Four Barrel Bar & BBQ Now Smoking in Arvada

Four Barrel Bar & BBQ opened last month in a former Texaco station on the edge of Olde Town Arvada. Although there are four barrels that serve as beer taps built into the bar back, the name actually comes from four-barrel carburetors that the former service station once installed in high-powered…

The Squeaky Bean’s Chris MacGillivray Has a Way With Vegetables

Chris MacGillivray just started as executive chef at the Squeaky Bean in May, but he’s already an old hand in the LoDo kitchen. That’s because he’d been there before, having worked under Max MacKissock before the opening chef departed two years ago. MacGillivray stayed for a short time under MacKissock’s…

Braun Taphaus Closes in Olde Town Arvada

The Baron family hit it big with its Udi’s brand of breads and bakery cafes, but ever since they sold their gluten-free line of products to Smart Balance for a reported $125 million, things have been a little tough. First they had to rename all the cafes and bakeries that…

El Trompito Taqueria Offers Rare Taste of Mixiote

From the outside, there’s not much to distinguish one Denver taqueria from many of the others around town: a low-key storefront in an out-of-the-way strip mall, a simple sign, maybe some hand-painted lettering on the windows to advertise specials. The list of tacos may not give much hint as to…

Pho Denver Takes Over Yura’s Space in the Beauvallon

The block of retail spaces on Lincoln Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues have been difficult for restaurants — and the curse of the Beauvallon building continues. Jura’s Modern Asian Kitchen — which served an eclectic menu of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese dishes — didn’t even make it…

First Look: Honor Society Handcrafted Eatery to Open in August

With the success of LoHi pork palace Old Major, the focus on chef-owner Justin Brunson’s career of late has been on his haute cuisine, so much so that it’s easy to forget his Denver debut as a restaurateur: a humble, counter-service sandwich shop called Masterpiece Delicatessen. There are two of…

Osaka Ramen in Cherry Creek North Opening This Week

The “Coming Soon” banner in front of the Osaka Ramen in Cherry Creek North could be replaced by a “Now Open” sign any day now. Chef-owner Jeff Osaka says the only holdup is final sign-off from Xcel Energy on a new gas meter that was recently installed. Once that happens, he says…

100 Favorite Dishes: Foie Gras Bonbons at Milk & Honey

No 30: Foie Gras Bonbons at Milk & Honey Bar KitchenChef-restaurateur Michael Shiell was out of the Denver culinary scene for more than a decade, but with Milk & Honey, which opened in Larimer Square two months ago, he’s back with a swank and understated subterranean eatery that feels both…

Growing Pains: Chefs and Farmers Talk About This Year’s Wild Weather

If there’s one conversation everyone in Denver has had this summer, it’s about the weather. Overcast skies and persistent downpours meant an atypically soggy spring — and now we’re into monsoon season, with blazingly beautiful days punctuated by fast-moving afternoon storms that build over the mountains and race across the…

100 Favorite Dishes: My Wife’s Donuts at Osaka Ramen

No. 31: My Wife’s Doughnuts at Osaka Ramen Osaka Ramen just opened in late April but has already earned a reputation as one of the top tonkotsu spots in town. An exploration of the full menu, though, reveals that chef-owner Jeff Osaka has a knack for more than just noodles and…

Postino WineCafe Will Join Recess Beer Garden in LoHi

Last September, the owners of the Postino group of Phoenix, Arizona wine bars posted their intention to open a new cafe in the former Denver Book Binding Company building in Lower Highland. The building has since undergone an extensive overhaul and Postino LoHi is nearly ready to open on the south end…

ChowSun’s Filipino Menu Shines in East Aurora

My exposure to the cuisine of the Philippines has definitely been limited here in Denver, primarily consisting of visits to a couple of food trucks: Orange Crunch and A Taste of the Philippines, which both serve great food but have small menus. But then ChowSun opened last November in east Aurora,…

Spicy Ginger Closes on South Downing Street

The northeast corner of Alameda Avenue and Downing street has been home to a string of Asian restaurants since the late 1990s. What originally opened as Stir Crazy quickly changed names to the Crazy Asian Cafe, which survived until 2012, when new owners took over and gave it the name…