Dessert’s a funny thing in fancy restaurants these days. No more slices of cherry tart, chocolate cake or apple strudel unless they’re miniatures, deconstructed, flavored with something incongruous like curry, set on curlicues of sauce you have to sample with your finger because there’s not enough to get on a…
Smother love: It’s easy being green in Denver in September, when the smell of roasting chiles overrides the odor of exhaust along Federal Boulevard, and the green chile at your favorite Mexican joint carries the heat of the new harvest. For the next several weeks, Cafe Society will feature some…
There’s nothing quite like sea urchin roe, which isn’t roe at all, but the female gonads from the prickly, spiny sea creature that dwells on the ocean floor. It’s creamy, like custard, the hue of flames and its pronounced oceanic, slightly sweet flavor makes for an insanely gratifying indulgence, especially…
When brothers Kevin and Craig Caldwell took over the former Aroma Cafe (and Pita Jungle before that) at 2017 South University Boulevard near the end of 2009, they’d hoped to reopen the spot as the Crimson & Gold Tavern in the spring. But in February, they were denied a liquor…
It was a delightful Saturday morning on the sprawling front porch at Gaia Bistro, 1551 South Pearl Street. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and I was very much enjoying a savory crepe, stuffed full of succulent duck confit, creamy, decadent mornay and fluffy scrambled eggs. A friend was…
Dish, Westword’s annual party celebrating the local dining scene, went down last night at the Exdo Event Center, attracting dozens of local restaurateurs, bartenders, business types, hungry eaters and thirsty drinkers. Photographer Teal Nipp brings back these photos: Food Porn from Westword’s Dish. Here are some of the highlights:…
Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com This is part two of Lori Midson’s Q&A with Roberto Diaz, executive chef of Mezcal. To read part one of that interview, click here. What you’d like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint: Mexican food for Mexicans…
With the advent of the interwebs (big ups to Al Gore), just about anyone who eats — and yaps about it — can now be classified as a “Food Expert,” or “foodie.” Everywhere around us are douchey tools and butter-laden ladies who think that they are far superior to mere…
Elissa and I studied the front of our menus for a moment, then looked up at the same time. “Uh, FEED each other?” she giggled. According to the history of Ethiopian food printed there, the proper way to enjoy a feast in that country is by linking arms and lovingly…
Ninety-five percent of the time, I’d rather chew tin foil than a vegetarian entree. During a brief spell, I tried to convince myself otherwise; I eschewed meat for a full four months during my freshman year at a liberal arts school in Southern California — the kind of place where…
Cafe Society is off to Dish, Westword’s annual celebration of the Denver dining scene, which debuts tonight in its new location at the Exdo Events Center, 1399 35th Street. We hear there are a few general admission tickets left; they’re $40 at the door, with a portion of the proceeds…
When Jessie Burke refused to honor an expired Groupon coupon for a longtime customer, a woman named Lucinda, who wanted a bite to eat in Burke’s Portland, Oregon, cafe, Lucinda threatened to never return — until, that is, Burke sat down with her and explained the trials and tribulations of…
Dylan BurkhardtThe new Smashburger in the Tabor Center After a brief delay because of a thirteen-inch construction snafu, Smashburger finally has a downtown location, in the Tabor Center. This is the eleventh Smashburger in the metro area — but the homegrown chain, which got its start three years ago on…
You don’t come to this joint for tacos — not because they’re not good, but because they’re superseded by the restaurant’s namesake — but the tacos, doused with salsa and judiciously sprinkled with Mexican queso, deserve their own star billing. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who…
For a while, it seemed like a new gourmet burger joint was opening every few minutes in the metro area. Although they’re not as ubiquitous as Starbucks (yet), restaurants specializing in well-made burgers were clearly a big trend. The question — at least as far as this Veggie Girl is…
Tonight, while the rest of us will be grubbing and imbibing at Dish, Westword’s annual bash dedicated to Denver’s dining culture, the chefs comprised by the Denver FIVE — Jamey Fader, Troy Guard, Brian Laird, Matt Selby and Tyler Wiard — will be bringing down the storied James Beard House…
This is part one of Lori Midson’s Q&A with Roberto Diaz, the executive chef of Mezcal. Part two of that interview will run tomorrow. Roberto Diaz Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 www.mezcalcolorado.com To celebrate Mexican Independence Day last week, Roberto Diaz shimmied to the upbeat tempos of a roving…
We’ll be seeing Vail’s Kelly Liken at the Top Chef Reunion tonight. Kelly was among the four finalists who went to Singapore, then was sent home in the penultimate episode — but not before cooking many dishes that won the judges’ praise. Interestingly, Kelly said several times on the air…
This week’s review took me to Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant housed in a dilapidated building way out in the hinterland of East Colfax. Inside that spot, beneath print and handwritten accolades, Zewditu (Zodi) Aboye turns out plates of spicy, savory stews with plenty of injera. You’ll need a…
Dish, Westword’s annual celebration of the local dining scene, debuts tonight in its new home, the Exdo Events Center, 1399 35th Street. And we want our most faithful — and early-rising — readers to be there. As we announced last night in Cafe Bites, our weekly e-mail newsletter, we’re giving…
Theo Adley’s resume is full of chef stints from some of Colorado’s best restaurants. Since coming here for school in early 2000, he’s cooked at the Flagstaff House and Frasca. He moved to Aspen to get in on the action at the Little Nell, and from 2008 until early 2010,…
Baited by the lure of the Rocky Mountains, where fly fishing and lodge lounging are popular pastimes, Guy Harvey, the marine biologist, author, conservationist, scientist, world famous marine life artist and prolific restaurateur, chose Denver — specifically Northfield Stapleton — to open his Perfect Spot Bar & Grill, a new…
