The James Beard Foundation just released the finalists for this year’s food and restaurant awards, and the list of locals has been whittled considerably since the semifinalists were announced back in February. Then five Denver chefs made the list; now only chef Jennifer Jasinski, co-owner of Rioja, Bistro Vendome and…
Cafe Society dished up four Guess Where? contests last week ranging from an uninspiring, watered down watermelon cocktail from T|ACO, to a mound of Cajun spice-dusted tater tots from Uber Sausage, to a feast of clam strips served at a joint better known for its hot dogs…
Sometimes you want nothing more than a quick, easy dinner — but for vegans, this isn’t always an easy task. But if you’re willing to spend a little extra cash for store-made meat-replacement taco mix, pico de gallo and guacamole, you can throw together a pan of mouth-watering enchiladas and…
Going, going, almost gone. Tomorrow Grand Lux Cafe will join the ranks of eateries that have closed in Park Meadows. Five years ago, not long after the giant restaurant opened, then-critic Jason Sheehan had what might have been the worst shrimp scampi ever…and he didn’t find much there that was…
Here’s a second helping of some of Cafe Society’s hottest posts for the past week: Gretchen Kurtz reviewed The Populist, which opened in November and is a contender for Best New Restaurant in the upcoming Best of Denver 2012. Read her review of the Populist here. For Chef and Tell,…
Brush up that resume: Linger and Root Down — including the Root Down that will be opening at Denver International Airport as early as May — are hiring, and will be interviewing next week. “We are a local restaurant group that is growing and looking for the right individuals to…
Los Carboncitos, 3757 Pecos Street, is back in business. The restaurant was forced to temporarily halt service after a driver of a Cadillac SUV accidentally parked inside the front entrance earlier this month. But after some major repair work, the place was able to reopen yesterday. See also: – Los…
The fight was ugly, even raw. But the Cebiche wars are now over, and the Cebiche on West 32nd Avenue is the winner. That was the original Cebiche, a Peruvian-flavored restaurant that closed in 2009, reopened briefly under a new name, closed again, then reopened, again, in 2011 as Cebiche,…
The interior decor at this newish spot is stunning — but my Blazing Saddle cocktail was not. The combination of Sauza Blue Tequila, Patron Citronage, watermelon juice, Del Maguey Vida mezcal and lime juice had sounded terrific, but it took twenty minutes to get a watered-down, slightly smoky, watermelon-flavored drink…
Denny’s “Baconalia” is back, completely and utterly ruining one of my favorite foods, and again offering a hideous reminder of all the chain restaurant meals I wish I’d never eaten. There are plenty of decent, good and even great restaurant chains that serve up above-average food for reasonable prices, and…
Location, location, location. The subterranean space at 250 Steele Street has swallowed up another restaurant: Big Easy Creole Kitchen. George Gastl, a native of Denver and graduate from the Culinary Institute of Scottsdale, had cooked around the world — in Santa Fe, Germany and, yes, New Orleans — before returning…
ViewHouse opens today at the corner of Market and 20th streets on the edge of the Ballpark neighborhood. Lotus Concepts has taken the former home of Mori, a Japanese restaurant, and turned it into a restaurant/entertainment complex with an amazing rooftop. But one reader was more interested in what he…
One of the first things that Denverites will tell any newcomer who’s landed in the Mile High City is just how firmly devoted you’ll become to your neighborhood restaurant — and if you live in Uptown, that restaurant may very well become Beast +Bottle, the new snout-to-stump spot from former…
The first Sam’s No. 3, a popular diner frequented by everyone from politicians and pipsqueaks, opened in 1969 in Aurora. Decades later, owner Sam Armatas opened a second location in the heart of downtown, where poser Guy Fieri swaggered in to film a segment for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and…
One of the most legendary addresses in the Denver area, 320 South Birch Street in Glendale, now has a new occupant: Escandalo Sports Bar & Grill. The name translates to “scandalous,” and this spot certainly saw plenty of scandalous action in the late ’70s, when it was home to The…
After a massive renovation/building project, ViewHouse Eatery Bar & Rooftop will finally open to the public tomorrow. But you can see it today at a Ballpark Neighborhood benefit that will run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (tickets are $40). What’s left of the original building at 2015 Market Street long…
Drew Archer TAG Burger Bar 1222 Madison Street 303-736-2260 www.madisonstreetdenver.com Part one of my interview with Drew Archer, chef of TAG Burger Bar, ran yesterday; this is part two of our chat. Most memorable meal you’ve ever had: We never really ate out much growing up, so I don’t have…
Several restaurants closed early this year for renovation projects: Jax in LoDo executed an amazing two-week transformation; Parisi completely updated its space; Tamayo spent a million-dollars on its month-long redo — and the Jelly in Capitol Hill closed for a month and a half to replace its floor. Jelly had…
Buffalo Doughboy won the Best Bakery award in the Best of Denver 2010. Business boomed, and last April the bakery moved out of its tiny spot in a Victorian home off Broadway for a space three times as large, and a mile south on Broadway itself. And yesterday, Buffalo Doughboy…
The desserts caught me by surprise. I was expecting something clever yet homey, perhaps deconstructed butterscotch pudding or a chocolate malted liquid-nitrogen shake. But when you’re following a crafty guide, you never know quite where you’re going until you get there — and the end of a meal at The…
Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them and cook up a feast. While the weather…
I realize that some of you go sea-wild over clam strips, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with these…but I still don’t understand the allure. What am I missing? And…can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post is…
