There’s something about the approach of winter that makes me want to be outdoors as much as possible, and fortunately this fall, Mother Nature has acquiesced to my desires with outdoor-friendly temperatures. Last week, my craving brought me to Forest Room 5 and its unique woodsy patio. See also: Hear…
Jean-Philippe Failyau is about to open his biggest Park Burger yet, this one in the RiNo/Ballpark neighborhood, with a beefed-up bar lineup and hours — and live music. Frank Bonanno’s one-time right-hand man created his first Park Burger in Platt Park five years ago, then added a Park Burger in…
Sitting alone at the bar early on a Tuesday evening probably isn’t how the management at Polished Tavern envisions guests experiencing the full impact of the place. But I’m not the only one going solo; a few other single drinkers and diners occupy other bar stools, while one or two…
Fall Sundays could be state holidays, as Denver Bronco fans flock to local watering holes to worship their team and drink plenty of beer. But there are still many people who’d rather keep the taps on and the TV off, and so last week we served up our five best…
Residents of West Highland will have to get their oyster fix in another part of town; the windows at the Highland Pacific Restaurant and Oyster Bar are covered with paper and the phone isn’t being answered. A message on the the neighborhood seafood joint’s Facebook page, though, assures us that…
Restaurateurs around Denver are really hoping you’ll get on board with their fast-casual pizza concepts; time and money are being spent perfecting dough recipes, building health-conscious angles, and firing up custom ovens to blister crusts in the amount of time it takes you to swipe a debit card. Businesses are…
Food companies pair creativity with marketability — along with a little luck — to score “the next big thing” in food trends. There are some amazing ideas for new foods and drinks out there, but at the same time, some new products never really take off. Some aren’t appealing to…
It’s been a tough month for the town’s top Chinese restaurants. Chef Liu’s Kitchen, named Best Chinese Restaurant in the Best of Denver 2014, closed abruptly in Aurora; it will be replaced by a pho restaurant. And now East Asia Garden, our Best Chinese Restaurant in the Best of Denver…
Over a century and change since it was built, the Old Louisville Inn is getting a makeover that will bring it into the 21st century — but with its spirit intact. At least, so hopes J Fred Burns, one of the Inn’s new owners. “We decided we wanted to take…
We’re about to top 200 comments on our story on Denver’s first cat cafe, and dozens of people lobbed meatballs at our list of the ten best old-school Italian restaurants, rolled out for the Columbus Day weekend. And what worries this reader? See also: Four Appetizers So Good You Could…
The Denver Diner has been open 24/7 for over two decades in its current location on Colfax– but last night, the place was dark. Early Sunday morning, a fire broke out in the restaurant, damaging the kitchen and the roof and sending two firefighters to the hospital with minor injuries…
This week in Cafe Society, our reviewer got a taste of the UK at Argyll Whisky Beer, where both the whiskey and Scotch eggs were delicious. Rioja chef de cuisine, For Chef and Tell, Mark Antonation talked with Tim Kuklinski about failing in the kitchen, his love of Italian food…
Empanadas may be small pockets of dough, but they’ve turned into big business for Christian Saber, the native of Buenos Aires who opened an empanada shop in Boulder nearly two years ago. When construction is completed by the end of the month, Rincon Argentino will have taken over an adjacent…
No. 69 Charred Tahini Cauliflower at Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs2148 Larimer Street 720-746-9355 Jim Pittenger, the “Biker Jim” behind two restaurants, a cart and a food truck, didn’t get to where he is by serving vegetables. He didn’t impress celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain with a salad. He did it with…
Casa Bonita turned forty this year, but time has not stood still in the Lakewood strip mall that holds the world’s weirdest Mexican restaurant. Just as Casa Bonita was marking its fortieth birthday in May, the JCRS shopping center was sold for $8 million. The new owners plan to rename…
Belgium is known for two things in most of the world: chocolate and those miniature cabbages from Brussels. Food does seem to be their thing in the tiny country that’s split geographically and culturally between the Flemish and the Walloons, but an equally tiny Arvada beer and Belgian street-food bar…
Red-sauce joints have been closing all over town, but there are still plenty to celebrate. Still, our list of the ten best old-school Italian restaurants in Denver led to a lengthy discussion of changes in northwest Denver — officially Highland, but known for decades as the Northside, and once the…
Miyabi Jr. Japanese Express, a quick-service hibachi restaurant from PJ Partners and Capital Japan, opened last month in Tiffany Plaza — and no, it’s not in the space recently vacated by Oshima Ramen, an offshoot of another Japanese group that has a chain of ramen noodle shops in that country…
No. 70 Venezuelan Tostadas at Empanada Express Grill 4301 West 44th Avenue 303-955-8362 We’re fans of the namesake Venezuelan savory pastries from Empanada Express Grill; we also have a soft spot in our hearts for the mouthwatering arepas made with griddle-crisped corn flour. But it’s a hybrid dish, not a…
On a quest to find the perfect post-GABF hangover brunch to cure a serious case of the hangries, we ended up at Ignite Burgers & Lounge, which mostly serves their all-day menu of burgers and salads along with a few egg dishes thrown in for weekend pleasure. Why did we…
Icelandic chef Viktor Örn Andrésson is making the rounds at Rioja, talking about his seafood and lamb creations for a Taste of Iceland dinner hosted by the restaurant. For Rioja’s chef de cuisine, Tim Kuklinski, the event is almost like Christmas; he gets to see new ingredients and try out…
Our list of Denver’s top old-school Italian restaurants inspired many memories of classic Northside red-sauce joints that have closed — Pagliacci’s, Little Pepina’s, Carbone’s, Longo’s Subway Tavern — and also a heated discussion of whether the people moving into what’s now generally called Highland (or LoHi) have ruined the neighborhood…
