I am happy to announce that a new bar, The Tavern Lowry (7401 East First Avenue), has broken the record for the largest-ever Institute of Drinking Studies bar tab — and this despite the conspicuous absence of a few members. The Tavern had been open only a few days when…
When I reviewed Frisco’s in April 2005, I was impressed by a couple of things. For starters, the crew’s resumés included some big-time names (Batali, Bastianich, Le Bernardin and Capital Grille) that seemed totally out of place on the still-virginal landscape of Belmar. And then there was the concept: a…
Why in the hell would you eat that?” I get asked that a lot. Most often by my wife. “No, I mean seriously, Jay. Whole fish and sea bugs and chicken ass — why?” Because they’re good, I tell her (or anyone else who corners me with The Question). But…
There are many reasons that I’m so cuckoo for the Cocoa Puffs of ethnic and peasant cuisines, and one is my theory that cuisine constitutes the genetics of civilization. Imagine a slice of pizza. A really good slice of pizza — perfect New York-style thin crust, fresh mozzarella, maybe a…
Behind the velvet ropes: When I lived in New York, I loved making up stories that would get me past the bouncer at a crowded bar. In a city full of professional doormen, I quickly learned that “My friend is inside and has my keys” only worked if they were…
I do a lot of ragging on Texas, especially this time of year, when temperatures there range between the levels of Saudi Arabia, Hell (not that those places are dissimilar) and 576 Kelvin. Saudi Arabia and Hell are actually a lot nicer than Texas, since they have what’s called a…
Back in December 2003, when I reviewed Thai Basil II in this same location, it was a little like falling in love. There was that first blush of excitement over finding something new, the desire to explore everything it had to offer, and the absolute conviction that it could do…
Dinner at Mel’s on Monday night for Gael Greene (see “Sex and the City”) and about fifty of her dearest admirers. Was it a good time? Tough to say. For starters, the median age in the room (not counting press) was ancient, and most of the diners were rushing the…
Some of the best meals I’ve had — the most surprising, often the most memorable — have come on nights when the last thing in the world I wanted to do was eat out; nights when I just wanted to sit in front of the TV in boxer shorts and…
I wound up reviewing Guadalajara (see review) after a couple of meals went completely to pieces. Both were at Corridor 44, the six-month-old champagne bar in Larimer Square, and they were so awful and uncomfortable and mind-bogglingly bad that, after the second disastrous visit, I realized I couldn’t review the…
When I booked our wedding festivities in Beaver Creek, I had thought it was the setting for one of the greatest movies of all time, Dumb and Dumber. The morning of our departure, I tore open the Netflix envelope holding said movie, popped it in the DVD player and fast-forwarded…
While Guadalajara (see review, page 47) captures the authentic flavors of Mexico’s southern latitudes, Santiago’s has a mortal lock on quick-and-cheap Mexican street food. The local chain (it started decades ago with just one outlet and now boasts more than twenty locations scattered across the metro area, with satellites as…
At the table behind me, two girls are talking about Jesus. In front of me is a plate of chicken-fried steak that could send me to meet him real soon. It’s the third chicken-fried steak I’ve eaten in less than 24 hours. I have the meat sweats. My heart is…
I met Ben Doerflinger and Shannon, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, last month at my favorite Village Inn in Aurora, where they were plotting a revolution in the soon-be-outlawed smoking section. They thought they had a shot at beating back the smoking ban due to go into effect July 1 — a new…
Blueberry “Martini” Chama 425 South Teller Street, Lakewood 303-935-5170 When I suggested that we go to Chama for cocktails, I heard audible gasps from my friends, followed by the typical urbanite questions: “Isn’t that far away?” “Isn’t that in Lakewood?” “Isn’t it all chain restaurants out there?” Somehow I managed…
I’d always thought it took three miracles to become a saint, but recent research determined that had I been martyred — say, by an Institute of Drinking Studies member for letting the Denver community at large in on his immature yet hilarious antics — I would need only one. And…
Emerald Isle Restaurant 4385 South Parker Road, Aurora 303-690-3722 Talking to Genessee Elinoff, owner of Rosie’s Diner (see review, page 54), I learned that Denver’s connection with diners dates back to 1888, when one of the first diners ever built — a simple lunch wagon, made for feeding mine workers…
Laura staggers as we step through the double doors and into the Royal Peacock. She doesn’t swoon, exactly, but there’s not much in this world that can make her swoon. She misses her footing a little, and then a huge smile spreads across her face, and her eyes go wide…
It should be enough that the Royal Peacock (see review, page 49) serves some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. It should be enough that owner Shanti Awatramani is willing to ship that food to transplanted Coloradans in Washington and New York and California, to loyal fans so…
Oh! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants! Ocean, the reincarnation of Mao that opened earlier this month, may be the bluest place in Denver. Not sad blue, but true blue. And with a bubbling sign, blue-tinged everything and a very upscale yet tranquil feeling, this restaurant…
There is little doubt that the down-home, deep-fried goodness of the Cherry Creek Village Inn (222 Columbine Street) saved several members of the Institute of Drinking Studies the other night. The cholesterol shoved down our gullets at a rapid rate was the only reason any of us even had the…
From the outside, there’s not much to distinguish Namaste from the antique shops, sports-memorabilia stores and physical therapists’ offices that share this Lakewood strip mall. And inside, it’s just a room: tables, chairs, double-thick tablecloths, a grinning Buddha by the door, and waiters who seem surprisingly overdressed for the suburbs…
