Restaurants

Kyle Mendenhall spent nearly a decade helming the burners at the Kitchen, expanding the restaurant’s farm-to-table mission from one dining room in Boulder to cities across the country. “And then that came to an end,” he says, which sent the chef into an abrupt spiral of self-reflection. He decided to…

Dedicated vegan kitchens are a rarity in Denver, so many diners were delighted when Nandini and Carlos Rossi took over the cafe at the Radha Krishna Temple at 1400 Cherry Street several years ago and turned it into a buffet called Govinda’s Garden Vegan Cafe. The temple had operated a…

Sports analysts are fond of the phrase “To be the best, you have to beat the best.” But in the restaurant world, if you want to eat the best, well, you just have to eat everything. Because until you’ve sampled your way through the menus of eateries ranging from hole-in-the-wall…

Chef Joseph Strelnik and general manager John “JD” Daniel opened the doors to Morning Collective, their new breakfast eatery at 2160 South Broadway, this morning.The latest addition to what’s now being pushed as the Rosedale neighborhood, Morning Collective specializes in molten-centered pancakes and French toast, along with traditional a.m. dishes,…

Chef Derek Ray was raised to detest food waste, which has resulted in some creative and unusual experiments at Brazen and Telegraph, the two restaurants owned by Christopher Sargent where Ray took over as executive chef earlier this year. “I grew up on a small farm in the middle of…

We just unveiled the 34th annual Best of Denver edition, and one of our toughest choices was determining the Best Restaurant on Colfax Avenue, a strip where new spots keep popping up. We went with Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery (which recently opened a second location in Lowry), but one reader vehemently…

Denver rebounded from a slow February (with only about a dozen openings) to cap off March with more than twenty new restaurants. Some of the biggest were new hotel restaurants; Quality Italian landed at the Halcyon in Cherry Creek, while Kachina and Poka Lola Social Club moved in at the…

No. 1: Ricotta Gnudi at 12@Madison Five simple spheres in a pool of brown butter; a dish that captures the spare beauty of 12@Madison. There’s no room for error, no flash or style to hide behind. Two ingredients, cheese and butter, convey everything important about chef/owner Jeff Osaka’s Congress Park…

No. 2: Porchetta at SK Provisions inside Denver Central MarketAt Denver Central Market, you’ll find a dizzying selection of lunch and dinner plates, but when we’re craving meat-and-potatoes simplicity, we head to chef Sean Kelly’s SK Provisions for a few slabs of herb-crusted, crackly porchetta. The theme of SK Provisions…

Tourism, dining, business: They’re all tied together as Denver continues to boom. The Dairy Block, bounded by 18th, Wazee, 19th and Blake streets downtown, is a prime example. Slated to host to a number of new restaurants, shops, offices and other amenities, the block welcomed some its first tenants this…

No. 3: Falafel Flatbread at Mercantile Dining & Provision By night, Mercantile feels grand and sophisticated; the high ceilings, light colors and well-appointed dining room feel almost like a stage set. But by day, the market, cafe and eatery draws on the bustling energy of Union Station, making lunch seem…

If you’ve spent much time at all in Estes Park, you’re probably familiar with Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ. Since 2007, chef/owner Dave Oehlman has been perfuming the mountain air with wood smoke and the meaty aroma of good barbecue. After slowly expanding southward over the past ten years — first to…

There was action inside My Brother’s Bar on Sunday, March 26. Under the watch of Jim and Angelo Karagas, My Brother’s Bar had never been open on Sunday; did this signify big changes ahead under the new owners? No way. The event was a gathering to honor Jim Karagas, who bought the bar at 2376 Fifteenth Street with his late brother, Angelo, back in 1970.

No. 4: Foie Gras Mousse at Charcoal Bistro Duck in to Charcoal Bistro on Old South Gaylord and you’ll find a completely different atmosphere than at its older sibling, Charcoal, in the Golden Triangle. While Charcoal is sleek, sophisticated and worldly, Charcoal Bistro is bright and casual while still maintaining…

No. 5: Salt & Pepper Soft Shell Crab at Hop Alley Score a seat at Hop Alley and you’ll notice a number of things about the Larimer Street Chinese eatery. First, no one seems to mind waiting. That’s likely because everyone has an inkling (or proof from previous experience) that what…

Rohini and Marshall Miranda have been serving Indian cuisine in Denver for twenty years as the owners of Bombay Clay Oven in Cherry Creek. That’s given them plenty of time to hone service and recipes and to track customer favorites over the years. They’ll be taking some of those favorites…

Friday, March 21, was World Poetry Day, and on a damp day with big, chunky clouds hovering low over Boulder County, I found myself sipping ginger tea and reading poetry queued up by Facebook friends on my iPhone while waiting for an order of kitfo ba aib inside the new…

No. 6: Masa Dumplings at Arcana The inspiration for Arcana’s masa dumplings, explains chef Kyle Mendenhall, comes partly from gnocchi, partly from tamales and partly from the fact that the kitchen can procure house-ground masa from neighboring restaurant T/ACO. Taste the dish, and that’ll all make sense: The masa forms…

Readers respond to the news that Cherry Cricket, an iconic burger joint, will reopen in Cherry Creek in mid-April.

No. 7: Dry-aged New York steak at Colt & Gray No matter your personal preference on cut and cooking specs for steak, you should head to Colt & Gray to taste what dry-aging can do to beef. This is one of the few restaurants in Denver dry-aging in house; here…