Great Divide Brewing will add a new dimension to its ever-expanding beer empire next month when it sets up a seven-barrel pilot brewing system that will allow its brewers to experiment with one-off beers, special releases and new recipes. The equipment, which was delivered this week, will complement Great Divide’s…
Ocean Forest Cafe, a self-described “wild and artictic [sic]” — and certainly eclectic — restaurant, opened in Lakewood in 2007, but just last year, it rolled out a menu full of Sichuan specialties as well as Thai and Chinese-American dishes. But when we recently passed by the strip mall where…
The Big Red F restaurant group has made a name for itself in the local craft-beer scene over the past two years: Boulder’s West End Tavern is a great place to find rare and delicious craft brews, while Centro in Boulder and Lola in Denver dish out cans of Top…
In this week’s Chef and Tell interview, Rob Lawler points out that brains aren’t just for zombies (they’re also for eating), but zombies were on the brains of a half-dozen boys who gathered this past weekend for a birthday party — and that killer zombie cake, in all its blood…
Just got off the horn with Mandi Clement, who, along with her husband (and ex-Mizuna chef) Tony, are now consulting at Wild Catch, the former sustainable seafood restaurant that Daniel Kuhlman opened in August — and subsequently shuttered — several weeks ago when then-chef and co-owner Justin Brunson made the…
Much like the little elves busy helping Santa at the North Pole, we’ve spent the better part of the year hard at work tasting of hundreds of wines — all so that we can serve up this listing of bottles worthy of only one thing: drinking your way through the…
This is part one of my interview with Rob Lawler, former chef and the sovereign of cheese at the Truffle. Rob Lawler The Truffle 2906 East Sixth Avenue 303-322-7363 www.denvertruffle.com When you actually want someone to cut the cheese, Rob Lawler, who owns the Truffle with his wife, Karin, does…
Business at Boulder’s six-month-old Oak at Fourteenth was on fire when the restaurant actually caught fire last spring, forcing owners Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski to shutter their spot so that they could gut it and rebuild it from the ground up. It was a long road back, but after…
Last week the Huffington Post served up a food trend list — which Jenn Wohletz thought was one of the worst food trend lists ever, confessing that she was “Bugged by the Huffington Post’s ’11 Biggest Food Trends of 2011.'” After all, meatballs? Fancy donuts? Macarons? And insects for number…
When Christina Smith and Josh Epps prepared to open Jelly in Capitol Hill earlier this year, they were banking on the fact that Denverites were craving a more vibrant breakfast culture, and that those people would be drawn to restaurants offering the prospect of more than just the greasy spoon…
Eder Yanez-Mota is antsy. His coolers and freezers are empty, and his restaurant, Chili Verde, has been closed for almost two weeks during one of the busiest times of year, thanks to a fryer that caught on fire November 30. But today he’s re-stocking all of his food, and he’s…
It’s not easy to find a good veggie burger when you’re off the meat wagon, but thankfully, Smashburger — a homegrown chain whose burgers have garnered rave reviews since it opened its first location on Colorado Boulevard in 2007, and which was recently listed as a rising-star company in Forbes…
When a second Waffle Brothers opens later this month on the Hill in Boulder, you can expect more than just waffles: “There will be a sexy Australian up there, too,” teases Rod Dupen, who hails from Sydney and owns the Waffle Brothers in Denver with business partner John Power, who’s…
“You would not have bought this book and read this far into it if your food culture was intact and healthy.” Michael Pollan I’m just about finished with Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, a great read that’s as fascinating as it is depressing. It’s the kind of book that…
My kid turns twelve today (Happy birthday, Elliott!), and that calls for a celebration, which, in our house, typically means dinner out. We began the festivities last night — not with pizza or burgers — but here, at this Asian restaurant, where we slurped bowls of ramen and stuffed our…
Joe Mohrfeld, who’s been wrangling hops, malt and yeast for Odell Brewing in Fort Collins for the past three years, is headed to a new gig with Pinthouse Pizza, a brewery in formation in Austin, Texas, where the craft-beer scene is getting ready to explode. It will be a big…
It’s not yet December 25, but Cafe Society would like to play Santa early, stuffing a reader’s stocking with suggestions for where he and his friends can enjoy holiday atmosphere — and beverages. Here’s the note that Charles sent Santa:…
When Forbes recently released its list of 100 rising star companies in 22 industries, “privately held up-and-comers with compelling business models, strong management teams, notable customers, strategic partners and precious investment capital,” exactly one restaurant company made the cut. And Colorado’s very own Smashburger didn’t just make the list; it…
Denver has always been a center of the beer-making world — but until recently, you could have argued that Boulder was a better craft-beer town. But after counting up the number of craft brewers coming to Denver, Jonathan Shikes just asked, “Has Denver finally surpassed boulder as a beer city?”…
Too cold to grill outside? Let Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria, 410 East Seventh Avenue, do the work for you at today’s Argentina BBQ & Wine Tasting, complete with grilled barbecue, a wine-tasting inside and tapas paired with that wine. And don’t worry about the weather; this is all indoors…
Clutching a Mason jar full of hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps and trying hard not to spill, I stared pleadingly into the eyes of a snarling man in flannel who was attempting to push past me. “Excuse me!” he repeated, without a trace of sympathy. I was trying to get…
After a series of pop-up dinners at Cafe Options, which played host to chef Max MacKissock and several squad members of the soon-to-reopen Squeaky Bean on Friday and Saturday night, the staff celebrated by shotgunning beers in the kitchen. The Squeaky Bean’s irreverence is alive and well…
