The week ahead: Energy discussions and lots of hot air

James Carville and Mary Matalin should have temperatures rising. With less than a month to the November 4 election, today is the very last day to register to vote in Colorado. If you’ve moved recently, or didn’t vote in the last presidential election, it’s not a bad idea to check…

Moe’s opens in the former Falcon

Almost right on schedule, Moe’s Original BBQ opens today at 2395 South Broadway, in the former Falcon space next to the Gothic Theatre, and we hear the place should be smoking! Moe’s is originally out of Tuscaloosa, but the company moved its headquarters to Vail eight years ago…

Jim Sullivan’s former employees are on the line

Ex-employees say Jim Sullivan ran his empire like the dictator he named a restaurant after. Since Monday, when I posted my first blog about the sudden closure of Nine75 and Ocean — Jim Sullivan’s last two Sullivan Restaurant Group operations — my phone has been ringing off the hook. Some…

Oceanaire’s happy hour goes swimmingly

Now that Ocean has closed, no one will ever make a reservation at Oceanaire thinking they’re dining in Cherry Creek. But once you step inside Oceanaire, the Denver link in a national chain of upscale seafood houses that debuted last year at 1400 Arapahoe Street, you could never mistake it…

Make a date to watch the debate

“She said what?” Where are you watching tonight’s vice-presidential debate? The Denver Young Democrats, the Foreign Policy Professionals for Obama and the Young Lawyers for Obama are holding a debate-watching party at Sengers on the Fax, at 3014 East Colfax Avenue. The ACLU is hosting a watch party — free,…

Some sexy advice from Dan Savage

Dan Savage. I get more letters at Savage Love than I could ever hope to respond to personally, and infinitely more letters than I could ever hope to answer. Still, there’s really no secret to getting your letter into Savage Love: I just have to find your problem somewhat interesting,…

Colorado grandmas make green chile, too

October is National Chili Month! But here in Denver, the only chili that matters is spelled with an “e,” and features those hot, hot peppers now being roasted up and down Federal Boulevard. So all this month, chile fans will be weighing in on their favorites around town. I come…

Why the city wants to wipe out Barack Obama

Get out the vote. No, really. Grab a paintbrush and help erase the word “vote” from the mural of Barack Obama that’s transformed an alley fence behind Galapago Street into an urban gallery. Because that may be the only way the city will let this piece of art stay up…

Artists pin their pride on Denver

Denver had to raise a lot of cash to put on the Democratic National Convention — close to $50 million, from donors big and small, gracious and petty — but no contribution was as artful as the one that Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee president Elbra Wedgeworth collected on Monday…

One River dries up, 8 Rivers LoDo is open

Scott Durrah has moved 8 Rivers from Highland to LoDo “Highlands is no more.” That’s the word from 8 Rivers, which closed its original Denver (but not its original metro) location at 3609 West 32nd Avenue this week. Jason Sheehan loved the place when he reviewed it last November: loved…

Old Guy gives way to Persian Gourmet

For weeks, we kept our eye on the business opportunity ads in the dailies, watching in horror as the price of a “newly remod restaurant for sale” kept dropping, and dropping. The address listed was 102 South Broadway, which meant it was the oddly named Old Guy Pasta & Salad…

Where are all the political signs?

Get out your measuring tape. Even though Denver is at the center of a battleground state, so far the war of the words has yet to land on many front lawns. And the lack of political shout-outs is surprising, because this summer, the city quietly changed the rules to allow…

New Mexico colors my taste of Denver’s green chile

October is National Chili Month! But here in Denver, the only chili that matters is spelled with an “e,” and features those hot, hot peppers now being roasted up and down Federal Boulevard. So all this month, chile fans will be weighing in on their favorites around town. When it…

In Larimer Square, Open Bar isn’t

When we heard that the folks behind the Jet Hotel planned to open a new bar in Larimer Square, we couldn’t figure out where it would go. Troy Guard has already claimed the only remaining storefront for TAG, his restaurant that’s slated to open early next year and has already…

A bad night in Boulder at Tahona

I was thinking that they could probably hear my stomach rumbling from three tables away. “So, what are you going to have?” Laura asked. “Everything,” I said. “One of everything. Maybe two.” “I’m serious, Jay. What are you going to have?” “What are you going to have?” “I don’t know…

Mateo has new co-owner, new decor, new menu

Back in 2006, Matthew Jansen, chef/owner of Mateo in Boulder, decided to stretch by opening Radda Trattoria, which Jason Sheehan raved about when he reviewed the restaurant in February 2007. Mateo dates back to 2001, and Jansen has scratched the seven-year itch there by adding a new partner: Rayme Rossello,…

The greening of Denver’s restaurant scene

This morning at the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, a group is recapping the DNC’s Lean ‘N Green program, and starting the discussion on where the project goes from here. Among the talking points: “Lessons learned.” First lesson: Do not send a bossy press release announcing a Lean ‘N’…

Jim Sullivan on the end of Ocean and Nine75

Thank you for your continued patronage. Due to the poor economy we have decided to close the restaurant. We are sorry for the any [sic] inconvenience. The sign went up on the front door of Nine75 early this afternoon, and not long after, I got a call from the man…

Breaking news from the Sullivan restaurant empire

Just got word that real estate and restaurant magnate Jim Sullivan has finally closed the book on his restaurant empire. On Monday, September 29, the Sullivan Restaurant Group closed both Nine75 (the original, at 975 Lincoln Street) and Ocean (at 201 Columbine Street in Cherry Creek). Saturday was the final…

Cat’s Pajamas off for a cat nap

Cat’s Pajamas is putting on its oh-so-fashionable jammies and taking a cat nap for a few months. During Cat’s hibernation, you’ll find regular features from this fashion blog in the Cat’s Pajama’s category of The Latest Word blog…

The week ahead: Plenty of battles in this battleground state

Hitting the trail á la JibJab. Looking for proof that Colorado’s a battleground state? Barack Obama will be in the Denver area today, his wife Michelle is coming in Wednesday, and Sarah Palin is slated for an October 4 visit. And more evidence will arrive in your mailbox soon, since…