Denver’s five best lunches under $5

The stock market’s fluctuating wildly, economists are giving glum prognostications that run the gamut from double-dip recession to depression and, best of all, the politicians we put in charge of taking care of the greater good are just making things worse. So no time like the present for a cheap…

Second Helping: LoHi Steakbar

My meals at Westerkamps Steakhouse and Meat Market, which I review in this week’s Westword, unleashed a strange but insatiable craving for steak — cheap steak, like a griddled flatiron or hanger, preferably sided by a couple of eggs and a pile of potatoes. Which is how I found myself…

John Wayne, the Broncos and pork chops: Westerkamps in photos

When I first stepped through the doors of the covered wagon-adorned building that houses Westerkamps Steakhouse and Meat Market, which I review in this week’s Westword, I thought I was on the way to a quiet breakfast special of pork chops and eggs. What I found, though, was a kitschy…

Mt. Everest has peaked, and space will become Lucy’s

When I reviewed Mt. Everest Restaurant & Bar this spring, I was especially enamored of the lunch buffet. Far from the boring, all-you-can-eat-of-this-mediocre food orgies that mark most buffets in this town, Mt. Everest’s buffet featured some of the kitchen’s strangest, and most enjoyable, Nepalese and northern Indian offerings. But…

Black Hawk freezes out the current operators of Crook’s Palace

Mike and Matt Casarez have been running a restaurant in the historic Crook’s Palace since 2008, where they’ve attracted a following with their house-cured bacon, house-baked bread and house-churned ice cream. Over 1,000 flavors of ice cream, in fact, which just landed them in the Guinness Book of World Records…

The Butcher Block serves up memories of North Dakota

Growing up, I spent summer vacations with a pack of cousins, running around a small town in North Dakota, and while the walleye was plentiful, as were the pan-baked dessert bars, the area was not known for its culinary treats. Meals, whether served in a restaurant or the basement of…

Thank heaven for Westerkamps Steakhouse

The steakhouse’s business card proclaims that Westerkamps is closed Sundays to honor God. It was also closed on a recent Saturday so that the entire staff could head up to Loveland for Heavenfest, a massive gathering featuring workshops, speakers and a lot of God rock. I know this because I…

Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar rolls out a traditional Basque happy hour

When Curt and Deicy Steinbecker opened Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar in late 2009, they wanted to give Denver a true Spanish experience, channeling the country where they’d met and learned to cook. And in that spirit, they’re importing another of their favorite Iberian traditions: the Basque pintxos happy hour…

Mona’s Restaurant on South Broadway closes

After garnering a legion of fans at the original Mona’s Restaurant on 15th Street, which features a pair of high-heeled legs dangling above the door, Linda and Garen Austin opened a second location on South Broadway, followed by a third Mona’s Cafe on 17th Avenue and Sherman Street, which began…

Second Helping: Salt the Bistro

When I reviewed Boulder’s Salt the Bistro almost a year ago, it seemed to have unfulfilled potential. “Every detail at this place, so painstakingly crafted to fit perfectly into an ideal rendering of a Boulder restaurant, is fine on its own — but added together, those details equal exactly a…

Denver’s five best chips and salsa

Our feelings for the magical pairing of chips and salsa extend beyond just casual flirtation. We love them deeply. In fact, we’re pretty sure we could live on chips and salsa alone if we had to, and at many restaurants in this city, we’ll gladly skip everything else just to…

At one year, says owner Jesse Morreale, El Diablo ain’t broke

Jesse Morreale and chef/partner Sean Yontz opened El Diablo, the Mexican restaurant that I review for this week’s Westword, just shy of a year ago. And the crowds — which made it nearly impossible to nab a bar seat that first week of business — continue to pack the place…

Food porn: El Diablo

This week I review El Diablo, the devilish restaurant that Jesse Morreale and Sean Yontz opened on the first floor of an old hotel last year. While I loved some dishes more than others, my love for the sexy space knows no bounds, and El Diablo keeps luring me back…

Like its namesake, Mezcal has mellowed with age

“Thanks for not sucking.” That was the handwritten sentiment on the back of my check the last time I ate at Mezcal, penned by an attentive server who was friendly, unpretentious and a little irreverent — the same combination of traits that characterizes the restaurant these days. The place feels…