Denver Food Blog

​Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market's choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast.

Last month, Pete and Barb created a multi-course autumn menu. This month, in honor of Thanksgiving, they'll continue to add recipes until they have a complete, multi-course turkey day menu. Pete's already fattened us up with his Gorgonzola dip and taught us how to confit a turkey leg and roast a turkey breast. Earlier this week, he prepared a carrot and winter squash puree; today, he's doing wild rice bread pudding stuffing.

Lori Midson

​Last week, I asked whether pho could be on the horizon for the Streets at Southglenn -- specifically a second outpost of Pho 95, Aaron Le's original temple of pho at 1002 South Federal Boulevard.

I have an answer.

Holiday mezcal menu at Tambien

​"Instead of doing a mezcal-tequila tasting like we normally do, we came up with some killer cocktails to pair with each course," says Sean Yontz, executive chef of Tambien (250 Steele Street), the gathering quarters for tomorrow night's multi-course holiday mezcal dinner. The fact that Yontz is serving mole de caderas -- roasted goat -- is reason enough to cancel whatever plans you already have in place. Seriously, when Yontz does mole - mole with goat, for chrissakes -- you know the culinary deities are all in place.

The festivities begin at 7 p.m. and dinner/drinks are $45 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. To make reservations, call 303-333-1763.

​Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market's choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast.

Last month, Pete and Barb created a multi-course autumn menu. This month, they'll continue to add recipes until they have a complete, multi-course Colorado Thanksgiving menu. So far, Pete has made a Gorgonzola dip and taught us how to confit a turkey leg and roast a turkey breast. Today, he's prepared carrot and winter squash puree.

Lori Midson

Tony Bourdain meets his true love: Biker Jim's sausages

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Lori Midson

Brian Laird, executive chef of Barolo Grill

​This is part two of my interview with Brian Laird, exec chef of Barolo Grill. You can read part one of my interview with Laird here.

Best food city in America: San Francisco. It's all about what I love most: fresh ingredients, seafood, farm-raised animals, vegetables, cheese, wine and beer, dairy of all kinds...and on and on. It's all right there at your fingertips. My new favorite place there is the Rand G Lounge, a Chinese restaurant that has the best salt-and-pepper crab. And I've always loved the Slanted Door and Swan Oyster Depot. I love the city because there's just so much variety. I had my first shark fin soup in San Francisco; it wasn't cheap.

Lori Midson

​I love flapjacks as much as the next person (maybe even more), but the smoked salmon, red onion and caper pizza that you see in the above snap is seriously, deliriously delicious. And it's just one of several breakfast pizzas on the new brunch menu at a Denver restaurant that's also pouring Bloodys and bottomless bellinis.

Lori Midson

​As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com.

No. 95 Assiette de charcuterie maison from Z Cuisine À Côté

The charcuterie in the above pic? Yeah, given the opportunity, I could eat everything on that plate for breakfast, lunch, a snack before dinner, dinner, a midnight nosh and 3 a.m. nourishment. And then I could do it all again. Why? Because Patrick DuPays, the owner/chef/farmers' market forager of Z Cuisine and Z Cuisine À Côté does the best charcuterie plate in Denver. House pork shoulder rillettes and caramelized shallots; candied walnuts; sliced apples; pine nuts and pate de campagne with red wine onions confiture; mixed olives; a selection of lovely cheeses, both French and locally sourced; chutneys; sausages and cornichons. Need I say more?

Lori Midson

All fired up: executive chef Brian Laird of Barolo Grill

​"It was a step off the cliff for sure, but at the same time, I just knew that I was a good fit for the job," says Brian Laird of Barolo Grill, the Northern Italian restaurant whose kitchen Laird has cooked in for the past twelve years -- the last eight as the executive chef, a position he snagged after walking off the line one night following a blowup with Barolo's former guard. "Whether or not I was prepared to take that job, I don't know, but it was a huge pat on the back and I have a great life because of it," he confesses. "This is my livelihood, and I think I must be doing okay -- that we must be doing a good job -- because I haven't had to hire a new face in the kitchen in five years."

Lori Midson

Pho at Pho 95

​ As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com.

No. 96 Pho - any pho -- from Pho 95

There isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't ask me what my favorite restaurant is. It's a question I struggle with -- and rarely answer -- because I don't have a "favorite" restaurant. My restaurant-of-the-moment is wholly mood dependent. That said, there are restaurants that I return to, again and again, because of a specific dish -- because that dish, no matter what time of the day I'm slouching in the booth, my nose buried in my plate (or bowl), is so unbelievably, impossibly perfect that the rest of my life turns off and tunes out. I'm talking about the pho at Pho 95, which makes me happier than just about any other dish in Denver. The enormous bowls of noodles, floating in brilliant broths stockpiled with raw and cooked meats, arrive with heaps of greens that glisten, rings of jalapeno and lime wedges. It's the most pho-nominal pho in town.

