10:30 am, May 24, 2013
If you spend a lot of time in coffee shops and if you appreciate the art of a perfectly pulled shot, you will love Steam Espresso Bar. And I do mean love. The month-old spot, which took over an old photography studio on South Pearl Street, is a stunner. The sun-filled space pulls together a careful mix of the industrial (poured concrete and metal) and the reclaimed (wood and brick) for a...
10:30 am, May 23, 2013
Pizza is big business and Denver's piece of the (Neapolitan-style) pie is getting bigger by the day. Live Basil Pizza—the new fast-casual concept from Smashburger's Tom Ryan—opens today on Hampden Avenue. Look for 11-inch pizzas (pictured) that are made in front of you (à la Chipotle) and cook by the time you fill your cup at the Boylan's soda fountain. "All ingredients...
3:45 pm, May 22, 2013
Ever since Tammy Cunningham announced she was closing Strings Restaurant after 27 years of business (the last day was April 30), the Denver food world has been wondering what would happen to the space. I know of at least one concept that failed to capture Cunningham's attention (she remains the building's owner). But today, Frank Day of CraftWorks...
10:30 am, May 22, 2013
Finally, spring has arrived, and so has the seasonal—and sometimes nightly—hunt for the best outdoor dining spots in Denver. In the last two weeks, I've enjoyed al fresco meals at Tables on Kearney, Sherpa's in Boulder, and Kachina Southwestern Grill, the expansive patio of which (plus the Westin Hotel setting) makes you feel like you're on vacation.But if you're looking for something a bit...
11:00 am, May 21, 2013
When it comes to wine, the night of May 6, 2013, belonged to Frasca Food and Wine. It was that evening that co-owner and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey, wine director Matthew Mather, and sommelier Carlin Karr, crossed the stage at New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center to accept the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program. Stuckey (pictured) gave the...
10:30 am, May 20, 2013
Humans aren’t the only ones who love hops. While we tend to like ours brewed, Colorado’s hops blue butterfly prefers them wild. These tiny, powdery-blue insects live along the Front Range in tangles of wild hops, a plant distantly related to the hops used for brewing beer. Rob Schorr and Jeremy Siemers, biologists with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), came up with an...
4:00 pm, May 17, 2013
5:00 O'Clock Afternoon Ale, Renegade Brewing Company, Denver Style: Blonde aleABV: 5 percentServing Type: 16-ounce canMalty? Hoppy? A faint hoppiness Reviewed: May 2013It seems we're seeing more and more low-alcohol session beers around Colorado. Fine by us. Sure, we dig the occasional 10 percent imperial IPA, but it's hard to drink three of those in a row...
11:00 am, May 17, 2013
Don't have plans for Thursday, May 23? Oh, yes you do: That evening, Toques & ’Tails kicks off its first-annual chef and bartender competition at Casselman's Bar & Venue in RiNo. The event, which is the result of many months of planning by Culinary Connectors' founder Becky Creighton, will see eight of Denver's most sought-after restaurants and...
10:30 am, May 17, 2013
Il Posto’s patio—there's hardly a better outdoor space in all of Denver. The energy from Andrea Frizzi's modern Italian restaurant spills out of the garage doors and mingles with the spirited crowd of intellectuals and hipsters populating Chada Thai, the Thin Man, and St. Mark's Coffee House. Nab one of Il Posto's coveted outdoor tables and you're at the center of Uptown. The food...
11:05 am, May 16, 2013
Pinche Tacos began in 2010 as a food truck whose immense popularity practically demanded that chef-owner Kevin Morrison open a brick-and-mortar. The restaurant opened at York and Colfax in October 2011 and accolades from Bon Appétit and local media (5280 included) came quickly. If it was tough to get a table and a taco at Pinche before; after the praise it became nearly impossible. But...
