Seoul BBQ is an unexpected take on traditional Korean barbecue

When I first walked into Seoul BBQ, 2080 South Havana Street, an Aurora spot owned by veteran Korean restaurateurs James and Lily Kwon, I was expecting to dine in a restaurant that, like so many traditional spots from that country, put as much emphasis on the novelty of the culture’s…

My Pizza Peel now Mile High Pizza Pie

We puzzled over the My Pizza Peel name when the pizza joint opened in March 2009 at 1645 Stout Street. And although we were soon informed that the “pizza peel” was the long-handled shovel used to pull a pie out of the oven, that didn’t sell us on the name…

Coohill’s will open next August in LoDo

Four years ago, in 2006, Tom Coohill, the former Western regional chef and director of culinary standards for Levy Restaurants at the Pepsi Center, left the armpit that some people call Pittsburgh and moved to Denver. “My wife and I had a vision of moving out west — we’re both…

Food porn from ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

Last night, after a series of soft openings, Lon Symensma and his crew from ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro, which opens today at 1555 Blake Street, hosted a final party that flowed with wine, beer and champagne and strutted dishes from Symensma’s Asian-inspired menu. Everything that came out of Symensma’s state…

Ask the bartender: All about bourbon

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…

Four delicious French wines to pair with pork

Pork is having a moment. Meals featuring bacon in every form imaginable — including chocolate-dipped — have become de rigueur. Restaurants of every stripe are showcasing menus littered with sausages, charcuterie, salumi, pork belly and suckling pig. And perhaps one day, if you are very, very lucky (and clearly, not…

Guess where I’m eating…green chile?

Smother love: It’s easy being green in Denver in September, when the smell of roasting chiles overrides the odor of exhaust along Federal Boulevard, and the green chile at your favorite Mexican joint carries the heat of the new harvest. For the next several weeks, Cafe Society will feature some…

Guess where I’m drinking?

For years, this establishment’s ads have featured photos of actual diners — and I’ve always been amazed that I’ve never recognized a single person. But when I visited recently, I was the one with the camera — taking this shot of the restaurant’s homemade sangria. Can you guess where I’m…

Volcano erupts in Englewood

Volcano erupted on the scene yesterday at 10440 East Arapahoe Road in Englewood, in the former home of Sushi Club and Carlos Miguel’s. This new spot features both a sushi bar and hibachi, as well as a full bar…

Tonight: Root Down hosts a raw vegan dinner

Think a raw vegan diet sounds like the most boring food choice on the planet? Root Down chef Daniel Asher hopes to change your mind with his five-course raw vegan dinner. He dishes up a different feast every Tuesday, focusing on local produce. All raw, of course. The dinner is…

Radek Cerny’s Radex Bistro closes in Boulder

After failing to capture the breakfast and lunch crowd with Full Belly during its first year, Radek Cerny changed the concept of his second Boulder restaurant (the first was L’Atelier) to one of an upscale bistro, remodeling the space and renaming it Radex Bistro. The changes didn’t help. And now…

Den Deli closes for a major remodel and reconception

Den Deli and Seafood Market, at 1501 South Pearl Street, the third venture from Toshi and Yasu Kizaki, the brotherhood behind Sushi Den, 1487 South Pearl, and Izakaya Den, 1518 South Pearl, opened in December 2009 — but the bento boxes, ready-made sushi and brimming bowls of ramen, which we…

J’Shabu shutters in Aurora

J’Shabu, the Aurora-based swish-swish Japanese restaurant at 2680 South Havana Street that former Westword restaurant critic Jason Sheehan raved about when he reviewed it in 2007 (it also garnered a Best of Denver award in 2010 for Best Japanese Restaurant), has gone dark. A phone call to the still-listed number…

Ted’s Montana Grill opens today in Boulder

Last week, media mogul, rancher and restaurateur Ted Turner was spotted hanging around the corner of 17th and Pearl in Boulder in anticipation of the opening of the 55th outpost of his restaurant chain, Ted’s Montana Grill…

Guess where I’m eating?

It took about ten seconds for another chef and me to slurp down these oysters — and I’m certain we could have demolished another three dozen in the same amount of time. We were having lunch with a restaurateur, as well, but he admitted he didn’t like to suck. Or…