Paul Reilly’s deft skill behind the burners. Sadly, though, Encore has reached the end of its act: The…
On Wednesday night, Lola hosted its fifth annual Dos Casas event benefiting Brent’s place — but the diners packed into every corner of the restaurant were the real beneficiaries, since they got to enjoy the fare of some of Denver’s top chefs, who all donated their efforts. Here’s what they…
Happy 4/20! Wild Eggs, which expanded out of Louisville, Kentucky, to join the Denver dining scene last summer, is marking this august occasion with a smoking deal: Smokin’ Hash for just $4.20. Today only, of course. The dish features seasoned corned beef, bell peppers, onions and skillet potatoes and two…
The best Mexican dish in the United States — at least according to Gustavo Arellano, author of Ask a Mexican — is the Mexican hamburger, which was invented in Denver….and can still be found only in Denver. That’s what Arellano determined after researching his new book, Taco USA: How Mexican…
PizzaDoodle will soon open in Centennial, with a family-friendly atmosphere and one of the worst restaurant names ever. Locally, we could think of only one name that was worse: The Hole. That spot on Tennyson Street had an interesting concept — doughnuts and beer! — and a truly horrible name…
The twelfth annual DAM Uncorked takes place tonight at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway. The fundraiser is the museum’s largest, and a guaranteed good time. Sample over 300 wines from around the world (as well as some local beers), along with appetizers, music and art, of…
Denver has a strong Italian history — but until the last decade or so, this town’s Italian restaurants were mostly run-of-the-mill red-sauce joints that you went to more for the convenience than the food. That’s changed, though, and today’s dining scene is rich with inventive and stylish fare from Italy…
Copper Kettle Brewing was a key piece of Denver’s neighborhood brewery revolution in 2011, opening in a business park off of Parker Road and quickly garnering a following of regulars. Over the course of just one year, the brewery has released more than two dozen beers, increased its tasting room,…
When money and ethics collide, the crash is usually fun to watch. But when you throw public school meals into that mix, you get an ugly food fight with few winners and lots of losers — and those losers are kids who are just trying to eat their lunches and…
If Gustavo Arellano thinks a Mexican hamburger is the best Mexican dish in the United States, we can’t wait to hear what he thinks of a Mexican pizza, particularly this sense-searing pile of green chile, molten cheese and ground beef…
With the Denver’s eating and drinking scene exploding all around him, Casey Berry realized that he was stuck in a rut. “I was kind of getting sick of my friends always wanting to go to the same LoDo bars,” he explains. “There’s nothing wrong with those bars, but there’s a…
What’s the worst name that’s ever been stuck on a Denver restaurant? We have a new contender: PizzaDoodle. That’s the name of a family-friendly joint that’s “still in the oven” but slated to open next month at 6830 South University Boulevard in Centennial. You don’t want to say it fast…
James Van Dyk Lucky’s Cafe 3980 Broadway, Boulder 303-444-5007 This is part two of my chat with James Van Dyk, exec chef of Lucky’s Cafe in Boulder. Part one of our interview ran in this space yesterday. Favorite restaurant in America: Just one: Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York. David…
Hot dog! Pizza Hut is now offering pizzas with crusts stuffed with hot dogs and garnished “with a mustard drizzle.” Sadly, it is only offering these pizzas in the United Kingdom. What the hell, Hut?! Don’t Americans deserve a mustard drizzle, too?…
After service flubs detracted from the excellent food Laura Shunk discusses in herrecent review of Charcoal, she lamented about poor service in general around town. But there are also many restaurants that do things right, and she highlighted a quintet of them in “Five examples of great service in Denver.”…
If you were interested in attending tonight’s Oskar Blues Beer Dinner at Jonesy’s EatBar, 400 East 20th Avenue, you’re too late. That event is sold out, as is next month’s dinner with New Belgium. So sign up now for the Tommyknocker dinner in June — seats obviously go fast. Those…
At the end of 2011, the legendary Music Bar went dark, after a 28 percent rent hike forced the place to close its doors. But last month the spot at 4586 Tennyson Street was taken over by Niya Diehl, who’d been the manager of Mead Street Station for five years;…
Good weather looks like it’s here to stay, which means that food-truck season is revving up. Boulder is finally getting in on the action with “TRUCK IT!”, the town’s first truck party, set for June 8…
“Sriracha,” says Row 14 executive chef Jensen Cummings as he combines four kinds of garlic and serrano peppers in a food processor, “is like the new ketchup. I even saw it at a Mexican restaurant the other day.” Here’s how Cummings makes sriracha, in photos:…
When Brett Shaheen and Jane Duncan Knauf opened The Wooden Table in the southern suburbs, the place I review this week, they wanted to bring urban sophistication to their strip-mall address, giving the place a sleek makeover and putting out a menu of well-executed and thoughtful Italian dishes made with…
