There's more to Denver food culture than the Denver omelet. The city is home to some of the country's best Mexican food, microbreweries galore, and a handful of fast-casual chains (cough, Chipotle) got their start here. While Denverites have jumped on board many of the popular national trends like gastropubs, noodle bars, and using more locally sourced ingredients, they've also held onto some uniquely Denver foodisms. Fast-Casual Chipotle. [Flickr: LinksmanJD] Denver is kind of the motherland of fast-casual food concepts. Chipotle started here, and the burrito chain continues to expand and challenge the idea of "fast-food," installing solar panels and sourcing sustainably-raised beef and vegetables from farmers. Bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce from Smashburger. [Flickr: paulswansen] Smashburger is another Colorado...
Continue reading »
The Denver Post's Kyle Wagner bids adieu to Mel's Bar and Grill, which will serve its last dish this Saturday; after 12 years in business, Mel Master opted to close it down rather than take the short-term lease offered by the building's new owners. Wagner says, "It's one of Denver's top 10 restaurants, one of its most successful, and here's how you know in this town: Not long ago, on the same day, two parties confided to me that the place was at its absolute peak and that it had gone utterly, irreparably downhill."...
Continue reading »
From PRNewswire.com: Denver area pizza lovers have a 'hole' lot [Groan —Ed.] to be excited about as Einstein Bros. Bagels cooks up new pizza bagels for its hometown customers.... Einstein Bros. is now offering five Pizza Bagel flavors in 28 Front Range restaurants. When I was a kid, my sister (who was around 7 at the time) came up with this idea—using Lender's frozen bagels, some Chef Boyardee pizza sauce, and whatever mozzarella we had on hand. She submitted the idea to a local TV station's "create an afterschool snack" contest. And never heard from the station. Hey, I thought it was a great idea at the time. These days, you couldn't get me near a hybrid pizza bagel. It...
Continue reading »
