I enjoy talking to servers. Not because I like chitchat, but because you can tell a lot about a place by how well its staff is trained. Are servers well-informed and confident, able to answer questions with ease, or do they need to run back and forth to the kitchen?…
McDonald’s introduced a new “artisan” chicken on Monday, which inspired Mark Antonation to proclaim that the word “artisan” now ceases to have any real meaning. Adds Rob: Artisan food at any restaurant is a joke. Hipster gastropubs are guilty of the same crap but because the server has a beard and…
Parry’s Pizzeria may have been inspired by New York-style pizza, but the homegrown chain is as much about Colorado craft beer. On Monday, Parry’s officially opened its fifth location at 100 East 120th Avenue in Northglenn, and in honor of that street address it’s featuring 120 Colorado beers not just…
Almost every restaurant in town seems to be packed to the rafters, adding brunch or lunch to accommodate more guests, or figuring out other ways to keep the wait lists flowing so that customers don’t jump to the next trendy eatery down the block. But amid a flurry of April…
Spring is here, which means that the Boulder County Farmers’ Market has returned — and so have Juliet Wittman’s posts about what you can find there. On Saturday she picked up fennel from Eric Skokan’s Black Cat Farm, which inspired a recipe and some writing as lovely as the fresh…
Big Eats Restaurant Group, owners of the three Marg’s World Taco Bistro locations in Denver, have opened another spot — this one in LoHi, in the former home of Churchill’s Public House. But this eatery isn’t a taco joint (a smart thing, too, since it’s opposite Lola). Instead, it’s a…
Bill Miner and Brian Albano of Il Porcellino Sausage is not something that can be rushed. Even freshly ground and stuffed links take time and patience, often involving overnight meat marinades and carefully considered recipes to get the salt, fat and moisture content just right. And when it comes to cured…
The last time a man looked at me and said the word “destiny,” it was part of a bad pickup line. My server at Block & Larder used the word to much better effect. Noticing my furrowed brow as I pondered pages of whiskeys, tequilas and beers at this four-month-old…
Max’s Wine Dive opens tonight at 4 p..m. at 696 Sherman Street near Governors Park in a 100-year-old building that was once a laundromat. Specializing in Southern-style food, fried chicken and wine by the glass, Max’s got its start in Houston in 2006. This is the ninth in the group,…
There is nothing like the feeling of driving home with rock music blasting and the car trunk full of delicious things to eat. That’s how I returned from the Boulder County Farmers’ Market Saturday — the second of the yeart — with a bunch of slim carrots from Plowshare Farms…
Le Central is not a flashy restaurant or one that travels the social-media seas, trawling for new customers and sending up flares for “look at me, look at me!” attention. The affordable French restaurant keeps doing what it has always done since opening at Eighth Avenue and Lincoln Street back…
Local McDonald’s stores rolled out their new “artisan” chicken sandwich yesterday, prompting Mark Antonation’s ruminations on the meaning of “artisan.” Says Dave: Hurray for Westword (and Mark Antonation) for understanding how corporations co-opt language for commercial purposes. But no matter what you call it, this latest menu item won’t fly, says…
There’s a grill in the middle of the table at Silla Korean BBQ in Aurora, and that’s a little intimidating. Not only is the menu filled with unfamiliar names and descriptions, but the rig raises the concern that you’ll have to cook those unfamiliar dishes properly just so you can…
To most Denver residents, Casa Bonita is the pink funhouse on West Colfax Avenue that disguises itself as a restaurant. For Mexican artist Cristóbal Gracia, Casa Bonita is like a time machine back to his childhood in Mexico — and a strange vision into Mexican culture. Gracia is one of…
It’s official: the English language has finally ceased to function as a meaningful method of conveying ideas. The final death blow? McDonald’s just hijacked the word “artisan” to describe its new line of grilled chicken creations that are rolling out at select outlets across the country today. You can swap…
If you’re tired of the standard American brunch: coffee, eggs, mimosa, repeat, let us introduce a new twist into your routine – dim sum. The Chinese take on a social morning meal, instead of ordering from a menu, you select what you want from tempting carts full of dumplings and…
River North coffee roaster Novo opened its latest coffeehouse in West Highland this morning after a weekend of soft openings. This is the third cafe in Denver for Novo; the other two are on the 16th Street Mall and at East Sixth Avenue and Gilpin Street. The newest location is…
Twenty years ago, Denver native — and now Westword managing editor — Jonathan Shikes snapped photos of under-construction Coors Field, going up just north of LoDo in an old warehouse area often called NoDough, given the lack of economic activity there. Today the Ballpark neighborhood is not just a go-to…
While many of you are out cheering on the Rockies at today’s home opener and reveling (win or lose) at the Ballpark neighborhood’s many bars and restaurants, one of Denver’s most anticipated new eateries, Solitaire, is quietly throwing out its first pitch today in West Highland, in the former home…
Highland’s Garden Cafe was a neighborhood staple and special-occasion destination for nearly twenty years on West 32nd Avenue, taking up residence in two joined Victorian houses surrounded by beautiful flower gardens that were as much of an attraction as the restaurant’s charming dining rooms and old-world menu. When it closed…
The first home game of the 2015 Colorado Rockies will soon be underway and there are plenty of celebrations happening all over town. While it may be a little late for breakfast today, you can still catch the game and try something new at Denver Deep Dish, if you don’t…
Forget the days you were once forced to chose between a stack of pancakes or eggs and toast while you begrudgingly watch your friends devour plates of Benedicts, burritos and the like. Having experienced a decade of un-memorable, thrown together meals at restaurants, it comes as an excitement just shy…
