If we were having a party, someone would pull out home movies and framed pictures of the early years, and we'd gawk at funny collars and hairstyles. Instead, I'm offering a snapshot of what Denver's food scene looked like when I started two years ago... See also: New Cafe critic Gretchen Kurtz dishes up a few words about her philosophy
When I wrote my first review in September 2012: 1) Pork belly was bigger than oysters. 2) People still ordered entrees. 3) Barn wood was for barns. 4) Offal was poised to be anything but awful. Keep reading for seven more changes on the dining scene. 5) Donuts were for cops, and cupcakes were king. 6) Glendale was a place you drove through on your way to Target or I-25, Ballpark was shorthand for where the Rockies play, and the only reason you went down Brighton Boulevard was if you were lost. Exaggeration? Yes -- but only a little bit. 7) Burgers were big. Oh, right, they still are. Keep reading for three more changes on the dining scene. 8) Fast casuals were for sandwiches and burritos, not trained chefs. 9) The more than 600 restaurants and bars that have debuted since then were only a twinkle in somebody's eye. 10) Ampersands were just another punctuation mark, no hipper than the semicolon.Follow @CafeWestword
