A recent LA Times business article about Denver-based Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda has given the company the buzz that CEO Matt Moody was looking for, but it also revealed his plans to close the Denver office by the end of the year and consolidate operations in California, where business is…
Very few mixed drinks include Scotch on their list of ingredients. That’s convenient, since I don’t really love Scotch — but I do enjoy a good Blood and Sand, and this one was great. You shouldn’t need coaching to answer this: Where was I drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives…
Calling all young chefs: If you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Best Teen Chef, then sharpen your knives and fill out the entry form here by February 5. The contest starts April 17 at the Art Institute of Colorado, 1200 Lincoln Street; at the cook-off,…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
“I haven’t had lunch yet,” sighs Kyle Fitzgerald, plopping himself down on a stool. Soon a vase of flat tubers fried in duck fat arrives at the bar with three dipping sauces. “The duck-fat fries have always been popular,” he says, but “we’re always trying to make them better.” He…
I first met Matt Franklin through his cuisine…I wrote in April of last year, when I first visited Franklin’s then-new restaurant, Farro. Under the neon, tile and blue Miami Vice lights at 240 Union in Lakewood, he made me amazing lobster corn dogs, served in a plastic basket with homemade…
What’s so great about Trader Joe’s? That’s a hard question to answer if you haven’t been there, and a rhetorical one if you have. Over the past decade, the California-based grocery chain has built a rabid following with its healthy bent, quirky products and typically low prices on everything from…
We find ourselves saying goodbye a lot these days. To Jason Sheehan, who’s moving on to our partner paper in Seattle. To Bump & Grind and Buenos Aires Grill and Ha Noi Pho and Chez Jose and all the other restaurants that closed last year. And now we’d like to…
“This might be the last time, you know?” Laura said. “Our last chance.” And she was right. While Curt and Deicy Steinbecker and Ondo’s might just be starting out in Denver, we were finishing up, doing last things, handling final details before aiming ourselves west and making for the distant…
Chances are that if you read or watch anything (besides McCommercials) regarding the state of our food system in the United States, it will mention the staggering amount of processed crap we manufacture and the integrity of our diets versus the price — both financially and physically. Michael Pollan, professor…
Word went out yesterday that James Rugile was looking for a fresh body for the line at Venue: “James Rugile needs a part time line cook ASAP,” his Facebook status update reported, emphasis on the ASAP. I put in a call to Venue and spoke with one of the managers,…
I’ve started out the new year with a string of classic cocktails, including this Manhattan, poured in a classic Denver restaurant. Can you guess where I’m drinking? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to any of the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a…
For the second time, Steuben’s decided to welcome the new year with a special, round-the clock celebration that kicked off at opening on December 31 and ended at closing January 1. Last year, the special was chicken and waffles. This round? Pork and eggs. According to exec chef Matt Selby,…
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com…
Ah, the coveted McRib. Stealthily injected and then quickly jerked away from McDonald’s menus worldwide, this barbeque-ish sandwich is a classic example of “scarcity marketing.” Consumers are driven to believe that at any moment, the supply of pressed pork patties shaped to resemble something akin to a real pork rib…
On a cold night, nothing is as satisfying as a hot sauce and a serving of…what, exactly? Can you guess where I was eating? Extra points for guessing what I was eating, and posting your answer(s) below. Another bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to any of the…
Greg Gallagher didn’t quite get the lights on by the end of 2009, as he’d hoped, but it looks like Gaslamp, his new tavern at 1437 Market Street, will be opening by this weekend. Gallagher put the extra time to good use: The space, which is under the original Westword…
The landlord finally found a tenant for the former home of Buca di Beppo, a choice space at 1400 Market Street that’s been empty since summer 2008. And what’s going in? Another big-name national eatery, like Ted’s Montana Grill just up 14th Street? Another prestigious local restaurant, like TAG or…
So the big question last week (and the week before) was what restaurant I should review before saying goodbye to Denver for good. I got a lot of suggestions. Some of them were good. Some of them were ridiculous. In the end, I went with my gut (and the demands…
Dozens of restaurants closed in the metro area over the past year, ranging from such old-timers as the Trail Dust Steak House, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Chez Jose to newcomers like XO, which both opened and closed in 2009. But many, many more restaurants that opened this past year stuck…
Whole Foods CEO and chairman John Mackey stirred the pot in an August Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing President Barack Obama’s health-care plan.”The problem with socialism,” he insisted, “is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” It was a bold — and some would say really stupid –…
XO, the ambitious noodle house that opened this year in the Jet Hotel, also closed this year, in one of 2009’s fastest fatalities. But its space won’t stay empty long: As predicted, an outpost of the local Swing Thai chain will soon open at 1612 Wazee Street…
