Just a few hours ago, I wrote that Tony Bourdain is holding an essay contest, the winner of which will get his or her own chapter in the forthcoming paperback edition of Medium Raw. Which is all fine and fucking dandy, except for the fact that he wasn’t offering to…
Last night’s Top Chef DC, episode 4, felt like self-parody — too many chefs; too many flying shots of hands chopping, sauteeing, stirring; too many judgments and too many judges using truncated phrases that communicated only the most basic facts about what they were tasting — well-seasoned, delicious, bland, undercooked;…
The Pub on Penn has moved into the former home of Cafe Netherworld, lightening up (and cleaning up) the space at 1278 Pennsylvania Street. The new watering hole is brought to us by some of the folks behind the venerable Pub on Pearl, at 1101 South Pearl Street. A grand…
I’m currently paused on page 61 of Anthony Bourdain’s newest memoir, Medium Raw, in which the ex-chef, as usual, litters his prose with “fuck,” “fucked,” “fucking” and “motherfucker” while sucking us in with his drama-filled, demented stories of sexual encounters, drug-filled hazes and, for good measure, the day he watched…
See those doughy perogies up top soaking in a butter bath? Worst things I’ve put in my mouth this year. Can you guess where I’ll never eat again? Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week’s Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool…
This is part two of Lori Midson’s interview with Cafe Options executive chef Craig Dixon. To read part one of that interview, click here. Favorite ingredient: Butter. Animal fat is where it’s at. You can’t fake butter. Humans have survived for thousands of years eating animals. Why try to find…
Capitol Hill’s most suggestively-named pizzeria is in the scouting phase of bringing its New York-style, politically conscious pies to more Colorado residents. That’s right: Sexy Pizza is about to get even sexier. Owner Kayvan Khalatbari thinks the community is ready for more Sexy Pizza. The postage stamp-sized Capitol Hill spot…
Since master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan MacKinnon-Patterson left the French Laundry to open a neighborhood restaurant in Boulder six years ago, Frasca Food and Wine has won national accolades, attracted top-name guest chefs and pushed out the edges of what’s possible when it comes to dining out in…
On a rare slow Sunday night at Amu Sake Bar and Grill, a robed chef stands behind the wooden bar, pressing gingerly but firmly on a large knife to shave paper-thin strips of daikon radish for a garnish. We watch, mesmerized, leaning back in our chairs at the sushi bar,…
What began as a friendship between winemaker and chef has morphed into a business partnership between Infinite Monkey Theorem winemaker Ben Parsons and Masterpiece Deli executive chef Justin Brunson. The two met not long after Parsons moved from Palisade to Denver last spring to open his urban winery in the…
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. Barb and Pete…
Just in time for National Hot Dog Month, we bring you a taste test of three different brands of hot dog/sausage. (We had to add the sausages because we could only find one company in the Denver area that sells an actual vegetarian hot dog — and it’s just as…
Yorba. Rocco. Steubaru. Those were just three of the many name suggestions the Steuben’s Food Truck crew got after they announced they were holding a contest to name the vehicle doling out gravy fries and fried pork “Steuby” snacks all over town. Convinced the truck is a girl, the gang…
A sagging economy isn’t keeping Smiling Moose Deli from winning itself some franchisee love. The local and organic ingredient-driven, Boulder-based sandwich chain, with a dozen locations throughout the state, is expanding not only throughout Colorado but pretty much in every direction save due west. According to company president Kevin Sloane,…
Craig Dixon Cafe Options 1650 Curtis Street 303-573-0733 www.cafeoptions.com Craig Dixon, chef of Cafe Options, is struggling. I’ve just asked him what it’s like to work in a kitchen staffed predominantly by females — the restaurant is a project of Work Options for Women, a local nonprofit that provides women…
A month ago, when Samba Room went dark and a sign appeared in the window of the restaurant at 1460 Larimer Street announcing that the space was under “construction,” Joe Vostrejs, COO of Larimer Associates, started getting calls. Restaurateurs were interested in leasing this corner spot in hot-hot Larimer Square,…
Yesterday was only its second showing at Civic Center Eats, but for the second week in a row, Walt’s Mobile Bistro scored the biggest sales at the weekly who’s who of street food , says owner and truck namesake Chris Walter. Haven’t heard about Walt’s? You’re not the only one…
It was a sad day for Denver coffee connoisseurs when Doug and Saadia Naiman, owners of Aviano Coffee, finally gave up on their bitter struggle with the beleaguered Beauvallon condo complex and closed the doors on their posh coffee shop in April. But now caffeine junkies can raise their espresso…
Over the weekend, I settled into my usual routine of eating — only on Sunday, this entailed stuffing (and stupefying) my belly with dishes from more than twenty restaurants hawking their grub at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, where I was a culinary judge alongside SAME Cafe’s Brad and Libby…
Pizzeria Basta is not the kind of place you stumble upon. You’d never find it if you weren’t looking, unless you happened to be perusing property in one of Boulder’s still half-empty upscale eco-housing complexes. The small restaurant is tucked into an invisible courtyard, flanked by colorful industrial jigsaw puzzle…
KaTcH Fish House opened just a month ago, but its owners are already moving forward on plans to open additional Colorado locations — and more. In fact, the restaurant’s director of operations, Ian Rubinstein, says he and owners Chris and Emily Deutschman — who also own Magnolia Restaurant and Sushi…
While everyone else in Denver was lighting up the sky with explosive fireworks over the weekend, I managed to sneak in a quiet dinner with a friend at a neighborhood hang whose near-empty dining room was in no way indicative of my hanger steak, squeaky green beans and twice-baked potato,…
