'Best of Denver' Archives

Ten food trucks you need to try this spring

By Samantha Alviani Fri., May 3 2013 at 4:02 PM

Categories: Best of Denver, Cafe Society

Denver is experiencing a food renaissance -- and for the past few years, food trucks have been at the vanguard of this movement, taking some of this city's most inventive dishes out for a spin and putting the adventure back into eating.

If you plan on finding your next meal on wheels, check out one of these ten trucks, each one offering a movable feast.

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Best of Denver

Denver's ten best spots for pho

By Cafe Society Wed., May 1 2013 at 3:28 PM

Categories: Best of Denver, Cafe Society

Mark Manger

Pho Lee in Greenwood Village: so pho, so good.

Vietnamese soup is good food any time of the year, and always fun to accessorize with fresh vegetables and spicy sauces -- but on a cold day like today, a great bowl of pho is enough to bowl you over. Fortunately, in Denver our cup runneth over with pho spots.

Here, in no particular order (until the end), are our ten favorite spots for pho.

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Denver's ten best macaroni and cheese dishes

By Samantha Alviani Wed., Apr. 24 2013 at 2:09 PM

Categories: Best of Denver

Lori Midson

The lobster mac and cheese at Mizuna.

During this snowy spring, it often feels like we have one foot out the door to summer, and one still back by the fire, sticking loyally to our favorite winter comfort foods. As with fans of grilled cheese, lovers of macaroni and cheese divide into two factions: the progressive thinkers and the purists. Some like their macaroni folded into decadent, multiple-cheese sauces riddled with mushrooms, greens or seafood; others remain faithful to elbows swimming in the bliss of simple, silky cheese. Here (in no particular order) is our list of Denver's ten best macaroni and cheese dishes; there should be something here to please everyone along the spectrum.

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The List

The five best new breakfast spots in Denver

By Gretchen Kurtz Mon., Apr. 22 2013 at 7:56 AM

Categories: Best of Denver, The List

Devin Stallings and his brother just opened a sibling breakfast spot.

If breakfast means more to you than a cup (or three) of coffee, you're probably already acquainted with the pancakes, eggs and crepes at such perennial favorites as Gaia Bistro, Jelly, Snooze, Devil's Food and DJ's Berkeley Cafe. The latter's sibling restaurant, DJ's 9th Avenue Café, which opened in January and was the subject of my most recent review, isn't the only new eatery vying to brighten up your day. In no particular order, here's a list of the five best new breakfast spots in town...with a special bonus at the end.

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Denver's five best patios to celebrate the arrival of spring (despite the snow)

By Lori Midson Wed., Apr. 10 2013 at 10:01 AM

Categories: Best of Denver, Midson: Gastronaughty, The List

Lori Midson

The crew at Crimson & Gold, a bar near the University of Denver, apparently didn't venture outside yesterday, because while Denver's finest meteorologists had it all wrong when they predicted that the city would be snowballed by Snowzilla-Snowmageddon-Snowpocalypse, it was definitely not "patio weather," despite the bar's signage pointing to the contrary. Nonetheless, this is still a good time to start thinking about where to hang once the blizzard-that-wasn't slips away. As a starter set, here are our five best patios that are sweet on spring.

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Tags:

Bittersweet, Kaos, Linger, patio weather, Potager, springtime, Vita

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Veggie Girl

The five best vegetarian/vegan dishes in Denver

By Amber Taufen Tue., Apr. 2 2013 at 8:43 AM

Categories: Best of Denver, Veggie Girl

Denver's a great town for vegetarians and vegans, as the Best of Denver 2013 attests. In that issue, you'll find accolades for Best Vegetarian Green Chile and Best Vegan Market, as well as many more green categories. But if you're looking for the best plant-based dishes in the city, look no further than the list below: the five best vegetarian/vegan dishes in Denver.

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Tags:

best vegan, best vegetarian, bratwurst, Denver, Mediterranean, pho, pizza, soup

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Best of Denver

Best of Denver 2013 Readers' Poll: Meet the Food & Drink winners

By Cafe Society Fri., Mar. 29 2013 at 5:38 PM

Categories: Best of Denver

Mark Manger

Seoul BBQ earned a Readers' Poll award for Best Korean Restaurant.

The 2013 Best of Denver is now on stands (and online), and in its 196 pages you'll find Westword's picks for the best restaurants, bars and chefs around town. Along the way, we asked you to nominate and then vote for your favorites in dozens of categories; halfway through the voting process, we announced our top vote-getters, and had another round of voting. Continue reading for the 2013 Food & Drink Readers' Poll winners: How do they compare to Westword's picks?

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Best of Denver

The dozen best dive bars in Denver

By Cafe Society Fri., Mar. 29 2013 at 2:56 PM

Categories: Best of Denver

Punks at the bar at Bar Bar. All photos by Jim Wills.

Several of our favorite dives have dried up over the past few years. Fortunately, the Denver area still has an abundance of old-time dives, which we visited while researching the Best of Denver 2013. But who are we kidding? We'd be bellying up to these bars, anyway. Here, in no particular order except for #1 (winner of the Best of Denver 2013 Best Dive Bar award) are the metro area's dozen best dive bars.

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Best of Denver

Best New Bar: Our winners over the past dozen years

By Patrick Langlois Wed., Mar. 27 2013 at 2:22 PM

Categories: Best of Denver

Grab a seat: Williams & Graham.

We've spent a lot of time in bars since the first Best of Denver issue made its debut in 1984, and sometimes we even remembered to give awards to those bars. One of our most popular categories? Best New Bar, snagged this year by Ace. Some years we didn't make an award in this category, and other years we gave it to a spot that's now shuttered. Here's a look back at the winners over the past dozen years.

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Best Chef: A nostalgic look back at our Best of Denver chef winners

By Lori Midson Wed., Mar. 27 2013 at 12:22 PM

Categories: Best of Denver

Lori Midson

Westword's 2011 Best Rising Star Chef Samir Mohammad, now at Lala's Pizzeria + Wine Bar.

In just a few short hours, the Best of Denver 2013 will start hitting the street -- and the web. This year's edition is packed with more than 400 winners (we're still counting). One of the most anticipated categories in our Food & Drink section is also one of the the most coveted: Best Chef. In advance of this year's unveiling, here's a look back at some of our winners in various chef categories. And here's a hint about who might be our pick for this year's Best Chef: He's one of the kitchen magicians already ballyhooed below.

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