Guess where I’m eating…green chile?

​Smother love: It’s easy being green in Denver in September, when the smell of roasting chiles overrides the odor of exhaust along Federal Boulevard, and the green chile at your favorite Mexican joint carries the heat of the new harvest. For the next several weeks, Cafe Society will feature some…

They Haight McDonald’s!

What do you get when you cross a hippie with no grooming habits with someone who wants to loiter at your business all day? A slacker who won’t stick around once you increase your prices. Natalie Gonzales, a San Francisco McDonald’s franchise owner, was tired of the underworked and undersanitized…

Guess where I’m eating…green chile?

Smother love: It’s easy being green in Denver in September, when the smell of roasting chiles overrides the odor of exhaust along Federal Boulevard, and the green chile at your favorite Mexican joint carries the heat of the new harvest. For the next several weeks, Cafe Society will feature some…

In the kitchen with Jack-n-Grill’s Jack Martinez: Frito pie

Self-described green chile warrior Jack Martinez, the owner/chef of two Jack-n-Grill restaurants (a third outlet, in Westminster, will open in October), and the subject of this week’s Chef and Tell interview, has a huge family that benefits from his cooking capabilities. One of their favorites dishes is Frito pie, a…

Guess where I’m eating?

Now that the weather is showing signs of autumn, it’s the ideal time of year to chase away the chill with a warming bowl of pasta. Generously heaped with housemade pappardelle, pancetta and other meats, draped with a robust tomato sauce and sheeted with shavings of Grana Padano, the bolognese…

Cooking with Pete and Barb Marczyk: Salmon cakes

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. “We all know…

Guess where I’m eating…green chile?

Smother love: It’s easy being green in Denver in September, when the smell of roasting chiles overrides the odor of exhaust along Federal Boulevard, and the green chile at your favorite Mexican joint carries the heat of the new harvest. For the next several weeks, Cafe Society will feature some…

How much is too much to pay for a double espresso?

I just went through a few receipts and found my tab for a recent review meal at Bella Bistro, 7702 Ralston Road in Arvada. The total was in line with the other meals I ate there, so I’d thought nothing about it when I paid the tab. But upon closer…

Top Chef D.C., round thirteen: Kelly’s headed back to Colorado

The setting for this penultimate episode of Top Chef was Singapore, which ginned up the interest level quite a bit. It was fun watching the four remaining contenders picking and tasting their way through the Singapore street-food scene under the guidance of chef-author Seetoh, a calm, knowledgeable, deep-thinking mentor. (Colorado’s…

Guess where I’m eating?

I know what you’re thinking — and you’re wrong. That dosa? It’s not from Masalaa. And unless you’ve recently been to the restaurant where the above snap was flashed, it’s likely that you’ll be stumped. Suffice it to say, I was shocked. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…

Bryan Dayton reveals name of new restaurant

Bryan Dayton, president of the Colorado Bartenders Guild and former bar manager at Frasca Food & Wine, divulged the details of his forthcoming Boulder restaurant a couple of weeks ago, describing a menu rooted in North America supplemented with a geeky beverage program. He and his partners, which include chef…

Pupusas Sabor Hispano unmasks its new space in Boulder

From the moment Pupusas Sabor Hispano opened five years ago in a dilapidated roadside shack in north Boulder, the People’s Republic clamored, tripping over themselves in the 30-seat space to grub on griddled disks of masa stuffed with fiddlehead fens, chicharrón, beans, rajas and zucchini and molten cheese. Earlier this…

Bill Ward has big plans for miniBAR

Bill Ward learned a hard lesson in Larimer Square, where he owned Below Bar and Slim 7: At most clubs, you only have a small window — say, from 10 p.m. until closing — when you can make money. But now that he’s out of Larimer Square altogether, Ward’s planning…

Coming soon to Cherry Creek: Sweet Ginger Asian Bistro & Sushi

While Cherry Creek just lost Tambien, one of the tony neighborhood’s best independent restaurants, the downstairs space at 2710 East Third Avenue, formerly Plush, is poised to become Sweet Ginger Asian Bistro & Sushi. Located directly next door to — and sharing a patio with — Argyll, Robert Thompson’s awesome…

Tiri’s Garden food-truck stop now open Wednesdays and Thursdays

A few weeks ago, we reported that the trucks making 15th and California streets a regular stop were working to establish a permanent presence and a true truck pod there, bringing in seating areas and a party vibe to supplement the street eats. Though there’s still no official word on…