My two young daughters and I were playing ladies who lunch the other day when the four-year-old suddenly pointed at what was obviously a hard-as-a-brick loaf of bread in the window next to our table. “Can we eat that?” she asked. “No,” I said. “It’s just there for decoration.” “Why?”…
Monaghan’s Tavern prides itself on Big. It’s home to the Monster Beer (huge), the Monster Burger (not so huge) and–on Wednesday nights–the Monster T-Bone Steak (huger than some, smaller than others). This neighborhood bar is also Big on its own history. For instance, owner Niles Oppenheimer, who bought the place…
Singing the blues: The music was great at last weekend’s Denver Blues and Bones Festival, but many barbecue fans have a bone to pick with the organizers. Although the event included a two-day barbecue championship, with contestants ranging from mom-and-pop joints to backyard cooks and the final round of judging…
The secret’s in the sauce. Without it, much of the assorted Asian cuisines would be little more than slightly undercooked vegetables and thin slivers of stir-fried meat. The right sauce, though, can transform straightforward ingredients into such delightful dishes as orange beef and curry shrimp. Yes, the secret’s in the…
Freshly starched: Both owners of Cafe Bohemia (see review above) got early culinary starts. Jeffrey Cleary began at the age of thirteen, when he enrolled in the three-year culinary program of a vocational-technical college; by sixteen, he owned his own bakery in Minersville, Pennsylvania. His partner, Pascal Trompeau, grew up…
For the first two years, Jeffrey Cleary was delighted to look out into the eclectic dining room of his Cafe Bohemia and see just half of the eight tables full. “It was tough going,” says Cleary, a veteran chef who specializes in New American and French cooking, “but at least…
In Italy, just try walking into a pizzeria and ordering a pie with, oh, say, ham and pineapple. They’ll laugh you right into France. Black olives and green peppers? No way. Pepperoni and mushrooms? Fuggedaboutit. At the source, there are specific, standardized types of pizza. You don’t order a medium…
Nearly every Cafe review elicits responses from readers who agree or disagree, but one in particular inspired an unusually heavy load of negative reactions: my critique of Wild Ginger (“Sugar and Spice,” January 15, 1998). Eighteen months ago, I loved everything about the place. Unfortunately, one of the things I…
A pizza the action: Good pizza is hard to come by, and consistently good pizza is even less common, which is why Parisi (see review above) is such a find. But several other, lesser-known places in town serve up a decent slice, including Abo’s Pizza at 305 South Downing Street…
Cream of the crop: Some steak buffs are so eager to get to the meat of the matter that they don’t bother with side dishes, but I like something to turn to between beef bites. The creamed spinach at Sullivan’s Steakhouse is an ideal break, because it’s a little salty…
The server, who looked young enough to be Mick Jagger’s granddaughter, twittered with excitement as she leaned toward one of my dining companions. Pointing to his Rolling Stones sweatshirt, she asked, “Have you ever seen them?” Barry Fey made a low chortling noise but kept a straight face. “Yes, dear,…
Jerry Feld’s Club 404 (Your Host: Jerry Feld) is the soul of old Denver. Zebulon Pike and William Bent may have missed this wonderful, windowless refuge under the red awning at Fourth Avenue and Broadway by a decade or two, but virtually everyone who’s lived in our fair city during…
Back home in San Salvador, Hector and Maritza Gil ran a pupuseria with their families. After they decided to leave El Salvador and its horrendous economy and move to Denver last fall, they also decided to continue doing what they know best. And do best, judging from the wonderful food…
Don’t pupu it: Not all Salvadoran restaurants serve pupusas. The turnovers are time-consuming to make and they take up a lot of grill space. But while Rincón Tropical (8615 East Colfax Avenue) is not a pupuseria, this austere yet cheerful space has been serving up excellent Central American fare for…
Don’t save the Rainforest: After five days of calling and begging the Rainforest Cafe in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center to fax me its menu–each time I phoned, I had to listen to a nauseatingly sugary answering-machine voice that sounded like a tour guide from hell–the eatertainment giant finally did…
Cafe Odyssey is supposed to be that most miraculous of late-twentieth-century inventions, an “eatertainment” establishment where people can eat and be entertained. And just how hard up for entertainment are diners who make the odyssey to this spot in the Denver Pavilions? Well, in the Machu Picchu dining room, there’s…
Wot’s happening: Arada Restaurant (see review above) isn’t the only Ethiopian eatery in this town that’s generous with the berbere. There’s also the Ethiopian Restaurant (2816 East Colfax Avenue), which has good food–it takes special pains with the sides–but sloooow service; Saladwich (3510 South Broadway), which does sandwiches during the…
The French have their quatre-epices, the Germans make elaborate mustard blends and sausage seasonings, the British put together pickling and pudding spice mixtures. In India, the crucial mix is masala; in China, five-spice powder; in Thailand, red curry paste; in Japan, shichimi togarashi. In this country, any true Southern pit…
Because of California’s recent influence, Southwestern food sometimes comes off as something from nouvelle hell. But the truth is that the cooking style of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas has evolved over centuries: It’s an authentically American cuisine cultivated by Native Americans, Spaniards and Mexicans butting up against each other…
Mouth by Southwest: Other than the new Saguaro Grill and Cantina and the old Las Brisas (see review), there are only a handful of Southwestern/Tex-Mex eateries in the area that I’m aware of, and most of them aren’t even in Denver: The Fort (19192 Route 8 in Morrison), Mesa Grill…
While World War II was raging overseas, another battle was just beginning on the homefront: the fight for the hearts, minds and stomachs of American diners. Gourmet magazine was launched in 1941, the same year that M&Ms made their debut, and what the New Yorker called “the world’s most distinguished…
Taste of success: Once again, the Taste of Vail, which took over the ritzy resort April 9-11, was a well-organized, food-and-wine-filled, fun-packed event. This year–the Taste’s ninth–the whole place was abuzz not with the latest innovations in plastic surgery, but with the prior week’s announcement that local chef James Mazzio,…
