On July 10, the city red-tagged the First Avenue Hotel, ordering the building vacated — and that meant that both El Diablo and Sketch had to close, at least temporarily. But after three weeks of fighting, owner Jesse Morreale managed to get a hearing yesterday morning before the Board of…
After a three-and-a-half hour hearing yesterday before the Board of Appeals that considers objections to decisions by the city’s planning department, Jesse Morreale got the okay to immediately reopen his First Avenue Hotel building — which had been closed by the city three weeks ago, slapped with notices to vacate…
The construction of the Auraria Higher Education Center four decades ago wiped out much of the earliest part of Denver. But Jonathan Pite, a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a masters of fine art in photography, documented much of this changing area in 1977. And today, his…
Chick-Fil-A has marginally good chicken sandwiches, badass waffle fries, and a company president with an avowed aversion to same-sex couples getting legally hitched. And last week plenty of critics were crying fowl about the fast-food chain, inspiring Jenn Wohletz to offer the “Five good things about the Chick-Fil-A controversy.”…
Three weeks after the city red-tagged the First Avenue Hotel, home of El Diablo and Sketch, the building remains dark while owner Jesse Morreale tries to figure out why the city suddenly decided the 106-year-old structure presents such a safety threat. This morning’s Board of Appeals hearing could be enlightening…
Fired Up opens today at 1135 Bannock Street, and it looks like this place will give Denver diners plenty of reason to get fired up. The former home of Chances has been completely made over, with a new, open kitchen designed around wood-fired pizza ovens. Owner Josh Barhaug and his…
Head for the hills if you want to own a real piece of history — or just see history in the taking. At 1 p.m. today, a 6.8 acre piece of property in Central City will be auctioned off, complete with five historic brick and stone buildings…
Pinche Taqueria snagged our Best New Restaurant award a few months ago, and now comes news that owner Kevin Morrison is building a second Pinche Taqueria at 3300 West 32nd Avenue. Take note of that address, because the signage on his first place is very subtle: Just a small sign…
Mile High Mayhem has rolled into town for the weekend, filling the city with scooter shenanigans. Bree Davies talked with Missi Kroge about the history of the scene, including the founding of the Secret Servix, and it definitely brought back memories…
More than two weeks after the city red-tagged the First Avenue Hotel, home of El Diablo and Sketch, the building remains dark — while owner Jesse Morreale tries to convince the city that the 106-year-old structure where the restaurants opened two years ago under a temporary-occupancy permit is safe. Since…
For almost a year, Santiago’s has spiced up the dining scene in Black Hawk, a spot better known for its casino buffets than green chile. The day after Christmas 2011, the ever-growing institution opened two locations inside Bullwhackers: a full-service, 64-seat restaurant on the top floor, and an express service…
While the Downtown Denver Partnership continues to update its vendor program — which has brought more vendors, more often — to the 16th Street Mall, one enterprise has left the ranks. SmashCart, the mobile burger vendor that the Smashburger chain had rolled out in May, has rolled back into the…
Just two months ago, Aurora was looking at the dawn of a new economic era. The Colorado Economic Development Commission had just recommended the proposed Gaylord Entertainment hotel/resort/convention complex receive $81.4 million from the state’sRegional Tourism Act program, on top of the $300 million in subsidies that Aurora had already…
The forty-year-old Wazee Supper Club got a facelift this summer. We’re happy about the new kitchen, and the air-conditioning — but could live without the new sign, which replaced an iconic logo with an old Coca-Cola symbol. Zzzzzzz…
Why do people feel they need to share their thoughts about an incident as horrific as the Aurora shootings in social media? The Internet overflows with comments, as people try to come to grips with their emotions. But as Bree Davies wrote in Tuesday’s Breeality Bites, many of us seem…
Initially, Jenn Wohletz thought that Taco Bell’s new Cantina Bell menu might give Chipotle a run for its money. But when a reader wondered how the same dishes might taste when made by a stoned teenager, she ordered the new bowls at an actual Taco Bell outlet — and she…
Ken Gordon is a crusader. Term-limited out of the Colorado Senate, the one-time candidate for Secretary of State, a position that oversees elections, has now decided to fix the system from the outside. Last year, he founded CleanSlateNow.org, a non-partisan organization working to get money out of politics by pressing…
Caleb Medley, wounded in the Aurora shooting, has moved hearts across the country. He and his high-school sweetheart-wife Katie moved to Aurora, where he’s worked at Walmart, then Target, then Walmart again all while dreaming of becoming a stand-up comic. Meanwhile, Katie became pregnant. Caleb is now lying in a…
Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 6. That’s the date for Dish, Westword’s eighteenth annual event dedicated to eating and imbibing. We’re staying outside this year, but moving the festivities to a new venue: the Sculpture Park outside of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where attendees can enjoy the great…
At last, some good news to come out of the horror in Aurora. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has cancelled a demonstration planned to coincide with a cattle-industry meeting tomorrow. Even PETA, which regularly uses stunts to push its agenda, realizes there are limits to bad taste for…
Last week Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig stopped by Lakewood’s Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a cake for their wedding reception — what they hoped would be a rainbow-layered masterpiece decked out in teal and red frosting (their ceremony colors). Although they’ll be reciting their vows in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the couple…
Around the country, people are trying to come to grips with the horrors of the shootings in Aurora, and trying to do something, anything, to help. In Columbus, Ohio, the 165 members of the Harmony Project choir quickly came together and in 24 hours recorded the single “How We Love,”…
