Chef Kelly Whitaker, owner of Basta in Boulder, recalls sleeping on the floor of a pizza restaurant in Campagna, Italy, where he studied the traditional craft of cooking with a wood-burning oven. That experience has shaped his career, lending Basta its theme and centerpiece, inspiring his second project, pizza and…
Cherry Creekers didn’t know a good thing when it slapped them on the face with a noodle. Chef/restaurateur Jeff Osaka is turning off the burners at Osaka Ramen at East 3rd Avenue and Detroit Street after only a year. The final bowls will be ladled out on Saturday night and…
One of Capitol Hill’s neighborhood favorites, Barricuda’s Restaurant & Lounge, closed earlier this month for a remodel. Owner Jin Lee says he expects to reopen his bar on August 26 with a new paint job and new hardwood floors that will replace worn carpeting. Barricuda’s has been serving cheap drinks…
Mario moved here from Texas nineteen years ago, and yesterday we shared his complaint that he can’t find any good Mexican food in Denver — and by “Mexican food,” he means Tex Mex. That doesn’t play well with Coloradans, who all have their favorite kinds of Mexican food — but…
What do you get when you combine board games, sandwiches, milkshakes and other goodies? While a kid’s birthday party is one answer, in the context of Board Game Republic at 900 West First Avenue, you have the latest place for adults to grab a cocktail and a bite while playing various…
No. 69: The Falafel Waffle at Moxie Eatery The first time we ordered the falafel waffle at this new Broadway shop, we admit we only did it because the name is fun to say. But chef/owner Dylan Moore (who Gretchen Kurtz profiled for Chef & Tell this week) packed so many…
We’ve been all about tacos this month. We ate dozens of them at the first Tacolandia — a celebration of street tacos that promises to become an annual event for Westword. Mark Antonation tried several of the featured eateries in advance, for his list of “Five Uncommon Tacos and Where…
As I thought a lot about regional cuisine in China — and ate a lot of it, too — I began wondering how the food there would evolve. As in the States, some chefs in China are looking around the globe for influence, while others are attempting to revitalize and…
As I ferreted out Chinese restaurants for this week’s story about authentic Chinese eats in Denver, I was most excited to drop into Hasu Asian Bistro, a restaurant that once served an amalgamation of Asian dishes in a subterranean space in Cherry Creek North. Hasu focused on sushi, but from…
This morning, we ran a list of our favorite cheese shops in town along with some tasty sandwiches and other cheesy delights found at each one. As proof that the metro area’s cheese scene continues to ripen, new cheese mongers were opening even as we were compiling our list. Cheese…
When I asked veteran restaurateur Dylan Moore what drew him to the kitchen, he echoed a sentiment I’ve heard many times over the years. “I always thought chefs were studs,” he told me. “Part pirate, part rock star, part artist.” The fact that he grew up in the industry —…
There’s a new restaurant on the northeast corner of South Federal Boulevard and West Evans Avenue, and surprisingly — given the food scene in the area — it’s neither a pho shop nor a taqueria. Lancer’s Diner, which opened on Friday, is a breakfast-and-lunch spot serving home-style cooking and flattop…
No. 70: Combination Banh Mi at Vinh Xuong Bakery To get to this coveted sandwich in Athmar Park, head East on Alameda Avenue from South Federal Boulevard, pull into the Alameda Square Shopping Center and park at the northwest corner. There you’ll will find Vinh Xuong Bakery, a popular lunch…
As the sun sets over Beijing’s Gui Jie, crowds throng what’s known as Ghost Street, posting up on short stools, surrounding eatery entrances and clutching numbers doled out by aloof hostesses. The rising chatter is punctuated by blaring microphones as restaurants call in parties and men with megaphones accost passersby,…
The Denver Wrangler’s new location at 3090 Downing Street opened to a rager on Sunday, August 14, after what appeared to be a wild pre-opening party on Saturday night. The official announcement that the town’s longtime bear bar had finally made the move from Uptown to the edge of Five Points…
No 71: Mini Chile Rellenos at La Loma La Loma has called West 26th Avenue in Jefferson Park home since 1973, moving once from its original home into the current location built from three conjoined miner’s cabins. A big move to 1801 Broadway downtown was announced in February, but construction…
If you’re craving an umbrella drink, you might need to wait a few weeks. Denver’s only tiki bar, Adrift, at 218 South Broadway, is closed for a remodel. The Polynesian themed bar and eatery was purchased by the group that owns Little Man Ice Cream, according to a sign posted…
Westword’s Tacolandia was the hottest party in town on Sunday, August 14, as more than thirty restaurants, taquerias and food trucks converged on Sports Authority Field to present a vast variety of tacos to the growing crowd, which kept cool with Estrella Jaslico beer and Exotico margaritas. Attendees had their…
On Sunday, August 14, Westword will host Tacolandia, a celebration of the city’s street tacos in all their tortilla-wrapped glory. Join us at Sports Authority Field to enjoy unlimited samples from many of Denver’s top taquerias, cantinas, Mexican restaurants and food trucks, including Taqueria El Trompito. El Trompito is a…
In honor of National Chicken Wing Day, we recently served up a flock of our favorite chicken wings in Denver, and readers immediately started squawking about our choices…and more. Says Meghan: I don’t know how Ace is not number one…I have a serious addiction and will drive out of my way…
We’ve been filling you full of tacos this week, with a daily dose of the tacos of Tacolandia, Westword’s celebration of Mexican street food that will kick off this Sunday, August, 14, as well as a five-pack of the city’s rarest tacos to top you off. We also welcomed newcomers…
“Italians don’t do brunch,” says chef Max MacKissock of Bar Dough. But fortunately for Denverites, this LoHi Italian eatery is putting its stamp on the traditional weekend meal, launching brunch service this Sunday, August 14, beginning at 10 a.m. The mid-morning menu, designed primarily by chef de cuisine Blake Edmunds,…
