Are you ready for the holiday madness? The end of the year always sneaks up on us — much like those unwanted pounds we pack on at those holiday parties with incredible appetizers and decadent desserts. If you’d like to learn how to make some of those treats, you can…
Vesper Lounge, which I review this week, reminds me of that AT&T commercial with the little girl competing for cutest kid. It’s not that the bar Bonanno Concepts put in the former home of the divey Lancer Lounge is competing to be cutest bar (far from it). But as the…
Ya Hala Grill, a three-time winner for Best Middle Eastern Restaurant, has closed after the owners gave up the lease on the space on South Colorado Boulevard. See also: Hops Grill and Brewery closes in Littleton…
I have yet to find Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant in Denver that serves a laudable lentil soup — and that includes this thin, watery version that also arrived woefully underseasoned. I thought about pointing this out to our server, but given that her vocabulary was limited to a single phrase –…
Nadine Donovan Old Major 3316 Tejon Street 720-420-0622 oldmajordenver.com This is part two of my interview with Nadine Donovan, pastry chef of Old Major; part one of our chat ran yesterday. What do you enjoy most about your craft? It’s rewarding. At the beginning of the day, I step into…
Gretchen Kurtz just reviewed Vesper Lounge, the concept that Bonanno Concepts opened last November, when a space right between the flagship Mizuna and Bones opened up. With the addition of Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria this spring, Bonanno Concepts now has an even ten eateries (with an eleventh coming next spring –…
It’s been a big week for Denver International Airport. First, it was proclaimed the airport with the healthiest food in the country. And yesterday, USA Today readers voted it the best U.S. airport for art. Whether you love or loathe it, you can’t deny that “Mustang,” aka Blucifer, has made…
Since floods devastated parts of Colorado two months ago, there have been an abundance of fundraisers helping those who lost so much — everyone from farmers to musicians. Tonight the Business Marketing Association Colorado will dedicate its annual B2BSeen event to raising funds for flood relief. The action starts at…
When people find out what I do for a living, they get nervous about inviting me over for dinner. I do my best to reassure them; after all, it’s not like I’m going to take notes and send out a critique of their chicken. If they still don’t believe me,…
Our server is incredulous. “Really? You want the pork belly? Most Americans don’t order the pork belly. You’re positive you want the pork belly?” she asks, entirely positive that we’d prefer kung pao chicken instead. When we assure her that yes, we want the pork belly, which is listed on…
Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with a spacious kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s best ingredients home with them and cook up a feast, and when they’re not…
Nadine Donovan Old Major 3316 Tejon Street 720-420-0622 oldmajordenver.com This is part one of my interview with Nadine Donovan, pastry chef of Old Major; part two of our one-on-one will run tomorrow. It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, four hours before Old Major opens for happy hour. Behind the transparent…
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…
The 16th Street Mall is full of great places to sit and watch the passing parade, but does it have many great places to eat? You can grab a sandwich — and even do good in the process, if you stop at the new Cafe 180 kiosk. But when a…
Oysters are like Crocs — you either like them or you don’t. But those plastic shoes will never be a thing of beauty, unlike oysters prepared the right way and served with a beautiful bottle of wine. Tonight Oceanaire Seafood Room will host an informative dinner that highlights both fruits…
Grist Brewing celebrated its grand opening on November 2 in Highlands Ranch, bringing some much-needed craft beer love to Denver’s south suburbs. In fact, Grist, founded by organic chemist Rob Kevwitch, is the first independently-owned craft brewery in Highlands Ranch — and the first in a wave of planned brewery…
It’s 5:30 p.m., and the scent of nightfall — the faint breeze of kitchen gusts — already permeates the air when I pull my car up to the meter. And inside twelve, Jeff Osaka’s Larimer Street restaurant, the smells grow more intense: Osaka and a brigade of chefs are concentrated…
When you think of snacking at Denver International Airport, you may think of Panda Express or Burger King. But according to the latest annual study by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, DIA now has the healthiest airport food in the country, and tops the list for the first…
If chefs can crown corn chips with beef, chicken, carnitas and mock meat, then why not smoked oysters? That’s the unorthodox (and delicious) approach this kitchen takes with its nachos, a foreseeable addiction. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a…
Govinda’s Garden has been a staple for Denver’s vegetarians for years. The eatery at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, (perhaps) better known as the Hare Krishna movement, has gone through various incarnations, but always returns with its vegetarian buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. After changing its name to…
When it comes to good, old-fashioned fun, Punch Bowl Social knows how it’s done. After converting a 24,000 square-foot former big lots into a mecca of entertainment, Punch Bowl Social opened last year with three bars (punch a specialty); the Elevated Diner serving breakfast, lunch and dinner; a coffee spot…
The bobas in the above snap didn’t come from a bona fide Asian-style bubble teahouse. Instead, the fruity slushies and smoothies with their fat straws and soft tapioca pearls are blended at a timeworn restaurant that sizzles with steer. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…
