Aix goes dark

Just got word from a sharp-eyed tipster in the 17th Avenue neighborhood that something appears to be going on at Aix. Or, more to the point, nothing seems to be going on at Aix. I hit this place, which won our Best Taste of Provence in 2007, a few weeks back…

Blue Ocean celebrates one year of new ownership

  Happy anniversary to Blue Ocean Asian Cafe! The restaurant, located at 8101 East Belleview Avenue in Greenwood Village, was purchased by current owner Guodong Hong in January 2008, but has managed to keep the same chef, Ji Gang Li, and the menu is relatively unchanged since Jason Sheehan’s review…

Our Weekly Bread: Mr. Lucky’s Pizza Sub

The sandwich: Lucky’s Pizza Sub What’s on it: Ham, pepperoni, provolone and parmesan, marinara, green peppers, black olives on a toasted roll Where to get it: Mr. Lucky’s Sandwiches (711 East Sixth Avenue, 303-861-5825) How much: $6.95 A pizza sub is a rare find, and I have been looking online…

Biodegradable hot cup lid? Yes, please!

Boulder-based Eco-Products, a company specializing in sustainable and environmentally friendly food-service ware, has unveiled its newest product: a biodegradable cup lid! Incredibly, it’s the first of its kind in North America, now making it possible to compost your entire coffee cup. Steve Kurowski, marketing manager of Eco-Products, has this to say about…

BARACKTI Chai is a spicy, caffeinated play on words

Bhakti Chai, a micro-brewed, fresh-pressed ginger masala chai tea company, has released a limited edition version of its chai: BARACKTI Chai, in honor of a certain someone who was just inaugurated. Brook Eddy, founder and owner of the Boulder-based company, simply added a shot of AA+ Kenyan coffee to the…

Tim Tams Make Their American Debut

  When a good friend returned from her semester abroad in Australia our junior year of college, she brought with her something that would forever change our lives: Arnott’s Tim Tam biscuits.  They seemed simple enough in concept–a chocolate sandwich cookie, filled with chocolate cream, and enrobed in more chocolate–but there was something about…

Maxwell’s is MIA

Looks like the new year has claimed another casualty. There’s no answer when you call Maxwell’s — an American Brasserie, an ambitious, upscale eatery that occupied a stand-alone space at 7340 South Clinton Street in Englewood. If and when Maxwell’s reopens, the owners might want to do some fast proofreading…

A glimpse into the future at Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria

It took me a minute to shake off the triple-vision I was experiencing, but once I did, I saw the wisdom in not screwing around too much with the bones. This space has been refined and re-refined a lot over the years. Doomed owners have dumped barrels full of money…

Fidel’s opens in former Metro Kitchen/Fat Daddy’s

Fat Daddy’s — the restaurant at 12 East 11th Avenue where Daniel Young, the almost-White House chef, was the cook — was done in by the blizzard of March 2003. It was replaced by Metro Kitchen + Bar, which was done in by — well, who knows what.But now the…

Sexy Pizza: Even the signage is hot

If — like more than one person here at Westword — you’re mildly obsessed with the slices of glory being shoveled from the oven of Sexy Pizza, some mildly good news: The small pizza joint, at 1018 East 11th (near the mini Whole Foods), has finally replaced its old Pizza…

A new home team for Second Home

Jason Sheehan wasn’t bowled over by Second Home, which opened last March in the old Mirepoix space in the JW Marriott in Cherry Creek. And now Peter Karpinski, chief operating officer of Sage Restaurant Group, has announced that Jason Rogers is the new executive chef at Second Home, with Anton…

Redfish brewery parties its way out of business

After a dozen years, Redfish Fish House & Brewery will serve its last order of jambalaya tomorrow night. To celebrate the end of a long run, the New Orleans-style brewhouse is hosting “the Deadfish” event on Wednesday night, complete with a silent auction of its voluminous art collection at 7…

I’m totally DUG-ing this idea

Denver Urban Gardens is a nonprofit that helps create urban gardens around Denver. To date, DUG has supported more than eighty community gardens and open-space parks throughout the metro area. Now, with a $70,000 grant from Denver’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Services department, it’s helping a free seed and transplant…

Denver’s best burgers go big time

The Cherry Cricket makes one of the town’s great hamburgers (here’s Jason Sheehan’s List of the town’s Best Burgers), which is why the Travel Channel will be stopping by Denver’s Best Burger Bar at 2641 East Second Avenue today, to film a segment of Man v. Food with host Adam…

Budapest Bistro undergoes a remodel

After twenty years, the Budapest Bistro at 1585 South Pearl Street has made some changes — in both decor and hours.  Budapest Bistro is owned by Anna Hellvig, who’s also the chef, getting only occasional help in the kitchen from her daughter. The restaurant’s manager is Anna’s son, Mark, who says…

Happy birthday, Laudisio

Laudisio Ristorante Italiano, at 1710 29th Street, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary tonight from 5-10 p.m., with special discounts and live music. And through the month, if you bring a canned good donation to the restaurant, you get a free mini dessert. It may be Laudisio’s birthday — but you…

Milking It: Honey Graham Oh!s

Honey Graham Oh!s Quaker Rating: three spoons out of four Cereal description: Supersized, light-tan ovals made mainly of corn, rice, wheat and oat flour, with assorted chunks, flakes and nuggets occupying the center gap. Looks sort of like a mutant bird’s nest — but in a good way…

Ha Noi Pho gunman gets 330 year sentence

On November 14, 2007, Phung Van Dang, toting a shotgun, entered Ha Noi Pho’s kitchen intent on robbery, but wound up shooting it out with detectives in plainclothes who were lunching in the restaurant at 1036 South Federal. Today Denver District Judge Martin Egelhoff sentenced Dang, a habitual offender, to…

Ca-toff-strophe for Enstrom’s

Simons said that there had been a major malfunction with their production process — the toffee had been too smooth, so smooth the chocolate coating couldn’t adhere– but that Enstrom’s had no choice but to move forward with faulty product. The problem was a massive blow during the holiday rush,…

On bribing a maitre’d

So how much, exactly, is that perfect table worth to you?  I’m curious because I Just heard from one of my good office sources about a scene last night at Proto’s (2401 15th Street) that completely blew my mind.The way he told it, Proto’s was packed on Thursday. Wall-to-wall and…