Chili today, hot tomorrow

We’re hearing good things about Chili Verde, a new restaurant cooking up southern Mexican cuisine at 3700 Tejon Street. Good things, that is, about everything but its lack of alcohol — but that could change next month. Owner Eder Yanez-Mota has a liquor-license hearing with the Denver Department of Excise…

Guess where I’m eating?

It’s only Tuesday, and already we’ve seen a green chile smackdown between El Taco de Mexico and Santiago’s and a shout-out to all you vegheads for meatless verde recommendations that won’t make the PETA terrorists people pissed. And now, strictly by coincidence, comes the above photo of three rolled enchiladas…

Brio Tuscan Grille to open next week in Cherry Creek

The economy has slowed some restaurant projects and killed others, but Brio Tuscan Grille is right on track to open Wednesday, September 2 in the former (and much renovated) Macaroni Grill space at 2500 East First Avenue, in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Brio is brought to us by the…

Mysteries of Sheehan’s Desk: Day 10

Yesterday I wrote about my favorite gift from PETA. This one’s my second favorite. And yes, it is what it looks like: one of those little wind-up Easter chicks, only with its beak cut off, its eyes poked out and splashed in blood. Not real subtle, those PETA folks. But…

Let the dough fly: There’s a pizza battle brewing at Belmar

There’s a pizza battle brewing at Belmar and Virgilio Urbano, the owner of Virgilio’s Pizzeria, which is across the street from Belmar at 7986 West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, is right in the thick of it. Seems that Virgilio’s has been denied acceptance into Belmar’s Festival Italiano, the shopping district’s…

Harvest Week should produce a cornucupia of good food

Sunday night at Campo de Fiori (300 Fillmore Street), a group of local restaurateurs and spirit-pushers hosted a kick-off party for Harvest Week, sponsored by DINR (the Denver Independent Network of Restaurants) and offering a taste of what to expect at this year’s event, which runs September 12-18. As David…

Green Chile Smackdown! El Taco de Mexico v. Santiago’s

Since listing our top-ten green chile places last week, we’ve been swimming in the stuff, comparing this taste to that, defending our picks, revisiting our favorites and finally conducting a green chile smackdown. And it kills me to admit this, but in today’s side-by-side comparison of El Taco de Mexico…

A replacement for the Bugling Bull?

There was a time when I swore that the best barbecue to be had in the state of Colorado was at the Bugling Bull Trading Post, a kind of general store/truck stop/campground supplier down on 1668 North Highway 67 in Sedalia. Pit man Mike Frislie used to run a kind…

Ask the Critic: A greener green chile

On the blog this week, there’s been a lot of talk about green chile ’round these parts. We have eaten chile and argued about green chile, compared green chile and made a list of our favorite green chiles across the city. One thing we didn’t get into very much? Vegetarian…

Lunch Starts Tuesday at Colt & Gray

I’d heard that Colt &Gray, the new gastropub at 1553 Platte Street, was opening for lunch today, so on Saturday I made a reservation for 1 p.m. today using Open Table. But last night, I received the following voicemail message: “Hi, this is Nicole over at Colt &Gray…. Unfortunately, we…

Best Invention Ever: The Red Bull of beef jerky

Technology put a man on the moon. It’s allowed us to see distant stars, to unravel the mysteries of the universe and to get free porn at any hour of day or night. And now, to those lofty achievements, we can add one even loftier: energy jerky. That’s right, it’s…

Mysteries of Sheehan’s Desk: Day 9

I have a lot of reasons to hate PETA. They’re pushy, they’re nuts, they’re cultish and, occasionally, they’re terrorists. They’re positively militant in their defense of all god’s fuzziest critters, have no qualms in who they select as the targets of their campaigns (joyously going after women, children and Holocaust…

Guess where I’m eating?

I’m fully aware of how cruel it is to post a pic of a pizza that looks this magnificent, especially since I know that many of you are probably holed up in a cube somewhere, stomach gurgling, wondering if it’s going to be another Subway lunch day. But if this…

Hot dog! An award-winning Colorado recipe

Maria Carrion-Kozak of Colorado just took home the grand prize from Oscar Mayer’s Sabor de Mama recipe contest. Carrion-Kozak’s award-winner, “Tortilla Mama Luisa,” is a variation on her grandmother’s original Tortilla Espanola recipe — the hot dogs are new — and dedicated to her mother Luisa. “Oscar Mayer congratulates Mrs…

The Larimer Square guys and Sean Kelly get a pizza the action

Sometime in December, Jeff Hermanson, Joe Vostrejs and Rod Wagner will add a new pizza bar to their portfolio of successful restaurants that already includes Billy’s Inn, LoHi Steakbar and pretty much every chow house on Larimer Square. Their newest place, whose name is yet to be determined, will take…

Milking It: Mother’s Graham Bumpers

Graham Bumpers Mother’s Rating: Three spoons out of four Cereal description: Corn, oat and rice mashed together and then molded into thick, gently curved, boldly rippled rectangles. They resemble outdoor-recliner cushions made of wood, or perhaps swimming pool rafts destined to sink to the bottom in a matter of seconds…

On the job: The hazards of being a host

Restaurant work can involve unexpected hazards. Last Thursday was the third installment of the Riverfront Fashion show, a series held at the foot of the Millennium Bridge that’s become a real hit in town. But one former host at a nearby restaurant is still recovering from the hit she took…

Tonight: Harvest Week kick-off party at Campo de Fiori

Tonight, Campo De Fiori, 300 Fillmore Street, is hosting an advance kickoff party for Harvest Week, a weeklong homage to Colorado produce and products that takes place in September at metro restaurants, all of which are members of DINR, the Denver Independent Network of Restaurants. Tonight’s pre-party, which starts at…

Cafe Society: Week in review

What you might have missed this week on Cafe Society while celebrating Andrew’s reopening and wondering about Brandon’s…Chef and tell: an interview with Lola and Big Red F’s Jamey FaderThe 10 worst lunchboxes and what they say about the kids who carried them.  Did yours make the list?Pete Marczyk demonstrated…

The heat is on at the new Larimer Hot House

Things are heating up on Larimer Street. Hutch & Spoon opened two weeks ago at 3090 Larimer Street, and just two days ago, Larimer Hot House got up and running at 2810 Larimer, in the space formerly occupied by Espo Gelato. The restaurant, owned by Eric Chiappetta, the guy who…

Ba Le Sandwich…and yogurt?

Saw this while I was wandering around South Federal Boulevard yesterday afternoon looking for soup. Ba Le has always been one of the best places in town to get a sandwich–probably the best place to get banh mi, and certainly the cheapest. But now, it looks like it’ll also be…