Reader: You Need to Do More Research on Clamatos!

Clamato preparado, which takes the michelada theme and, skipping the beer, cranks the formula up to eleven, has hit town with a tomato-splattered splash. Part beverage, part snack and part base for your own adult beverage (if you’re packing beer, tequila or vodka), clamatos preparados have been popping up at…

Chef Mark Reggiannini on Math, Motivation and Cafe Marmotte

To run a successful restaurant, you need to serve good food. Behind the scenes, you also need a good numbers guy, and Mark Reggiannini of Cafe Marmotte happens to be both. Reggiannini, who owns the casual French bistro with his wife, Mairen Reagan, got his start as a math major,…

Smashburger Owners Win DIA Brewery Deal but Lose Live Basil Locations

Consumer Concept Group, which founded Smashburger in Denver in 2007, got a big win last week when a Denver City Council committee approved the proposal that CCG and partners Tivoli Brewing and Midfield Concession Enterprises had submitted to open a restaurant/brewery at the Westin at Denver International Airport, as well…

Photos: Ramen Mafia Serves Up Noodles at Slurp Pop-Up Dinner

This past Saturday marked the birthday of Momofuku Ando, inventor of instant ramen, and the debut of Slurp, a pop-up ramen event hosted by Ramen Mafia. The event was a collaboration of a few noodle lovers paying tribute to papa noodle. Distiller Jake Norris of Laws Whiskey House, artist Andrew…

From Mexican Breakfast to Bison Liver: This Week’s Menu Roundup

Chefs around town are gearing up for spring by rolling out seasonal menu items, adding dishes inspired by travels or are taking a cue from an Oscar-winning movie. Here are three restaurants making menu changes this month.   Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace 950 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-442-7771 For the…

First Look: Masterpiece Kitchen Opens Today in Lowry

A little more than eight years ago, two chefs who met while working at an upscale Italian eatery took a chance on a sandwich business. Justin Brunson and Steve Allee were working at Luca d’Italia (now just Luca) when they concocted a scheme to sell deli sandwiches out of a…

Reader: Who Gets Excited About Fast Casual? Fans of Chick-fil-A?

Zoës Kitchen is the newest out-of-state chain to make its way to Colorado, with a goal of bringing the freshest and healthiest food possible in a fast-casual setting to what Zoës CEO Kevin Miles calls the  “birthplace of fast-casual.” The inaugural metro Denver location, at Southwest Plaza in Littleton, is set…

Reader: If Alcohol Bars Are Legal, Why Not Cannabis Clubs?

After a proposal to establish spots where people could consume marijuana was pulled out of consideration last year, activists went back to the drawing board. And now Denver NORML has submitted a draft of the Responsible Use Initiative that would “legalize venues known as ‘Private Marijuana Social Clubs’ and establish a…

100 Favorite Dishes: Green Chorizo at Los Compadres

No. 90: Green Chorizo at Los Compadres South Broadway from Alameda Avenue all the way down to Evans Avenue has become a stop-and-go traffic nightmare over the last year or so, with the population density along the street adding to the number of cars coming and going at all times…

Reader: One Brewery at DIA? What Is This, Kansas?

On Tuesday, a Denver City Council committee approved a contract for a joint venture between Denver’s Consumer Concept Group, owners of the Smashburger chain and Tom’s Urban Diner; Tivoli Brewing and Michigan’s Midfield Concession Enterprises, which runs 45 outlets in nine airports across the country (but none in Denver); the…

Restaurant Roll Call: All the Openings and Closings in Denver in February

February was a tumultuous month for established Denver restaurants, with name changes, rebrandings, moves and closures both temporary and permanent. We lost longtime favorites in Jus Cookin’s Restaurant, DaLat Vietnamese Cuisine and the Trinity Grille downtown. Meanwhile, quaint Cherry Creek cafe So Perfect Eats went on an extended hiatus while…

Reader: Torchy’s Is the Voodoo Doughnut of Tacos

Yesterday Mark Antonation offered a tale of two tacos, comparing a pair of taco joints in the 1000 block of Broadway: the modest Quijote’s and Torchy’s, an Austin-based import that has many fans and was a hot-hot spot when it opened earlier this year. But some Denver diners feel burned…