No. 29: Gnocchi Maison au Canard Fume at Z Cuisine Sometimes you come across a dish where every component is so pitch perfect, every bite so enticing, that you just want it to go on forever. Z Cuisine’s smoked duck and gnocchi is just such a composition of elements —…
July was a hot month — for restaurant openings as well as the weather. Avanti Food & Beverage turned up the heat in Lower Highland with seven kitchens and two bars under one roof, while Rebel Restaurant — with a worldy menu and a street-smart vibe — took over a…
The block of retail spaces on Lincoln Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues have been difficult for restaurants — and the curse of the Beauvallon building continues. Jura’s Modern Asian Kitchen — which served an eclectic menu of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese dishes — didn’t even make it…
The heat of the great green chile debate of June has subsided somewhat, but according to a report this week by the Associated Press, New Mexico’s green chile crop is in trouble. “As this year’s harvest begins, labor shortages, shrinking acreage, drought and foreign competition have hurt production in the…
With the success of LoHi pork palace Old Major, the focus on chef-owner Justin Brunson’s career of late has been on his haute cuisine, so much so that it’s easy to forget his Denver debut as a restaurateur: a humble, counter-service sandwich shop called Masterpiece Delicatessen. There are two of…
They call her The Cookie Lady. She has a name — Debbie Kuehn — and so does her hidden cookie shop: Santa Fe Cookie Co, an underground storefront in the shadow of the Republic Plaza building on the 16th Street Mall. But the business-casual clientele coming through the shop, pressing their…
We know many fans of the thirty-year-old, homegrown Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta chain (especially the flagship store on Colorado Boulevard and the spot by the University of Denver). Now Anthony’s is rolling out major updates of all 25 locations in Colorado, even adding bars to several of them. But some…
The gardens at Solitaire – which I review this week — are stunning, with winding pathways, a fountain and blossoms of every color providing an unparalleled backdrop to chef-owner Mark Ferguson’s artistic, seasonally-inspired cuisine. But the flowers aren’t just pretty to look at; they provide oft-overlooked inspiration in the form of edible garnish. Curious whether…
The “Coming Soon” banner in front of the Osaka Ramen in Cherry Creek North could be replaced by a “Now Open” sign any day now. Chef-owner Jeff Osaka says the only holdup is final sign-off from Xcel Energy on a new gas meter that was recently installed. Once that happens, he says…
Denver food truck CinnaBox is taking the cinnamon roll to places it’s never been before by embracing the delicious, organic, and local produce sold in the very farmers’ markets where it parks each week. Fresh strawberries and Palisade peaches from the fruit vendors up the aisle, yerba mate from a…
Our comments section has been smoking over the past week, ever since Gretchen Kurtz’s review of Roaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que and Mark Antonation’s piece on GQue, a new barbecue joint, inspired some lip-smacking — and smack-talking — discussion of the scene. Says Robert Mitton: Denver is a GREAT food city. One…
Too much noise in a restaurant isn’t good, unless you don’t like your date and are glad for the excuse not to talk. But what about the opposite: too much quiet? That’s what I considered one night at Solitaire, which opened this spring in the lovingly renovated former Highland’s Garden…
No 30: Foie Gras Bonbons at Milk & Honey Bar KitchenChef-restaurateur Michael Shiell was out of the Denver culinary scene for more than a decade, but with Milk & Honey, which opened in Larimer Square two months ago, he’s back with a swank and understated subterranean eatery that feels both…
After more than thirty years, a pizza joint can start to look a little lived in, to say the least — and running a chain of multiple eateries makes staying modern a little more difficult. The homegrown Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta chain is wrapping up a full overhaul of all…
From new brunch to a revamped roster of smaller plates, a few Denver restaurants are fine-tuning their menus and service to take advantage of the longer dining days and warm weather. On East Alameda Avenue, Bittersweet has been dishing up elegant and artistic plates from chef-owner Olav Peterson for nearly…
Barbecue is hot in the summer, and it also inspires plenty of heated conversations. Gretchen Kurtz just reviewed Roaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que, a new place in the University of Denver neighborhood that specializes in “Colorado craft” barbecue, a concept that definitely got discussions going. And then Mark Antonation revealed that St…
If there’s one conversation everyone in Denver has had this summer, it’s about the weather. Overcast skies and persistent downpours meant an atypically soggy spring — and now we’re into monsoon season, with blazingly beautiful days punctuated by fast-moving afternoon storms that build over the mountains and race across the…
No. 31: My Wife’s Doughnuts at Osaka Ramen Osaka Ramen just opened in late April but has already earned a reputation as one of the top tonkotsu spots in town. An exploration of the full menu, though, reveals that chef-owner Jeff Osaka has a knack for more than just noodles and…
Sometimes, bottomless mimosas get a little out of control; to encourage safe brunching and to help you avoid morning Uber fees, Lala’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar has teamed up with Turin Bicycles for a weekly summer bike to brunch series. The new Saturday fiesta is sponsored by the bike shop…
Just after marking its first anniversary at 2230 Oneida Street, Table Top closed “until further notice,” according to a sign posted on the front door of the Park Hill eatery. And that means one of our 100 Favorite Dishes, the crispy spare ribs created by chef Brady Marcotte, are also off the…
My exposure to the cuisine of the Philippines has definitely been limited here in Denver, primarily consisting of visits to a couple of food trucks: Orange Crunch and A Taste of the Philippines, which both serve great food but have small menus. But then ChowSun opened last November in east Aurora,…
This week our music blog featured Savvi Neufer, a cook who’s trying to spread a little comfort by cooking for bands under the name Feed the Scene Denver, a personal chef service of sorts that got its start in New York City. Read about how Neufer provides hot meals and “a…
