The 20th anniversary of Chipotle — one of Colorado’s biggest homegrown success stories — is tomorrow, and Lori Midson got a chance to chat with founder Steve Ells for this week’s feature; while Gretchen Kurtz took a “staycation” at Big Mac & Little Lu’s, and Mark Antonation stopped by New…
Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…
Luke Smith likes opposite extremes. He lives in Golden but plans to open a brewery in Aurora. He specializes in bitter IPAs as well as sweet fruit beers. He loves listening to music, but will name his business for a musical term that marks the end of a song. And…
Years ago, in 2003, John Broening, Robert Thompson and Thompson’s ex-wife, Leigh Jones, opened a downtown French brasserie called Brasserie Rouge. It was, for its short tenure, the best restaurant in Denver — not just the best French restaurant, but the best restaurant. Period. During the time Brasserie Rouge was…
Bit by bit, the south Denver craft beer scene is growing. The latest example is the Brew on Broadway, which opened last Saturday as Englewood’s only independent brewery. A coffee shop in the morning — serving Pablo’s coffee along with pre-packaged breakfast burritos, quiches and baked goods — the BoB…
I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a great plate of nachos, but nachos, as I’ve pointed out before, need to have the right balance of cheese, chips and toppings. These nachos, which were a late-night snack from a neighborhood bar, weren’t bad, but they’re definitely not at the top…
Pastry chef Kris Padalino dug around the garden when she joined the crew at Bittersweet this spring, and came up with some sweet and evil desserts for her first menu. Utilizing the crops planted by co-owner/chef Olav Peterson, Padalino revised the roster, adding a traditional strawberry shortcake, a rhubarb pavlova,…
This week Mark Antonation’s travels along Federal Boulevard finally reached New Saigon, one of the city’s oldest Vietnamese restaurants, and definitely its most popular…despite some concerns regarding surly waiters. Although Antonation and his family encountered nothing but friendly faces when they stopped in, Laura Shunk had a different experience when…
Our Mutual Friend Brewery, 2810 Larimer Street, is hosting a “Pop-up Shop” party this evening at 5:30 p.m. The event will feature local boutiques, food trucks (TBA) and musicians in addition to craft beers from the brewery. Check the website for more information, and keep reading for more culinary events…
Is designing a great beer comparable to drafting the look of a great city? Can brewers take inspiration from the architecture around them when they make a great draft beer? Do city planning and beer go together particularly well in Denver? The organizers behind the Biennial of the Americas will…
Judging from the notes of woe on the Justice League of Street Food’s Facebook page, where it was announced earlier today that the coalition’s food truck parties will come to an end on August 3, there are an awful lot of saddened loyalists. “What a downer,” wrote one disheartened fan…
The corner of 11th and Lincoln isn’t exactly an oasis — people-watching is more like traffic- and accident-watching, and the spot lacks the quaint neighborhood scenes you would expect from an outdoor space. But somehow, Cantina has revived that always-changing plot of real estate, turning it into an ideal, low-key…
The owners of Former Future Brewing, who have been looking for a Denver location for nine months, have signed a lease on South Broadway’s Antique Row, a fitting location since the brewery will specialize in making “futuristic interpretations of historical styles.” “We are over the moon about this location. It…
Organizers for the Great American Beer Festival are acting quickly to try and deal with the backlash from this year’s frantic brewery registration process, which left many would-be attendees around the country out of luck and out of the festival. Registration opened on Tuesday, but within two hours, it was…
“I’ll just wait to read what they say about me,” declares Brandon Foster, striding past the line at Vesta Dipping Grill and into the sunlit dining room, where there’s already a buzz humming from an early crowd. “He’s the heartbeat of the kitchen,” offers one of Foster’s cooks. “He’s incredibly…
If there’s one Laotian dish that I love above all others, it’s larb, a textural, pungently aromatic toasted rice-and-minced pork salad that’s salty, sweet, sour and spicy. And, here, at this Thai restaurant that resembles a yesteryear living room, the kitchen executes the dish extremely well. Can you guess where…
Too many home cooks find their confidence drying up when they consider fish. And that’s too bad, considering all the mahi mahi, wahoo, grouper and hogfish available on the market side of Big Mac & Little Lu’s Seafood Market & Grill, which I review this week. “We receive daily shipments…
It might be too hot to bake — but it’s not too hot to eat dessert, and Kate Gibbons has been stopping by restaurant kitchens around town, discovering how they cook up their sugar highs. At Euclid Hall, executive pastry chef Eric Dale just created a new dessert menu, which…
Star Bar, 2137 Larimer Street, will kick off its first “Battle of the Nontenders” — a guest bartending cocktail challenge designed for those who have no experience behind the bar — on Thursday, July 25. And as a preview to the fun, Westword’s own Lori Midson will be behind the…
If your summer plans include more staycations than vacations, I’ve got a place for you. After you’ve posed in front of the Capitol, taken a tour of the U.S. Mint and paid your respects to Buffalo Bill’s grave — in other words, done all the things you’ve never done before…
There are thirteen “characteristics” required of Chipotle employees, who now number more than 40,000. One is “infectious enthusiasm.” Another is “happy” — you must be happy. Half-time happy doesn’t cut it. And it’s those attributes — along with fast food focused on slow-food philosophies, resulting in burritos that make loyal…
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Colorado’s biggest homegrown success story, is on a roll. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the day its first store opened — July 13, 2013 — it’s introducing the Adventurrito, twenty days of fun, games and prizes, including twenty years of free burritos. To help get the…