Do you know the muffin man?

​There's a contest for everything, including, as it turns out, muffins. And for Sharon Smith and Wendy Goldstein, owners of the Two Sisters Inn -- a bed-and-breakfast in Manitou Springs -- it was their muffins that took the cake on Monday, November 9 at the Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado (BBIC) annual conference in Golden, when the twosome won the -- wait for it -- Golden Muffin Award (aka, the Best Muffin in Colorado) for their original recipe for Mandarin orange streusel muffins.

Woo-hoo!

Lori Midson

One of the first pizzas to come from the oven at Kaos

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​Udi's Bread Cafe, which already has locations in Stapleton (7357 East 29th Avenue); Louisville (185 South 104th Street); Aurora (12700 East 19th Street); and north Denver (101 East 70th Avenue), officially opens its fifth location today at 7600 Grandview in Olde Town Arvada, directly across the street from Archive Room, which opened last Wednesday.

The breadery was doing heavy trade last Friday during a trail run, and while the board was limited (and the kitchen had run out of the French dip sandwich and Reuben), today should see the start of the full menu, which includes breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner. Two things that this Udi's pimps that the other outposts don't? Pizzas and a full bar.

Udi's is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dial 303-421-8000 for more info, or to make reservations.

Lori Midson

Read all about it in the Archive Room

​"We did 160 covers the first night and 140 covers the second night, which I think qualifies as busy," says Jeff Arnold, one of the owners of Archive Room, which opened last week in Olde Town Arvada at 5601 Olde Wadsworth Boulevard. "We've been busy every night, we're getting a lot of industry people in after work, we're staying open late and the feedback has been great from the neighborhood so far," says Arnold, who also runs the Pour House Pub at 1435 Market Street. 

Strewn with framed clips of historical events, the dark-wooded space (the former home of Arvada Grill) serves standard bar grub (chicken wings, chicken tenders and fried artichoke hearts), salads, soups and stews, sandwiches and serious comfort food entrees that are filling, delicious and inexpensive ($9.95 to $11.95).

When I stopped by for lunch late last week, I tried the deep-fried blarney puffs filled with corned beef, scallions, cheese and mashed potatoes, and the chicken and dumplings, a dish that's quickly becoming the hit of the menu, according to Arnold. "We have a lot of great dishes, but the chicken and dumplings is everyone's favorite." The restaurant also serves a small brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. For more info, call 303-432-0400.

​What you may have missed this week on Cafe Society while you were busting your brain trying to compile a list of canteens worthy of Sir Anthony Bourdain's refined palate during his pit stop in D-Town next Wednesday, November 18 to lecture at the Temple Buell Theater. By the way, the winners of our Tony Bourdain ticket contest will be announced bright and early Monday morning.

Jason Sheehan, who is probably in the back alley behind Fogo de Chão right now stuffing scraps of lamb deep inside his pockets, put forth his own list of top ten south-of-the-border restaurants, which includes Empanada Express Grill in Golden, a joint that you should totally try, if you haven't already.

Come to think of it, we were all about lists this week. As a countdown to the Best of Denver, coming April 1, we began dishing up a hundred of our favorite plates in Denver, beginning with the chicken fried steak at Lola, followed by Biker Jim's Alaskan reindeer wiener and the huge bowl of french fries from Jonesy's.

Kate Kennedy unleashed her own top ten list of the most unappetizing food scenes in the history of cinema, which was a fine follow-up to her list of recipes that you might actually want to eat this Thanksgiving, although I'm not sure about that green bean casserole, even if there is no mention of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.

You can bet that there was never a Campbell's label anywhere near Ian Kleinman's laboratory kitchen at O's Steak and Seafood at the Westin Westminster, which is where Kleinman let loose the liquid nitrogen for a few years before getting ousted earlier this week. Bummer.

Of course, he could always drown his foam in the suds at the Tilted Kilt, which opened Wednesday with a school of lassies in knee-highs, very short plaid kilts and matching bras bouncing from bar to bar with nipple warmers beers and big plates of pedestrian pub grub.

You won't find much of that coming from the kitchen at Strings, which is now commanded by executive chef Lance Barto, the subject of this week's Chef and Tell interview with Lori Midson.

In Behind the Bar, Nancy Levine interviews Randy Layman, the drink slinger at Avenue Grill, who attests to the fact that blow jobs really do happen in public parking lots.

​Beginning Saturday, November 14 and continuing through Saturday, November 21, you can take a big bite out of First Bite Boulder, a weeklong event that offers three-course dinners for $26 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) at 40 restaurants in the People's Republic.

For a list of participating feed houses, which includes, among others, The Kitchen, Jax Fish House, Zolo Grill and Mateo, go to www.firstbiteboulder.com. Reservations can be made through Open Table or by contacting the restaurants directly.

