Guess where I’m drinking rum punch?

The snow is melting, which means just one thing: Time for a beach drink! Although this hot spot — once a popular watering hole with garbage haulers — was about the last place I expected to find punch, I was thrilled with this cocktail. And that’s not trash talk. Can…

Photos: Tamayo introduces bottomless weekend brunches

Following on the heels of Zengo, Richard Sandoval’s Latin restaurant in Riverfront Park, which recently began offering bottomless brunch, Tamayo, Sandoval’s modern Mexican in Larimer Square, is now strutting a similar deal: $35 for unlimited cocktails, including margaritas, Bloody Marias, mimosas and Bloody Marys, along with an endless flow of…

Door 86 vegan cheese is packaged paradise

Although there are many good meat replacements on the market, a decent dairy-free cheese can be tough to come by — and you can forget about a cheese memorable enough to pair with a glass of wine. Daphne Medina, creator of Door 86 Vegan Cheese, to the rescue. She’s accomplishd…

Reader: Can’t wait to eat Brian Laird’s food again

There have been several big restaurant openings in the past month — including Old Major and Beast + Bottle — but diners are already setting their sights on fall, when Brian Laird, longtime chef at Barolo (and most recently at Sketch and consulting with the Armoury), will open his own…

Photos: Bubba Chinos has a new hip-hop mural by Stale Art

People may debate the quality of the food at Bubba Chinos, but no one is going to quibble over the quality of the mural that local artist P.J. Sierra, also known as Stale Art, painted behind the first Bubba Chinos at 160 Federal Boulevard last week. Danielle Lirette stopped by…

Yard House goes the extra yard with its Eat Late options

Yard House is known for its massive beer lineup and almost as massive menu, but its new Eat Late menu, offered from 10 p.m. to close in all 43 locations, focuses on a handful of serious dishes — including a black truffle cheeseburger and Monte Cristo pops — priced well…

Guess where I’m eating a goat, lamb, steak and pork parrillada?

There are Mexican feasts — and then there are paradillas, aluminum trays, beneath which lie burning coals, exposing the best eats from south of the border, so large in scope that even a soccer team can’t crush it. This restaurant, which serves nearly two dozen paradillas, recently added a slew…

Quick (vegan) chili for a chilly Meatless Monday

Chili’s one of those stick-to-your-ribs dishes that’s perfect for snowy spring days, especially when you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This very basic recipe can be modified to taste; you can add meat-replacement crumbles, use less garlic or toss in a dollop of maple…

Reader: Park Meadows could use some new restaurants

The idea for Grand Lux Cafe came to life when the Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas asked David Overton, founder of the Cheesecake Factory chain, to create an upscale casual restaurant concept for their property. But what happened in Vegas should have stayed in Vegas — or…

Guess where I’m eating a diner breakfast…for dinner?

This was the first time I’ve been to this diner during the daylight, but morning, noon and night, breakfast is on the menu, and while it’s more conducive to a 2 a.m. grease soak — after a few beers or ten are swishing in your belly — breakfast for dinner…

Blake Street Tavern turning basement into a game room

Three years ago, Blake Street Tavern moved a block south from the spot it had been for close to seven years, into the massive warehouse space at 2301 Blake Street that had once been home to Polly Esther’s (and many clubs before that). The first floor was filled with a…

Blue Cow Eatery gears up for Easter — and summer at Red Rocks

Charlie and Pam Nathan opened the Blue Cow Eatery in Morrison in 1990, and have had a hopping breakfast and lunch business ever since. Five years ago, they added dinner service Thursday through Sunday — but only during the Red Rocks season. Which officially kicks off at the end of…

Guess where I’m eating pupusas?

Despite the stained tablecloths, the pulsating music (and then none at all) and a dining room bereft of any bodies during the lunch hour, the housemade pupusas (and hot sauce) at this South American restaurant are worth a return visit. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who…

Mad Greens comes up maddeningly short in Cherry Creek

I learned about Mad Greens, the Denver-based, salad-serving fast-casual chain shortly after I moved to Denver. I spotted one of the stores on the 16th Street Mall, and figured the eatery catered to on-the-go, single health nuts and people who made lunch dates for reasons other than eating. So naturally,…

Hoot and Howl silenced in Northfield

We’d missed the closure of Hoot and Howl — just as most people missed the restaurant/venue when it was actually open in the Shops at Northfield Stapleton. That development isn’t very old, but already the space at 8270 East Northfield is getting a reputation as a black hole, having already…

Round two with Garren Teich, exec chef of 1515 Restaurant

Garren Teich 1515 Restaurant 1515 Market Street 303-571-0011 www.1515restaurant.com This is part two of my interview with Garren Teich, exec chef of 1515 Restaurant; part one of our chat ran yesterday. Most memorable meal you’ve had: In Pines Point, Maine, there’s a little lobster shack where you can buy a…