When I called to order take-out from this Middle Eastern restaurant (no, it’s not Jerusalem!), I couldn’t make a decision, so the incredibly patient man who answered the phone suggested that I just throw caution to the kitchen and let the staff decide what to put on the plate. They…
Chipotle Mexican Grill got its start in Denver, in an old Dolly Madison by the University of Denver, where Steve Ells opened his first store in 1993. Originally, the culinary grad thought that store would be the way he financed a fine-dining restaurant. Instead, Ells says, “I guess I found…
Happy Place: Wynkoop Brewing Company, 1634 Eighteenth Street, 303-297-2700. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m to midnight. The Deals: $3.50 select draft beers; $4 food specials. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…
In this week’s Chef and Tell interview with Matt Lewis, exec of Bones, he extols the virtues of women in the kitchen, pho and pop-up restaurants. But Lewis also has a passion for the food he cooks at Bones, including the noodle joint’s famous escargot pot stickers. “The escargot pot…
At Wednesday’s debate, Mitt Romney casually said that if he’s elected president, he’ll cut funding to PBS — and he specifically mentioned Big Bird seconds later. Fowl play! That was a serious harsh to the eight-foot tall, loveable yellow bird that has spent his entire career on Sesame Street, educating…
Colorado represents a huge part of the festivities inside the Great American Beer Festival, both because of the depth and breath of our state’s brewing prowess and because we are the host state, so it is fitting – and easy – for our beer makers to represent. As a result,…
I stopped by Rosa Linda’s Mexican Cafe last night, and the place was packed. Packed full of TV cameras, full of people who’d heard about the controversy that erupted after Cafe Society first reported that the family that owns the restaurant had declined to let Romney supporters use their place…
Happy Friday! There’s a full plate of appetizing events to look forward to once this work week is done. Here’s a taste of what’s on the culinary calendar:…
A rose is a rose is a rose, right? Not so for gumbo, which happens to be Colin Mallet’s favorite dish from his home state of Louisiana. While there are probably as many versions of this soup/stew as there are families who make it, Mallet, executive chef of Sassafras American…
It’s time for the 2012 edition of Westword’s Denver Web Awards, our annual celebration of Denver’s greatest digital minds. This time, we’re introducing new categories to recognize the area’s creative and forward-thinking app developers, but we’ve made sure to include a few favorites, like Best Shameless Self-Promoter and Most Viral…
Barack Obama may wish that he’d bitten off a bit more of Mitt Romney’s noggin last night during the first presidential debate, but while he ponders that, the rest of us who are still flummoxed by what exactly happened last night, can take solace in wrapping our jaws around an…
Some families farm together. Some sell insurance. Some are partners in a law firm. Samm White’s family sells cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. “It took a lot of work from the family to make [Cheese Importers] what it is today, but it’s our passion,” Samm says. “We love it…
Both locations of the Wine Loft, a New Orleans-based chain that occupied storefronts in LoDo and and the Landmark Project, closed last month, but yesterday, I spotted a new sign plastered on the LoDo space inked with the words “Classified: Coming soon November 2012.” See also: The Wine Loft dries…
Happy Taco Day! If you have a small amount of cash, are super-starving and in need of a seriously hefty caloric intake, Taco John’s is one of the best fast-food options out there. The menu emphasizes substantial meat and potatoes, as well as sugary, fatty desserts — and the portion…
Editor’s note: In this week’s cover story, we take a look at the 16th Street Mall, which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this month. In honor of that big birthday, we’re bringing back our list of the favorite patios on the mall. Denver’s 16th Street Mall has never looked better…
Update: Congratulations to MattL5, whose fun, semi-explicit feelings about beer have earned him two tickets to Saturday night at GABF. If you didn’t win, keep reading: We’re announcing our final contest today! Original post: It was all such a blur. Within 45 minutes of their release on August 2, every…
There will be thousands of beers to sample inside the Colorado Convention Center during the Great American Beer Festival, which starts on October 11, but there will also be some very special beers served at bars, breweries and restaurants during the week before GABF. Some of these were brewed especially…
Matt Lewis Bones 701 Grant Street 303-860-2929 www.bonesdenver.com Part one of my interview with Matt Lewis, exec chef of Bones, ran yesterday. This is part two of our conversation. Favorite restaurant in America: My experience at Bouchon was amazing, even more so because the chef de cuisine came out and…
Adrian Miller has a lot on his plate these days. The lawyer-turned-politico is running Stephen Ludwig’s re-election bid for University of Colorado regent, and he’s also finishing up a book for the University of North Carolina Press called Flavor: Soul Food History by the Plateful. In it, the Denver native…
An artist who lived in northwest Denver clued me in to the little storefront burrito joint that had just opened in his neighborhood in northwest Denver, a spot decades away from being tagged with the nickname “LoHi” or labeled a “hippest hipster neighborhood” by Forbes. I’ve been eating at Rosa…
The Matchbox, 2625 Larimer Street, is hosting a fundraiser this evening for Cadence, a child born with heart problems whose family is struggling with the medical costs. Friends of the family have organized tonight’s festivities — which include all-you-can-drink beer and wells, and a “generous” amount of food…
After my first child was born, a friend brought over the best spaghetti Bolognese I’d ever eaten. When I asked for the recipe, she shyly admitted it contained Vegemite, the salty, dark-brown yeast paste that Australians adore. “Try it on toast,” she later urged, presenting me with a small, yellow-lidded…
