More Is Less at Centro Latin Kitchen

It was raining when Laura and I ducked into Centro. We’d already eaten twice at Happy Noodle House over the course of the long weekend and had gotten our fill of pickles and noodles, so we were looking for something a little different, a little more south-of-the-border. But mostly, we…

Cheba Hut finds itself in a sticky situation

Got the munchies? Don’t worry, Cheba Hut plans to sell plenty of Kind, Kush and Chronic on the Sixteenth Street Mall starting this summer, along with Acapulco Gold, Panama Red and the White Widow. “The White Widow, man,” says store owner Matt Clark-Johnson. “Chicken, bacon and ranch. It’s our most…

Cooking Dirty: Twenty-seven days and counting

Yesterday was a big day. On Monday morning, the first finished copies of my new book, Cooking Dirty, rolled off the presses in wherever it is that they print books nowadays.  That afternoon, one of the first (I like to think of it as the first) was dropped in an…

P.B. Loco, esta muerto

Okay, so it was never the greatest restaurant in the world. It was designed as a kind of culinary one-trick pony, hanging all its hopes and dreams on people’s uncontrollable craving for peanut butter on everything. But it still surprises me just a little that P.B. Loco (part of a…

Calling all (really) experienced waitresses

If you’ve got three decades of serving experience under your belt, there just might be a position for you at a new greasy spoon opening its doors this month in Aurora, and currently advertising on Craigslist. And I stress might, since Howard — the gentleman doing the hiring – also…

Buy a cookie from Gateaux, support Work Options for Women

Each month this year, Gateaux, the elaborately whimsical bakery at 1160 Speer Boulevard, is donating a portion of its proceeds to a local charity — and this month, that charity is Work Options for Women, a nonprofit that offers a sixteen-week culinary program to impoverished women who want to work…

Vegans in Denver!

In the video above, WaterCourse Foods and City, O’ City get a nice little shout-out. The video comes from The Healthy Voyager, a woman who travels around the country trying out vegan spots. WaterCourse, of course, is the restaurant at which Jason Sheehan and Joel Warner had their momentous wing…

Our Weekly Bread: Marczyk Fine Foods

The sandwich: Market Roast Beef What’s on it: Niman Ranch roast beef, horseradish sauce, cheddar and arugula on rye Where to get it: Marczyk Fine Foods (770 East 17th Avenue, 303-894-9499) How much: $6.99 I love markets. They’re often expensive, but browsing through their awesome, gourmet stuff is part of…

Is this the sexiest lunch in Denver?

Late last week, the big banner went up on the Sugar House, Scottie Ewing’s controversial club at 1395 West Alameda Avenue, proclaiming that as of June 1, it would be serving “Denver’s sexiest lunch.” What, a special on New York strip? Salad, hold the dressing?…

Pasquini’s goes for a cabaret license

The Highland branch of Pasquini’s, at 2400 West 32nd Avenue, is going for a cabaret license so that it can offer live music at the restaurant, which has become quite the hipster hangout as well as a major pizza purveyor. The hearing is at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Department…

Two new Mexican spots emerge in Aurora

I was in hot pursuit of a tow truck yesterday, which is neither here nor there, except that my chase landed me in Aurora, and whenever I’m in Aurora, I’m in taco country, and whenever I’m in taco country, I’m happier than a lizard lapping up flies. Today was no…

Giovanni’s brings Little Italy to Lakewood

“I’m absolutely exhausted, and I want a bath,” declared Carla Stevens, co-owner of Giovanni’s Italian Cafe, at 3355 South Yarrow Street, when I caught her on the phone this afternoon. As reported here last week, Stevens and her husband, Salvatore Giacalone, had hoped to unveil their new space on the…

Get Happy at Happy Noodle House

The noodle bar is big business these days. In Manhattan, David Chang has elevated the simple, neighborhood noodle bar to celebrity status (and turned himself into a minor rock star in the process) with his Momofuku brand. In Denver, we’ve got one of the originals — Oshima Ramen, straight outta…

Former Java Creek to become Cafe Colorado

News from Cherry Creek: The space at 287 Columbine Street that had been Java Creek, that neighborhood hot spot, then became C.R.E.A.M, is now turning into Café Colorado, and will be renovated to include a more complete kitchen…

XO has checked into the Jet Hotel

The XO menu basically breaks down into four categories: ramen (in three varieties: duck, beef and seafood), semi-dry noodles (using about half as much broth as the ramen), dry noodles (mostly Korean, plus yakisoba and a chicken pad thai based on Guerrero’s time as a stagier in Bangkok), then rice…

LaLa’s Wine Bar uncorks bottles from the Southern Hemisphere

 Calling all grape geeks: Tonight, between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., Lala’s Wine Bar, 410 East Seventh Avenue, is uncorking five wines from several countries in the Southern Hemisphere — New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Argentina — which is as good a cure as any to wash away the rainy day…

Starlight Lounge ready to shine

The renovation of the second Trattoria Stella looks to be finally complete. The former Cafe Star at 3201 East Colfax Avenue has been split in two, with the Trattoria on one side and the Starlight Lounge on the other. “The lounge is all barn wood with a cherry bar,” explains…

Chill: Icehouse Tavern is opening later this month

James Mazzio had hoped that the Icehouse Tavern, the replacement that the Momo brothers are putting into the former home of Via at 1801 Wynkoop Street, would be ready to go by June 1. But the place is going through a complete overhaul — with award-winning chef Mazzio doing some…

Rock & Roll Grill goes up in smoke

Cheba Hut is coming to the 16th Street Mall this summer, bringing its “counter-culture” sandwiches, including Kind, Kush and Chronic. But according to Matt Clark-Johnson, co-owner of this store as well as the Boulder franchise of the Tempe, Arizona-based chain, Cheba is about more than pot references. “it’s juvenile, but…