Wanted: A new tenant for the old Drift Inn

For many, many years, this storefront at 6901 East Colfax Avenue was home to the Drift Inn. But eventually, that classic saloon drifted into history, and the space was turned into Joe’s West of Memphis, an BBQ joint with an Elvis-heavy vibe. But Joe’s went south, too. Next up: the Spinnin’ Chicken, a family-owned rotisserie chicken…

Another Noodle for Noodles & Company

Colorado — the state where it all began — will get its 35th Noodles & Company outpost today. The restaurant opening at 1601 Mayberry Drive in Highlands Ranch is the second in that town and the 203rd in the country. Noodles & Company has come a long way since founder Aaron…

An official opening date for Root Down

Word just came down that Root Down, the new field-to-fork, small plates restaurant that’s recycled an old service station at1600 West 33rd Avenue, has an official opening set for Friday, December 19. And owner Justin Cucci should have no problem making that date, because the restaurant had to secure its certificate of…

Bad health reports, good pancakes at Children’s Hospital

The 24/7 cafeteria at Children’s Hospital has long been known for its pancakes, which survived the trip from the old facility in central Denver out to the new Children’s campus in Aurora. Years ago, Westword columnist Marty Jones flipped over the flapjacks in his Consumed column; just this fall, renowned restaurateur Frank Bonanno (of…

Le Central is even more affordable during happy hour

Le Central, the restaurant at 112 East Eighth Avenue, has billed itself as the Affordable French Restaurant since it opened close to thirty years ago. And now it’s getting even more affordable, introducing an incredible happy hour deal today that will run from 3-5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The lineup includes super-French…

Elway’s Downtown is seriously lacking in fun

The first time I stepped into Elway’s Downtown at the Ritz-Carlton, I immediately wanted to turn around, get in my car and drive somewhere more my speed: some greasy taquería, perhaps, a dive bar where I could get into an argument with a midget about Irish versus Scotch whiskey, even…

The Corner Office is one hot hotel restaurant

Elway’s Downtown (see review, page 41) sells luxury — fat steaks and lobster tails, murderously expensive ports and oysters from the raw bar, all cloaked in the trappings of a retro-nouvelle design meant to invoke those heavy, serious steakhouses of yore while still keeping the dining room approachable enough that…

Fisher Clark hams it up

Fisher Clark Deli 723 South University Boulevard 303-722-2091   Spanish Ham and Cheese Serrano ham, chorizo, manchego cheese, arugula, pear and onion jam on focaccia bread $8.95   Yeah, nine bucks is a lot to spend on a sandwich, so Fisher Clark is a place I only go to occasionally…

Guilty verdict in Ha Noi Pho Case

Yesterday, a Denver jury convicted Phuong Van Dang of attempted first-degree assault on a peace officer, attempted aggravated robbery and a whole one-from-column-A, one-from-column-B menu of other charges connected to an incident last fall at Ha Noi Pho, at 1036 South Federal Boulevard. Dang was armed with a shotgun and wearing a mask…

Morreale heads back to the future with Sketch

Over a year after he closed the well-reviewed but poorly performing Sketch Food & Wine in Cherry Creek, it looks like restaurateur/developer Jesse Morreale is reviving the concept — or at least the name — on Broadway. Morreale bought the historic, decrepit and partially vacant 1st Avenue Hotel building at…

CANstructive learning

The Salvation Army has teamed up with area schools to put a creative twist on the classic canned-food drive with CANstruction. I vividly remember canned- food drives in elementary and middle school; how I’d make a parent take me to Costco to get that last case of Top Ramen for a food drive just so our…

Robert Thompson is headed back to Denver

When last we saw Robert Thompson, he’d closed Brasserie Rouge, was out of Atomic Cowboy, and was selling B-52 Billiards (which would become the Real World: Denver House, then Theorie). He moved on to Chicago, where he’s now co-owner of Seasoned Development — a restaurant company that just leased 5,500 space at 1433…

Grilling in a winter wonderland

Black is the new black, forty is the new thirty, and you know what? Winter is the new summer. Yeah, you heard me. Effin A. I didn’t grow up with a barbecue grill in the back yard (well, there was technically a grill, but it was more of a spider…

Elway’s Downtown is seriously lacking in fun

Elway’s — the original Elway’s — spawned this second location, which opened in January. The Ritz management, its F&B people and chef de cuisine Ben Davison all spent time poking around the kitchen and dining room of the Cherry Creek restaurant. In one of those quirks of synchronicity that I…

SAME Cafe makes the Washington Times

The idea — letting people pay what they can (or want to) for a meal — sounded crazy from the start, but SAME Cafe just keeps going. And growing, having recently expanded into the storefront next to its original home at 2023 East Colfax. And the restaurant just rated a story in…

‘Rebel or Submit’? Aix gives you the option

On Wednesday nights, Aix (our Best Taste of Provence) is now offering ‘Rebel or Submit’ dinners in addition to its regular menu. The rules are relatively simple: If you Rebel, you choose your meal; if you Submit, Aix chooses your meal. With the Rebel option, you get a number of salad, side and entree options. Submit, and the kitchen…

Mermaids Bakery and Pie House

Maybe it’s because I’m landlocked that I wonder about the magic of the sea, the rush of the waves and soft sand between my toes. Now, don’t go trying to take away my Colorado native pass, because I love my mountains! But when I drift away, I usually end up on…

The Cody Inn’s new ownership

The Cody Inn is back in business. The restaurant located at 866 Lookout Mountain Road in Golden closed this summer, and reopened September 30 with Perri and Paul Gummerson as the new owners. The Gummersons renovated the eighty-seat restaurant, replacing lighting and adding a lounge area, a new bar and a patio that’s a…

What burn(ed) my toast

Recently I had a run-in with some less-than-delicious bacon. After I wrote about it, Sue from Whole Foods posted a comment that I should get in touch. So I did, and Sue Raney, store accountant at the Ideal Market in Boulder (which owned by Whole Foods), made a gracious offer of a gift…

The List: Best burgers

Every Monday through the end of March 2009 (when we unveil the Best of Denver 2009) we’ll be posting a list of some of our favorite Denver dishes/restaurants on Cafe Society. Have a request? A comment? Post it here. Jason Sheehan’s recent review of The Counter (shown here) got us thinking about…

Now open: Mangia Bevi at Palazzo Verdi

People have been raving about Palazzo Verdi since the office building housing the Madden Museum of Art as well as the Atrium event space debuted last month. And now Mangia Bevi is giving them more reason to applaud. The European-style cafe, created by Larry DiPasquale and run by his Epicurean Catering  (which also…