This past week on Cafe Society, Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Tom’s Urban 24, the upscale diner that Tom Ryan opened last fall in Larimer Square. Read her review of Tom’s Urban 24 here. Sixteen blocks further up Larimer Street, Jonathan Power is the chef/co-owner of The Populist, which opened just a…
Our first clue that something was up at Strings came when we heard that many long-time employees had left the restaurant that the late Noel Cunningham had founded in 1986. Our second clue was when the annual Mother’s Day brunch hosted by Strings, a benefit for Volunteers of America, started…
I used to love this rough bar back before it was turned into a restaurant. It was the only place in town that would serve you up to 1:59 a.m. Now that it’s remodeled, I love sitting at the bar to eat. And it’s not just any bar — it’s…
Five months after getting its liquor license, Trader Joe’s has finally begun work on its first Denver store, located at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Bulldozers began rolling at 790 Colorado Boulevard, where there will eventually be an 18,000-square-foot outlet of the California-based market chain. See also:…
For nearly twenty years, Carmine’s on Penn Italian Restaurant has been stuffing Denver with its heaping bowls of gourmet pasta. Though Carmine’s pricing is often as bloated as its patrons’ bellies — largely due to serving sizes that are injurious for a single person to consume — the restaurant jas…
Being stylish has its price: For restaurant employees, having a tongue barbell, ear plugs, bright pink locks or an anime tattoo on their arms could get them fired, bitched at — or not hired in the first place. An unconventional look with body modifications and Manic Panic really should not…
While Gretchen Kurtz was eating a $13 burger at Tom’s Urban 24, Jenn Wohletz dropped by a link in the tiny Five Star Burgers chain. “The green chile cheeseburger was an exercise in Southwestern excess and ecstasy, with a fat, medium-rare burger that dripped pinky beef juice, smothered with diced…
Mmmm, bacon. And hot, pickled jalapenos. And almost-as-hot green chile, and cheese, all melted over a mound of French fries. This not-so-simple side provided more than enough lunch — and heartburn — for two. Can you guess where we’re eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to…
Zdenek Srom is almost ready to open his Bohemian Biergarten, a European-style beer garden that’s taken over the space at 2017 13th Street in Boulder that most recently held Shug’s Low Country Cuisine and B.Side and Trilogy Lounge before that. When we stopped in yesterday, there was still construction work…
Highlands Garden Cafe is back in business. After a long winter’s nap, this week Pat Perry reopened her restaurant in Highland, where the garden is already in bloom. To celebrate the new patio season, Highlands Garden is taking names for a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Mondo…
There is almost nothing better in the world than really good green chile spread on top of a juicy beef patty or slathered over a pile of hand-cut fries. Five Star Burgers is a transplant from Taos, and even with this city’s staggering number of burger joints, Five Star manages…
Jonathan Power The Populist 3163 Larimer Street 720-432-3163 thepopulistdenver.com This is part two of my interview with Jonathan Power, executive chef of the Populist. Part one of our chat ran yesterday. Favorite Denver/Boulder restaurant(s) other than your own: I don’t make it up there often enough, but I love Pizzeria…
The Food & Drink section of the Best of Denver 2013 contained more than a hundred categories (with a dozen more food-related awards in Shopping & Services); many of those also featured Readers’ choice picks. And although readers showed good taste in choosing Smashburger over McDonald’s for Best French Fries…
Since Tom Ryan founded Smashburger, it’s no surprise that his namesake Tom’s Urban 24serves a good burger. “Made with eight ounces of ground Angus, the patty isn’t smashed to order, as it is at Ryan’s other joint — that technique doesn’t work as well on a chargrill — but it…
You might not know the name Tom Ryan, but you’ve probably heard of Smashburger, the fast-casual concept he founded in Denver in 2007. Smashburger has been a smashing success, expanding to 200 locations worldwide in just a few years and nabbing the Forbes title of “most promising company” in America…
The dining scene at Park Meadows has taken a few hits lately, with Grand Lux Cafe the most recent to leave the area. But it’s about to get a heck of a consolation prize: Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno will be opening Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria, named in honor of their two…
Forget pancakes and waffles. The newest craving of breakfast-goers appears to be leaning toward tortas, in this case, a French toast torta. It’s savory, sweet and so much better than anything made with Bisquick or pulled from a L’Eggo My Eggo carton. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…
“We’re basically coining the term ‘craft casual,'” says Jason Rogers, the executive chef at the newest dining concept from Oskar Blues, CHUBurger, which is slated to open April 5. The term defines CHUBurger’s approach to fast-casual dining — sure, you walk up to the counter and put in your order…
There are certain snacks and sips that were just too good to last forever — but they damn well should have! Some really great ideas didn’t last much past their initial hype; the companies responsible hurled them almost as quickly as they’d unfurled them. And while discontinued items do, on…
Jonathan Power The Populist 3163 Larimer Street 720-432-3163 thepopulistdenver.com This is part one of my interview with Jonathan Power, executive chef of the Populist. In part two of our chat, which runs tomorrow, Power reveals his favorite Denver restaurants, his fantasy splurge and what he looks for when hiring his…
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…
Denver’s great dive bars are disappearing — but there are still many worthy of celebration, including Bar Bar (Carioca Cafe), which just won Best Dive Bar in the Best of Denver 2013. And there was stiff competition for that award, as evidenced by our list of the dozen best dive…
