The homegrown Rio Grande chain just opened its first new location in almost ten years up in Summit County, at 182 Lusher Court in Frisco. It’s the perfect spot to stop after a leaf-peeping excursion this weekend. Because the gold in the hills isn’t just those aspen turning colors: There’s…
People who want an easy life don’t go into the food industry. Hours are long, you’re on your feet all day, and margins are tight. So why does anyone do it? Some, like Erin Markham, owner of Saucy Noodle Ristorante — which I review this week — literally grew up…
No. 72 Pickled Lake Michigan Perch at Trillium 2134 Larimer Street 303-379-9759 Upper Larimer’s Trillium brings Scandinavia to Denver, by way of the Great Lakes. Chef-owner Ryan Leinonen grew up in Michigan, where Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish influences shaped the food he grew up with. This shows on his menu,…
The Rio Grande group got its start in 1986 in Fort Collins, where college students came to rely on the incredibly strong margaritas — limit three per customer, and no revealing the secret recipe — and big plates of gringo Mexican fare. A seventh Rio just opened in Frisco –…
We’re on our way to a record-breaking year for new restaurants opening in Denver. With all the action, it’s easy to overlook some of the restaurants that have been around for years — almost a hundred years, in the case of Blue Parrot, which is still in the founding family’s…
Ever since the Caprock Farm Bar pulled out of the central bar in the middle of the common area of the Source in the RiNo district, diners and shoppers have been waiting for something new to take over the space. Popup juice bars can fill the void for a while,…
No. 73 Smoked Turkey Croque-Madame at Acorn 3350 Brighton Boulevard 720-542-3721 Acorn in the Source has been earning praise almost since the day it opened. Of chef and co-owner Steve Redzikowski’s now-iconic kale and apple salad, our restaurant critic Gretchen Kurtz wrote: “The recipe is now a classic; the salad…
The Saucy Noodle, which Gretchen Kurtz reviews this week, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in August — a remarkable record for a restaurant that’s still in the founding family’s hands. But it’s not the only place in the area run by family members fifty years after it opened. Up in Louisville,…
The Wazee Supper Club has been holding down the corner of 15th and Wazee streets for forty years, in a part of town that’s seen more change than there are pizza toppings on the Wazee menu. Gone are the viaducts that sent traffic over, instead of through, the part of…
Where do you go for healthy food? Gretchen Kurtz gets that question a lot, and last week she reviewed LYFE Kitchen, a link in a California-based chain that wopened in Park Meadows last month. A meal at LYFE — “Eat Good Food Everyday” –isn’t supposed to just fill you up;…
Saucy Noodle Ristorante 727 South University Boulevard 303-733-6977 In August, just days after the owners of Lechuga’s, one of Denver’s oldtime Italian restaurants, sold their spot and retired, Saucy Noodle Ristorante celebrated a different kind of milestone: its fiftieth anniversary. Curious to see why the Noodle has survived when so…
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced yesterday that numerous law enforncement agencies had coordinated to swoop in and seize over 55 pounds of methamphetamine, netting 17 indictments in the process. Of those, Maria Arellano is accused of selling meth out of her taco trailer, El Paisa Mexican Food, from a…
Change is afoot at Pizzeria Locale, the fast-casual version of the Boulder pizzeria that debuted in Denver last year. In just two weeks, on October 5 a second store will open its doors on West 32nd Avenue in Highland — which is good news to Neapolitan pie and budino lovers,…
Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli closed its location at 833 Colorado Boulevard earlier this month — but if you’re a fan, fear not. Franchise owner Hugh Carlin is just moving the deli to a new location. See also: Stack Subs Piles on Another Lakewood Location at Belmar…
Tifamade Cantine is the brainchild of sandwich maven Tiffany Iung, who at one time could be seen pedaling around town on her pink bike peddling sandwiches and other treats from a reclaimed suitcase strapped to the back. Her new digs are positively palatial in comparison: a lunch window in the…
After nine months of construction (and construction delays), Lime XS has finally reopened for business on 6th Avenue, where it had been serving margaritas and Mexican fare for eight years before owner Curt Sims decided it was time for a major upgrade. Fans of Taco Tuesday and Lime’s patio will…
There are nights when I crave the unique and adventurous, the dishes with names I can’t pronounce and ingredients I’ve never heard of, much less shopped for or cooked at home — tropical fruits with pungent or savory back notes, the odd bits of meat that never even see a…
While there are many small restaurants in Denver, some eateries are so tiny that they’re really nothing more than walk-up windows. We posted a list of five of these little spots last week — which led to a big debate on the burgers at Grandpa’s Burger Haven. See also: Five…
Jason Delp has two marks in his favor when it comes to Philly steak sandwiches. First, he grew up in Philadelphia under the thrall of Steve’s Prince of Steaks, whose slogan promises that “one bite and you’ll be a subject for life.” Second, the name Delp is a big part…
The owners of Texas-based chain Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille must be confident that Denver either loves meat or that there are enough ex-pat Texans populating our southern suburbs to keep its dining room full. Even though Perry’s has ten other locations, its newest addition, snug up against Park Meadows Mall,…
Opening a restaurant in a retail strip next to a dentist’s office doesn’t exactly scream “sexy.” But if you combine a little sweat equity with years of industry experience, a former frozen yogurt shop can be transformed into someplace warm and sensuous with equal parts urban sophistication and DIY charm…
Mike Dunafon, former mayor of Glendale and husband of Debbie Matthews, owner of Shotgun Willie’s, is running for governor as a third-party candidate — and it might as well be the Party party. Because as a major booster of Glendale’s riverwalk project, he and other officials pushed for a 2011…
