On the surface, Micole has the makings of one pretentious piffle of a restaurant. To wit, a prix fixe menu in a town that expects its Bud and bowl of green to come with free chips and salsa; dishes that involve such precious ingredients as “fennel pollen,” 25-year-old balsamic and…
When you think of wine festivals in Colorado, Aspen and Vail usually come to mind: The grape-celebrating events in those towns have been around so long and have become so popular that Aspen’s Food & Wine Festival looks like spring break in Florida (well, it would if people wore their…
I first encountered truffles last summer — after reading about them, wondering about them, gazing at the listings in food catalogues and wincing at their cost, occasionally sprinkling some drops of truffle oil onto a dish of rice — when I spent a couple of weeks at a writers’ conference…
Q: I am looking for late-night, diner-type food in the Boulder area — something more like McCoys on Federal and less like Denny’s. Any ideas? A: You have a better chance of finding a Boulder restaurant that allows smoking than you do of discovering a cool, all-night diner. The Boulder…
When the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives in and recognizes cheese, bread, chocolate and wine as the four major food-pyramid groups, I’ll start breathing a little easier about my diet. And Swiss restaurateurs in this country might breathe a sigh of relief, too, because those four foods are intrinsic to…
A guy from the neighborhood recently walked into St. Killian’s Cheese Shop, at 3211 Lowell Boulevard, and set a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew down on the counter. “What kind of cheese would go with this?” he asked, somewhat sheepishly. Ionah de Freitas didn’t bat an eye. “Brin d’Amour,” she…
Q: In Paris, I had chestnut ice cream a couple of times for dessert. It was fabulous, and I’ve been trying to find it here. Are there any local restaurants that serve chestnut ice cream? If not, do you know where I can find chestnut paste to make my own?…
It’s a good thing that it’s the nose and not the ears that are connected to your sense of taste — otherwise, you’d be unable to discern a single flavor at Campo de Fiori. The buzz started even before the restaurant opened three months ago. Elizabeth and Luigi Giordani founded…
John Hickenlooper’s next project: overseeing the hot-dog concession at Invesco Field at Mile High. Just kidding! As if Hickenlooper doesn’t have enough on his plate — what with the Wynkoop Brewing Company (1634 18th Street), and the Goosetown Tavern (3242 East Colfax Avenue), and the Wazee Supper Club (1600 15th…
Q: Can you tell me where the best German food is in the Denver area? A: This is an easy one, because there are only a few local restaurants that bill themselves as German. The best is Café Berlin (2005 East 17th Avenue, 303-377-5896), a cozy space that serves excellent…
Like most addicts, I always know where I’m likely to get my next fix. At any given moment, I can tell you exactly where the nearest dealer is, and I often plan my day around taking time out for a quick high. Of course, I could quit any time –…
Now that national chains have made coffee shops seem more homogenized than ultra-pasteurized creamer, many people are turning over a new leaf. As a result, in addition to Oaks & Berries and A Spot of Tea (see review above), the town suddenly has a dozen other places where you can…
Following chef James Mazzio through various restaurants over the past six years has been like flipping through the portfolio of a photographer who’s captured a rose from bud to blossom. Each exquisite frame echoes what’s gone before and hints at what beauty is yet to come. Right now, Mazzio is…
Not a Krispy Kreme doughnut in sight. Our March 29 Best of Denver 2001 issue never mentioned Krispy Kreme, and that alone made it special. Only an announcement that Jesus was this doughnut outlet’s franchise operator would justify the hullabaloo about the place, and even then, only for its Second…
Mark Monette, Flagstaff House: “It’s not real. I think it’s an invented thing. When I’m balancing taste, I go back to the things I know work well together.” Joe Schneider, Rhumba: “Never heard of it.” Andy Floyd, Cooking School of the Rockies: “It’s natural MSG. It’s in mushrooms, medium-rare meat,…
Q: A group of people from work are going to a Rockies day game as a reward, and they want to go to lunch first. The Palm is too upscale, and they’ve all been to the Wynkoop Brewing Company. What other places would you recommend? A: Most of the places…
The Soviet bloc crumbled almost a decade ago, but Boulder’s Little Russian Cafe held on until last fall, when its owners finally decided that the stuffed cabbage and borscht had to go. “We knew we had to do something, because the business just wasn’t there anymore,” says Sasha Ionikh, who…
Someone may be in the kitchen with Dinah on weekend mornings, but whoever it is needs to brush up on food preparation. Brunch is a relatively new offering at the Denver ChopHouse & Brewery, the train-themed eatery that sits in the old Union Pacific Railroad headhouse between Union Station and…
Chef Sean Yontz says he was prepared for some scuttlebutt surrounding his departure from Zenith (815 17th Street) two weeks ago. After all, his exit signaled the breakup of one of Denver’s most successful culinary pairings — Yontz had been working for and/or with famous, sometimes four-star, restaurateur Kevin Taylor…
Q: A friend of mine is getting married on Labor Day weekend, and he’s having a very rough time finding a restaurant in the downtown area where he can hold a rehearsal dinner. Do you know of any hidden gems? A: Athough it’s hard to hide downtown these days, there…
Starting the day off sunny side up can be tough in a town where the morning options lean heavily toward quasi-cheery chains and dreary mom-and-pop dives. And the familiar standbys that don’t fall into those categories — Racines and Dixons, Dozen’s, the Delectable Egg — are always packed by the…
The first thing that hits you is the scent: chocolate. Subtle, not too sweet, but permeating the air in the spotless Boulder kitchen where Chris Widlar produces her Concertos in Chocolate. At the moment, she’s pouring great swirls of the stuff over a sheet pan on which she’s scattered dried…
