City Park Esplanade Fresh Market opens over the weekend

Spring signals the arrival of farmers’ markets across the state, and the City Park Esplanade Fresh Market at East Colfax and Columbine Street officially opened for business yesterday at 9 a.m. with around thirty local growers and vendors peddling their wares in spite of the chilly, overcast weather…

A second Steak ‘n Shake opens in Sheridan

Colorado’s second Steak ‘n Shake has opened at 3502 River Point Parkway in the River Point development in Sheridan. The iconic burger emporium first appeared in Colorado last November, when it opened in Centennial to a swarm of weeping fans. Steak ‘n Shake got its start in Normal, Illinois in…

Thai Monkey Club swings into Golden

Kong Phom, a native of Thailand who has been in the States for thirty years, doesn’t waste time: It took just a few months after he opened Thai Monkey Club, a curry and noodle parlor, on South Broadway last year to ink a deal on a second spot…

Photos: Chef Jenna Johansen’s sprout up dinner at Studio F

It’s been a whirlwind week for Jenna Johansen. The former executive chef of Dish, in Edwards, which she still co-owns, made her smashing debut on Around the World in 80 Plates, a new chef-driven reality show on Bravo that premiered on Wednesday night (Johansen, by the way, made it through…

Dive Inn takes the plunge in former BJ’s Carousel space

After a more than three-decade run as BJ’s Carousel, Denver’s longest-running gay bar closed last July. Jason Tietjen, who’d worked at the Candlelight Tavern for the last decade, took over the spot and gutted the place from top to bottom. Now, after many months of work, the Dive Inn is…

Hot Chick a Latte: Hott help-wanted ad of the week

Sugar House is gone, as is Perky Cups. But if you’re interested in wearing a hot outfit while pouring hot coffee, Hot Chick a Latte has a job for you. A sibling of the Seattle chain opened at 4736 East Colfax Avenue two years ago, and just posted a help-wanted…

Reader: Southern Hospitality looks like a hip Cracker Barrel

Ryan Tedder, the lead singer with One Republic and a Grammy-winner for his work in the recording studio, knows his music — but does he know food? Tedder jumped on board at the Hell’s Kitchen location of Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality, and now Tedder and his father are bringing the…

Photos: Aoba, a new Japanese and sushi restaurant, opens in LoDo

A glitch with the size of the front door may have created frustrating zoning issues for owner Cindy Wang, and brothers (and sushi chefs) Mike Nakanishi and Ken Zheng, but on Monday, Aoba, a new Japanese and sushi restaurant, finally opened in the former Organixx space at 1520 Blake Street…

Garbanzo heads south for its first out-of-state expansion

Denver-based Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill is heading south to open its first stores outside of Colorado: in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. These are also Garbanzo’s first franchise operations. The chain, which Alon Mor started in 2007, specializes in delectable fast-casual Mediterranean cuisine; I reviewed the location on South Colorado two…

Chomp! founder embarks on a new adventure: Nooch Vegan Market

Joshua LaBure, the man behind Chomp! Vegan Supper Club and the vegan Neat Market (and a member in good standing of the vegan activist collective Plants & Animals Denver), has arguably done more for vegans in this town than anybody else. And now, he’s about to take his efforts to…

Guess where I’m eating al pastor tacos?

On the days that I’m hankering for al pastor tacos, I’m always on the spy for the spit, but while this bar doesn’t have a spit anywhere in sight, it nonetheless manages to turn out respectable al pastor tacos — and it doesn’t forget the grilled pineapple, either. Can you…