There’s nothing better than taking a break from a restaurant, only to return and find that it’s even better than before. Such was the case here, in part because of the unassailable lamb shank, the meat of which just happens to come from the lambs raised on the farm of…

Cafe Society served up five Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a platter of Vietnamese egg rolls from Pho 96 to a lovely Manhattan from A Cote Bar a Absinthe to a remarkably good plate of crackling chicken from a neighborhood restaurant that’s doing everything right…

I have yet to eat a dish that I didn’t love from this always-bustling taqueria, which continues to be my favorite go-to joint for terrific south-of-the-border eats, including the lime-kissed shrimp ceviche sidekicked with a generous scoop of guacamole. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…

It’s still early in the year, but if you’ve paid attention to the restaurant scene over the last few months, then you’ve no doubt noticed the surge of small neighborhood restaurants. Peter Ryan, chef-owner of the Plimoth, opened a smashing forty-seater on the northern tip of City Park in late…

If there’s one thing we know about 2014, it’s that Denver will be be a banner year of restaurant openings, and Jimmy Callahan, who owns Prohibition on East Colfax, is just one of dozens of restaurateurs and bar owners who’s making sure that we’re not exaggerating. Callahan, along with his…

There’s nothing wrong with the Mexican food at this upscale shrine to south of the border staples…if you live in the suburbs. If you live in the city, stick with the taquerias on Federal, because while the carnitas slicked with mole were fine, they weren’t worth the drive. The service,…

After fifteen years of parties on the rooftop patio and turning out Italian cuisine to Boulderites, Bácaro Venetian Taverna is closing its doors on March 4, following one final bash. “I purchased the restaurant earlier this year, not to keep it Bácaro, which was owned by an Italian chef –…

Everything I’ve eaten at this new neighborhood hit has made me want to go back for more, and if you asked me what my favorite restaurant is right this very minute, this would be my pick, in part because of the crackling chicken with spaetzle. Just call it crack chicken…

Tony Hessel West Flanders Brewing Co. 1125 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-447-2739 wfbrews.com This is part two of my interview with Tony Hessel, exec chef of West Flanders Brewing Co; part one of our conversation ran yesterday. Which living chef do you most admire? Alice Waters. She was my inspiration for…

Suffice it to say that I eat out more than the general population, unless, of course, the general population can catalogue more than 450 restaurant meals in a year — which is about the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I stomached over the past year. Pathetic, isn’t it?…

Yesterday, I had a lunch meeting with a Denver chef who, like me, wanted to feast on dumplings. Alas, Lao Wang — our first choice — was closed, so we ended up here instead, eating steaming bowls of pho and sturdy Vietnamese egg rolls liberally stuffed with pork, mushrooms, carrots…

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…

Tony Hessel West Flanders Brewing Co. 1125 Pearl Street, Boulder 303-447-2739 wfbrews.com This is part one of my interview with Tony Hessel, exec chef of West Flanders Brewing Co; part two of our conversation will run tomorrow. Born in Manhattan and raised in Connecticut, Tony Hessel always thought he wanted…

Green Fine Salad Co., a Denver-based company, plans to open its third local location in April at 707 Seventeenth Street — but this outpost will have another name: Saladarity, a new prototype that, unlike Green Fine Salad, is trademarked. “Green Fine Salad is a name we couldn’t protect, so we…

“We’re always evolving, always finding ways to bring something new and different to the consumer,” says Smashburger founder Tom Ryan, whose follow-up to that smash success, Live Basil Pizza, will open today in Glendale, making it the third Live Basil outpost to open in Denver — and the fourth in…

If you drink too many of the strong Manhattans at this bar, which is all too easy to do, you can always phone home from the pistachio-hued rotary phone that probably dates back to long before ET was released. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…

“Um, how the hell do you eat this thing?” I ask Adam Long, a former sous chef at the White House and the current culinary director and executive chef of Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. “You need to have a big mouth,” he deadpans. Realizing that I’m not about ready to…

Touted as a “supergrain,” quinoa is appearing on restaurant menus all across the city, in salads, as the primary protein in burgers and as the main ingredient in hot cereal, the latter of which makes for a great breakfast, especially on a frigid morning. And while this quinoa, soaked in…

Cafe Society served up five Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a jar of chicken liver pâté (and all the proper accoutrements) from West Flanders Brewing to a warm, whiskey-based cocktail from the Hornet to a wonderful skillet breakfast of bacon, eggs and maple aioli from a restaurant in…

On Sunday, Peyton Manning and the unstoppable offense of the Denver Broncos will battle for victory against the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL team with the top-rated defense — and, in case you didn’t know, it’s the largest gambling day of the year. Early lines favor the Broncos, and while Denver…

Troy Guard’s presence in Denver is growing faster than the lines to buy weed. The prolific chef and restaurateur, who already operates TAG, TAG|RAW BAR, TAG Burger Bar, Los Chingones and Sugarmill, is now setting his sights on steak, and on Thursday, February 13, at 5 p.m., he’ll add Guard…