When chef Jeff Osaka opened twelve in November 2008, he wasn’t thinking about a day more than four years in the future, the last triple date of this century: 12/12/12. He wasn’t thinking about the future much at all. He’d named his restaurant twelve to reflect the fact that he…
All those outdoor fireplaces at the big-box stores look like they’d make great holiday gifts — but not for Denver residents. Because outdoor fires are banned here, unless they’re used for cooking. One fire-loving Platt Park couple learned that last winter, when they were huddled around their backyard chiminea and…
Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Central Bistro & Bar this week, and although she loved many of chef Lance Barto’s dishes, she didn’t like the giant HOT sign that dominates the decor. Even though it comes with a tasty back story — the six-foot-high letters used to be part of the sign…
The Denver Cruisers were out in force last night, for a “retro ski wear” ride that could be featured on an It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, the pilot for a Travel Channel show hosted by Bert Kreischer. But is the Cruiser Ride ready for prime time? See also: – Denver Cruisers…
Jason Bosch won a MasterMind for his work with ArgusFest, showing important movies for trivial prices. Tonight, ArgusFest will be screening two segments of Oliver Stone’s The Untold History of the United States. And as Bosch notes, “You don’t need to have seen the first two parts to follow along,…
Ballet Nouveau Colorado was started twenty years ago to fill what the founders perceived as a need for quality ballet training and educational dance programs in Denver’s north metro community. But you have to be on your toes to keep up with what Ballet Nouveau is doing these days, and…
The situation was stupid enough that Ken Salazar probably wanted to punch someone. When the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was unveiled in 2011, eagle-eyed wordsmiths quickly pointed out that one of the quotes etched into the granite monument had taken King’s words out of context, making him seem like…
Are you feeling naughty or nice this holiday season? The answer could be a combo of both, if you attend the Cinnful & Sweet Party tonight, December 12, at the Dive Inn, 1380 South Broadway, where Cinnaster — the new cinnamon-flavored liqueur from Tuaca Liqueur — will be launched in…
What defines a neighborhood restaurant these days? That’s what Gretchen Kurtz asked yesterday, after eating several meals at Central Bistro & Bar for this week’s review (which will be posted here later today). Chef Lance Bardo, who opened Central in July, wanted to create a “gathering place” for the hot…
The Backseat Budgeter, our Best of Denver 2011 winner for Best Way to Understand the Budget, is back — and just in time. Mayor Michael Hancock’s push for the passage of 2A last month — a deBrucing that allows the city to retain extra money collected — resulted in an…
Tonight the new look of Zanzibar Billiards will be unveiled on Spike TV’s Bar Rescue. For the past four days, Jon Taffer and crew have been at Zanzibar, studying the spot and then executing a major update of both its concept and design. The new Zanzibar will be unveiled tonight…
When John Hickenlooper addressed the Democratic National Convention in early September, he emphasized how Coloradans could overcome party differences to collaborate — unlike Congress. And Coloradans offered an impressive display of collaboration yesterday, when former Senator Hank Brown, a Republican, and Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat, unveiled the Colorado Compact…
Websites are not the only way to get news about Denver. We love learning about this city by reading the fliers posted on billboards and light posts around town — fliers that usually hype band gigs, advertise garage sales, or lament lost pets. One flier in particular caught our eye…
With all the bad news about media layoffs, here’s a real reason to celebrate: Tonight, the Open Media Foundation will celebrate six years of independent voices on Denver Open Media — which not only runs Denver’s public-access channels on Comcast, but also provides training and services for non-profits and kids…
Would legendary New York Times critic Craig Claiborne have approved of Gretchen Kurtz reviewing So Perfect Eats? “If the granddaddy of restaurant criticism didn’t think restaurants had to have tablecloths, a maître d’ and a mixologist to be considered fair game,” she writes, “then neither do I.” Still, she’s come…
Bree Davies is a native, one who loves Denver with a passion — and is understandably protective of this city. And so this week she offer this advice “from a Colorado native to a transplant: Your altitude problem is my attitude problem.” Although some didn’t appreciate the sentiment — or…
Back when Fuqua Development was still touting Walmart as the major tenant in the project planned for the old University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, Jeff Fuqua promised that there would be a “chef-driven” restaurant on the site — inspiring some critics to ask…
The folks behind Unit E, the art space at 1201 Santa Fe Drive that won our Best DIY Gallery in the Best of Denver 2012, are used to big parties on First Friday. But on November 2, they got more action than they’d bargained for: Co-founder Gregg Ziemba was busted…
Last week, the mayor’s office confirmed that Fuqua Development and its capital partner, the Lionstone Group, were negotiating with King Soopers regarding the anchor retail spot in a revised development plan for the former CU Health Sciences Center property at East Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. What went unsaid is…
“Food programming has come a long way since Julia Child cooked her way into our hearts,” Gretchen Kurtz wrote earlier this week. “For all her affability, Child was trying to do one thing: demystify fine cooking for an audience dependent on canned soup and casseroles.” But did Child, and all…
Michael Roberts just offered up ten Colorado-connected hotties, ingenues and reality-TV stars — everyone from Jessica Biel to Pam Grier. And while one reader thinks that “‘reality’ and ‘star’ should never, ever be used in the same sentence,” another had a more pressing concern… A woman scorned. See also: -…
On Friday, December 7, theOpen Media Foundation will celebrate six years of independent voices on Denver Open Media with a party from 7:30 to 10 p.m. – with music by Achille Lauro, pioneers in Denver’s independent music scene; a silent auction to support independent businesses and OMF; and food and…