Lori Midson

​Beginning tonight, Sushi Sasa, Wayne Conwell's hip temple of Japanese cuisine at 2401 15th Street, is adding late-night hours to its lineup. "Over the past few months, we've had numerous customers showing up at our doors after 10:30 wanting to eat sushi, so we thought, hey, let's stay open later," says general manager Joey Oliver. "Since we're so close to downtown, it just makes sense to go late-night so that people who don't want to eat diner food or just aren't ready to go home, have a new option in their dining quest," he explains.

Sushi Sasa's new hours are as follows:

Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to midnight with a late night happy hour drink special. Then, from 10:30 p.m. to midnight, anything and everything with alcohol is half-price. Hours on Sunday and Monday will remain the same: 5 to 10 p.m. For more info, or to make reservations, call 303-433-7272.

Lance Barto in his kitchen at Strings

​"This is the perfect hearty recipe to help warm your body from the chill in the air," says Lance Barto, the executive chef of Strings and the subject of this week's Chef and Tell interview.

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Does reading this blog make you hunger to write?

Westword is expanding its Cafe Society coverage, and we're looking for a great freelance writer with a passion for food and restaurants, as well as the ability to produce stylish and knowledgeable news and opinion pieces about the Denver dining scene. This is not a restaurant critic position. We have one of those already, and Jason Sheehan's not going anywhere. A background in reporting is highly desirable. So are interviewing skills. And if you're a master of compiling witty "Top 10" lists, all the better.

E-mail a cover letter that includes why you're a good fit for the job -- which is definitely part-time -- along with a resume and clips (or writing samples), to lori.midson@westword.com. If you've previously applied for this position, we still have your resume and clips on file. Trust us on this.

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The patio at this classic dive is filling up fast -- with both people taking advantage of what could be the last warm weather for some times, and their pooches. But remember: No dogs inside. Can you guess where I'm drinking?

Lori Midson

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Lori Midson

Lance Barto, executive chef of Strings

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This is part two of my interview with Lance Barto, exec chef of Strings. You can read part one of my interview with Barto here.

Best food city in America: Northern California. Right, I know that it's not a city, but the whole northern region of California seems to have such a connection with what's seasonal, organic and renewable. The restaurants there have a great mindset. I'd love to see Denver continue in that same direction.

Favorite New York restaurant: The last time I was in New York, I was far too young to understand the city's culinary importance. But I did enjoy the street food, especially the tacos and hot dogs.

​As I reported here yesterday, Arizona restaurateur Mark Tarbell is just a few weeks away from opening Home, a comfort food restaurant that will join The Oven, another Tarbell restaurant, at the Streets of SouthGlenn in late November.

And while that's good news for the foodniks who hang in those parts, I'm wetting my pants over the very real possibility that a certain Vietnamese joint on Federal, whose pho bowls me over every time, and whose affable host and owner is one of the greatest guys in the biz, might -- just might -- be turning out mo' pho right around the corner from Home.

When I know pho sure, so will you.

​Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market's choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast.

Last month, Pete and Barb created a multi-course autumn menu. This month, they'll continue to add one recipe a week until they have a complete, multi-course Colorado Thanksgiving menu.

"My sister Mariah, who trained in Paris and is a private chef in Vermont, just visited me and Pete, and between the two of them, you're not going to get better food anywhere," promises Barb. "While she was here, we served a heritage turkey from Bennett, and confited the legs and roasted the breast." Pete and Barb served the turkey with mashed squash from their garden, carrots, bread pudding stuffing with wild rice, a dried cherry chutney, Brussels sprouts with bacon, mashed San Luis potatoes, and gravy. For dessert, Mariah made a poached pear tart.

The feast started with Gorgonzola dip, the first recipe this round. It's best to let the dip sit overnight, so the flavors really blend.

Lori Midson

Restaurateur and chef Mark Tarbell inside his new restaurant, Home

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Lori Midson

​Black truffles, shaved and whole, and bone marrow peppered with Hawaiian red sea salt on a stark white plate at a restaurant whose chef doesn't try to steal the spotlight -- even though he could. The dish in the above pic was one of many in a succession of fantastic plates. From whose kitchen did they come?

Lori Midson

Six pack abs and a nice rack are on the menu at Tilted Kilt

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​"I made a decision, I'm doing it and it's happening this weekend." That's Mark Dym, owner/chef of Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria, 2129 Larimer Street, talking about his new brunch, which starts this Saturday, November 14. "We're keeping it simple, with just a few breakfast pizzas, bottomless mimosas for eight bucks or so and Bloody Marys for $3," he says.

"We've been talking about it for a while, and I want to drive some brunch business to the restaurant, and so far as I know, no other restaurant is doing breakfast pizzas, so we decided to go ahead and do it," he explains. "A little ham, a little cheese and some egg and you've got a great breakfast pizza, right?"

From this weekend on, brunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more info, dial 303-296-7000 or visit www.marcoscoalfiredpizza.com/.