The 3400 block of West 32nd Avenue is a melting pot. A green-and-purple-painted bookshop shares the street with antique stores, the South American eatery Sabor Latino, a coffee shop, a purveyor of new-age paraphernalia, a liquor store, a clothing exchange, several burrito spots and an ugly apartment building framed in…
A big dish of spaghetti and meatballs smothered with a righteous red sauce — this was my idea of a collection plate. While legislatures debate whether the Ten Commandments should be posted in public schools or if Good Friday ought to be an official holiday, food remains comfortingly nondenominational. Everyone…
In spring, some young restaurateurs’ thoughts turn to fancy creations they can make out of asparagus and baby peas. But the sophisticated 240 Union doesn’t stop there. Chef Matthew Franklin pulls from his extensive experience to create elaborate combinations that not only showcase what’s fresh and readily available, but also…
Texan ambitions seem to be as big as everything else down there. In the last year, two groups of former Texans have opened Mexican-oriented eateries within six blocks of each other in LoDo, and both are as ambitious as they come. Although the restaurants feature different styles that may appeal…
Confucius say: Man who lay woman on ground, have piece on earth. By the time we cracked open this cookie, we were looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. And skull-shaped glasses. And flaming volcano glasses. In short, it had been another wonderful evening at Twin Dragon, and the smiling…
When Sushi Boat was launched several years ago, a trip there was anything but smooth sailing. For starters, you had to find the funky little spot, tucked away on a side street next to the Marriott at I-25 and Hampden. Once you were inside, the setup was wonderful — a…
If you paint a sign on your restaurant window that reads, “The best there ever was. The best there is. The best there will ever be,” you’d better be prepared to back up that claim. And Sami Kraydie, owner of the four-month-old Sinbad that bears that sign, is ready to…
You can always count on Imperial Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Among the things you can count on is that the food will be a mixed bag. During any given meal there, half of the dishes will be delicious and half astoundingly insipid. But the Imperial still has the nicest decor of…
“I wish we’d never had kids,” announced the woman sitting next to us, as she poured the remaining half of her husband’s margarita into her glass. “God, it’s so good to be here without them.” Okay, so not everybody needs to get away as much as that couple, the parents…
Since the word ambrosia not only means “food for the gods” but also “anything that tastes or smells delicious,” it’s an appropriate name for Ambrosia Bistro. This four-month old eatery serves up many morsels for mortals that taste or smell delicious — often at the same time. But not often…
Sometimes a restaurant completely fails to find its niche; sometimes everything just falls into place. More often, though, adjustments are made here and there, a few things get changed along the way and, with any luck, an eatery eventually finds a modicum of success. Or much more, in the case…
On the sixth day, God made the beasts — some of them very tasty — and when He was done, He looked the beasts over and said, “Yes, this is good.” Then He paused for a moment and added, “But it might be better with sauce.” And so man created…
A good brunch is a mixed blessing. Once a restaurant becomes known for its brunches, customers tend to go there for that meal, and that meal alone. “How many times did you eat in Pour La France!, and how many of those times were for dinner?” asks Scott Holtzer, who…
Although five staffers are milling about Cucina Leone, no one seems interested in helping us — and we’re the only takeout customers in the place. A cook paces back and forth in front of the grill in case some item must be prepared to order — not that he’s about…
Imagine the last dinosaur, its heavy, lumbering body unable to find enough sustenance to meet its vast energy requirements, all of its kind gone, nothing to do but hang around until the environment ultimately becomes so unfriendly that it finally dies a slow, painful death that’s torture to watch for…
No sooner had Sean Kelly opened his Aubergine Cafe, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this month (“The Eggplant and I,” July 5, 1995), than the pressure to expand began. Over the past five years, Kelly has considered adding on, moving to a bigger space, even opening a second Aubergine. But…
For a beginning chef, the scariest unknown isn’t whether you can get a job (particularly not in this market). No, when you’re starting a culinary career, your worst fear is who will be your first boss. Horror stories abound about head chefs — screaming chefs, hard-to-please chefs, pot-throwing chefs, fit-throwing…
Nicole and Rick Fierro fell in love at first bite. The two met one night while noshing at Chinook and immediately found they had food in common. Rick was managing the Washington Park Grille (for years before that, he’d been a front-of-the-house man at various Berardi ventures, including Juanita’s Uptown);…
It was a weeknight in Cherry Creek North, and two Italian restaurants were open for business a few blocks away from each other. One was so crowded that at the check-in desk, the matre d’ looked like a tourist surrounded by street urchins waiting to pick his pocket outside of…
It takes about ten minutes to get to the table, walking slowly and deliberately, with two or three items dropped along the way, which means other diners are bumping their heads trying to help. Once we reach the table, there’s much deliberation over whether this time we need booster seats…
From the day Teri Rippeto opened Potager in May 1997, her restaurant has been ripe for the picking. So why don’t more diners stop in and smell the roses? “We’ve been a tough restaurant to understand and adjust to, I think,” says Rippeto. “Our menu is different every month, we’re…
Some professional chefs never intended to cook professionally. Exhibit A: Marvin Bronstein, who won Denverites’ hearts as well as their stomachs with his brief stint at the coincidentally named Marvin Gardens in the mid-’90s. Fifteen years before, he’d been a nurse practitioner working in the pediatrics department at the University…
