Reader: A burger is a burger is a burger

Is it time for the “fancy burger trend to call it quits”? That’s what Eric Cimino, chef at Luca d’Italia, suggests in this week’s Chef and Tell interview. And nothing gets the meaty juices flowing like a big burger battle. “Not if it’s delicious!” says Phillip. “I’m over it,” says…

The Plimoth could become a landmark restaurant

Legend has it that in 1620, the pilgrims set foot on terra firma at Plymouth Rock. But did they really? Likewise, is The Plimoth, the charming new eatery that chef-owner Peter Ryan named after his Massachusetts home town, really a “neighborhood eatery,” as the tagline claims? Does it actually cater…

Guess where I’m eating woefully underwhelming nachos?

Hey, restaurants: If you’re going to serve nachos, even if they’re $5 happy hour nachos, can you please take an extra ten seconds to melt the damn cheese? It’s bad enough that 90 percent of the chips are naked, but no one, not even those too drunk to see beyond…

AMC takes fast-casual to dinner and a movie at Southlands

Dinner and a movie has always been a dating-world staple. While you engaged in small talk over dinner, it’s comforting to know that if you run out of conversation, the action on the silver screen will soon fill those dreaded, awkward silences. Not to mention that the action could move…

Time and gravy stand still at McCoy’s

In A Federal Case, I’ll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard — south to north — within Denver city limits. I’ll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I’ll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here’s the…

Five best new-old restaurants in Denver

In anticipation of the Best of Denver, we’ve already shared our list of the ten best new restaurants in Denver — spots that opened in 2013 that are all contenders for the Best New Restaurant award. But last year, we also saw many restaurants close and then reopen — sometimes…

Nooch Vegan Market will leave RiNo after today

Nooch Vegan Market, a small speciality store in RiNo, will close that location for good at 7 p.m. today. But Nooch will be back in business in a few weeks — and in a space that’s twice the size of its current store. See also: Nooch Vegan Market opens in…

Guess where I’m eating spaghetti Bolognese?

A bowl of hearty pasta Bolognese, especially on a cold, blustery day with the threat of snow in the air, is exactly the kind of soul-warming food that I want from a kitchen. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a…

First look: Guard and Grace opens tonight

Like all of chef-restaurateur Troy Guard’s food temples, Guard and Grace, his new steakhouse, which opens tonight, is poised to be a powerful star performer. This is the third restaurant that Guard has opened in a short, five-month span, and its size, a whopping 9,000 square feet, positions it as…

Reader: Bento boxes remind me of elementary-school cuisine

An “inspiration trip” to Japan last fall inspired Daniel Asher, the culinary director of Linger and Root Down, to bring back the bento box. “In Japan, the bento is a way of expressing a multi-course meal experience in a moment, and here, it’s our way of wrapping all of those…

Guess where I’m eating Korean bibimbap?

There’s nothing that puts a damper on a really good dinner at a Korean joint — this bibimpap, for example — than an overly vocal, whiny diner asking for a fucking plate of steamed vegetables. Condolences to her poor date… Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who…

Fat Jack’s Subs coming to LoHi

Fat Jack’s Supersubs, a family-owned local sandwich chain that’s been providing grub night and day for hungry Denverites, will open its fifth location in the metro area, this one in LoHi, next month. And that’s not all Fat Jack’s has added: It’s also introduced a new limited-time sandwich, the Srirancha…

Photos: Rioja chef Jennifer Jasinski wins Cochon555

Last night, Cochon555, a nationwide traveling swine tour that celebrates heritage breed pigs, returned to the Ritz-Carlton in Denver, pitting five chefs against one another in a quest to become the “Prince or Princess of Porc.” Along with 1,200 pounds of pig, there were bourbon cocktails and punch, tons of…

Clint Wangsnes, chef of Zengo, leaving to open Chop Shop

After more than eight years as the chef of Zengo, Richard Sandoval’s Asian-Latin restaurant in Riverfront Park, Clint Wangsnes is departing that kitchen to open his own. “The last eight years have been really eventful, and working with Richard and watching him grow and expand has been amazing, but I’ve…