With Sheila Lucero in the kitchen, a meal at Jax goes swimmingly. Once again, I find myself wishing I were a big fat man, one of those renowned, infamous gastronomes of old. I wish I were James Beard, who could put away a dozen oysters, a pound of Gulf shrimp,…
When The Real World: Denver production crew took over the former home of B-52 Billiards, at 1920 Blake Street, they turned it into some pretty swank digs. And in November 2006, before the MTV show had even finished its run, Shane Alexander and Josh Hawkinson bought the building and remodeled…
When Brix opened at 3000 East Third Avenue a few years ago, it gave Cherry Creek an unexpected, hip hot spot. But then the partners behind Brix split (read more about it in this week’s Bite Me), and earlier this year the space became Barron’s Bar & Bistro. But Barron’s…
It was always a desperation drink, what you grabbed when you just couldn’t look at another beer, something you could pretend was a gin-and-tonic in a bottle if you used enough limes. Coors Brewing Company, then the nation’s number-three brewer, devoted one and a half years–and a reported $3.5 million–to…
In honor of the Wynkoop Brewing Co.’s twentieth anniversary, we’re asking readers to send their memories of the brewpub — with the author of the best account getting free beer! As a former Westword employee, John Kessler is not eligible for that prize — but his story is definitely a…
Why wait? Early voting starts today — too late to stop the continued barrage of campaign visits to Colorado. This week’s frequent fliers: Sarah Palin, barnstorming the state today, and Joe Biden, coming tomorrow. But the Colorado ballot includes more, much more, than just national offices, as the non-stop barrage…
Construction — or, rather destruction — began this week on Sean Yontz’s old Chama space in the Belmar development, which is scheduled to become Phoenix chef Mark Tarbell’s second Colorado restaurant, following the success of his first, The Oven, in that same Lakewood project. One complication: Tarbell doesn’t yet have…
Goodnight, Mel’s. I got word last night from Charlie Master that the last location of the Master family restaurant empire is finally closing. Mel’s Bistro, at 1120 East Sixth Avenue, has been on the block for some time now, and while many of Denver’s big names were rumored to have…
Jefferson County is no social utopia these days — and you can thank the TABOR Amendment for that. “Its preferred interpretation shall reasonably restrain most the growth of government,” proclaims the second sentence of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, Douglas Bruce’s 1992 ballot measure that became Article X, Section 10…
Twenty years ago this month, a group of intrepid entrepreneurs opened Denver’s first brewpub in LoDo, which had just become an official historic district that year, before the city even had a major-league baseball team, much less a Coors Field that would rise to the northeast of the old warehouse…
Rumors are swirling that French 250 , which Jason Sheehan raved about this spring, is bidding Denver adieu. A sign on the door notes that the restaurant is no longer open on Mondays and Tuesdays — which could explain why no one was answering the phone yesterday. (The web site…
Head to Hamburger Mary’s — and then find Club M. The hottest debate-watching party in town tonight could be the ACLU’s gathering at Hamburger Mary’s. For the last John McCain/Barack Obama debate, close to a hundred people — college students to grandparents — gathered to cheer on their candidate and…
Twenty years ago this month, a group of intrepid entrepreneurs opened Denver’s first brewpub in LoDo, which had just become an official historic district that year. This, of course, was before the city had a major-league baseball team, much less a Coors Field that would rise to the northeast of…
Lo Coastal Fusion It was a decade of experimentation — like the ‘60s had been with drugs and the ‘70s with sex, the ‘80s were about testing the boundaries of money, power and food. And an argument could be made that it was a necessary period of madness, a kind…
The previous occupant of 1066 South Gaylord, Chi Bistro, was one of Jason Sheehan’s most hated restaurants, as is evident from this review. But everyone — parking-paranoid Wash Park residents included — should be pleased by the place that will be opening in that spot on Monday, October 27. It’s…
Valente’s Italian Restaurant, which had been up and running for 44 years, closed today following a combination Columbus Day/retirement party for owner Ray Valente. And that festive, long goodbye wasn’t the only thing that distinguished the Valente’s closing from another recent high-profile closing: that of Jim Sullivan’s Nine75 (the restaurant…
Dan Savage. Editor’s note: Sex-advice columnist Dan Savage recently vowed to respond to any question from a person who’d donated to the defeat of Proposition 8 in California — and promised to publish the letter of the biggest contributor. That deal prompted this missive: Dear Dan: I saw your offer…
The city’s been busy erasing outdoor art that appears to violate the Denver Revised Municipal Code regarding signage. If only it were as ardent about enforcing the rules when it comes to clearly commercial ventures. According to the city’s zoning code, real estate signs cannot be over six feet “from…
Today is the last day for Valente’s Italian Restaurant. The northwest Denver mainstay got its start in 1964, when Ray Valente Sr. and Pat Aiello opened Jenny’s Pizzeria, named after Aeillo’s wife. (Aiello already had a restaurant named for him: Patsy’s, which is still going strong, although under different ownership,…
Burn, baby, burn. Panic globally, act locally. Maybe three decades will be enough time to figure out whether oil shale is really any answer to energy needs. The 28th Oil Shale Symposium kicks off today at the Colorado School of Mines — for information, go to www.mines.edu. On Tuesday, the…
Damn the economy — full speed ahead! The Vistas at Park Meadows Mall gains another restaurant today when White Chocolate Grill opens at 4 p.m. Although the name seems to promise a fried-ice-cream-like experience, White Chocolate’s menu actually includes a full range of American dishes, from fresh seafood flown in…
Pouring out the memories. After eight years, Gallagher’s Steak House finally pulled up stakes in Denver last week. Landlord and longtime restaurateur Bruce Rahmani, who’d had the franchise deal with the small, eighty-year-old New York chain, has now leased the space at 1480 Arapahoe to J. Gonzales, who’s opened 5280…
