Row 14 pours its last glass in the Spire Building

Row 14 Bistro and Wine Bar showed early promise when it opened in the glitzy new Spire Building in 2011. Arik Marcus, the restaurant’s opening chef, was getting press and praise almost before he’d made his first knife cut; a few months later, our restaurant critic at the time, Laura…

100 Favorite Dishes: Aburi Sushi at Sushi Den and Izakaya Den

No. 88 Aburi sushi at Sushi Den and Izakaya Den 1487 and 1487A South Pearl Street 303-777-0826, 303-777-0691 Sushi means more than just raw fish and California rolls. At most American sushi restaurants, diners are content to nosh on salmon, tuna, shrimp and maybe a little unagi. Trying something new…

Drew’s Deli has closed on Lincoln Street

After two years, Drew’s Deli has closed and its space on Lincoln Street is for lease…again. Brothers Andrew and David Marx opened their deli in the home of the original Spicy Pickle in the fall of 2012; Andrew already had experience in the sandwich business at Jimmy & Drew’s in…

Reader: Sad when the best BBQ has to be flown in from Texas

Denver is a town starved for good barbecue, so when CJ Johnson opened Kings BBQ, Gretchen Kurtz was eager to try it — especially because since this modest spot in northwest Denver was getting good word of mouth from barbecue fans. And while Kings wasn’t the barbecue joint of her…

State of the Union: A second helping of Cafe Society, July 21-25

This week in Cafe Society, critic Gretchen Kurtz plunged into the great barbecue debate after visiting to Kings BBQ. For Chef and Tell, we checked in with Alex Seidel about the status of his new restaurant, Mercantile Dining & Provision, which will be opening around Labor Day in the newly…

Lon Symensma to open Cho77, a noodle house on South Broadway

Fans of ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro will be happy to learn that executive chef and accomplished interpreter of Asian cuisine, Lon Symensma (along with managing partners Joe Vostrejs and Pat McHenry), is planning to open Cho77, a noodle house in the Baker neighborhood’s already hot stretch of South Broadway. The…

100 Favorite Dishes: Clams and Chorizo at Gozo

No. 89 Clams and chorizo from Gozo 30 South Broadway 720-638-1462 The wood-fired oven at Gozo is the centerpiece of the kitchen, both in terms of its rustic physical presence and its imprint on the food touched by its fire. Gozo executive chef Nicholas Petrilli designed a menu of piccolo…

Getting saucy for brunch at Shells and Sauce

A cozy bistro in Congress Park, Shells and Sauce is primarily known for its dinners of Tuscan pasta and seafood plates, but it also offers a weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a variety of fresh Italian takes on beloved brunch favorites. Oddly enough, though, it’s the…

A grilled cheese with pretensions from the Comfortable Food truck

Comfortable Food, a truck I caught up with at Civic Center Eats today, serves food under the motto “Zero pretension, 100% deliciousness.” My lunch, though, was definitely operating with pretensions, even delusions of grandeur. Not content to be a simple grilled cheese sandwich, this one had evidently seen the world…

Kolache Cabin again rolling in dough on South Santa Fe

It’s been a wild ride since the Kolache Cabin rolled onto a vacant lot at Alameda and South Santa Fe Drive last month. The mobile food joint quickly found fans who’d been craving kolaches since the area’s last major purveyor, Kolache Factory, closed a few years ago. But then last…

Curtis Park Creamery II shuts down in Aurora

The Curtis Park Creamery has been slinging budget Mexican fare in the Curtis Park/Five Points area for over forty years. And in January 2013, the owners finally opened a second location in Aurora, calling it, not surprisingly, Curtis Park Creamery II. But now you’ll have to head back to the…

You’ll go hog-wild for the barbecue sauce at Ragin’ Hog

When I eat barbecue, I often skip the sauce so that the meat’s smokiness can come through. But when I do squirt on sauce, I don’t always want the sweet, thick version that’s common in these parts. Colleen Van Tuyl, chef-owner of Ragin’ Hog BBQ, understands this. “Colorado is a…

100 Favorite Dishes: Biscuits from the Denver Biscuit Co.

No. 90 Biscuits from the Denver Biscuit Co. 141 South Broadway 3237 East Colfax Avenue 303-337-7900 The Southern biscuit is one of the hardest baked goods to master; they invariably come in one of two versions: perfect or just plain wrong. Working with butter and flour takes years of experience;…

Kings BBQ is pleased to meat you

“Have you been here before?” asked the girl at the counter of Kings BBQ when we first walked into the modest spot in Wheat Ridge. We shook our heads. “Then I’m going to tell you something that’s not very helpful: Everything is good.” Owner CJ Johnson, a Texan with roots…

Udi’s updates restaurant names at all locations

After doing business for twenty years under his first name, Udi Baron and his family sold Udi’sFoods (the gluten-free and granola portion of their bakery empire) earlier this year, and with it the name Udi’s. The company held a contest to pick a new name for its cafes and bakeries,…