When George Gastis sold his tech and marketing business, capping off a long career in that industry, he began casting around for a way to upend his desk-bound lifestyle and pursue his passion. “I have European roots, and food was a big part of family and celebration,” he explains. “So…
New apartments and condos continue to clutter the portion of the Highland neighborhood now known as LoHi, replacing aging warehouses and rows of bungalows in equal proportions. While some of the architecture is of questionable merit, at least many of the new buildings come with retail space on the ground…
When the Denver Central Market opened a year ago, one of the first scenes visitors encountered after walking through the front door was the expansive fresh seafood case at Silva’s Fish Market. But partner Jesusio Silva departed earlier this year, leaving the market’s founders Ken Wolf and Jeff Osaka to…
The time has come for me to face one of life’s most troubling facts: People — lots of people — eat at fast-food restaurants. Chain eateries hit us with a constant barrage of hyper-palatable foods (those combinations of salt, fat and sugar that our brains find irresistible) and tempt us…
Being a vegan doesn’t mean missing out on those classic foods that everyone loves. Pizza is often characterized by a thick layer of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or sausage, but Colorado pizza spots are switching things up to appeal to a wider range of customers. These ten local pizzerias and…
Kendra Anderson, aka Swirl Girl Denver, has been educating the Mile High on the magic of food-and-wine pairings — and unsung wine varietals — on social media for years, via hashtags (#justdrinkpink) and a regular column at westword.com, and through events she’s organized. Now she’s opened Bar Helix in RiNo,…
The experiment is over. The sumptuous Art Deco space at 800 Sherman Street inhabited by Black Eye Coffee, complete with a cocktail bar hidden behind moving mirrors, bathrooms with a sound track by Christopher Walken, and a nighttime alter ego called White Lies, is now closed for good. This was…
It’s not hard to find a meal delivery service to help make dinner a cinch, but now there’s one for baby too. Baby Fresh Organics is a kid-focused food company that offers pureed fruits and vegetables for infants, finger foods for tiny tots, and simple meals geared for older kids. “We started…
If you’re looking for the new, the novel and the delicious, look no further than these four metro Denver hot spots. You’ll find a pop-up barbecue with creative and craveable eats, two bars sharing love for a single barrel of tequila, and cheesy table-side offering from a new lounge you…
Ian Kleinman keeps reinventing himself. While he’s still disappointed that he had to close the Inventing Room, his modernist dessert bar at 2020 Lawrence Street, a year ago, he was determined to use the bad break as a springboard to better things. Rather than simply focus on an already successful…
Over the weekend, employees of the Secret Sauce restaurant group — which includes Vesta, both Steuben’s locations and Ace Eat Serve — descended on the Union Square Farmers’ Market with company-provided gift cards to stock up on fruits and vegetables. Last week, many of those same employees came together for a…
A food truck with a healthy mission has found a permanent home in Aurora. California Wrap Runner has been in in business in Colorado since 2012, with two food trucks and a catering business that have served metro Denver. Leon Stamatis founded the company in Santa Barbara, California, but moved it…
They had to fight many battles to get here, but Michael and Desiree Keen have finally opened Rivers and Roads Coffee, their project at 2549 Bruce Randolph Avenue. When the couple first found the space in North City Park, it was home to a garage — with little more than dirt…
The nation celebrated National Cheese Curd Day last Sunday, but every day is apparently now Cheese Curd Day in Denver, with happy patrons invading the new Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern and any other bar that serves cheese curds.
This week, we said a brief hello to El Tepehuan in Englewood, which reopened several doors down from its home of nearly forty years after a move that took two years. But sewer problems caused the Mexican restaurant to close quickly, reopening with to-go service only (a full reopening will…
Will the third time be the charm for the vacant restaurant space at 2230 Oneida Street in Park Hill? Chef/restaurateur Jon Robbins, owner of nearby Bistro Barbes, hopes so. He and business partners Megan Silvertooth and Noel Martin are looking to open Red Sauce, a neighborhood Italian eatery, where Table…
“What would someone need to be celebrating to spring for a $100 shot of tequila?” I wondered as I browsed the comically large menu at El Tequileño, a restaurant and sports bar on 2790 South Havana Street in Aurora. Having counted seven TVs in my visual vicinity, all playing some…
Nearly two years ago, El Tepehuan lost the lease on its home since 1978 at 3457 South Broadway in Englewood. Even then, plans were in the works to move the restaurant just down the street to 3495 South Broadway. But the seasons came and went and there was little sign…
Given their brisk expansion and unstoppable rise, it’s no surprise that the team behind Bar Dough, Highland and Sloan’s Lake Tap and Burger and Señor Bear have been contemplating a fast casual spin-off of some sort for some time. “Juan [Padro] is always pushing us in a 100 different directions,”…
Those who have followed chef Ian Kleinman’s career from his molecular gastronomy days at O’s Steak & Seafood ten years ago, though his magical pop-up dinners with hushDenver at the beginning of this decade, to the launch of the Inventing Room in the Ballpark neighborhood two years ago will be…
In this week’s Chef & Tell, we talked to Sheila Lucero, executive chef over the five Jax Fish House locations in Colorado and Missouri, about her commitment to sustainable seafood and about eating oysters. Lucero recently met with members of congress in Washington D.C. to convince them to preserve the…
When Comal Heritage Food Incubator launched a year ago at 3455 Ringsby Court in the TAXI development, it was more than just a restaurant. Comal is part of Focus Points, a community outreach organization that helps low-income families with education, employment and health initiatives in the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods…
