There is nothing wrong with being a food snob. Food snobs offer valuable services to their communities, such as market insight, educated opinions and keeping the restaurant industry honest and on its toes. But still, there are always some culi-nazis pissing in the crab bisque; food snows who take themselves way too seriously, use blogs for psychological warfare over trifles and, worst of all, scare the ever-loving brioche buns off of new foodies who are just trying to discover what's out there.

In the spirit of protecting budding culinarians -- as well as the rest of us without wooden spoons jammed up our arses -- from the harsh and insensitive behavior of old-guard foodinistas, here's our list of the top five things food snobs should stop doing. Bon appétit!

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Lori Midson

The cake and shake at D Bar.

​Time to get your sugar high, Denver. Today is National Chocolate Cake Day, which is an excellent reason to stop into a favorite spot for a slab of something rich, delicious and, above all, packed with chocolate.

Need a suggestion? Here are five places that will give you a fix.

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​McDonald's proved this week that the road to public relations hell is paved with good intentions -- and hashtags. The company introduced a Twitter hashtag crusade, asking customers to share their happy fee-fees and heartwarmingly poignant stories about dining at McDoo's, but as with most things that start out with the best of intentions -- like organized religion, the GOP and mass-produced orange juice -- this awesome idea turned into an awesome fiasco, and quickly. Twitter-ers shared sordid tales of filthy restaurants and foreign objects in their food -- and Chicken McNuggets were impugned with startling voracity. As a result, the #McDStories hashtag was yanked after two hours, with the company's social media director offering the PR equivalent of "oopsie Mcwhoopsie," but the comments are still going strong.

With this debacle as inspiration, I'm delving into my own cardboard-clamshell box of horrible McDonald's memories--here are my top five: #shouldsueMcDooforpainandsuffering

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​Unless you've been trekking in the Himalayas this week, you've undoubtedly heard all about celebrity chef Paula Deen's admission that she has Type 2 diabetes. Deen is known for her signature deep-South-deep-fried-deeply-buttered cuisine, and the criticism of her condition/food/pimping diabetes drugs is almost as painful as the day after eating one of her famous doughnut burgers. She's a "greasy villain," according to Hamilton Noland, and Anthony Bourdain tweeted: "Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later." Deen probably has a pretty sore ass right now from everyone chewing on it, but we're ready to give the queen of butter sheen the benefit of the doubt.

Here are our top five reasons to get off Paula Deen's ass -- to grease it up with a stick of butter and slide right on off -- already:

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The sign on the door of Colby's Breakfast and Lunch.

​Deluged by Republican presidential candidates who wanted to politic with the people dining at New Hampshire's Colby's Breakfast and Lunch restaurant -- and customers complaining about the interruptions -- a manager put up this sign: "No Politicians No Exceptions."

"There is a time and a place, and the customers should be able to choose -- when and where," Colby's employee Andrew Booth tells us. "We don't allow solicitation in the store, I mean we don't allow hobos in here to solicit..."

Harsh? Yes, but how much sympathy can actively campaigning politicians really hope to get right now with the economy still bruised-up, Congress making headlines every day for all the wrong reasons, and candidates like Newt Gingrich and Rick "Google Problem" Santorum slutting up our airwaves and interrupting people's meals?

Diners are fed up. Here are our top five reasons why campaigning politicians irritate restaurant diners -- and can we get a side of "get the f*ck lost" with that?

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Sarah Cowell

WC and Soda at Oak at Fourteenth, one of my favorite beverages from 2011.

​The more I travel, the more I'm impressed by the barmen and barwomen of Denver -- many of the beer, wine and spirits professionals in our city can stand with any other bartender in the world. They're professional and knowledgeable, and they pour some pretty awesome drinks. Without a doubt, I had some of the best meals I've ever had in Denver in 2011. But many of those meals were enhanced with the help of the stellar beverage programs that have become the norm in our dining scene.

Here are the ten best beverages, alcoholic and otherwise, that I consumed since January 1 of this year:

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​It's a new year, and 2012 should be another rich, full year of food, drink and, with any luck, a few more naked photos of Anthony Bourdain.

It's time to kick 2011 in the gnocchi and usher in a brand-new 365 days of fresh foodie resolutions. We all know that willpower can wane with the first plate of poutine or the first banana malt, so let's all skip the fad diet fap and make some resolutions that will keep us all fed, keep local shops in business, and keep us the hell away from lousy lasagna.

Here are our top five food resolutions that you should make for 2012 -- and keep.

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​We're in the home stretch of the holiday season, but we've still got one more big blow-out before the post-festivity depression sets in: that epic drink-fest that is New Year's Eve. We fully acknowledge that by the time we ring in the new year, we'll be too, um, happy to taste the difference between growers champagne and Cooks, but on one of the biggest party nights of the year, we like to pick up something special to kick things off right.

For the bulk alcohol buy, we'll no doubt head to spots like Argonaut, Applejack's and Total Beverage, all of which boast knowledgeable staffs and massive selections. But when we're looking for that something rare or special or unfamiliar, there are a few small shops in town that feature an impeccable collection of options -- and employees that have tasted every single item on the shelves, thereby making them able to answer even the most obscure questions.

Here are our favorite neighborhood liquor stores, and the places we'll head to be ensured our party gets started right:

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​Christmas is a holiday for everyone -- drunks, gamblers, cheats, kids, construction workers and, especially, foodies -- because it's a whole season devoted to edible hedonism. People are tacitly allowed -- if not outright encouraged -- to glut themselves on whatever takes their fancy at any time, everything from candy canes right off the tree to a crown roast of pork right off the cloven hoof.

In honor of this, here are our top five reasons why Christmas is a foodie holiday. Eat up, chow down, and may the force of the holiday buffet be with you -- always.

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someecards.com

​We'll drink just about anything hot this time (and temperature) of the year, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (or some other sort of delicious liqueur) included. But there are a few cocktails on drink lists right now that make us clap our chilled hands with delight: Their warming qualities and festive flavors make them a good excuse to duck out of the family home for a nightcap... or drag the relatives along for a bonding experience over some of Denver's best drinks.

Below are five festive cocktails that aren't just hot chocolate with schnapps.

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