A few weeks ago, we reported that Frank Bonanno, whose expanding group of restaurants includes Mizuna, Bones, Osteria Marco, Luca d’Italia and, in December, Lou’s Food Bar, had signed a lease on a sizable subterranean space at 1422 Larimer in Larimer Square. At that time, his plan was to open…
Let Matt Mather guide you to a bottle of wine, and you’ll get more than a perfect gruner veltliner to match your first-course vegetable dish. The wine director at Boulder’s Frasca Food & Wine, 1738 Pearl Street, is so well-versed in his craft, he can give you a history lesson,…
Beer holds no grudges, and neither, apparently does Invesco Field. Beginning with the Denver Broncos game on October 17, the stadium will begin serving Rail Yard Ale in cans in its six River’s Edge beer stands. It joins just a handful of other Colorado microbrews in the stadium, which is…
Sean Kenyon, who recently left his bar manager post at Steuben’s, 523 East Seventeenth Avenue, just snagged a new gig slinging drinks behind the bar of the Squeaky Bean, Johnny Ballen’s irreverent food temple and watering hole at 3301 Tejon Street. Not surprisingly, Kenyon, one of the state’s most talented…
Mac ‘n’ cheese is a delicacy in Denver, with some of our best restaurants turning out upscale versions of this downscale comfort food. But the Rackhouse Pub’s version recently caught the eye of the Los Angeles Times, which highlighted the gooey goodness in Culinary SOS, a column dedicated to helping…
The morning following my first adventure at the Lakeview Lounge, in mid-December 2008, I awoke feeling gnarly all over and wrote the following love letter: Dear Lakeview Lounge: I like that time forgot you — that you have a functional Budweiser Clydesdales carriage globe-light; that your beer swag is, like,…
The seasons in Colorado run together like oil and antifreeze on the floor at Jiffy Lube. At the supermarket, Halloween candy debuts in August, while the temperatures are still in the high 90s. Watermelons mix with peaches, while raspberries, pumpkins and roasted chiles mingle awkwardly but respectfully, like football players…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…
Pork is having a moment. Meals featuring bacon in every form imaginable — including chocolate-dipped — have become de rigueur. Restaurants of every stripe are showcasing menus littered with sausages, charcuterie, salumi, pork belly and suckling pig. And perhaps one day, if you are very, very lucky (and clearly, not…
The Place: Cucina Colore, 3041 East Third Avenue, 303-393-6917 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $3.50 draft beers; $5 select wines and cocktails; $4-7 snacks Are we happy? Flip the page…
Drew and Leah Watson have lived in five cities in ten years, moving from coast to coast, following each others’ careers in the restaurant industry. But whether it was upscale eateries in Cape Cod or Boston, Napa or San Diego, one thing held true. “We love pizza,” Drew says. So,…
As a native Denverite, I both hate and love Boulder. Its self-righteousness sends me over the edge: Give Boulderites a chance, and they’ll recite all the statistics about how they are healthier and better educated than everyone else, and know exactly which local farm each morsel of food on their…
Great Divide Brewing will challenge some of the big boys of bold brewing this week as it takes its Yeti Imperial Stout, Titan IPA, Hercules Double IPA, Smoked Baltic Porter and other beers to Southern California bars and stores for the first time. The Denver brewery recently added several fermentation…
Last week’s Swirl Girl blog taught you everything you needed to know about scoring value wines, which pack the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck. This week, say hello to four insanely good wines that also happen to be good buys…
Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…
It’s Hatch chile season, and for a pair of local breweries, that means Hatch chile beer. Boulder’s Twisted Pine Brewing will be making three kinds of beer using the specialty chiles, which are grown around Hatch, New Mexico, and shipped by the truckload to Denver, where fiery food lovers buy…
On Wednesday night, as part of Dish, Westword’s annual tribute to Denver’s dining scene, seven local cocktologists participated in a mixology battle judged by yours truly, Westword Drink of the Week scribe Nancy Levine, and Ian Grzybowski, the district manager for Coca-Cola North America. The competition, emceed by Sean Kenyon,…
For years, Gaetano’s, the iconic neighborhood Italian joint at 3760 Tejon Street, has billed itself as “Italian to die for.” And now it’s pouring cello, the potent Italian liquid that infuses fruit with vodka and packs the kind of lethal punch that knocks you on your ass in no time…
Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs has released the label for its Double Rainbow saison and there’s only one way to describe it: “It’s so intense!” That’s right, the brewery is a beer — due to be tapped on October 24 as a dessert beer during a saison dinner — based…
I’m sure the six-week-old Rockaway Tavern — part 15th Street Tavern museum, part club of its own — is a great place to see live rock and roll. When I visit twice over the span of four days, however, I don’t experience any. Which is fine, because thanks to the…
The Place: Mezcal, 3230 East Colfax Avenue, 303-322-5219 The Hours: Daily from 4 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $2 PBR and $3 Tecate; $5 margaritas; $4.50 mojitos; half-price tacos, quesadillas and sopes. The Digs: Mezcal is everything an East Colfax cantina should be: ablaze in bright colors and funky wall…
Maui Brewing Company was one of the first breweries I wanted to hit at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. The Lahaina-based brewer was named Grand National Champion at the United States Open Beer Championships earlier this year and has been getting national buzz after beginning distribution in California and…
