​Earlier today, we offered up $50 worth of free food and drinks at a Taste of Colorado to the four readers who could tell us, in five words or less, why they were deserving of the certificates. For those of you who showered us with love, sang our praises or told us we could be your dates, thank you, we're blushing.

We were thoroughly entertained by most of the responses. (As for the handful of readers concerned about potential digestive problems, we recommend preemptive Pepto. Works like a charm.) But alas, we had to choose. And here are our four favorites:

Fraulein Von Herms-man samples an H-burger float.

​As the days get shorter and the back-to-school-zit-free! Proactiv commercials get more frequent, its apparent that summer 2010 is winding down.

Before it's over, take a minute to enjoy one (or all!) of these great summer drinking spots, and the drinks to go with them. P.S. They're even better if you drink them outside.

​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 should have been about product quality and the customer," says Hess, who recently opened Rico Pizza at 8868 Federal Boulevard, in a shotgun mall in Federal Heights.

​The Place: The Kitchen's [Upstairs], 1039 Pearl Street, Boulder, 303-544-0092

The Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m

The Deals: Wine, cocktails, and beer, $3-5; small plates, $3-6; cheese and charcuterie boards, $13.

The Digs: The Kitchen [Upstairs] provides a relaxing asylum from the touristy hustle and bustle of Boulder's Pearl Street Mall. It's a sophisticated refuge that's simple and unpretentious, and if you arrive early enough, you can snag a seat by the windows and reward yourself with a fabulous view of the Flatirons and a bird's eye glimpse of the street scene below. The community table is an alluring option for larger parties, and the spacious open bar is lovely, too.

​We've been singing the accolades of the cocktail program at Colt & Gray, 1553 Platte Street, since the place opened, and for good reason: It's one of the leaders in bar craft in Denver. But beyond the inventive mixology, the team works hard to offer the same level of quality on its beer and wine lists, filling the taps, coolers and cellar with rare offerings from around the globe.

As such, the restaurant gets access to some pretty interesting kegs.

​Beginning tonight and continuing through the rest of the month, Fleming's Steakhouse, the meat palace at 191 Inverness Drive West, is rolling out the red carpet for oenophiles -- at least on Thursday nights, when grape gurus can sniff, swirl, sip (and spit?) from the steakery's majestic wine-by-the-glass selection for a drop in the bucket.

The two-hour tastings, which begin at 5:30 p.m., include light hors d'oeurvres and samples of twenty different wines, all for $25. The wines, poured from Fleming's cellar, will be presented in a classic wine tasting format served by intensity, from lightest to full-bodied. Added bonus: Stay for dinner and the steakhouse will knock $25 off your bill.

Reservations for the wine tastings are required, and can be made by calling 303-768-0827.

We've picked our winners! Find if you won here: And the winners of $50 to blow at Taste of Colorado are...

​It's Labor Day weekend, and with a little luck, we'll be spending it stuffing our faces, celebrating the end of summer by getting fat, drunk and happy. This weekend also coincides with a Taste of Colorado at Civic Center Park, a four-day event at which fifty restaurants will dole out grub to massive crowds. And yes, there will be alcohol. And music and arts and crafts.

The only thing better than getting fat, drunk and happy is getting fat, drunk and happy for free. So here's the sweet deal: Café Society is giving four readers $50 worth of free food and drinks. Want to win?

Lori Midson

​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 witness the staff foraging from platters heaped with head-on shrimp and tucking into other Thai dishes that don't appear on the menu. Profess your interest, and it's likely that you'll be invited to share in the feast.

Can you guess where I'm eating?

Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week's Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool -- and every Monday, we select one lucky winner who'll receive an EatDenver dining deck, worth up to $520 in discounts at independent restaurants. Read all about EatDenver dining decks here.

​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. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and also select nights outside the Larimer Lounge.

Lori Midson

Justin Brunson

​

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 get to that point, and I got the chance to become a restaurateur at a really young age: 27. It means a lot to me to work for myself and my partners. I've never been a big fan of being told what to do by others. At the same time, it's super-cool to create jobs for some awesome people, and to be a part of a kick-ass neighborhood. I also get a strong sense of accomplishment when I do charity functions. It's very cool to have a following of people who want to come to our events, spend money to support the charity, eat our food and appreciate our efforts.

​Fortunately, England is not in the Banana Belt, because Fran Dando, a 21-year-old resident of Hastings in East Sussex, has a rare phobia: a fear of bananas. When she was seven, her brother played a practical joke by placing the phallic fruit in her bed. She "felt this horrible, slimy thing underneath my body," she told a British reporter. "I was frozen in panic and hyperventilating." Even today, the sight of the fruit makes her sweat, shake, even vomit.

(Wow, I haven't felt this turned on since I placed two peeled ripe cantaloupes on my chest and rubbed the fragrant flesh for a morning of melon lovin'!)

​It's harvest season, and if you've been reaping the rewards of your garden -- and you're proud of how your squash looks -- then you bring your home-grown zucchinis to the Parks & Gardens Office, 4309 West 44th Avenue, between 4 and 7 p.m. for the Northwest Denver Heaviest Zucchini Contest. The $5 entree fee will benefit a school of your choice. For more details, call 303-455-3779 or go to www.parksandgardens.com.

For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings.

​JoeAnn and John Falco closed the sale on the Brittany Hill building, 9350 Grant Street, a massive structure with sweeping views of the Front Range, in spring of 2009, prompting buzz that the space would rise again.

