Since Tom Ryan founded Smashburger, it’s no surprise that his namesake Tom’s Urban 24serves a good burger. “Made with eight ounces of ground Angus, the patty isn’t smashed to order, as it is at Ryan’s other joint — that technique doesn’t work as well on a chargrill — but it…
You might not know the name Tom Ryan, but you’ve probably heard of Smashburger, the fast-casual concept he founded in Denver in 2007. Smashburger has been a smashing success, expanding to 200 locations worldwide in just a few years and nabbing the Forbes title of “most promising company” in America…
The dining scene at Park Meadows has taken a few hits lately, with Grand Lux Cafe the most recent to leave the area. But it’s about to get a heck of a consolation prize: Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno will be opening Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria, named in honor of their two…
Forget pancakes and waffles. The newest craving of breakfast-goers appears to be leaning toward tortas, in this case, a French toast torta. It’s savory, sweet and so much better than anything made with Bisquick or pulled from a L’Eggo My Eggo carton. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…
“We’re basically coining the term ‘craft casual,'” says Jason Rogers, the executive chef at the newest dining concept from Oskar Blues, CHUBurger, which is slated to open April 5. The term defines CHUBurger’s approach to fast-casual dining — sure, you walk up to the counter and put in your order…
There are certain snacks and sips that were just too good to last forever — but they damn well should have! Some really great ideas didn’t last much past their initial hype; the companies responsible hurled them almost as quickly as they’d unfurled them. And while discontinued items do, on…
Jonathan Power The Populist 3163 Larimer Street 720-432-3163 thepopulistdenver.com This is part one of my interview with Jonathan Power, executive chef of the Populist. In part two of our chat, which runs tomorrow, Power reveals his favorite Denver restaurants, his fantasy splurge and what he looks for when hiring his…
In A Federal Case, I’ll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard — south to north — within Denver city limits. I’ll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I’ll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here’s the…
Denver’s great dive bars are disappearing — but there are still many worthy of celebration, including Bar Bar (Carioca Cafe), which just won Best Dive Bar in the Best of Denver 2013. And there was stiff competition for that award, as evidenced by our list of the dozen best dive…
I am always skeptical when anyone calls anything unrelated to sports a “game changer.” And when the allegedly “game-changing” item is a turkey burger at Burger King, my eyebrow hits my hairline. I caught this description in a random Internet story about how, with its spring menu rollout, BK became…
Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…
Beer, say some, is what makes the world go round. And here, at this center of suds, there’s seemingly enough beer to sink the world — or, at least, the stomach of one food writer whose belly sloshed for hours after the last drop was drained. Can you guess where…
Earlier this week, we posted a contest, giving one Cafe Society reader and a guest the opportunity to attend DStill’s American Craft Spirit & Cocktail Showcase, which runs tomorrow night from 6 to 10 p.m. at the McNichols Building at 144 West Colfax. We told you that 44 distilleries would…
Denver’s a great town for vegetarians and vegans, as the Best of Denver 2013 attests. In that issue, you’ll find accolades for Best Vegetarian Green Chile and Best Vegan Market, as well as many more green categories. But if you’re looking for the best plant-based dishes in the city, look…
While some people puzzle over the readers’ pick for Best Fried Chicken, Leah wants to know the specific dish readers voted for when they awarded Euclid Hall the prize for Best Vegetarian Dish in a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant. “They have pretty much nothing vegetarian on their menu,” she writes, “so if…
There’s been the usual squawking over the Best of Denver — complaints about the editorial picks in various categories, and much louder complaints over many of the readers’ choices. And, of course, there have been the standard queries about why the editorial picks are given so much more prominence than…
Although in mid-March Bubba Chinos promised to return to its home on Court Place after “remodeling,” the only new decoration the place has is an eviction notice from Dikeou Realty, which owns the building. See also: – Bubba Chinos downtown has closed for “remodeling” – Reader: Bubba Chinos is on…
Every year in April, hundreds of food lovers and oenophiles gather (or huddle, if the weather dictates it) in Vail for the glitzy resort town’s annual spring fling of food and wine, which kicks off this Wednesday and continues through Saturday with wine seminars, wine dinners and Nordic wine tours,…
At ten this morning, Julian Cordova’s second Original Chubby’s restaurant finally opened on Santa Fe Drive — and business has been brisk. Cordova opened his first Original Chubby’s in Thornton in 1987; he insists that his two restaurants — in addition to the original Chubby’s that his grandmother, Stella Cordova,…
Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached in 2012. Pathetic, isn’t it? But all…
If you’re going to call yourself a bona-hide steakhouse, then for the love of cows everywhere, hire a kitchen staff that understands the concept of temperature, specifically mid-rare. This barn of steer doesn’t have a clue, delivering the first slab of steer so beyond well-done that it was inedible; a…
After Ali Baba Grill first opened in Golden a dozen years ago, two more outposts followed, including one in Greenwood Village and another in Highlands Ranch, which is now closed. But the Middle Eastern joint, whose cuisine is rooted in Lebanon, Persia and the Mediterranean, is now back to being…
