The List: The best new restaurants of 2008

Many great restaurants opened in 2008, as I discovered while researching the Best of Denver 2009. Root Down, which I review in this week’s paper, was not one of them. My favorites:1) Bones2) Shazz (same goofy philosophy, same kind of ridiculous name, much better food.)3) Venue 4) The new 8…

Now you can taste Denmark on Kipling

There is something so sensual about tearing into an airy croissant, steam gently rising as you let the pastry melt on your tongue. Creating this masterpiece is no easy feat (as I learned in my baking class at Johnson and Wales), necessitating hunks of butter and dough, steady hands and…

Culinary memo to IACP conference-goers: Eat ethnic

Between April 1 and 4, more than 700 professional foodniks — writers, editors, columnists and critics, culinary directors, cookbook authors, food stylists, recipe developers, nutrition experts and food and restaurant PR flacks — are expected to share in a little culinary camaraderie, namely the kind that comes packed into a…

Angel’s goes up for auction

Today at 10 a.m., the contents of Angel’s Sports Bar and Restaurant, which formerly occupied a prime location at 1630 Federal Boulevard, go up for auction to satisfy debts to the City and County of Denver. Among the items being sold off by SchurSuccess Auction Services: 3 large TVs with…

When Irish guys are smiling

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret will host “A Night in Ireland,” featuring Irish food, whiskey and entertainment. Tickets are $45; to reserve a spot, go to www.lannies.com. Lannie’s staycation is clearly a fantasy. But Jason Sheehan has his own view of an ideal Irish bar, as…

Fine pastries at Marczyk Fine Foods

Just got off the blower with Pete Marczyk at Marczyk Fine Foods, and he passed along a nugget of really good news: As of April 6, the market will be bringing aboard John Hinman — renowned pastry, pie, cake and cookie guy — as a full-time staffer.If his name sounds…

Coffee Spot: Ink! Coffee

Name: Ink! Coffee Where: 1590 Little Raven Street Hours: 6 a.m.-6p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Notes: biscotti, bagels, breakfast burritos, Ink! brew, park view, seating for twenty, techno playing, yuppies waiting, staff clean-cut, foam benches hurt butt, gourmet sandwiches, power lunch salads, patio tables, wi-fi enabled…

Lenny’s Sub Shop now open on Lincoln

Craving a Philly cheesesteak? A big salad? Lenny’s Sub Shop opened late last week at 726 Lincoln Street, in the spot that formerly housed Scooter Joe’s. It’s a link in a small chain that prides itself on great customer service and large portions, according to owner Dave Saporta. A fifteen-inch…

Milking It: LiveActive Nut Harvest Crunch

LiveActive Nut Harvest Crunch Post Rating: Two-and-a-half spoons out of four Cereal descripton: Considering that I tend to prefer cereals with cartoon mascots, it’s no surprise that the look of this stuff struck me as pretty scary. After all, the rough-hewn, light brown flakes are jumbled together with a random…

Fried chicken at White Fence Farm

Q: Where do three restaurateurs who all work at the hip Lola and share a birthday go to celebrate? A: White Fence Farm “It was awesome,” reported one of the birthday boys yesterday, when I stopped in for brunch at Lola — the readers’ choice for Best Brunch, and our…

Soup’s back on for hospice benefit, and other class acts

From 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, Cook Street School of Fine Cooking will offer “Sous Vide 101,” taught by mathematician Douglas Baldwin; from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on April 1, Ian Kleinman of O’s Steak and Seafood will be at the school to teach “Molecular Gastronomy…

Our Daily Bread Special Report!

So, Westword web editor Joe Tone and I tried going to Mendelson’s today for a triple-decker sandwich so I could start working on my Mendelson’s sweatshirt (free if you eat all 21 varieties), but it was closed, I’m assuming, because of the rapidly melting snow.. As a result, we headed…

Candy Girls: Cherry Mash

This nostalgic little confection comes out of St. Louis Joseph, Missouri, where it’s manufactured by the Chase Candy Company. While not a Denver candy staple, these guys do show up on our shelves now and again. If you’ve traveled through the Midwest, chances are you’ve seen these red-and-white packages peeking…

And pho it goes: One door closes, another opens

First, the bad news.  Pho 99, the excellent little pho shop in Alameda Square — the plaza now being torn down to make room for an enormous hardware store — has closed. I wrote lovingly about this place in a glowing review last year (one that had everything to do…

V.G. Burgers on the move

For those of you in Boulder who enjoy a big, hearty burger without meat, this is for you. V.G. Burgers, an all-plant-based, quick-service restaurant, is moving a few miles away from its current location at 3267 28th Street to 1650 Broadway — which is already the address listed on its…

How sweet it is for the Savory Spice Shop

Listen up, y’all! Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m. on the Food Network, Savory Spice Shop owners Janet and Mike Johnston will appear on Paula Deen’s Best Dishes with the queen of Southern cuisine herself. Seems that Miss Deen invited the married couple to her Savannah, Georgia home (just follow the buttah)…

Veggie Girl: City, O’ City

Although I love eating out, I don’t often go to vegetarian-exclusive restaurants. Sure, my husband and the majority of my friends don’t eat meat, but we like trying new places, and at last count there were only three exclusively vegetarian eateries in the metro Denver area: WaterCourse Foods, City, O’…

Tony’s Market seeking serious foodies

Those of us who hang out within the walls (and behind the alleys) of Westword are peeing our pants right now — and not because every news channel in Denver is scaring the shit out of viewers with their panic warnings to stay the hell off the streets.No, we’re having…

Free wine and cheese, and other sweet deals

From 5 to 7 p.m. tonight, March 27, Highlands Wine Seller and Sunflower Farmers Market will host a wine-and-cheese tasting at the Wine Seller, 6668 Timberline Road in Highlands Ranch. And it’s free! For more information, go to www.sfmarkets.com. And from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 28, Food Network celebrity and…

Some LoDo restaurants shovel out

Downtown is a relative ghost town tonight, with even such mainstays as Dixons closed on account of snow. But there are still restaurants serving tonight, chief among them P.F. Chang’s at 1415 15th Street (the only one of the metro locations open, and seating a fair amount of tables as…

How a big dump can wreak havoc, or how to get more bang for your buck

First, the bad news: As Jason Sheehan just reported, a call to Frank Bonanno’s Bones revealed that, you guessed it, it’s closed due to inclement weather. Not only is Bones black until at least tomorrow, but Bonanno’s three other restaurants — Luca D’Italia, Mizuna and Osteria Marco — are also…