Almost a year and a half later, though, the spot still sits dark.

​If I'm willing to drive to Boulder for a cocktail, you know it's for a good reason -- like amazing, knowledgeable and accomplished bartenders making spectacularly inventive drinks.

Can you guess where I'm drinking?

Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week's Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool -- and every Monday, we select one lucky winner who'll receive an EatDenver dining deck, worth up to $520 in discounts at independent restaurants. Read all about EatDenver dining decks here.

​Cosmo's Pizza, 1325 Broadway, has longed served college students on the Hill in Boulder, proffering massive slices of thin-crust pies perfect for a mid-day lunch or a late-night post-drinking binge, available both at the parlor and by delivery.

Last year, the restaurant upped its presence on the Hill, too, by opening an attached speakeasy. That bar, called, simply, the Speakeasy, is accessed by an unmarked door to the right of the Cosmo's entrance, and it sees a (usually) mellow crowd inhabiting the wooden booths, enjoying nightly live music and drinks in addition to slices.

Now, the pizzeria is expanding further--and bringing the act to Denver.

By Ryan DeWitt

The inspiration for this venture stemmed from getting burnt out on the city's ice cream/froyo/gelato scene -- specifically from eating far too much of it all. Essentially, I needed something else to appease my sugar and sweets addiction. Enter cupcakes. My thinking was this: Cupcakes have so many variables to take into account -- the cake, frosting and toppings -- that I knew I could eat these for a long time before ever having to try the same one twice.

The results of my gluttonous efforts are compiled into one handy-dandy essential cupcake guide. Hail frosting!

​Heavenly Cakes
3559 West 44th Avenue; 303-433-0747
Score: 7/10
Price: $1.75 for a large cupcake

This cupcake was a complete Cinderella story, mostly because I didn't necessarily expect too much from this small, wedding cake-intensive shop, but man did it make me smile. From the first bite to the last, this monster cupcake had a terrific strawberry flavor and the light and fluffy whipped cream topping was the perfect accompaniment.

​"We're in the very beginning stages of developing the menu concept, but there's no hood and there's no grease trap, so everything that we serve will be raw," says Leigh Sullivan-Guard.

That's the idea behind TAG | RAW BAR, a new restaurant from Leigh and her husband, Troy Guard, the chef/owner of TAG, the whimsical, globetrotting food temple at 1441 Larimer Street that the couple opened in 2009.

TAG | RAW BAR, which will be the first restaurant to inhabit the soon-be-be-renovated pedestrian walkway on the north side of Larimer Square, is scheduled to open in early 2011 in a former gift shop. The space, according to Leigh, is small, with room for 20 to 30 seats, which will be divided among a bar, counter and dining room. "It's teeny-tiny, but it's going to be a really swanky, cutesy, intimate restaurant with a sexy vibe," she says. "I love the idea of this restaurant, because the size is manageable, we can share the staff from TAG, it's familiar to us, and it gives Troy an opportunity to break out of his box and do something a little bit different with raw foods."

Lori Midson

​The menu is ambitious, vast and littered with flavor-bombed Mexican dishes, but it's the soft corn tacos, thumped with meats perfumed with spices and char and topped with redolent salsas, that keep us coming back for more...and more...and more.

Can you guess where I'm eating?

Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to the week's Where am I drinking/eating posts is entered into a pool -- and every Monday, we select one lucky winner who'll receive an EatDenver dining deck, worth up to $520 in discounts at independent restaurants. Read all about EatDenver dining decks here.

​Civic Center Conservancy used Facebook to ask downtown lunchers if they wanted to see Civic Center Eats extended through September -- and those lunchers rose to the occasion.

Yesterday was the last of the Tuesday events officially on the calendar, and the park saw one of the best Civic Center Eats turn-outs to date. So the Conservancy is rewarding its fans by extending the Eats schedule: The outdoor food court will resume on September 14 (clean-up for this weekend's Taste of Colorado will wipe September 7 off the map), and continue every Tuesday until the end of the month, rain or shine.

Lori Midson

Justin Brunson

​
Justin Brunson
Masterpiece Delicatessen
1575 Central Street
303-561-3354
www.masterpiecedeli.com

This is part one of Lori Midson's Q&A with Masterpiece Delicatessen chef/owner Justin Brunson. You can read part two of this interview right back here tomorrow.

It's 2:30 p.m., late by lunchtime standards, but Masterpiece Delicatessen, the heavyweight sandwich shop in Highland run by Justin Brunson and his partner, Steve Allee, is hopping -- inside and out. Brunson is parked at one of the few interior tables, hunched over his notebook scrawled with notes from our interview. "I write like shit," he says, apologizing more than once for his handwriting. "I finally got a computer about eight months ago, but all this technology stuff is still kinda new to me."

The restaurant business, however, is old hat for Brunson, who's done time in some of the best kitchens in town -- Luca D'Italia, Mizuna, Zengo and Adega (now Venice) among them. But while the thirty-year-old earl of sandwiches, soups and crazy-good specials, like a foie gras and duck confit version, could have easily opened a fine-dining emporium, he made the decision to unleash a deli on Denver in 2008 instead. "I'd always wanted to open a sandwich shop, and Denver needed something like that, plus the economy was in the shits, so it was the right thing to do at the right time, and we were lucky enough to get the right space," says Brunson, an Iowa native with a wide smile and bushy red beard that hangs past his neck.