Reader: Everyone Likes Nostalgia and Kitsch, But the Food at These Old-Timers Sucks

This summer saw a record number of eateries opening in metro Denver -- but many restaurants also celebrated big anniversaries, including New York Deli News (25th anniversary), Briarwood Inn (35th anniversary) and Wazee Supper Club (40th anniversary). And all of those are relative newcomers compared to Saucy Noodle Ristorante, which...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 30, 2014

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This summer saw a record number of eateries opening in metro Denver -- but many restaurants also celebrated big anniversaries, including New York Deli News (25th anniversary), Briarwood Inn (35th anniversary) and Wazee Supper Club (40th anniversary). And all of those are relative newcomers compared to Saucy Noodle Ristorante, which turned fifty in August, and Patsy's, which passed ninety in 2011. In celebration of these longtime survivors, we published a list of a dozen restaurant that have passed fifty -- and are still in the same family's hands. See also:Are These Twelve Denver Restaurants Classics, or Should They Retire? Says cowtown:

Everyone likes nostalgia and kitsch, but unfortunately, the food in all of these places sucks.

But wait -- maybe it's Cafe Society that sucks! Because then there's this from heykyleinsf:

Are you covering the Denver scene or the corporate chain scene? What a sad, sell-out disgrace you've become, Westword. Shameful

Hmm. Perhaps he missed the fact that everything on our list of old-time restaurants was in the founding family's hands -- not Walmart's. What are your favorite, family-owned spot? Old or new?

Follow @CafeWestword

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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