Mark Manger

Carnitas, surf and turf and pork belly agridulce.

​Every time I visited Pinche Taqueria, which I review in this week's Westword, it was packed. Even on a Monday night, the place felt like a party, complete with rounds of tequila shots.

With Pinche Taqueria, Kevin Morrison has managed to capture the irreverent fun and delicious food of his mobile concept, Pinche Tacos, with the added fuel of killer drinks.

Here, to go with this week's review, is a side of photos. For more of the restaurant, check out our slide show.

More >>

Mark Manger

Brussels sprouts cooked in duck fat with a leg of duck confit.

​A few years after Diane and Tom moved from Atlanta to Denver so that Tom could take a corporate job, they decided it was time to open a restaurant. But instead of building a fine dining spot, like the ones where Tom had worked in Georgia, they decided to create an upscale neighborhood spot, enticing enough for people to use for special occasion meals while also giving more casual eaters a reason to come by.

And because the neighborhood they chose is LoDo, the concept worked. I review Coohills in this week's Westword;here, to go with that story, is a side of photos highlighting some of my favorite dishes.

For another look at Coohills, check out our slideshow.

More >>

Jim Wills

​Always on a voyage for good sushi in this landlocked state, this week's review took me to Hana Matsuri, a Westminster restaurant where the sushi counter is helmed by Eddie Wang, who knows his way around a fresh fish. I enjoyed much of what he cut and arranged, even if not every piece of fish was precisely sliced.

Here, to go with the review, is a side of photos.

More >>

Lori Midson

Billed as the "world's first bacon-flavored personal lubricant and massage oil," this seems like the perfect hostess gift for a PETA-pimping vegan. Keep it sizzlin', y'all.

​

Seventeen meals in four days, excluding bakery stops; 26 miles of walking (give or take), plus an additional 4.3 miles of exhibition halls clustered with more than 80,000 specialty foods and beverages from nearly forty countries.

Artisan cheeses and charcuterie; beans that don't make you fart; bacon beer that probably does; enough chocolate to keep Willy Wonka in business for generations to come; bacon lube, bacon bars, bacon pickles and just bacon; fruit vinegars and fruit jams, jellies and preserves; beef jerky and faux beef knockoffs; Whoop Ass salsa and olive oils packaged to trick you into thinking you're buying the Chanel equivalent; clam chowder from a can poured on a pizza; Ruth Reichl! -- that, people, sums up the four days I spent in San Francisco, waddling my way though my favorite city in America and 206,000-square-feet of convention center space, the location of this year's Fancy Food Show.

I could go on and on and on about everything I consumed while tripping my way through the halls, but this kind of culinary orgy is best translated through food porn. Herewith, thirty of the weirdest, funniest, most interesting and best products I encountered during the show.

More >>

Mark Manger

A salumi board at Crimson Canary.

​For my review in this week's Westword, I landed at Crimson Canary, the newest concept from Joey Newman and brothers Andre and Aaron Lobato, the trio that brought Denver Interstate Kitchen & Bar. When they took over the old Mona's address on South Broadway, they filled it with a concept they call "Boss Italian," paying homage to the romanticized version of old Italian joints celebrated in Hollywood films in the '70s, but modernizing that vision and making it relevant for today's dining scene.

And they did one hell of a job. But what makes Crimson Canary really sing is the food. Here, to go with the review, is a side of photos. For more of this spot, check out our slide show.

More >>

Mark Manger

​I headed south for this week's review, to Street Kitchen Asian Bistro, the second restaurant from Mary Nguyen, who also owns the fantastic Parallel Seventeen. I've eaten several meals at Street Kitchen since it opened last January, encountering both hits and misses as I tried to navigate the expansive menu.

Here, to go with the review, are photos of a few of the hits -- my own road map of the best routes to a good meal at Street Kitchen.

More >>

Anthony Camera

​This week's review took me to the area just north of West Washington Park, where Dale Huguley created Cafe|Bar in the former home of Pho Pasta. With the help of chef Eric Rivera, he married European cafe culture to sustainable sourcing and excellent design. The result is a versatile neighborhood restaurant that works as well for a lunch meeting as it does for a dinner date, a drink at the bar or a nightcap and dessert.

Here, to go with my Cafe|Bar review, are photos of a few of the dishes. For more of Cafe|Bar, check out our slide show.

More >>

Mark Manger

Insalata di barbabietole

​The last review of 2011 took me back to Barolo Grill, where a year ago I had some very mediocre meals at soaring prices -- which made me think that Barolo's star was tarnished, and the legendary restaurant no longer lived up to its reputation.

When I returned to Barolo this month, though, I found a very different place. Over the past twelve months, Barolo has updated both the decor and the menu (one dish, the veal cheeks, blew me away). As Barolo heads into its third decade, its star is definitely rising.

Here, to go with the review, is a side of photos. For more of Barolo Grill, check out our slide show: Barolo Grill is flying high.

More >>

Mark Manger

​Jelly packs in crowds on the weekend, when it seems that everyone living in a reasonable radius jams the front of the restaurant, sipping peppermint schnapps-laced cocoa and red beer while they wait for a table. It's proof that owners Christina Smith and Josh Epps knew what they were doing when they set out to give Denver a hip, creative breakfast joint where, once you get past the masses, the food is pretty good, too.

Here, to go with my review this week, is a serving of photos.

More >>

Sarah Cowell

​Business at Boulder's six-month-old Oak at Fourteenth was on fire when the restaurant actually caught fire last spring, forcing owners Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski to shutter their spot so that they could gut it and rebuild it from the ground up. It was a long road back, but after nine months, the partners will finally open the doors tonight.

Don't expect the same Oak, though. Dayton and Redzikowski made some big changes to the aesthetic, including an expansion that gives them a private dining room. Warm woods dominate, and light blue glass above the bar gives the place a modern feel. They've revamped the menu and drink list, too, keeping their upscale North American neighborhood restaurant theme, but adding a few twists and surprises.

Here's a taste of what you can expect at the resurrected restaurant:

More >>