Wake-up call: Return to sender

Yesterday, a reader sent me this note: The other day I got a letter in my mail box from Governor Bill Ritter about Long Term Care. It is great to see him helping out Coloradans with a very important life experience issue. I applaud his efforts. However, it pained me…

Whoa! Big Hoss opening halted

After a kitchen fire at the end of June, Big Hoss Bar-B-Q had hoped to reopen by the Fourth of July weekend. When Hoss Orwat’s barbecue joint blew through that deadline, it set July 15 as a goal. But Big Hoss didn’t make that one, either. The tentative reopening date…

Mulberries to pack up on South Pearl

Life on South Pearl Street will be a little less sweet when Mulberries Cake Shop leaves its longtime spot at 1570 South Pearl and moves to Colfax and Vine — where the baked goods will be just as impressive, they promise, and the new place will have the added amenity…

Wake-Up Call: State of the union

At the entrance to my local Safeway, just off Federal at 26th Avenue, a small plaque in the ground commemorates two grocery-store workers who were killed when a car crashed into the store’s parking lot back in 1996. On a door to the store are fliers advertising job opportunities at…

Walnut Room makes a move on Broadway

After almost two years of searching, Walnut Room owner John Burr has finally found a spot for his next venture, the Walnut Room Pizzeria. It’s the former home of Freaky’s, at 2 Broadway. There was a fire in the building at Broadway and Ellsworth back in March 2008 and the…

Lots of action on Market Street

Westword’s first office was located in the 1400 block of Market Street, before that area was nicknamed LoDo, before Larimer Square a block away was one of the hottest restaurant neighborhoods in town, back when our neighbors were parking lots and restaurant and hospital supply companies. The space right below…

Wine Cellar, Brio liquor license hearings today

As reported here in March, the Wine Cellar could soon uncork in Highland. This morning, the prospective owners of the joint, which would take over the spot at 2556 15th once occupied by the Red Door shop, are at their liquor-license hearing before the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses…

Wake-Up Call: The state of this city

Mayor John Hickenlooper delivered his seventh State of the City speech yesterday, standing on the Greek Pavilion in Civic Center Park at the start of the work day. It was a stunning setting for a sobering speech; the park’s lushness made Hickenlooper’s message all the more stark: There’s no money…

Big Hoss finally reopens

On its answering machine, Big Hoss Bar-B-Q still refers to the mishap that closed the restaurant as a “minor kitchen fire,” but recovering from the late June incident has turned into a major pain. Initially, Big Hoss had hoped to reopen by July 4, then by July 6 (the date…

Steuben’s high on Mile High Music Festival

Last year, Steuben’s served over 2,000 burgers and sandwiches at the Mile High Music Festival, and it’s signed on again for this year’s fest July 18-19– partnering with the Colorado Restaurant Association Education Foundation to raise money for young adults wanting to join the food-service and hospitality industry. CRAEF volunteers…

Wake-Up Call: No walk in the park

At 8 a.m. today, Mayor John Hickenlooper will deliver his seventh, and certainly most challenging, State of the City speech. Last year, Denver’s biggest worry was making sure the Democratic National Convention ran smoothly (the controversy that would erupt over Renee Marie’s Star-Spangled bungle at Hickenlooper’s speech wouldn’t help). Today,…

Washington to finally get some balls

Lawmakers will finally get some balls this week, when the Western Business Roundtable hosts its annual “Taste of the West” reception at the Rayburn Office Building on Thursday. complete with Rocky Mountain oysters, the official food of Colorado. “We’ve been doing a Taste of the West event in D.C. for…

Free Food— the film, that is

Chipotle Mexican Grill is underwriting a screening of Food, Inc., the stomach-turning documentary now showing at Chez Artiste, 2800 South Colorado Boulevard. The free showing is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15; the first 275 people in line get in gratis. To whet your film-going appetite, read Tyler Nemkov’s interview with…

More raw ambition on South Pearl Street

Toshi and Yasu Kizaki, the owners of the beloved Sushi Den at 1487 South Pearl Street, weren’t content with putting a world-famous sushi restaurant in the heart of Denver’s South Pearl neighborhood. In August 2007, they expanded their empire by opening Izakaya Den across the street at 1518 South Pearl,…

Wake-Up Call: And so it grows

Everywhere I go in Denver, in Colorado, I’m reminded of John Parr and Sandy Widener, the much-loved couple who did so much to change the psychic landscape of this state before they were killed in a car crash with their daughter, Chase, in December 2007. I think of them when…

Blowing the top off topless coffee-shop plans

In the current Shmuck of the Week, Joe Tone weighs in on Dan Kennedy, the University of Colorado sophomore who wants to open a topless coffee shop in a campus conference room that would only be open one day a week — but somehow could cover the costs of topless…

BBQ and bluegrass at Gelman’s

Gelman’s Restaurant & Bar, at 2911 West 38th Avenue, continues to evolve. What started as a market/deli a few years ago, then turned into a full-service restaurant last year, is now featuring BBQ and bluegrass on weekends. The action started last night but picks up again this afternoon, when chef…

Don’t have a cow! Dress as one instead

There’s not a moment to lose: Any customer dressed as a cow will get a free Chick-fil-A meal on July 10, Cow Appreciation Day. Which happens to be today, so grab your cow-hide jacket and hoof it to Park Meadows or any other Colorado Chick-fil-A® restaurant for a free meal…

Sheehan, wine and a whine-tasting

Several readers have commented on Jason Sheehan’s recent review of Sketch, particularly his confession that he’s just not that into wine: I used to think it was ­me — that I didn’t have the taste for it, that there was something magical about wine, some secret I had yet to…

Wake-Up Call: Making tracks to Denver

Colorado, New Mexico and Texas officials announced yesterday that they’ve joined in an effort to secure the country’s eleventh high-speed rail corridor — and the billions in federal dollars that would go to such an enterprise. The concept of a high-speed train zooming up from the border has promise. But…

It’s not easy finding green

While some people count out-of-state license plates on their road trips, we look for out-of-place green chile offerings. It’s not hard to find Denver’s favorite dish if you’re staying in-state; just about every town in Colorado has a Mexican restaurant that offers its own version of green chile. And if…

This spud’s for you at the DPL

Chris Loffelmacher serves up plenty of food for thought at Fresh City Life, his cultural/social series that’s turned the Denver Public Library into the hottest ticket in town. Now, in celebration of summer and this hot, hot weather, Fresh City Life is teaming up with Whole Foods Market, Dazzle Restaurant…