No. 60: Sesame Balls at Vinh Xuong Bakery 2370 West Alameda Avenue 303-922-0999 The Vinh Xuong Bakery in the Alameda Square shopping center sits in sharp contrast to its parent on Federal Boulevard. While the older store is cluttered and close, the newer version is bright and airy. Comfortable chairs…
Two years after New York City fast-food workers sparked a nationwide movement for higher pay and rights on the job, Denver fast-food workers walked off the job last Thursday, joining strikers from fast-food and other industries in 190 cities nationwide, calling for $15 an hour and union rights. The focus…
This week in Cafe Society, Gretchen Kurtz said the food served by chef Chris Thompson at The Nickel in the Hotel Teatro is worth every penny. And since the Nickel is so close to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, we dished up nine other great restaurants to hit before a…
While Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs is well known for non-traditional choices of meats that go into its sausages, the menu also has an impressive number of vegetarian and vegan items, and all of the vegan items have a handy little red “v” next to them, making it rather painless for…
When East Asia Garden closed earlier this year on South Broadway, we were saddened by the loss of one of the most unique and in-depth Chinese menus in town. Along with stellar barbecue duck and a standard range from the American-Chinese culinary canon, East Asia Garden had built a reputation…
Where are you eating brunch this weekend? Denverites love their brunches, and every week Lauren Monitz gives you the 411 on one of the many options in the metro area. This week she served up her assessment of Dozens, a mainstay in the Golden Triangle for decades. But you don’t…
The Art District on Santa Fe just got a little artier. The Molecule Effect, a coffee and wine bar owned by partners Megyn Rodgers and Mark Landman, is now open at the corner of West 12th Avenue and Santa Fe Drive, featuring local art on the walls, early morning coffee…
Freshcraft owners — and brothers — Aaron, Lucas and Jason Forgy quietly opened their new Tennyson Street chophouse, Block & Larder, for lunch and dinner this week. While Jason Forgy says the dinner menu isn’t completely set, it will be by the restaurant’s grand opening on December 10. For now,…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Parade of Lights will wind through downtown this weekend, and holiday shows have already taken the stages at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. That means a lot of people are looking for places to eat, fast. Inspired by Gretchen Kurtz’s recent…
There’s paper over the windows at Taza de Cafe and the neighboring Charlie’s Ice Cream Social, both owned by Matt and Rosemary Lopez. Both places are now closed, but a sign on the window promises a new name, Cafe 44, and menu in the new year. Charlie’s began peddling soft-serve…
No. 61: The Butternut Squash Ravioli at DiFranco’s 955 Lincoln Street, Suite D 720-253-1244 When DiFranco’s opened in the Beauvallon Building, we held out hope that the little Italian deli would make it on a block that for a time was one of Denver’s biggest restaurant black holes. But after…
The Post Brewing Company John Hinman 105 West Emma Street, Lafayette 303-593-2066 postbrewing.com Walking up to the entrance of the Post Brewing Company, you first notice a waft of wood smoke. Once you’re inside the door, the aroma of chicken frying adds spicy notes and the unmistakable presence of chicken…
Colorado has a unique style of green chile — thick, gravy-like. But there are endless variations on that style, and every one has its fans. Bonnie Brae Tavern might seem an unlikely place to find a great green chile — but thinking about it covering another Colorado creation — the…
The Nickel 1100 14th Street 720-889-2128 The first time I went to The Nickel, the spiffy new restaurant that took the place of Prima Ristorante in the refurbished Hotel Teatro, I felt like I was buying a new car. There was wheeling. There was dealing. There was even that awkward…
Will Call, the latest bar and restaurant from the Little Pub Company, opened yesterday in the Industry development on Brighton Boulevard, featuring a list of Venezuelan-style arepas as the main menu attraction. Little Pub Company head Mark Berzins says the concept was the result of several different factors: the need…
In an odd section of the Golden Triangle that’s easily overlooked, with parking lots, a police station, and plenty of bail bond services, Dozens is the kind of charming old house you describe as having character when what really you mean is it’s a little rundown. But the breakfast spot…
Foco Cafe opened its doors in Fort Collins for the first time on Thanksgiving. For some of the forty individuals who had lunch there that day, it may have been their only opportunity for a warm meal of the day. The restaurant is a non-profit, pay-what you can eatery, serving…
These days, it’s rare when a restaurant doesn’t source locally. But at the Squeaky Bean, which I recently reviewed, sourcing locally means more than knowing the farmer: it means being the farmer. And soon, it will mean paying the lessons forward, as the restaurant partners with Warren Tech Career and…
It’s been a tough year for barbecue in this town. Up on Tennyson Street, Big Hoss Bar-B-on Tennyson is locked up tight; when the space reopens later this week, it will be as Tennyson Street Barbecue. The Big Papa’s mini-chain is gone altogether, and although Country Time promises to continue…
Green chile is nearly ubiquitous in this town: It pops up on menus at everything from traditional Mexican restaurants to old-school diners to upscale eateries. In Colorado, there are as many ways to make it as there are traditionalists who argue about which of those ways is right and which…
The Industry building is the latest multi-use facility to crop up in the River North district, offering over 120,000 square feet of mostly office space, but with several planned bars and restaurants as part of the mix. The first of those, Will Call, the latest from the Little Pub Company’s…
Jonesy’s Eatbar, the cozy gastropub operated by Leigh Jones (who also runs the Horseshoe Lounge next door as well as the Bar Car and Inga’s Alpine Lounge), is changing its name today to Centennial Tavern. That’s not the only change: The spot is also simplifying its menu and shifting the…
