Chef and Tell with Mary Nguyen of Parallel 17

“Food is the one thing that I grew up knowing would bring family and friends together, soothe wounds and mend hearts as well as improve any party or celebration,” says Mary Nguyen, chef-owner of the Vietnamese-French bistro Parallel 17. “I entered this profession because it’s the way I express my…

Tonight: March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction

Tonight, the Colorado Chapter of the March of Dimes will host its annual Signature Chefs Auction at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Denver, 650 15th Street. Tickets to the event are $150 per person and include small plates from many of Denver’s top chefs, as well as live music…

Guess where I’m eating?

Long before pizza and fois gras joined the line-up on this street, there was green chile, offered both mild and hot and served over big, fat burritos. And while the dining in this neighborhood may be getting finer, that chile was just fine from the start. Guess where I’m eating?…

Getting frisky at the Cheeky Monk

Here are some things I know about the Belgians: They invented French fries and waffles — two vital food groups — but the French stole both of them. Every other country in the world has had its national foods co-opted by the French, but for some reason, the Belgians never…

Frasca’s Bobby Stuckey kicks asphalt at the New York City Marathon

Of the 42,000 runners who killed themselves finished the New York City Marathon — the world’s largest — this past Sunday, Bobby Stuckey, the master sommelier at Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, placed 283rd with a time of 2:47:23. That’s right: the guy who drinks, pours, studies and explains…

Tilted Kilt kick-off time delayed

The Tilted Kilt was slated to open this week in the former ESPN Zone space on the 16th Street Mall, but the official kick-off time has been delayed. “We are shooting for next Monday, but it could be a day or two after that,” says franchise owner Mark Voss. “There…

Guess where I’m eating?

No, it wasn’t the greatest fish fry in the world, but it sustained me while the snow blew outside and the drifts piled up. It came fast; it came hot. The batter was lacy and delicate from the fryer, and the fries were crisp and herbed and nowhere close to…

Win a face-to-face pow-wow with Anthony Bourdain from Tony’s Market

If you think you have the ingredients to make food hustler Tony Bourdain a memorable dinner, then Tony’s Market wants to hear from you. Bourdain, as you may recall, is cruising around the country, stupefying audiences with his real-life tales of eating warthog ass, fermented shark and lutefisk. And he’s…

Tonight: Daryl Groom winemaker dinner at Mel’s Bar and Grill

Chad Clevenger, exec chef/owner of Mel’s Bar and Grill, 5960 South Holly Street, is hosting a five-course winemaker dinner tonight with Daryl Groom, the former chief winemaker of Penfolds and Geyser Peak, who’s now representing and making his signature private label, Groom. Groom focuses on three main varietals: sauvignon blanc,…

Last call for Mojitos Cuban Bistro

Mojitos Cuban Bistro, which opened last year at 1120 East Sixth Avenue (in the former home of Mel’s, and Montecito, and Piscos, and Chives, and Dudley’s…), has poured its last mojito. The restaurant is locked up tight, and a sign on the door announces, “We are closed…sorry for the inconvenience.”…

Chopsticks & Sushi closed for now…and maybe for good

The lights are on and the Open sign still hangs by the door at 1630 Welton Street, but that door is locked tight and the phone, which no one answered last week, is now disconnected. Looks like Chopsticks & Sushi is officially closed. But then, owner Yan De Yang is…

Lights are out at BB O’Reilley’s

Brad Brallier gave it a good shot with BB O’Reilley’s Bar & Grille, which took over the space formerly occupied by Your Neighborhood Grille at 1500 West Littleton Boulevard in the Woodlawn Shopping Center. But the neighborhood watering hole dried up in less than six months…

Ondo’s on schedule for a mid-November opening

While Jason Sheehan is busy building a dream team staff for Ondo’s, the tapas restaurant taking over the subterranean space at 250 Steele Street, owner Curt Steinbecker, who trained with his wife, Deicy, at the Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar, is just trying to get his restaurant open. With any…

Ask the Critic: Going green, doing (and eating) good

I spent the weekend in Austin, much of it arguing the politics of food with very intelligent writers who fall everywhere along the eating spectrum — from Jonathan Safran Foer, who is a born-again vegetarian, and James McWilliams, who also goes the green route, to Novella Carpenter, who raises and…

Will the chaos finally end for Kaos on November 9?

Just got off the phone with Jon Edwards, one of the owners of Kaos, a new take-out pizzeria that was skedded to open months ago at 1439 South Pearl Street, just a block or so from Gaia Bistro. That’s the excellent breakfast and lunch cafe that Edwards runs with Patrick…

Ugly Betty, looking good at Lola

There wasn’t a Balloon Boy in sight, but Ugly Betty would no doubt have blown away any Heene outfit at Saturday’s Halloween costume contest at Lola. Perhaps in deference to the site of the contest, the coastal Mexican restaurant located at 1575 Boulder Street, the contestants included several food-related get-ups…

Guess where I’m eating?

Denver has about a million places where a man of little means can find himself a big-ass burrito swimming in some sort of chile. I wouldn’t say that Denver was necessarily built on big burritos (because, as everyone knows, Denver was really built on moonshine, whores and the good fortune…

Restaurant Roll Call for October

RESTAURANTS OPENING IN OCTOBER: CY Steak, 1222 Glenarm Place Illegal Pete’s, 1744 East Evans Avenue Jack-N-Grill, 2630 West Belleview Avenue, Littleton Mangiamo Pronto!, 1601 17th Street Noodles & Company, 1737 East Evans Avenue Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids, 1555 South Hover Street, Longmont Patsy’s Pizza, 3651 Navajo Street…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you might have missed this week on Cafe Society while you were counting the minutes to Zolo Southwestern Grill’s 105 days of tequila. While we locals aren’t pleased that the Rockies blew another season of baseball, we understand that not everyone is a fan of the purple and black…

Guess where I’m eating?

Denver has a titillating new charcuterie contender in town. And for better or worse, it comes with a side of fleshy skin. You can double the pleasure, double the fun if you know where to go.Well?…