Maria Empanada channels Argentina in Lakewood

Three years ago, after searching for but never finding some of her favorite foods from Argentina, Buenos Aires native Lorena Cantarovici opened a Denver-area catering company that used her mother’s recipes for empanadas, tartas and dulce de leche…

Denver’s top five patios for a long lunch

It may be a bit brisk for outdoor dining but as of this morning, spring has official sprung. For us, that means it’s time to make an excuse to get out of the office for an extended lunch, grabbing a seat on a patio and enjoying some time in the…

Luciano’s Pizza and Wings closed for unpaid taxes

Luciano’s Pizza and Wings has a number of signs on its windows, letting potential customers know that the restaurant is no longer open on Mondays. There is also a different kind of sign that lets people know Luciano’s will not be open on any day that ends in a “y”:…

Great Divide rolls out a new beer, Wolfgang, this summer

Great Divide Brewing will release its second new beer of the year in July, Wolfgang, a big, malty dopplebock that will replace Smoked Baltic Porter in the brewery’s seasonal lineup. Wolfgang is the first beer that was designed and tested on Great Divide’s new seven-barrel pilot brewing system, which was…

Guess where I’m eating?

Next Wednesday, when our Best of Denver® 2012 issue hits red kiosks all over Denver, we’ll reveal our pick for the city’s best French fries. In the meantime, chew on these spuds, which are most definitely fries to live — and die — by. Can you guess where I’m eating?…

Uptown vs. South Federal: Vote in our Street 16 match-up

Uptown — home to some restaurants that focus on the trendy side of life and a few bars where a single drink will have you seeing double. On the other side of the metro area is South Federal, home to a myriad of ethnic options — Vietnamese, Chinese and Mexican,…

Exclusive first look: Cinque Soldi Salumeria (oh…my…God)

Last week, when Cinque Soldi Salumeria, the Italian deli, market and exclusive retailer of Il Mondo Vecchio’s cured meats and fresh sausages, was putting the final touches on its South Pearl Street salumeria, a guy from Boston stopped dead in his tracks. “He came in off the street and said,…

TAG Beer Dinner with Great Divide Brewing and M.T.H. Farms

TAG, 1441 Larimer Street, is hosting the last of its winter brewery dinner series tonight, with five courses featuring lamb from M.T.H. Farms paired with five beers from Great Divide Brewing Co. Representatives from both the farm and the brewery will be on hand to answer questions; the dinner costs…

Maria Empanada turns out pockets of Argentine bliss in Lakewood

Almost every culinary culture embraces the delicious concept of filling a pastry shell with meat and/or vegetables, then serving it up as a snack: The Chinese have pork-stuffed bao, the British make meat-and-gravy pasties, India puts potatoes in samosas, and in America we heat up Hot Pockets — which were…

Eat like a Man-ning: Catch these specials inspired by #18

If they want to celebrate today’s news, Denver residents don’t have to spend like Peyton Manning in order to cash in on the newest Bronco’s impending arrival. As soon as it was reported that Frank Tripucka’s retired number 18 could be on Manning’s back this fall, restaurants and bar specials…

The Kitchen’s Hugo Matheson weighs in on creating a Denver menu

Tomorrow morning, Hugo Matheson, Kimbal Musk and Jen Lewin will open the doors to the The Kitchen Denver, the Mile High City outpost of their expanding empire which started in Boulder eight years ago. The new restaurant — which features a massive bar, three patios and several nooks and crannies…

An exclusive first look: Spuntino reopens today in Highland

Dorina Miller, Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, the pastry chef at Duo and Olivea, and her husband, John Broening, executive chef of both restaurants, quietly re-opened Spuntino last week, the Italian cafe that Miller co-owned with Simone Parisi, who bowed out of Spuntino to concentrate on Parisi and Firenze a Tavola, his two…

Guess where I’m eating?

Homemade spaghetti and meatballs, Sinatra and Chianti makes for a fine dinner on a Sunday night. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool — and every Monday, we select…