In just a few weeks, spirit hounds from here and afar will descend on Denver for DSTILL, a week-long celebration that trumpets more than fifty craft spirits producers from Colorado and around the country, all of whom will gather under the roof of the McNichols Civic Center building on Thursday,…
Yes, the big news in February was the long-awaited debut of Trader Joe’s in Colorado — and the company opened a trio of stores on Valentine’s Day. But the Denver dining scene also welcomed more than a dozen new restaurants, and also said goodbye to a few longtime institutions. Keep…
Downing Street Grill recently opened at 3090 Downing Street — a big building that has been home to a long line of eateries, starting with Tosh’s Hacienda and ending with Eden, a vegetarian joint that closed last year. The building is big enough to now also house 3090 Eden, Denver’s…
It was a tale of two cities (towns, really) — and of two breweries. In Lyons, Oskar Blues owner Dale Katechis canned his first beer, Dale’s Pale Ale, in 2002. At around the same time, Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs began canning Ornery Amber. But while Oskar Blues went on…
It’s the deep-dish pizza at this joint within a joint that gets all the accolades, but after trying both a deep-dish pie and a thin-crusted pizza, I’m firmly entrenched in the thin-crust camp. Don’t get me wrong: The deep-dish pizza is very good, but the thin crust, in my opinion,…
Denver Restaurant Week wraps up tonight — but if you hurry, you can still snag a reservation at one of more than 300 participating restaurants. And some of those eateries have decided to offer their special, multi-course $30 menus into March. To see those menus and the list of participating…
The Rackhouse Pub, which opened inside the Stranahan’s whiskey distillery in October 2009 as one of Denver’s first craft-beverage themed restaurants, will close on April 4 and reopen in its own space across the street, possibly as soon as this fall. “We wanted to continue here, but for us to…
A few weeks ago, when I spoke to Jon Mendoza, he had just been let go from Uncle, Tommy Lee’s noodle shop in Highland. But while Mendoza, who was Uncle’s chef, vented his frustrations about getting the boot, he also made it very clear that his departure from Uncle would…
Hundreds of restaurants opened in metro Denver last year, including everything from little neighborhood sandwich shops and upscale taquerias to ambitious and strikingly decorated American spots. And which was the best new restaurant to open in 2013? That’s what we’ll reveal in the Best of Denver 2014, which hits the…
Nothing Bundt Cakes, a Las Vegas-based chain that specializes in contemporary, custom-baked bundt cakes, will be opening a shop at 2710 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder tomorrow. See also: Sneak peek: The Kitchen Next Door opens today in CitySet…
With Mardi Gras coming next week, people of all kinds and creeds are searching for a way to celebrate without slipping into bejeweled, beaded hell. Fat chance. You’re one of those souls whose skin takes on a ghostly pallor when you’re dressed in purple, gold and green? You habitually cower…
Adam Platt, restaurant critic for New York, recently decided to out himself, publishing his picture on the cover of the magazine and writing about why he decided to give up his anonymity. You won’t find me doing the same thing. As anyone knows who’s shared a meal with “somebody” –…
After 95 years in business, it’s not surprising that the Blue Parrot would opt for a bit of a facelift. But when the Colacci family that owns the blue-hued, red-sauce joint in Louisville decided to update the facade, they chose to celebrate not just the history of the iconic restaurant…
Sometimes you find the best examples of a certain dish at a restaurant that you’d never expect would serve that dish, much less do it better than just about anyone else. But that’s exactly what happened with the chilaquiles in the above snap. Not only was it an unexpected surprise…
Aniedra Nichols Elway’s Cherry Creek 2500 East First Avenue 303-399-5353 elways.com This is part two of my interview with Aniedra Nichols, exec chef of Elway’s Cherry Creek; part one of our conversation ran yesterday. What’s the best food- or kitchen-related gift you’ve been given? I’ve had quite a few, but…
Smiling Moose Deli, which got its start in the Vail Valley in 2003, recently opened four new locations in Ohio, South Dakota, Montana and North Dakota. But this casual deli chain has not only expanded its geographic range: it’s also expanded its menu with a brand-new dish, the Mo!Mac, a…
Denver was home to the first Hooters west of the Mississippi. Although that pioneering breastaurant on South Colorado Boulevard is now gone, more curvaceous concepts have come to take its place — including Twin Peaks, which now has three locations in the metro area and its own Twin Peaks Mountain…
There’s a certain kind of restaurant that could be picked up, Wizard of Oz style, and set back down in a spot far from home without skipping a beat. Life would go on as before — chefs would cook, bartenders would pour, customers would pile in — only in a…
Odell Brewing takes pride moving slow, and in expanding at a reasonable, measured pace — which is why the Fort Collins beer makers was so deliberate last week in announcing that it would enter the Texas market — the company’s first new state in two years. To help out, Odell…
CitySet, the impressive restaurant project in Glendale at the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek Drive, just got another big culinary boost thanks to Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk. Today they opened The Kitchen Next Door Glendale, the second outpost of the original spot in Boulder that resides adjacent…
LUPEC, aka Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, tend to get tipsy together, though often in the name of charity. On Saturday night, the girls (and their dashing dates) dressed to the nines, tattoos and all, in vintage prom wear, corsages and big smiles for the Sweetheart Prom,…
Former Future Brewing, which just opened on February 1, has run out of beer. Yep. The brewery, which has a four-barrel system, simply hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand for its suds — a testament, perhaps, to Denver’s love of craft brews. “Well, we thought this might…
