“Bees like redheads.” That was Matt Kentner’s attempt to reassure me that the continent of flying insects communing above my head wasn’t going to sting me to death, a legitimate concern for someone who’s allergic to bees. But just in case you’re ready to grab the phone and order flowers…
It’s getting hard to watch Top Chef D.C. and harder to write about it. I keep waiting to feel the kind of excitement I felt about the show in the past. It may be that this is an uninteresting group of contestants, but I think it’s more the smug idiocy…
In this week’s Q & A with Brad Birky of the SAME Cafe, the chef weighed in on Denver’s meals on wheels movement, the fried plantains and homemade corn nuts he recently discovered at Pisco Sour and how his pay-what-you-can cafe has become a successful role model for similar concepts…
A friend of mine turned me on to the fantastic burritos made by Miguel, the man who runs the cart in the above snap. Roughly the size of a football, they’re mounted with rice, cubed potatoes crisped on the flattop, chicken pork or carnitas and a generous ladle of searing…
When Chris Elam, program director at Meatless Monday, told us his side of the veggie-movement story, he hinted that a national chef would soon be signing on to the cause. We mused that Emeril Lagasse, Tom Colicchio, and Wolfgang Puck were very much in play…
In solidarity with Michelle Obama’s war on childhood obesity, the Daily Beast put together a nice little slideshow about the 25 unhealthiest kids meals in the country. Every gut bomb on the list contains more than 800 calories, but topping the charts was a Mac & Cheese Quesadilla meal from…
A Loveland-based pizza shop is expanding operations to Denver in the near future. Pizza Street, which serves calzones, wings, signature “belly-o” sandwiches and pizza is moving in soon at 1600 Champa Street, next to Floyd’s Barber Shop. A person identifying herself only as the owner’s sister said it would be…
We tend to agree with Bon Apetit editor Andrew Knowlton who recently decried pork-hating bandwagon jumpers on Twitter: “Enough with all the ‘pork is over’ nonsense. Overdone? Perhaps. Overrated? Please.” That said, the era of bacon-mania is drawing to a close, having had its run as accoutrement to everything from…
In the olden days (uh, one year ago-ish), when street food usually meant ordering a gray hot dog or a mystery-source tamale from a rickety cart instead of scoring quinoa or a wood-fired pizza from a tricked out trailer, we would have been up in arms if our lunch total…
Earlier this week, Mark Dym got the good news: His sensational Neapolitan pies, snatched from the blistering wood-burning ovens inside the open kitchen of Marco’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria, 2129 Larimer Street, had just landed in a top ten pizza parlors in America list, sharing space with cult pizzerias like Pizzeria Bianco…
The pizzas get most of the accolades, but the pastas, in particular, the one in the above snap tarped with prosciutto and garnished with shards of fresh basil, deserve their own wall of fame. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to…
This is part two of Lori Midson’s interview with Brad Birky, chef/owner of the SAME Cafe. To read part one of this interview, click here. Greatest accomplishment as a chef: Starting SAME Cafe with really no kitchen experience to speak of. True, I managed to get some culinary classes under…
Is regular yogurt the new frozen yogurt? Or perhaps ethnic regular yogurt is the new regular yogurt? With Boulder-based investment company Revelry Brands’ acquisition of a minority stake in Siggi’s Icelandic-style yogurt, Colorado companies now have a vested interest in the yogurt stylings of two different countries. Bellvue’s Morning Fresh…
Before the Communist takeover of China forced thousands of people to leave their homeland for an island off shore, the Taiwanese had an aversion to eating beef. The ox was a working animal on Taiwan, worthy of reverence for its essential place in daily life and considered sacred by Buddhists…
Asia Like It Danny Wang likes beer. A computer scientist by trade, he started crafting ales at home a couple of years ago, fascinated by the mathematical and chemical processes that characterize brewing. Turns out he was pretty good at it, too. The deeper he went into homebrewing — he…
About a month ago, TIME columnist Josh Ozersky scored some major d-bag points when he wrote a piece in which he threw conventional wedding catering under the bus to wax poetic on the chefs who provided food at his own special day — while conveniently forgetting to mention the fact…
SmartCo is swiftly making its mark on Colorado. Barely two months ago, SmartCo didn’t even have a website. Since then, the supersize, discount supermarket has been taking root — and attracting the interest of dozens of incompetent jobseekers (see comments) — on the Front Range…
I suppose I should take responsibility for stupidly ordering lettuce wraps at a restaurant that’s not a P.F. Chang’s. But the kitchen at this something-for-everyone hangout could certainly benefit from learning how to do them right. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct…
Breakfast can be one of the most frustrating meals of the day for a vegetarian. Although many places offer all the sausage, bacon and ham you care to eat, I have yet to find a restaurant in Denver that serves Morningstar sausage patties instead of the carnivore’s version (if you…
Eleven years ago, Wade Kirwan wandered into Vesta Dipping Grill, at 1822 Blake Street, and snagged a gig as a line cook. Just five weeks later, he was elevated to the sous chef position, which was followed by an executive sous chef stint and then five years as executive chef…
Brad Birky SAME Cafe 2023 East Colfax Avenue 720-530-6853 This is part one of Lori Midson’s interview with Brad Birky, executive chef/owner of the SAME Cafe. You can read part two of this interview right back here tomorrow. It’s 3 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, an hour after closing time,…
Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market’s choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast. Throughout the rest…
