New Year’s Eve, says Lance Barto, the executive chef of Central Bistro & Bar, was a smash hit. “We had a maxed-out dining room that rocked out, everyone had fun, and we had a great service.” Inexplicably, it would be the last service that Barto would spearhead at the Highland…
Denver foodniks have a lot to look forward to in 2013, including the arrival of several new restaurants: Beast + Bottle from Paul Reilly; Old Major from Justin Brunson; new outposts of Root Down, Elway’s and Udi’s at DIA; a mystery concept on South Pearl Street from the Wynkoop/Breckenridge owners;…
Custom cocktails, beer cocktails, cocktails made with local ingredients, cocktails made with gluten-free local ingredients: Is there no end to the trends in mixology? Just give me my drink already, says one reader. See also: – Trends without end, round one: Simplicity, local greens and pot (maybe) – Trends without…
To the Hopi, kachinas are spirit-beings associated with rain, corn, animals and other elements critical to life in the desert. Dolls of the same name are crafted for children — not as toys, but as study tools, a three-dimensional catechism for the spirits they represent. Not that you’d grasp this…
Something’s fishy at the corner of 17th and Wazee streets, where both Jax Fish House and McCormick’s Fish House & Bar have renovation projects under way. Jax, which just celebrated its sixteenth anniversary on this particular corner in LoDo, closed after the end of service New Year’s Eve for a…
What will be the big culinary trends in 2013? As we prepare for a new year in gastronomy, we posed that question to dozens of people in the local food business, everyone from chefs and pastry magicians to restaurant brokers and PR consultants, from brewers and grape gurus to realtors…
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…
A great drink is a joy to behold. And as I watched the bartender make a wonderful Tequila Sunrise in this small, lounge-y spot, I felt like a new day was dawning. Made with El Zarco Blanco Tequila, Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur and muddled orange and lime, it…
This past year was a good one for vegan food in Denver, what with the opening of Nooch and the continued success of such events as VegFest and other regular gatherings of herbivores. And I reaped the rewards eating out for Veggie Girl, because local restaurants have really stepped up…
Hundreds of new restaurants opened in metro Denver in 2012, ranging from enormous to intimate, exotic to old-fashioned. And at the same time, Denver also said so long to some longtime institutions, as well as a few spots that opened and shut in the same year. Keep reading for our…
The past year was a titillating one for fast-food trends. Yes, 2012 brought us healthy on-the-go, as well as sticky, cheese-covered drive-thru fodder that will linger in our colons well into 2013. We’ve seen the fast-food versions of the good, the bad and the ugly — good things like healthier…
What will be the big culinary trends in 2013? As we prepare for a new year in gastronomy, we posed that question to dozens of people in the local food business, everyone from chefs and pastry magicians to restaurant brokers and PR consultants, from brewers and grape gurus to realtors…
On November 6, Coloradans overwhelmingly approved Amendment 64, prompting Governor John Hickenlooper to note that the feds still consider pot illegal, so the state’s residents shouldn’t “break out the Cheetos or Goldfish” yet. But that same day, an Aspen resident took aim at Goldfish, filing a suit that could make…
Since my first review appeared in Westword in September — it was of the then-six-month-old Kitchen Denver — I’ve reviewed sixteen spots. And already, some of those spots are changing — menus, if not more. See also: – Attention to detail would safeguard the Kitchen’s brand in Denver – The…
An Old Fashioned was one of my dad’s favorite drinks when I was a child; I remember sipping one and wondering how in the world adults could like the way it tasted. But a few decades later, it didn’t take me long to learn to love a great Old Fashioned…
After a soft opening this past weekend, it’s full steam ahead for Stoney’s Full Steam Tavern, which is hosting a big New Year’s Eve bash tonight. The original Full Steam Tavern lasted just a few months before it ran out of steam this fall; Stoney Jesseph and Will Trautman, the…
In-the-works restaurants have been scurrying to get open before the end of 2012 — and capture that all-important holiday business. Although many of the more ambitious projects have already postponed their openings until January, more than a dozen restaurants and eateries did get their doors open in December…and just a…
Black-eyed peas are lucky when eaten on the first of the year — and if one of your resolutions is to eat healthier in 2013, this plant-based recipe definitely qualifies. Adapted from The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations, this dish is one of many you can get for free once a…
Later this morning we’ll post our Restaurant Roll Call for December on Cafe Society — a compendium of all the openings and closings on the Denver dining scene over the last thirty days. One of the more notable closings was Tossa, a fast-casual Italian concept created by the folks by…
It was a year in the making, but Jezebel’s, a new venture by husband-and-wife team Wanda James and Scott Durrah, along with partner/general manager Scott Perry, opened yesterday in LoHi, in the former home of Squeaky Bean. See also: – Jezebel’s will bring Southern comfort to LoHi next month -…
The space is dark, the phone number is disconnected, and the website is deader than Elvis. All of which means that Boulder’s Tossa, which had been tossing fast-casual pizzas and pasta for over a year now, has officially closed. See also: – Five restaurants that both opened and closed in…
Due to delays in city inspections, The Armoury, 2048 Larimer Street, has postponed its previously announced opening date of New Year’s Eve. The “old world pub” now hopes to open in the second week of the new year. See also: -Armoury, an “old-world pub,” will open in Ballpark on New…
