Here comes Santa Claus…right down Rockbar’s lane. Rockbar is hosting its first ugly Xmas sweater party tonight. And guess who’s in town? You got it. Jolly old Saint Nick will make an appearance, and he’s bringing….well, backup. “Naughty elves” (and if you’ve ever been to Rockbar, you know exactly what…
Jessie and Steve Liu will open the doors of their second sushi restaurant today: Hana Matsuri takes over the former home of Village Bistro at 2821 West 120th in Westminster. The Lius have owned Land of Sushi, at 2412 East Arapahoe Road in Centennial, for nine years — and that…
I hate Domino’s Pizza. Seriously loathe it in a way that ought to be reserved for the hating only of living things, not branded corporate entities. I hate it so much that when one of its commercials comes up on TV, I always turn away and give it the finger,…
By now you’ve read that disloyal ladder climber Jason Sheehan is leaving Westword for the grayer pastures of Seattle, which — shhhhhhh — he actually thinks is a borough of New York. We didn’t have the heart to tell him it’s just a wetter, NBA-less version of Denver. Kidding! We’re…
I love the restaurant industry for so many different reasons. I love it because it is the last great American meritocracy, where nothing matters but what you can do on the job and where hard work, smarts and stamina are truly rewarded. I love it because it provides a creative…
Last night was the sixth anniversary of Mezcal, the Mexican cantina and tequila bar at 3230 East Colfax Avenue that has played host to some of the best and some of the weirdest nights I have spent in the city over the past several years. Last night was also the…
While having dinner recently, I overheard a woman trying to familiarize her dining companion with Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In an attempt to jog her memory, the friend asked, “What show is he on?” It’s an interesting state of affairs, more obviously a sign of the times. In a perfect world, we…
Yesterday morning, Bobby Stuckey, the wine director at Boulder’s Frasca Food And Wine, gifted himself to the Today show for a full four minutes to talk about some of the best wines to give as presents during the holidays. Stuckey, not surprisingly, made us admit, yet again, why he and…
This Melissa & Doug wooden slice and bake cookie set seemed like the perfect gift for that toddler with baker aspirations. Unfortunately, among the painted-on sprinkles and icing, Health Canada discovered an unwanted ingredient: barium. Excessive amounts of the chemical were found in the surface paint, enough for Canada to…
Chile today, hot tomorrow: They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day — and if you order this, it’s certain the most incendiary. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Every Friday, anyone who gave the first correct answer to any of the week’s Where…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
This is part two of my interview with Bob Blair, executive chef/owner of Fuel Cafe. To read part one of this interview, click here. Culinary inspirations: I was the second-oldest of eight kids, so we hardly ever got to go out to dinner. But when my mom was away, traveling,…
In Nepal, momo — the small, white-flour dumplings that represent the Nepali contribution to the world dumpling culture — are used as currency. Goats and yaks can be bartered for on the streets with buckets of momo. A fine woman is said to be worth her weight in momo. The…
The new India’s Restaurant is big. Seriously big. Big in the way that interstate chain restaurants are supposed to be big, or the doomed follies of restaurant owners with more hubris and cash on hand than brains. Whereas the old India’s (which was located across the street and out of…
After I watched Food, Inc., I was too traumatized to eat beef without seeing its resume first. But this burger has made the cut for being one of the best in town — and rightfully so. The servers don’t ask what temperature you’d like it, not only because they don’t…
Pet peeve: You go over to someone’s house for a dinner party, and you go to the bathroom, and there’s a fancy pair of hand towels hanging there with ridiculous embroidered gold snowflakes or something, and you can just tell that even though they’re towels, and they’re hanging there in…
At this past weekend’s auction for the former Dick’s Hickory Dock in Kittredge, Hamid Motarjemi made the winning bid of $247,500. This will be his fourth project in the area. He started in 2000 with 2101 Champa, which he renovated and turned into Club Boca. Then in 2003 he bought…
Do you have a propensity for cooking? Does the thought of an unhinged Brit spitting and swearing at you while you cook on national TV make you grin? Well, your time is nigh. The FOX network is holding tryouts for a new reality show, Masterchef, in major cities across the…
I touched down in Las Vegas Saturday night, went to Avis to get a huge SUV for the weekend, and immediately headed to the meat mecca, a shrine that calls our name. In-N-Out Burger. This wasn’t the first burger chain to make it in Southern California, but it was the…
Lori MidsonAs a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
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. Pete and Barb…
There are some chefs who insist on being called, well, “Chef,” and then there are other kitchen wizards, like Bob Blair, who roll their eyes, shake their heads and politely ask that you don’t address them as “Chef” at all. “I’m a cook,” argues Blair, whose real job is executive…
