Peach Street Distillers

Peach Street Distillers Artisan Goat Vodka.

Rory Donovan has known fellow Peach Street Distillers co-founders Bill Graham and Dave Thibodeau since they were making beer in Graham's kitchen and starting up Ska Brewing. Donovan and Graham talked whiskey-making for years, looking at all manner of still plans -- like one they found on the Internet created by desperate Chevron gas-field workers who wanted to make their own hooch.

When Donovan was growing up, he'd watched his dad and his buddies working a still, too. "When I saw that those guys could do it, it took some of the alchemy out of it," he explains.

See also:
- It's gin for the win at Roundhouse Spirits
- - Woody Creek Distillers takes spirits to another level in Basalt
- Denver's five best bike-friendly bars

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Trevor Andersen

The owners of Sushi Bay, which took over the space in the Berkeley neighborhood that had been occupied by the Hole, now have a place in Uptown, too. Sushi Bay 17 is located at 1728 East 17th Avenue; keep reading for a look at the space and the food. See also: - Photos: Sushi Bay now occupies the former Hole spot on Tennyson Street - Sushi Bay will open where the Hole closed - The Hole will close on Tennyson StreetMore »

Lori Midson

TJ Hobbs, the current chef of Ghost Plate & Tap, will become the corporate training chef for Breckenridge/Wynkoop.

Next month, Ghost Plate & Tap, an elevated pub with a formidable beer list and an excellent cocktail program, would have celebrated its second anniversary downtown, but the Wynkoop/Breckenridge concept, which opened in June of 2011, is shuttering just shy of its two-year anniversary, closing this Friday, directly after lunch service.

See also:
- TJ Hobbs, chef of Ghost Plate & Tap, on portion size, pastry and Pepsi
- Round two with TJ Hobbs, chef of Ghost Plate & Tap
- Chef Christopher Cina lands in the kitchen of Ghost Plate & Tap

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Mark Manger

Taita.

According to CareerCast, my colleagues and I have the worst job in America. Low pay and high stress catapulted newspaper reporter to the top of the job portal's annual worst-of list, ahead of both lumberjacks and meter readers. But how can I complain?

I sat down at the computer this morning to double-check the meaning of the word "taita," because my review this week is of a contemporary Peruvian restaurant named Taita, and I wanted to know what it meant.

See also:
- Denver's ten best new restaurants of 2012
- Photos: Taiti Peruvian Cuisine & Bar opens Friday
- Best Peruvian Desserts 2013: Azucar Bakery

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A scene from the new ad campaign.

New Belgium Brewing is running its first TV ad campaign in eight years, buying airtime in twelve markets across the country in order to help beer drinkers associate the name Fat Tire with the brewery itself, which wants to push the rest of its lineup.

But the commercial, a thirty-second spot created by Denver's Cultivator Advertising, won't be seen in Colorado -- where New Belgium is based.

See also:
- Breckenridge Brewing spoofs megabrewers in new TV ads...again
- New Belgium will build a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina by 2015
- Novo Coffee teams up with New Belgium for a Colorado nod to coffee cherries

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All photos by Jenn Wohletz.

A one-topping jalapeno pizza from Marco's Pizza.I had one of those accidental TMI conversations right in front of the guy ringing me up at Marco's Pizza. My boyfriend and I were discussing Game of Thrones (and by discussing, I mean I was going on for minutes while he was pretending to listen and care) and I was lecturing him on the character change from book to show without realizing that I was describing a male appendage in a bit too much in detail.

Then I realized it, and there was a moment of awkward silence. I totally apologized to the cashier for overshare -- but he just laughed and said it was cool. I gave him a good tip.

Restaurant staffers with well-developed senses of humor are a real treat in a world of sour, cranky customer service -- and the pizza, salad and wings at the newly opened Marco's Pizza weren't bad, either.

See also:
- Marco's Pizza -- no, not Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria -- is coming to Stapleton
- Exclusive first look: Live Basil Pizza opens Thursday in south Denver
- Photos: Crowds now snarfing burgers at Snarfburger

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On Sunday, EatDenver, the city's network of independently-owned restaurants, is hosting the Big Eat, a blowout culinary bash at Sustainability Park, 2500 Lawrence Street. The eco-friendly festival, which sold out last year, struts forty restaurants, four breweries, four wineries, plus local spirits and cocktails. "It's a fun-filled, American-themed event, and each restaurant brings a signature dish and excitement, plus there's unique entertainment and custom libations using some of the state's best local ingredients," says Elizabeth Woessner, executive director of EatDenver.

See also:
- Our favorite local culinary gifts for foodniks: EatDenver Dining Deck
- Photos: The Big Eat was the weekend's best culinary bash
- The Big Eat! at Union Station

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Lori Midson

Thanks to a recent influx of pizza palaces, I've eaten way, way too much of the stuff over the past week, including at this restaurant, which, while new, isn't as new as some. In fact, it's been around long enough that the kitchen should have its pizza down pat, but in this case, the Greek salad was far better than the lukewarm slices.

Can you guess where I'm eating?

Special bonus: Anyone who gives the first correct answer to a Guess Where post 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.

Via the Toques and 'Tails event page

Update: We have a winner of our Toques and 'Tails contest giveaway! Last week, we asked Cafe Society commenters to guess how many Culinary Connector tours owner Becky Creighton has conducted in Denver. Congrats to BSquared5280, who guessed 330 tours, the exact number. BSquared5280, we'll send you an e-mail with directions on how to claim your prize.

Original post: On Thursday, May 23, Becky Creighton, the founder of Culinary Connectors, a company that exposes foodniks -- both locals and visitors -- to various Denver, Boulder and Aspen restaurants as part of a walking tour of those city's top dining dens, is rolling out a new food-and-cocktail event: Toques and 'Tails, a chef and bartender battle created, says Creighton, to "celebrate and promote the culinary and beverage talent of innovative restaurants in Denver and Boulder -- and to feature the culinary team from the same restaurant."

See also:
- Casselman's opens in NoDo
- Casselman's gets a sixteen-and-up license
- Best New Club - 2010 Casselman's Bar & Venue

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Interesting new restaurants are popping up all over metro Denver, but yesterday all the talk was about Voodoo Doughnuts -- a chain out of Portland, Oregon, that's finally coming to Denver after almost two years of rumors, and landing on East Colfax Avenue.

See also:
- Voodoo Doughnuts is coming to East Colfax -- where else?
- Rumors are swirling that Denver is getting a Voodoo Doughnuts
- Reader: Voodoo Doughnuts is x-rated, and x-cellent

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