Boulder restaurants offer free food to Four Mile Canyon fire evacuees

Smoke is hanging low in downtown Boulder this morning, and the community is rallying support for firefighters and displaced homeowners. As the Four Mile Canyon fire blazes on and evacuations continue, several restaurants in town are stepping up to offer comped meals to anyone forced to abandon their homes…

The charm of Bella Bistro lies in good vibes and good vegetables

Shelly Steinhaus opened Bella Bistro, 7702 Ralston Road, three years ago hoping to lure regulars who would dine with her several times a week. To accomplish that, her restaurant changes like a chameleon as the week progresses. On weeknights, it offers an enchanting culinary vacation to after-work diners who come…

Guess where I’m eating?

It’s been far too long since I’ve stepped foot in the whimsical restaurant that made my belly fat and happy with a fantastic plate of risotto tangled with housemade mozzarella and fresh vegetables. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the…

Tambien shutters in Cherry Creek

Last night, after dinner service, Tambien, the irreverent Mexican cantina at 250 Steele Street, in Cherry Creek, has shuttered its doors. The lease on the subterranean taqueria, which opened in 2006 after owners Jesse Morreale and Sean Yontz closed Sketch at the same address and then later reopened the wine,…

Closing the door at the Front Porch Cafe

The Front Porch Cafe has closed almost as quickly as it opened at 1115 Grant Street, where it didn’t last any longer than Carmen’s Cafe, the previous occupant of the space. No word on what’s coming next for the spot — or whether the Front Porch Cafe wore out its…

Brendon Doyle gets booted from Jonesy’s EatBar

Here’s the thing, says Leigh Jones: “I want a chef that has kitchen manager capabilities, and that’s not Brendon.” Last Thursday, during a routine manager’s meeting, Jones sat down with Brendon Doyle, who’d been running the line at Jonesy’s EatBar, 400 East 20th Avenue, for the past eleven months, and…

Five Guys burgers tie with In-N-Out; McDonald’s at the bottom of the McBarrel

Consumer Reports takes on fast-food burgers in its October issue, and the results aren’t good for the world’s burger behemoth. The magazine asked 28,000 subscribers for their opinion on fast-food burgers, and McDonald’s came in last — by a margin much larger than a clown nose. The highest-rated burgers? A…

Frasca Food & Wine closes next Saturday to complete renovations

This week marks your last chance to eat in the original rendition of Frasca Food & Wine, the Boulder restaurant at 1738 Pearl Street owned by master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan MacKinnon Patterson that started making big waves on the Front Range dining scene six years ago. The…

Guess where I’m eating?

The board hasn’t changed in months, maybe years, quite possibly because regulars would stage a protest. But the paella, a mainstay since day one, continues to inspire and satisfy, even if the behavior in the kitchen seems a little too casual for a restaurant that’s shrouded in sensuality. Can you…

No McNipples on the menu at this Phoenix McDonald’s

Got milk? Clarissa Bradford took her family, including a five-month-old son, to a McDonald’s in Phoenix , and while the rest of the family noshed on the dollar menu, she pulled out a breast to feed the nipple nibbler. At which point, the manager on duty asked them to leave…

Top Chef, D.C., round twelve: Out of this world!

Tiffany got sent home from Top Chef this week. I was a little distressed when Arnold was told to pack his knives a few episodes back, because his problems were the fault of mean-spirited Lynne, and also I expected him to come up with some interestingly piquant dishes over the…

Rica Pizza rolls out an enchilada pie — and other Mexican pizzas

After fifteen years working in management at Pizza Huts across the country, Ted Huss was done — done with the corporate bullshit, done with inferior ingredients and done with chains. “I was frustrated and really discouraged with the way the business was going. It was all about profit, when it…

Guess where I’m eating?

At this tiny Thai temple, stashed in a strip mall that’s nearly invisible from the street, the one-woman kitchen turns out generous plates and bowls of curries, noodles and stir-fries from the straight-ahead Americanized Thai menu. Go late in the afternoon, however, after the lunch crush has subsided, and you’ll…

The Sprout House serves veggie-friendly mobile food

With all the food trucks and carts revving up, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to cater exclusively to mobile vegetarians and vegans. That someone was Trevor Smith, who now parks the Sprout House downtown at the corner of 17th Avenue and Lincoln from 11 a.m…

Part two: Chef and Tell with Justin Brunson from Masterpiece Deli

Justin Brunson Masterpiece Delicatessen 1575 Central Street 303-561-3354 www.masterpiecedeli.com This is part two of Lori Midson’s Q&A with Justin Brunson, chef/owner of Masterpiece Delicatessen. To read part one of that interview, click here. Greatest accomplishment as a chef: Becoming a restaurateur. You work so many years in the trenches to…