When Choppers Custom Salads closed earlier this year, it wasn’t because business was bad: Sales were good, and so was the food. But founder Patrick O’Neill was turning his attention toward a new project — the Avanti Food & Beverage development in Lower Highland — and so he decided not…
We’ve known it all along: The restaurant scene inside Union Station — the transportation hub reopened last summer after a grand renovation — is world-class. Not only did we name the iconic building the Best New Restaurant Neighborhood in our Best of Denver 2015 edition, but we also included two…
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote my first column on the gluttonous experience that is bottomless brunch at the Asian-fusion hotspot, Zengo. Since I’ve just about digested that meal, it seemed only fitting to follow up by checking out Richard Sandoval’s other gem, the sensuous, Latin-infused Tamayo on Larimer…
This past rainy weekend, North County — the Southern California-inspired restaurant that opened late last year in Lowry, a part of town hungry for eating options — was packed with people eager to get out of the wet weather and into some potent margaritas. Gretchen Kurtz reviewed North County last week, and…
No. 34: Okonomiyaki at Kobe AnOkonomiyaki is a common street food or diner-style dish in Osaka, Japan that has spread throughout that country, but is relatively rare in the U.S., and almost impossible to find in Denver. The dish is similar to an omelet or savory pancake and hits all…
Carne Asada fries and fish tacos were on the menu this week as Gretchen Kurtz stopped by North County, a Baja-style Mexican restaurant in Lowry doing a booming business in the family-friendly east Denver development. It turned out to be a pretty good week for fried fish, as Mark Antonation…
Cafe Colore has been a fixture on Writer Square downtown for as long as we care to remember, but the touristy pizza place is now closed. A new tenant, Illegal Burger, will be moving in later this summer after a renovation of the space. Illegal Burger, operated by restaurateur Jim…
Folks who had their hackles up over a lawsuit involving a cat bite at the Denver Cat Company earlier this month can retract their claws: owner Sana Hamelin announced today on the cat cafe’s Facebook page that the lawsuit has been dropped. As reported by 9News.com on May 11, Amanda Jamrogiewicz…
The Centennial Tavern at Jonesy’s came into being as an evolution of the original Jonesy’s Eatbar, Leigh Jones’s neighborhood joint that held its own on an Uptown corner for six years — and even longer if you include Jones’s original concept, the Dish Bistro. J.D. Dossett took over as general…
Boulder coffee company Conscious Coffees isn’t just talking the talk when it comes to sourcing sustainable coffee and committing to working directly with growers to keep profits out of the hands of middlemen. Owner Mel Evans-Glenn is walking the walk — or running the run, in this case. She’s headed to…
Walking into D Bar hints at what it might be like to walk into Betty Crocker’s house, with ribbons of the sweet smell of confections wafting through the air. The restaurant is first and foremost known for desserts; back when Keegan Gearhard and Lisa Bailey first opened on 17th Avenue,…
The neon clown that once glowed over I-25 from the roof of Pagliacci’s is scheduled to be reinstalled today inside Lumina, the massive project that was built on the site of the longtime Italian restaurant. The Pagliacci’s clown was a colorful landmark in northwest Denver — which has been losing…
Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring the profound impact that chefs such as Jennifer Jasinski and Max MacKissock have had on cooks who’ve worked for them, people like Dana Rodriguez (Work & Class) and Joshua Bitz (Meadowlark Kitchen), who went on to open their own successful restaurants. Years ago, Alex Seidel –…
Civic Center Eats kicked off earlier than ever this year, with the first food truck rally of the year scheduled for May 5. But Mother Nature has had other plans for Denver and rain has washed out several of the bi-weekly events, including Tuesday’s. But weather permitting, the Civic Center…
Cool, rainy days are still in the forecast, at least through the weekend, and soup is just the right meal to help chase away the blahs, even if a brimming bowl isn’t exactly traditional Memorial Day fare. Ramen and pho have been getting all the love lately, but there are…
Kobe An Shabu Shabu — the LoHi eatery that specializes in shabu shabu, or japanese hot pots — unveiled a new sushi and nigiri menu last week. Owners Marco and Michelle Trujillo are putting it all on the line with a fresh and surprising array of sushi, ready to take advantage of…
Last week Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Lo Stella Ristorante, and the responses have been fast and furious — largely furious, in the case of Lo Stella owner Alessandro Polo. Later today, we’re scheduled to change our commenting system — we’re moving to fulltime Facebook — and at that point, all previous…
After 66 years in business, Pagliacci’s served its last plate of spaghetti in August 2012 — and last week, Lumina held an open house so that people could see the distinctive retail/residential project that replaced the longtime Italian restaurant, in the process earning the Best Attempt to Stand Out in…
I’m a firm believer in the culinary arts as the ultimate art form, because you can touch all five senses,” says Chris Jakubiec, executive chef of Fire and culinary director for the Art Hotel, which is scheduled to open in mid-June. That’s a smart approach, since the hotel is only…
Brunch may be this city’s favorite meal, and last week Lauren Monitz served up our updated list of the Ten Best Brunches in Denver. But since brunch may be this city’s favorite meal, diners all have their favorite spots — some of which didn’t make the cut. Lucile’s, for example: “Blasphemy,”…
When I asked a friend to meet me at North County, a taco-and-tequila joint that opened in Lowry’s Hangar 2 development this winter, I was a little embarrassed. “Can you do 5:30?” I asked, knowing how impossibly early that would seem to a guy who usually powers off hours later…
Suddenly there are signs of life at El Rancho, the restaurant/conference center with its own exit off I-70. For the last few weeks, crews have been working inside, and a sign in one window of the 500-seat space promises “Fall 2015.” El Rancho got its start in 1947, when the…
