No culinary high points at Lo Coastal Fusion

Lo Coastal Fusion It was a decade of experimentation — like the ‘60s had been with drugs and the ‘70s with sex, the ‘80s were about testing the boundaries of money, power and food. And an argument could be made that it was a necessary period of madness, a kind…

The tax man cometh for Denver restaurants!

Your total comes to $7,386. For evidence that times are tough, one need look no further than the eighteen-page section inserted in last Friday’s Denver Post recording the thousands of properties on which the city has filed liens for failure to pay back property taxes. It’s not just foreclosed homes,…

Cake Crumbs opens in Park Hill

If you didn’t think Park Hill could get any sweeter, the neighborhood welcomes its fourth bakery, Cake Crumbs, which just opened at 2216 Kearney earlier this month. Owners and Park Hill-ites, Denon and Sean Moore decided to bring their passion for baking and community pride by bringing their bakery from…

Get ready for the Tavern Wash Park

The previous occupant of 1066 South Gaylord, Chi Bistro, was one of Jason Sheehan’s most hated restaurants, as is evident from this review. But everyone — parking-paranoid Wash Park residents included — should be pleased by the place that will be opening in that spot on Monday, October 27. It’s…

Otto’s American Grill now open in Parker

Parker just got a new neighborhood hang-out, with the September 22 opening of Otto’s American Grill at 18366 East Lincoln, in the old Pasta Bella location. Otto’s was opened by John Davis, a restaurateur who had a variety of spots in Phoenix before setting down roots in the Denver area…

Last day at Valente’s Italian Restaurant

Valente’s Italian Restaurant, which had been up and running for 44 years, closed today following a combination Columbus Day/retirement party for owner Ray Valente. And that festive, long goodbye wasn’t the only thing that distinguished the Valente’s closing from another recent high-profile closing: that of Jim Sullivan’s Nine75 (the restaurant…

Milking It: Smorz cereal

Smorz Kellogg’s Rating: Three spoons out of four. Cereal description: Corn-flour squares with rounded corners and a color scheme that runs the gamut from tan to light brown; that’s quite a range. They’re supplemented by cylindrical white marshmallows featuring streaks that are supposed to make diners think of chocolate. As…

White Chocolate Grill opens today in Park Meadows

Damn the economy — full speed ahead! The Vistas at Park Meadows Mall gains another restaurant today when White Chocolate Grill opens at 4 p.m. Although the name seems to promise a fried-ice-cream-like experience, White Chocolate’s menu actually includes a full range of American dishes, from fresh seafood flown in…

Cooking tips from Mr. James Carville

First you get yourself a real big pork tenderloin… Want to read some unfortunate phrasing? Check out this teaser from the website of the Aurora Economic Development Council, which is hosting an event tonight called A-List 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Denver: A-List 2008 is the most highly anticipated event…

Bagali’s Italian Kitchen opens in Broomfield

Fans would apparently give the shirt off their backs to visit Bagali’s in Vail. The chain gang will be getting some competition in Broomfield. After a private event tonight, Bagali’s Italian Kitchen will open to the public tomorrow at 570 Zang Street. “We just saw this spot, it’s among a…

Candy Girls: Hershey’s Halloween Candy

Hershey’s Candy Corn Kisses While we generally like candy corn and Hershey’s Kisses separately, we really weren’t too sure what they would taste like combined. Because when you think about it, candy corn is really just flavored like…. sugar? Maybe slightly caramely sugar? Not a flavor that would hold up…

Save Jason Sheehan’s booth at Nine75

Nine75 is slated to reopen on Friday, October 10, under its new owner, the Jet Entertainment Group. There are lots of questions involved in this deal — for example, will suppliers who’d cut off former owner Jim Sullivan return to Nine75? Will those outstanding bills be paid? How many of…

Santa Fe Tequila Company takes a shot at Littleton

The original Santa Fe Tequila Company on Santa Fe Drive. Santa Fe Tequila Company has gotten mixed reviews (including mine) since it opened on Santa Fe Drive (technically at 901 West Tenth Avenue) last November, but that hasn’t prevented the concept from expanding to Littleton. A second Santa Fe Tequila…

Veggie Girl: Thai Basil

Sometimes I really crave a good plate of sesame tofu. Crunchy, golden tofu that’s burning hot on the outside and so soft inside that it melts in your mouth. Crisp, steamed veggies; brown rice; sticky, sweet delicious sauce. Yum! The craving hit a couple of days ago when I was…

Whole Foods “Secret Ingredient” is satisfying food porn

Hungry for some non-offensive food porn? Check out the Whole Foods Market Secret Ingredient videos blog . The varying hosts take ingredients — a different one is highlighted each week — from Whole Foods and then create healthy, simple meals, including Spicy-Coconut Braised Black Cod, Lakeside Turkey Burgers and Grilled…

A meal at Relish is something to relish

Lemon-braised artichoke with roasted garlic herb butter. Venison carpaccio with Humboldt Fog blue cheese, organic olive oil and black pepper. Steak Diane with truffled garlic mashed potatoes, and a New York strip with white cheddar sweet-potato fries. There was also a quote/unquote Niçoise — a loose chef’s interpretation with Colorado…

Cafe Bisque joins the brunch bunch

Before there was Limón or the Arvada Grill, chef Alex Gurevich had Cafe Bisque. I first wrote about the restaurant not long after it opened, and excoriated the harebrained international floundering of the menu. I was much more effusive about the restaurant in 2005, and even welcomed Cafe Bisque back…

Aqua is outta here

Jay Chadrom hasn’t been able to settle a dispute with his landlord at the Beauvallon — but he did managed to settle something else: He just closed Aqua, his raw bar and kitchen-free restaurant at 925 Lincoln, and reports that he’s “very busy removing everything.” But some of the things…

How did Daphne’s turkey sandwich fare?

This sandwich is much better than my picture. Daphne’s Deli 393 Corona Street 303-733-1212 The Daphne $7.75 (with a pickle and side of potato salad) Turkey, avocado and Cajun sauce on sourdough bread How best to take the measure of a man or a meal? A fine question. For a…

More of the same at SAME

The idea sounded too good to be true. But after less than two years in business, SAME Café — the philanthropic restaurant based on the simple yet revolutionary idea that everyone deserves a healthy, fresh, organic meal at whatever price they can afford– is expanding. The name of the place…

A dinner to relish at Relish

Matt Fackler took his inspiration for Relish from Colorado. Lemon braised artichoke with roasted garlic herb butter. Venison carpaccio with Humboldt Fog blue cheese, organic olive oil and black pepper. Chicken fingers (for lack of a better term), smoked and fried and served with summer sweet corn and blue crab…