Basil Flats opens in Longmont

Noodles & Company founder Aaron Kennedy and former COO Joe Serafin have a new project: Basil Flats. The first in what could become another string of restaurants opened at 1067 South Hover in Longmont on February 18. Basil Flats builds off the successful business model of Noodles & Company. “We…

Chef and Tell with Drew Middleton from Gaia Bistro

Drew Middleton Gaia Bistro 1551 South Pearl Street 303-777-5699 www.gaiabistro.com “Cooking wasn’t my passion; music was,” says Drew Middleton, who moved from San Antonio to Denver in 2001 at the coaxing of a music producer who was interested in signing Middleton’s former band, Medicine, after hearing a demo CD. “We…

Deluxe Burger is looking good on Colfax

Deluxe Burger, billed as “Love on a Bun,” will open on Saturday, February 27, “come hell or highwater,” promises Erick Roorda, co-owner of Mod Livin’, the design/décor store at 5327 East Colfax Avenue that’s partnered with restaurateur Dylan Moore on the project. “It’s going to be fun – the way…

Remember the Alamo! Bulldog to become Lost Lake Lounge

The sign next to Bulldog Bar reads, “Bar Closed. Remember the Alamo!” While this spot at 3602 East Colfax Avenue has held several memorable joints — the Bulldog (where our Drunk of the Week got gonged), and the Monroe Tavern (commemorated in our Colfax project, the first of our annual…

Ian Kleinman is cooking with gas at hushDenver

“Eat it quick, right after it comes out,” instructs chef Ian Kleinman, “and then you can get some real smoke to come out of your nose.” He spoons an amorphous white puff that he calls Kettle Corn Space Foam from the liquid nitrogen, and I raise the frozen, seemingly meringue-like…

Café Cafe to become La Crema

Café Cafe, the cozy crepes and coffee shop at 2339 West 44th Avenue, is getting a new owner and a new name: La Crema Cafeteria. The cafe, a community gathering spot in the Sunnyside neighborhood that happens to offer some of the finest lox around, has been purchased by Ulises…

Avenue Grill adds brunch…finally

Avenue Grill, at 630 East 17th Avenue, will finally offer its first official brunch on Saturday, February 27. It’s been a long time in the making. “It’s just something we have been thinking about for some time,” explains manager Dan Allen. “We have been working on putting something together that…

Siamese Plate on the Go….directly to jail?

Last year, the son of the owner of Arvada’s Alamos Verdes was rated the Worst Boss of 2009, an honor he clinched with “simply repulsive” behavior with young female employees, according to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC in October. But Opas Sinprasong, owner of several Thai restaurants in Boulder…

Walk-in Burgers opens in Edgewater

“I’ve been in the food racket for a long time, and I enjoy food and seeking our trends,” says Chip Eakins, who opened Walk-In Burgers at 2255 Sheridan Boulevard, in the former space belonging to Sister’s Pizza and Mussels, on February 18. “I started traveling quite a bit and realized…

Guess where I’m eating?

See that nearly straight line of lettuce and tomatoes in the above snap? That was the best thing about the entire plate, which, to put it bluntly, sucked. It could have been my fault for not ordering the joint’s signature item, but considering everything here is cooked in a commissary…

Terry Nichols doesn’t like prison food. Supermax-size that!

Convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is on a hunger strike, because he doesn’t like the food served at Supermax, the federal prison in Florence where he’s housed with a who’s who of this country’s criminals. Last Thursday, Nichols filed a five-page, hand-written note in U.S. District Court in…

Starbucks gets the royal treatment from Burger King

Starbucks must be in a cup of hot water. Why else would it team up with Burger King to sell its branded “Seattle’s Best Coffee” this summer, at prices ranging from $1 to $2.79 for a cup of java? McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts have been pumping out their own signature…

Dixons Downtown Grill: Show us your ticket stub, save on grub

Hey, culture snobs: The next time you think about tossing your ticket stub to the tenth performance of Phantom, think twice. Dixons Downtown Grill, 1610 16th Street, is offering 20 percent off your tab (food only) every time you present a manager with a stub or ticket from the Denver…