The construction dust is heavy and there’s still graffiti on the windows at 43 South Broadway, but a sign for Cho77 now hangs over the door. Chef Lon Symensma and his crew are gearing up for a late March opening of the multi-regional noodle house, whose name is both a…
Luca, restaurateur Frank Bonanno’s destination Italian eatery that shares a corner with Bones, Mizuna and Vesper Lounge, has long been a favorite for Denver diners planning a night out on the town — and it snagged our Best Italian Restaurant award in the Best of Denver 2014, when it was…
Giles Flanigan and Jeffrey Smokevitch found success serving Detroit-style pizza in Telluride, at Brown Dog Pizza — but when they tried bringing the Brown Dog concept to Denver four years ago, they met with heated opposition from East Washington Park neighbors. Now they’re trying Denver again. This time, they’re naming…
Known primarily as a gaming emporium, lumbersexual hangout and place to pick up bros, what Punch Bowl Social should be known as is your next brunch destination or Sunday cocktail stop. Since chef Jeff Grimm joined in late fall, the focus as been on turning out healthier, tasty, gastropub food —…
Dessert fans in Denver know pastry chef Nadine Donovan from her work at Old Major, but she just landed a new gig as the pastry pro for Steuben’s, Ace and Vesta Dipping Grill (collectively known as Secret Sauce F & B). Her first order of business was to revamp the…
Sterling Robinson got his first job when he was thirteen, when his older brother called on Mother’s Day to see if he could fill in for a missing dishwasher at the Denver restaurant where he worked. “My brother was the biggest influence,” he says. “He’s five years older and got…
Are bros and hipsters headed to Stapleton? That’s what readers predict with the news that Robert Thompson’s Seasoned Development will open another Punch Bowl Social in the former Stapleton airport control tower, a landmark in that neighborhood that’s been empty for twenty years. The city needed a tenant for a…
In hindsight, evolution is a cool thing. In real time, however, it’s more awkward than cool. A recent video at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science captured this gangly side, showing whales morphing from land animals to sea creatures. Just imagine how that early whale felt as its strong…
Saturdays will be a drag at the Squeaky Bean starting March 14. Last week we named Johnny Ballen’s Sunday brunch as one of the Seven Best Themed Sunday Brunches in Denver, and now he’s adding a Saturday bingo brunch, with a definite twist. “With the huge popularity of our Sunday bingo…
There are just eight more days to vote in the Best of Denver 2015 Readers’ Poll, which includes more than eighty Food & Drink categories, all of which will appear in the final issue on March 26 — with Westword picks along with the readers’ choices. In the first round…
South Colorado Boulevard between Evans and Yale avenues is to Middle Eastern cuisine what Federal Boulevard is to Vietnamese. The variety of primarily Moroccan, Lebanese and Persian dishes to be found in eateries of various styles along this stretch is impressive enough, even before you add the markets, bakeries and…
City Councilman Chris Herndon, restaurateur Robert Thompson and Jim Chrisman, senior vice president of Forest City Stapleton, Inc. called a press conference this morning in the Stapleton neighborhood to announce that Thompson’s restaurant development company will be turning the old Stapleton Airport control tower building into Denver’s second Punch Bowl…
No. 43: Carne Asada Fries at North County 94 North Rampart Way 720-532-0106 Carne asada fries are a particular specialty of the beach shacks and taquerias of San Diego and the surrounding southern California scene, where the influence of Mexican cuisine has been present for longer than California has been…
When it opens at 2601 Larimer Street, First Draft will allow customers to serve themselves, via the IPourIt system. Responding to our recent story on First Draft, one reader wonders, “What good is a beer without the surly bartender?” And steppesmusic offers this warning about another spot where you can pour-it-yourself:…
Craft beer fought back against the industrial giants this week: Jonathan Shikes visited Caution Brewing, where several Denver breweries have collaborated on a pumpkin peach ale to highlight the hypocrisy behind Budweiser’s pro-macro Super Bowl ad. And who knows, maybe you’ll be able to help yourself to one of those…
Before Nicole and Scott Mattson ever signed a lease or began building out the space for Nocturne, their new jazz supper club set to open on Monday, their plan was to create a music venue for jazz musicians with a bar and just enough food to fulfill liquor license requirements…
What do suffering through cold weather, a mild illness and a raging hangover all have in common? They’re all best treated with a big bowl of pho. The traditional Vietnamese soup is typically served in a beef broth, so finding a real vegetarian stock and be tricky. The noodle experts…
The Best Italian Restaurant in 2014 was Luca D’Italia — now known just as Luca. That’s not the only change at Frank Bonanno’s restaurant; will it get the crown again? In the wake of Gretchen Kurtz’s review of Sarto’s, readers have been discussing what makes a good Italian restaurant —…
After reporting this morning that Katie O’Shea Padró and Juan Padró have have sold their stake in Old Major back to the restaurant, we spoke with owner/executive chef Justin Brunson about what the move means to the restaurant, as well as his plans for the rest of 2015. In terms…
There’s a certain glamor in living your dream. But that wears off quickly when your dream is owning a restaurant and you’re starting up on a shoestring. Just ask Dave Kilroy, owner of Kitchen Table Café. “My January and February were just horrific,” he says, thinking back to a year…
Big news in LoHi: Juan Padró and Katie O’Shea Padró, owners of Highland Tap & Burger (a Best of Denver 2015 finalist for Best Hamburger) and major movers/investors in Old Major, which opened two years ago a few blocks away from their hopping neighborhood hangout, have sold their portion of the…
The humble potato takes many forms in the culinary world, but the best results come from simple and straightforward techniques: boiling and mashing, baking or best of all, frying. French fries never go out of fashion (or fail to please, when done right), but recent years have seen a surge…
