Reader: Bite me, Ludo!

We never sausage a thing! On Tuesday, em>Ludo Bites America took on Colorado, , with a segment featuring Biker Jim’s — and fans of Jim Pittenger and his dogs are ready to take a bite out of host Ludo Lefebvre. Here’s Jake’s take: It was cool to see Biker Jim…

Oh, what a night: Euclid Hall’s first anniversary party in pictures

Last night, at Euclid Hall’s first anniversary party, executive chef Jorel Pierce wagged a fierce mustache, strutted around in a black tuxedo T-shirt, deftly broke down and butchered a beautiful 230-pound hog from Tender Belly Farm, squeezed out sausages, pulled out the dance moves, came through on his promise to…

Mt. Everest has peaked, and space will become Lucy’s

When I reviewed Mt. Everest Restaurant & Bar this spring, I was especially enamored of the lunch buffet. Far from the boring, all-you-can-eat-of-this-mediocre food orgies that mark most buffets in this town, Mt. Everest’s buffet featured some of the kitchen’s strangest, and most enjoyable, Nepalese and northern Indian offerings. But…

Guess where I’m eating?

No, this fresh mozzarella is not from Virgilio’s, although it certainly looks as though it could be. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool — and every Monday, we…

Dean’s Urban Market opens in the Ballpark neighborhood

Residents of the Ballpark neighborhood finally have a place to go on a grocery run. Dean’s Urban Market, a grocery store in the heart of the Ballpark neighborhood, opened last week, and it’s certainly a welcome addition to the hood. Owner James Dean owns another location in Fairplay, and says…

Black Hawk freezes out the current operators of Crook’s Palace

Mike and Matt Casarez have been running a restaurant in the historic Crook’s Palace since 2008, where they’ve attracted a following with their house-cured bacon, house-baked bread and house-churned ice cream. Over 1,000 flavors of ice cream, in fact, which just landed them in the Guinness Book of World Records…

Meet at the Corner Office for the quinoa-and-garbanzo veggie burger

Downtown Denver has its share of cute, modern eateries dishing up sandwiches and salads, but the Corner Office still stands out in the crowd. Its so-hip-it-hurts yet still playful decor provides the perfect backdrop for beautiful people sipping martinis and nibbling on the food offerings. Except if you’re eating the…

Thai Wraps @ Tuk Tuk becomes Thai Mango Noodle Bar

Thai Wraps @ Tuk Tuk, one of four family-owned operations in metro Denver, has been sold and will change its name to Thai Mango Noodle Bar. The new owner is still a family member, however, and will keep a good part of the fast-casual menu, which focuses on fresh, American-style…

Guess where I’m eating?

MSNBC’s Douglas A. McIntyre recently wrote that the double-dip recession has arrived, a pronouncement that has its share of skeptics (and others who wonder if we ever recovered from the first recession), but double-dip recession or not, there’s nothing wrong with pinching pennies, which is what I did yesterday, ordering…

The Perfect Landing lands a new chef

After ten years as executive chef at the McCormick & Schmick’s in the Denver Tech Center, Jeff Mahony left his post in May and flew over to The Perfect Landing, the destination restaurant located on the second floor of the Denver Jet Center at Centennial Airport. The move was prompted…

Thank heaven for Westerkamps Steakhouse

The steakhouse’s business card proclaims that Westerkamps is closed Sundays to honor God. It was also closed on a recent Saturday so that the entire staff could head up to Loveland for Heavenfest, a massive gathering featuring workshops, speakers and a lot of God rock. I know this because I…

The Butcher Block serves up memories of North Dakota

Growing up, I spent summer vacations with a pack of cousins, running around a small town in North Dakota, and while the walleye was plentiful, as were the pan-baked dessert bars, the area was not known for its culinary treats. Meals, whether served in a restaurant or the basement of…

Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar rolls out a traditional Basque happy hour

When Curt and Deicy Steinbecker opened Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar in late 2009, they wanted to give Denver a true Spanish experience, channeling the country where they’d met and learned to cook. And in that spirit, they’re importing another of their favorite Iberian traditions: the Basque pintxos happy hour…

Announcement! We have a winner of our Euclid Hall anniversary party contest

Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen is celebrating its first anniversary tomorrow night with a pig-centric party, which exec chef Jorel Pierce promises will be “a liquor-infused, gastro-visio musical blowout.” We imagine it’ll be all that and more — and one really, really lucky Cafe Society reader, who entered our free-ticket…