11:30 am, Mar 21, 2011
Last week on Westword's Cafe Society blog, a banner ad caught my attention: J's Noodles & New Thai Restaurant was advertising that it had received 5280's Editors' Choice for Best Thai.That's a half truth: Our praise is reserved for the original location--now called J's Noodles Star Thai--on South Federal Boulevard. It's misleading because, thanks to an owner split, J's Noodles & New Thai...
11:30 am, Mar 18, 2011
It's not news that I'm a die-hard fan of Marczyk Fine Foods in Uptown. I stop by the gourmet grocery at least twice a week to select meticulously butchered meats and carefully sourced seafood, or to hit up the cheese and prepared-food sections (who can resist the house-made whoopie pies?). Plus, I like the owners—Pete and Paul Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane—and their unwavering commitment to...
11:15 am, Mar 17, 2011
Last night found me down south at the new Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria at the Vallagio at Inverness, just off I-25 and East Dry Creek Road.The month-old spot feels like a grow-up version of Mark Dym's downtown outpost. The colors, the vibe, and the energy are the same, but there's more space and a sprawling patio. The menu is identical, with the exception of two fried pizzas.The savory margherita...
12:30 pm, Mar 16, 2011
Every now and then, a single dish's flavor, texture, appearance, and overall wow factor eclipse everything you've eaten for the past week, or month—or longer. For me, that dish is Fruition Restaurant's smoked sturgeon salad.On the surface, the starter is quite simple: a stack of house-smoked sturgeon topped with a tumble of baby arugula and a drizzle of vinaigrette. This simplicity is the...
11:15 am, Mar 15, 2011
If you have a sweet tooth and live anywhere near Boulder, consider yourself warned: Nathan Miller—the talented pastry chef whose desserts dazzled diners at The Kitchen for six years—is going mobile. Miller has teamed up with Shannon Aten and her mint-colored Tasterie Truck to bring his confections to you. Think fresh-from-the-oven homemade Twinkies, filled to order with the likes of lemon curd,...
11:15 am, Mar 14, 2011
Even with Denver's glut of burger shops, I rarely get a hankering for the all-American sandwich. I'm usually deterred by the monstrous fat content and concern over the beef's source. Instead, more often than not, I order the veggie version.These come in all forms (gone are the days of the tasteless Boca disk on a bun), such as Deluxe Burger's falafel patty with cucumber-mint yogurt sauce or Eco-...
12:30 pm, Mar 11, 2011
Ever since Rooster & Moon Coffee Pub opened in late 2009, the Golden Triangle coffee-pub (yep, it's a bar too) has served as my oasis. I spend a lot of time there, writing, editing, and tapping away at my laptop. I go for the coffee (Allegro) as much as I go for the urban vibe and the well-rounded menu of salads and sandwiches (my fave is the Havana, a riff on the Cuban).One thing I always...
12:30 pm, Mar 10, 2011
Japoix Restaurant & Lounge, which opened in the Beauvallon at East Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Street last August, was designed around the concept of French-Japanese fusion. But full integration between the two cuisines never took hold (see our review), and the menu began to evolve in new directions.To speed up this evolution, Japoix recently replaced executive chef Jay Spickelmier with Matthew...
12:30 pm, Mar 9, 2011
Every time I dine at Cafe Aion, I leave more convinced that chef-owner Dakota Soifer gets it. Here is a chef who understands the art of keeping things simple. His rustic style shines in various dishes, from the brothy, peasant-like butternut squash soup with wild rice and crunchy almonds to the braised greens with breadcrumb salsa and tiny jewels of pickled shallot.What's fun about the...
1:30 pm, Mar 8, 2011
After a whirlwind three-day remodel, Deluxe's revamped dining room feels scrubbed clean and revitalized. With wide-plank maple flooring, shiny black trim, and luminous fixtures dangling above the high-backed booths, it seems brand new. Truth be told, though, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. I loved the worn leopard-print carpeting and retro decor that gave the South Broadway...
