I usually cook breakfast at home on the weekends, but the springlike weather demanded an outdoor stroll, which led us to one of our neighborhood cafes, whose kitchen is turning out a brilliant board of breakfast dishes, including bananas Foster French toast. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…
Andrew Selvaggio Live Basil Pizza, Tom’s Urban and Smashburger smashburger.com, livebasilpizza.com, tomsurban24.com This is part two of my interview with Andrew Selvaggio, chef of Smashburger, Live Basil and Tom’s Urban; part one of my chat with Selvaggio ran yesterday. Most memorable meal you’ve ever had: It was in 1983, at…
Earlier today, we announced that several local chefs and restaurants were nominated for a James Beard Foundation award — and that coveted roster includes Jeff Osaka, chef-owner of twelve, who recently just celebrated the Ballpark restaurant’s fifth anniversary. And now, Ryan Leinonen, chef-owner of Trillium, which is just a few…
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…
Teenagers are so damn picky, at least the second one of the two that I had to cart around last night on a where-to-have-dinner romp. Mexican? No. Thai? He’d never had it — and didn’t want to. Chinese? No, thanks. Cheesesteaks? Bingo, but only if the cheesesteak joint had chicken…
Earlier today, in a live stream from Orlando, Florida, the James Beard Foundation rolled out its culinary red carpet of semi-finalists in several categories, including Outstanding Bar Program, Outstanding Pastry Chef, Outstanding Restaurateur, Outstanding Wine Program, Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best Chef, Southwest — all of which…
Andrew Selvaggio Live Basil Pizza, Tom’s Urban and Smashburger smashburger.com, livebasilpizza.com, tomsurban24.com This is part one of my interview with Andrew Selvaggio, chef of Smashburger, Live Basil and Tom’s Urban; part two of my chat with Selvaggio will run tomorrow. “Food was a huge part of my life, of my…
“Nooooooooo!” That’s the communal groan of despair on the Facebook page of Glaze: the Baum Cake shop, a whimsical Congress Park bakery that specializes in stunning Japanese baumkuchen, glazed multilayered cakes with “tree rings” baked in a hand-crafted, cherry-red, 2,220-pound rotisserie oven, which owner Heather Alcott had christened “Red Dragon.”…
Back in late November, when Matt Selby, the opening exec chef and a partner in the Corner House (he’s now the exec chef of Central) departed ways with majority owners and partners Scott Kinsey and James Iacino, president of Seattle Fish, the Jefferson Park restaurant closed for a few days…
Chicken tikka masala is quite possibly the most ubiquitous Indian dish in America, and while every restaurant has its own version, I’m partial to this particular one, which is served in a copper vessel, punctuated with assertive spices and plentiful with tender bites of chicken. Can you guess where I’m…
Five Colorado chefs — Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Euclid Hall, Bistro Vendome and the forthcoming Stoic & Genuine); Justin Brunson (Old Major and Masterpiece Deli); Paul Reilly (Beast + Bottle); Steve Redzikowski (Acorn and Oak at Fourteenth); and Bill Greenwood (Beano’s Cabin) — have been tapped to compete in Cochon555, the…
I really, really wish that I could be as enthusiastic about the food at this quirky Korean restaurant as the chef who served it to me. But while he couldn’t have been more accommodating, jambalaya, Korean or otherwise, should have a modicum of flavor — and some heat — neither…
“Our food is addictive, and our concept is fresh!” exclaims the website of Teriyaki Madness, a Las Vegas-based, fast-casual chain that focuses on scratch-made teriyaki sauces lobbed on proteins like chicken, pork, beef and tofu. “Teriyaki Madness is the frenzy experienced by our raving fans who desire to have our…
Cafe Society dished up four Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a lime-kissed shrimp ceviche, courtesy of Taqueria 7 Salsas, to a lackluster plate of pulled pork and sausage links from Moe’s Original Barbecue to a Goliath-size lamb shank from a restaurant whose new chef is doing everything right…
“This year has been awesome, scary, rewarding, exciting, educational and eye-opening, and reaching the one-year mark is humbling,” reflects Kevin Morrison, who will celebrate the first anniversary of his Highland taqueria, Pinche: Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey this afternoon and evening with a parade of food-and-drink specials. But while today’s jubilee will…
A few days ago, I had the misfortune of eating the horrible macaroni and cheese from Moe’s Original BBQ, specifically the outlet at 3295 South Broadway. The cooks at Moe’s could learn a few tips or three from the kitchen crew at a certain mountain restaurant that also makes macaroni…
Caitlin Mandigo City Bakery 5454 Washington Street 303-292-3989 citybakerydenver.com This is part two of my interview with Caitlin Mandigo, bread baker at City Bakery; part one of our conversation ran yesterday. There are all sorts of romantic notions about what it’s like to bake bread. What’s it really like? Baking…
“It was just normal kitchen drama,” says Tommy Lee, the owner of Uncle, who fired his longtime chef, Jon Mendoza, earlier today. “I have to do what’s best for my team, and there was some tension [between Mendoza] and the staff,” he adds. However, Mendoza — who started at Uncle…
Denver continually gets a bad rap for its barbecue, and if last night’s dinner at a joint that prides itself on pulled pork, sausage links and smoked chicken is par for the course, then it’s no wonder why. Equally dismal were the side dishes, especially the macaroni and cheese, which…
Some things, restaurant spaces included, are just meant to be. Such was the unanimous opinion of Leigh Jones, Margaret Moore and Jeremy Matzke, the crew behind Jonesy’s EatBar, the Horseshoe Lounge and the Bar Car, when they inked a deal last Friday to lease the recently shuttered Pete’s Patio Bar,…
Caitlin Mandigo City Bakery 5454 Washington Street 303-292-3989 citybakerydenver.com This is part one of my interview with Caitlin Mandigo, bread baker at City Bakery; part two of our conversation will run tomorrow. Food “is in my family’s blood,” says Caitlin Mandigo, the bread production manager at City Bakery. Born and…
Back in June, when I first reported that chef-restaurateur Dylan Moore was closing Deluxe and Juanita’s, the two adjoining spaces he owned on South Broadway, I also revealed that both restaurants had been snatched up by Frank Jolley, a longtime restaurateur and nightclub owner who had most recently spent the…
