No. 32: Flavorsome Ramen at Sera’s Ramen Enclave Sera Nguyen opened this laidback West Highland noodle joint in the former Bang! spot (3472 West 32nd Avenue) in May, and has been making fans ever since. All it takes is one bowl of Nguyen’s comforting ramen to seal the deal, and a…
No. 33: Bagna Cauda Broccoli Rabe at Dio Mio Handmade Pasta Broccoli rabe isn’t exactly sexy; the bitter vegetable more often than not looks like nothing more than limp weeds on a plate. But the cooks at Dio Mio Handmade Pasta at 3264 Larimer Street turn broccoli’s skinny cousin into…
Chef/restaurateur Jeff Osaka just opened 12@Madison after a two-year period spent building Osaka Ramen, Sushi-Rama and the Denver Central Market, but he says there’s one person on his team who has made the growth of a restaurant mini-empire much easier, someone who takes care of business behind the scenes without…
At the end of this year, Andrea Frizzi will shutter his Il Posto on East 17th Avenue and start anew in a fresh space in RiNo, just around the corner from Vero, the Milano pizzeria he recently launched in Denver Central Market. Il Posto’s new digs are dazzling, a sleek…
Is Avelina where the pendulum begins to swing in the other direction? At some point in the future, maybe in three years, maybe in five, will we look back on the opening of this quiet downtown restaurant and trace the return of the soft-spoken, the sophisticated, the beautiful to the…
Corporate buyouts, gentrification, urban infill: These are the forces that get vilified when time-honored corners of our city are lost to change. But sometimes something as simple yet inevitable as growing old can close a popular business. Such was the case when Ron Cito and Kim DeLancey retired and closed…
The Original Chubby’s on West 38th Avenue just opened a brand new dining room and kitchen over the weekend that replaces the tiny, takeout-only joint operated first by Stella Cordova and then by her grandson, Danny, over the past fifty years. But another grandson, Julian, has opened and closed a…
The Original Chubby’s never had to call itself “the original” until other Chubby’s locations began popping up around town, some which even called themselves the Original Chubby’s. But there’s only one original, and that’s the Chubby’s at 1231 West 38th Avenue, purchased and run by Stella Cordova in 1967 and…
Remember Wurstküche? The sausage emporium out of Los Angeles was one of the first restaurants to close in 2016, but hardly the most memorable. Since it lasted less than a year, we barely got to know the place before it shuttered. But sadly, some of our favorites spots around town, from…
Gretchen Kurtz recently reviewed the Steuben’s that opened in a former Gunther Toody’s in Arvada earlier this year. Not only did she find it a worthy, smart addition to Josh Wolkon’s Secret Sauce group of local restaurants, but the fried chicken immediately joined that of the original Steuben’s on East…
December is when commerce usually slows down, but not in the restaurant industry, where holiday parties and revelers pack dining rooms and pad reservation lists. Those who open new restaurants have been busy this month, too. Here are ten new bars and eateries we’ve covered so far this month, along…
This week we went on the Colorado grand tour as our Beer Man, Jonathan Shikes, talked to several beer lovers who have visited every brewery in Colorado. To help you plan your own sudsy adventure, Shikes shared seven tips on the how to be an efficient beer tourist. But if…
The morning commute on Santa Fe Drive just south of Mississippi Avenue gets a little treacherous when cars queuing up at a Starbuck’s drive-thru overflow into northbound traffic lanes. Brothers Matt and Brad Gruber noticed the number of drivers stopping to fuel up on caffeine as early as 5 a.m…
In January Quiznos launched a slightly more upscale sandwich concept called Quiznos Grill at 1147 Broadway.. But last month the company — which was founded in the Mile High City in 1981 — ended that experiment and closed Quiznos Grill. Now the space is occupied by Zeps Epiq Sandwiches, with a…
We’ve slurped the noodles at Osaka Ramen; we’ve shoveled down fresh fish plucked from the carousel at Sushi-Rama; we’ve strolled through Denver Central Market overwhelmedby mouthwatering choices. These are the projects that chef/restaurateur Jeff Osaka has launched in the two years (plus a few months) since he closed twelve on…
No. 34: Ebelskivers at Three Little Griddles Chances are you have never heard of an ebelskiver (or æbleskiver) before, unless you are from the Midwest or Denmark. These happy little puffs of dough are a Danish creation — essentially pancake spheres — about the size of golf balls — filled…
A comfy coffee shop provides welcome shelter from chilly weather; after all, most coffee shops are in the business of generating steam. Even if you have difficulty peering through the windows from the outside, it’s a good bet that inside you’ll find a safe haven from Old Man Winter. Port…
When New Saigon opened on South Federal Boulevard in 1982, it was only the second Vietnamese restaurant in Denver. Refugees fleeing the Communist regime in Vietnam were just beginning to settle in Denver at the time, forming the basis of the vibrant community that exists today. New Saigon became a…
Another fast-casual restaurant company is coming to Colorado from out of state — so why should you care? Turns out that California-based Tava Kitchen, which says it’s “on a mission to help America fall in love with the flavors of South Asia,” has a Colorado connection or two that could help…
Uno Mas Taqueria y Cantina just opened the doors to its latest Mexican eatery; this one’s at 730 East Sixth Avenue. But unlike the original on Old South Pearl Street or the newer Mexican-Italian mashup joint, Mas Kaos, on Tennyson Street, the new spot has something you won’t find at…
On December 31, Andrea Frizzi plans to hold one last blowout New Year’s Eve party at his 17th Avenue location of Il Posto, and then he’ll shutter the nearly ten-year-old neighborhood restaurant in anticipation of a move to new digs at 26th and Larimer streets in RiNo. But when the…
No. 35: Barbecue Sandwiches at Globe Hall Barbecue is at its best as unadorned meat — sliced, pulled or chopped — with a little sauce on the side and perhaps a cold beer (nothing too bold or heavy though). Globe Hall doesn’t mess around with fancy presentations or modern gimmickry…
