For as long as there has been a Vietnamese restaurant scene in Denver, the heart of that scene has been on South Federal Boulevard. Federal at Mississippi, Federal at Alameda, Federal at all those crooked little residential cross streets, in the cracked-blacktop strip malls, along the arterial sidewalks: For more…
Just so you know, growing up and being forced to grow up are not the same. Growing up is a natural process for women and some men that involves moving away from home, getting productive jobs, marrying and having kids, and stopping all of the immature nonsense you thought was…
To say the PS Lounge is just a dive bar is like saying a limo is just a car, or a lion is just a cat. There’s no question that the PS Lounge is a dive — but the fact is, it might be Denver’s greatest dive. It has everything…
On any day of the week, Sherpa’s is waiting like a familiar, comfortable neighborhood bar — one that just happens to be staffed by sherpas and run by a former Everest guide, and serves momo, thupka, dahl bhat and aloo paratha. It’s a foreign restaurant yet oddly comforting, confined as…
Suddenly, Chi Bistro was being hailed as a restaurant featuring ‘American classics with a flavor of French Indochina’—which ought to have meant Cafe du Monde and cr�me caramel, pho, fish heads and pigs roasted and redolent of gunpowder and Zippo lighter fuel, but didn’t, of course, except for an Asian…
My recent musings about the archetypal Denver restaurant, “You Are Where You Eat,” inspired several people to send in their own tastes of Denver. Here’s the slightly ball-obsessed response from Christine Sipple: Well, you might be right — finding a restaurant that truly speaks to you in this city could…
Okay, so the rumors have been flying about some big shakeups happening at Mel’s in Cherry Creek, and I’m here to tell you that the bad news is true. I just got off the phone with owner Mel Master a few minutes ago, and he told me that Mel’s will,…
This Just In: Late word from Stephen Anson, who is now the ex-owner of Wholly Tomato up on the hill at 9th and Lincoln. On Wednesday, Anson announced that his two-year-old “healthy fast-food restaurant” was closed as of immediately, and that he’d been bought out by the guys from Deli…
Here’s my problem with fusion cuisine: No white cook has ever learned how to properly use galangal. No black cook, either. Or Latino or Spanish or French or what-have-you. Or me. We’ve all tried it — experimented the way others might with smoking weed or light bondage — but none…
What’s your favorite Denver restaurant? Not your favorite restaurant in Denver, but that restaurant (or diner, cafe, bistro, drive-thru) that, for whatever reason, speaks to you about the city you call home. I’ll give you a minute to think. Okay, got one? Good. Now tell me why. Not so easy,…
For those of you interested in ridding your frat party, wedding reception or bar of unwanted guests, the Institute can no longer recommend sounding the fire alarm. When I was in college, though, this was a highly effective method. We’d had to sneak into a frat party because the dirty…
Les Delices occupies what could be the most inconvenient location on Leetsdale, but on its best days, this is the best-smelling spot in the entire city of Denver. Walking into the warm, bright, well-scrubbed interior of the little pastry shop — which is decorated almost exclusively with the diplômes and…
Fusion is the devil’s cuisine. I’ve been saying that for a long time. And I’ve believed it ever since those dark days of my own forays into the seductive world of galangal, lemongrass and frisee. A chef has to be an absolute genius to make any sort of fusion work…
I was surprised as anyone that I loved the Palace Arms, the Brown Palace’s most august restaurant. Here’s a recent letter on that review. Typical Sheehan. This article typifies why I read Jason’s stuff, why I look forward to his next crafted statements. When I read Sheehan, I want to…
Chef Michel Wahaltere has parted ways with the owners at Seven Eurobar in Boulder. And though he didn’t go into a lot of details on the split, Wahaltere did tell me that his reasons were pretty simple. First, he wanted to create a restaurant — whereas the majority partner was…
On its very first day of business, Limón was a hit, a force to be reckoned with on 17th Avenue. Actually, from before its first day, because — as is the habit lately — Limón opened very soft, for friends and family, with no flags or fanfare, just an unlocked…
Space soon won’t be an issue at Limón, because chef/owner Alex Gurevich recently closed a deal on the empty spot next door, clearing the way for a much-needed expansion. Slated for completion sometime in April, the new digs will buy Gurevich a hundred-odd more seats — almost tripling the current…
Heaven on the 27th floor? I can only imagine what it’s like to work in a hotel bar. On a good day, you’re dealing with some heavy hitter with a sizable expense account who, after being over-served, might over-tip with the company credit card. But on most days, you’re serving…
We are proud to announce the arrival of the newest member of the Institute of Drinking Studies: Nathaniel Arthur Osborn. In true Osborn fashion, he is extraordinary in his own way, with his current claim to fame being that he was technically premature yet large for gestational age at seven…
All of you out there in Hotcakesland, take note: National Pancake Day is coming! And what, exactly, is National Pancake Day? Well, that depends on who you ask… If you want to take a historical view, this year’s National Pancake Day will be on Tuesday, February 20 — otherwise known…
This just in from Barb Wasko in Englewood, refering to my prattling on about Friday fish fries and the Pope in my recent review of the British Bulldog: Fish on Friday — boy, did that ever bring back some memories! Yes, I am a “recovering Catholic.” Grew up in Omaha,…
If I’d known what I was watching, I might have felt differently. But because I hadn’t the foggiest idea what anyone was saying, why things kept exploding every thirty seconds, or what the deal was with the dancing slice of pizza stopping traffic on the beautiful arabesque bridge, I loved…
