Kate O’Toole had thought about opening a bar since she was thirteen and saw The Color Purple. “There’s this scene in the juke joint where Shug Avery sang this song called ‘Sister’ to Celie and she was just getting down and then everyone was getting down,” she remembers. “It was…
If someone asked me to choose all of my favorite foods, the end result would be everything you see in the above snap. Prosciutto, figs, marinated olives, roasted garlic, duck pate, cheeses…it’s all there. Guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Every Friday, anyone who gave the first correct answer to…
Avocadoes could get a real workout this month. Not only are they in high demand for that Super Bowl guacamole, but come Valentine’s Day, they could serve you better than flowers or chocolate. Avocados have long been believed to have mystical, aphrodisiacal qualities. Ancient tribes in Mexico worshiped the creamy,…
Brian Rocheleau — aka Rosh — was touring through Reyjkavik, Iceland, when he stumbled across a blind cafe, the first he’d ever seen. “I’d been contacting people all across Europe, where I’d travel to people’s homes and stay with them and do concerts in their living rooms,” he says. “It…
Many of Denver’s star chefs communed in the dusty distillery of Stranahan’s Whiskey two weeks ago in order to feed fifty lucky foodniks, all of whom were invited to the final underbelly dinner of 50top, which is now open for public consumption. While you’re waiting for the next 50top shindig,…
The photo above comes from a great bar. My friend calls it a dive bar, but to me, it’s just a bar-bar. It’s not fancy, and it doesn’t cater to hipster poseurs. Best of all, the bartender named Kathy was the nicest and best bartender I’ve ever had in a…
I do my best to stay away from restaurants that hype fried calamari on their menus, but when it’s grilled or sauteed, I’m less likely to turn up my nose and make an immediate beeline for the exit. There’s at least one kitchen in Denver that’s doing calamari three ways…
Handle Bar and Grill, the bicycle-themed shrine, bar and restaurant at 305 South Downing Street, is greasing up to reopen as Downing Street Bar and Grill, a “great bar and restaurant with the kind of really good American food that the neighborhood loves,” says owner Paul Gatchis, who plans to…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up, in no particular order, a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
This is part two of my interview with Olav Peterson, exec chef of Bistro One. To read part one, click here. Culinary inspirations: Whenever I go to Paris, I always come away with so many influences, whether it’s from the art in the city or eating an iconic banana Nutella…
Another genius idea has emerged from Japan, where entrepreneurs have developed a fire alarm for deaf people that uses wasabi powder to penetrate the nostrils and alert them to imminent danger. The wall-mounted alarm has a container of compressed, concentrated wasabi mist that, at the first hint of a fire,…
At 5:15 p.m. on a chilly Thursday, Jamey Fader, clad in black, with a plaid cap pulled low over his forehead, is balancing on a box in the corner of a back-alley warehouse. “Welcome to whatever the fuck this is,” he deadpans. It’s Fader’s first impromptu speech of the night,…
Talk about a blast from the past: Brittany Hill, long a favored spot for romantic dinners and corporate meetings, will soon rise again. The restaurant, which boasted a stunning view and so-so food, opened back in 1981, and enjoyed a good run until it closed in 2006. But now the…
The Walnut Room Pizzeria opened a week ago at 2 Broadway, but the grand opening isn’t until Saturday, February 6 — when you can try the place out for free. “Come one, come all,” says Chris Vetrano, spokesman for the Walnut Room Pizzeria and its sibling, the Walnut Room…
Five words: Everything but the kitchen sink. There’s only one last thing to beg for, beyond mercy: A crane. I assume you all know where I’m eating. Special bonus: Every Friday, anyone who gave the first correct answer to any of the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts will be…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up, in no particular order, a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
“I was fourteen, working at a French bakery in Castle Rock as a dishwasher, and near my dish station, there was a picture of a chef’s kitchen in France…and there was something about that picture that always intrigued me and made me feel like it was my destiny to have…
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. “Spend the dough…
It’s official: H BurgerC0, the new spot at 1555 Blake Street, will officially open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 10, after a week of friends and family parties and events that start today — and after a slight name change from the original H Burger Lounge. But that’s just…
At 5:15 p.m. on a chilly Thursday, Jamey Fader, clad in black, with a plaid cap pulled low over his forehead, is balancing on a box in the corner of a back-alley warehouse. “Welcome to whatever the fuck this is,” he deadpans. What do you get when you put fourteen…
I’m a staunch opponent of Chuck E. Cheese — of any eatertainment children’s trap (except Casa Bonita, natch) that gets its kicks by encouraging kids to behave like flying monkeys on amphetamines. And I’ve never been a proponent of restaurants that have a “special” play area just for kids, because…
Yes, I’m drinking a margarita, it’s not the weekend and the sun is still out. Why should that be a surprise? But the margarita was surprisingly good, especially since my expectations were so low at this bar within a fast-casual restaurant. And the reason it was so good? They make…
