For years, Justin Brunson, chef and co-founder of Masterpiece Deli and Old Major, has promised to open a second outpost of his smashing LoHi deli, arguably one of the best sandwich shops in Denver, and late this summer, at 1710 Sherman Street, in the Wells Fargo Center, he — along…

The cinema industry has its Oscars and its Golden Globes, the Grammy Awards celebrate the best in music, and the James Beard Awards are every chef’s dream, and tonight, at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, Jennifer Jasinski, chef-owner of Rioja, Euclid Hall and Bistro Vendome,…

Cafe Society served up four Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from an exquisite bloody Mary from The Squeaky Bean (thank God, it doesn’t like like any of these), to a deep-dish pizza from Old Chicago, to a bowl of beautiful tomato soup streaked with olive oil…

Service has been a big topic on Cafe Society this week, what with Jonathan Greschler getting the boot from Old Major for his apparent inability to connect with his former staff, despite the fact that guests adore him. “Jonathan is amazing with customers, but I just don’t think he applied…

I interview numerous chefs who lament the lack of good Mexican food in a city that’s steeped in green chile and home to some marvelous taquerias. But when I go to a place like this, where my relleno has clearly been microwaved and the guacamole is absent of any seasoning,…

I love tasting menus, much the same way that I’m a proponent of communal tables and hanging my butt at the bar, which is where I prefer to eat. And if I can get a tasting menu at the bar, with wine pairings, even better. Yes, I like extended, evening-long…

Announcement: We have a winner of our Victor Hugo wine dinner contest. Congrats to Sallymander1029, who guessed seventeen – the exact number of times that Aileen saw Les Misérables on Broadway. Sally, we’ll send you can e-mail about how you can claim your prize. On Thursday night, at 7 p.m.,…

My own lunch was disappointing, but my date’s lunch — tomato soup and Bolognese with penne — was anything but, especially that tomato soup, which should really be sold by the gallon. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess…

This is part two of my interview with Michael Pollan, author of Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation; Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual; The Omnivore’s Dilemma; In Defense of Food; Second Nature; The Botany of Desire and A Place of My Own. Part one of Pollan’s musings ran yesterday. Pollan…

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 the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them and cook up a feast. There’s a huge…

Brunch was recently introduced to the lineup of this restaurant-of-the-moment, which, along with serving a slew of knock-out morning glories, also turns out a brilliant bloody Mary. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post is entered into…

This is part one of my interview with Michael Pollan, author of Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation; Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual; The Omnivore’s Dilemma; In Defense of Food; Second Nature; The Botany of Desire and A Place of My Own. Part two of Pollan’s musings will run tomorrow…

Bright and early this morning, Jonathan “Beer Man” Shikes, announced that Renegade Publik House, a new beer joint from the clan behind Renegade Brewing, was opening later this afternoon, a textbook’s toss from the University of Denver. And judging from the crush at 3 p.m., when the doors opened, word…

Late last week, on Friday, so many people showed up to the opening of Tarboosh, a new Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant in an Aurora strip mall, that the kitchen ran out of food by 5:30 p.m. Yesterday, however, when I stopped in for lunch, the quarters were relatively quiet,…

On Thursday night, at 7 p.m., the grape-savvy crew at Beast + Bottle, Paul and Aileen Reilly’s lovely restaurant in Uptown, is hosting a Victor Hugo wine dinner. The six-course feast, most of which is paired with wines from Victor Hugo Winery, located in the lush landscape of Paso Robles,…

After going to two different tap rooms for a beer and bite, only to find both joints closed (this, despite websites that listed hours that extended beyond those on the doors), I wound up here by default, drowning my sorrows in a deep-dish pizza and a saison. Can you guess…

Winner announcement: Congrats to Joey Murdah, who came the closest with his guess of 1,200 glasses of Dunkel. The actual number is 1,289. Tomorrow night, at 6:30 p.m., chef Michael Long, also a co-host on KEZW’s The Main Course, will cook a German feast at Prost Brewing as part of…

Whoa. From the outside looking in, everything seemed perfectly peachy at Old Major, Justin Brunson’s restaurant in Highland that opened in late February after months of restless expectancy by the city’s food-obsessed. The temple to swine, wine and farmhouse cuisine just garnered a three-and-a-half star review from the Denver Post…

Cafe Society dished up five Guess Where? contests last week, ranging from a fancy bourbon cocktail from Old Major, to a mound of guacamole pelted with bacon from Tamayo, to a cocktail called a “Pink Pony” trotting a mixture of Grey Goose Cherry Noir and ginger beer…

I spent the last week in California, splitting my time between Los Angeles, where I had a stellar dinner at Night + Market, a Thai restaurant that pimps everything from fried pigs’ tail to pigs’ blood, and Newport Beach, a city whose restaurant scene is depressing, save for Pizzeria Mozza…

Update: Congratulations to kezzamcdezza! You’ve won free food and drinks at the Justice League of Street Food party. For details on how to claim your prize, check your e-mail. By the way, the correct answer is 29,568 ounces. Original post: Saturday’s weather forecast looks positively balmy — 75 degrees! –…