Category Archives: Denver

Union Station Restaurants Announced

Artist’s rendering of the renovated, repurposed Union Station. (Union Station Alliance image)

As locals know, Denver’s landmark Union Station, once a busy Union Pacific Railroad depot and more recently a barely used Amtrak stop, is being renovated into part of an inter-modal transportation hub, with the neo-classical station itself slated to become a luxury hotel, shopping center and restaurant row. Happily, the Union Station Alliance, which is directing massive makeover, has so far selected local restaurateurs.

Highly regarded Denver and Boulder restaurateurs have committed to take space in the grandiose old station in LoDo: John and Adam Schlagel of Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, the wildly popular Front Range breakfast and brunch place; Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk of Boulder-based The Kitchen [Next Door], which at this location won’t literally be next door to any other Kitchen but a few blocks from The Kitchen [Denver] at 16th and Wazee, and a yet unnamed restaurant from Fruition’s Alex Seidel. They all promise outdoor dining.

What I view as an unfortunate casualty of this wonderful renovation is the demise of Red Star Deli and Studio F in the Ice House, directly beside the disruptive renovation project. Even with the talented James Mazzio at the helm, this daring combination of excellent deli in the front and food-oriented event space (the former Mise en Place Cooking School). Couldn’t prevail . Mazzio is now back in the Aspen area, last I heard as executive chef at The Edge Restaurant & Bar in Snowmass.

Udi’s at the Airport

Leave a reply

Cross-posted to TravelBabel.

Denver International Airport’s food scene improves with addition of Udi’s

Udi’s Café & Bar is the newest food-service outlet at Denver International Airport’s busy Concourse B. It is Denver-based Udi’s ninth café location, and the only Udi’s at DIA,which is committed to improving eating options.The deal was struck with Mission Yogurt, Inc. (aka, Mission Restaurant Group), which appears to be the main (only?) food service concessionaire at DIA. As far as I can tell, it develops and operates terminal locations for various restaurant brands. I don’t understand the intricacies of the arrangement, and I don’t really care. What counts is more quality cuisine at the airport that I use whenever I travel.

And Udi’s is all about quality with a commitment to providing people with simple, healthy cuisine. Udi’s Café & Bar utilizes fresh, natural ingredients in its made-to-order salads, paninis, burgers and sandwiches. Like all Udi’s locations, only fresh artisan breads, baked daily in Colorado, are served, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available as well. So are fresh fruit, yogurt and desserts. For those in a hurry, a wide array of freshly made “grab-and-go” items such as gluten-free couscous, fruit cups, salads and sandwiches are available too.

The full-service bar at Udi’s Café & Bar features beers on tap and by the bottle, many local of them or gluten-free, plus signature cocktails and 10 varieties of absinthe from around the world. The initial media information didn’t mention wines, but I am confident that they will be served too.

Rod Tafoya and Udi Bar-On cutting the ribbon to open Udi’s on Concourse B at Denver International Airport.

Mission Yogurt, Inc.’s DIA operations started with the Sara Lee Sandwich Shop/Colombo Yogurt, followed by Que Bueno! Mexican Grille, developed by the company’s president Rod Tafoya. Then came the busiest Einstein Bros Bagels franchise location in the nation, and Timberline Steaks & Grille, DIA’s highest grossing restaurant measured by sales In June, Mission Yogurt is opening an outlier of Root Down, one of Denver’s most innovative and distinctive restaurants.

These new restaurant brands are a departure for Mission, whose website also includes such run-of-the-mill airport brands as Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut — the kinds of places that cause many of us to bring food to the airport of go hungry. I am optimistic that the founders of the distinctive restaurant that are somehow being licensed for DIA will keep a large measure of menu development and control — and that Mission is OK with that.

Note: A spokeswoman clarified, “Mission is one of the biggest concessionaires at DIA (I saw in your post you weren’t sure). The menus will remain true to the brands!” I’m very glad to learn than.

Taste Buds Bloom at Botanic Gardens

Leave a reply

Locals and lucky visitors know the Denver Botanic Gardens for their year-round horticultural displays outdoors and in the soaring conservatory, gardening classes, concerts, plant sales and Blossoms of Light every December. But the monthly cooking classes for adults (except in summer) and weekly classes for children (Fridays during the summer) are less well known.

Even less known than these culinary classes are the Gather dinners, pop-up feasts offered roughly quarterly with guests chefs from leading local restaurants presenting creative dinners for a maximum of 75 guests. Previous chefs were Alex Seidel of Fruition, Elise Wiggins of Panzano and Hosea Rosenberg, Blackbelly Catering and “Top Chef” Season 5 winner.

Yesterday evening was my first opportunity to experience a Gather dinner — and what an experience it was. Two long tables were set up in the narrow Orangerie with a garden view and indoor fruit trees in one direction and a view of the opulent conservatory plants in the other.

Chef Daniel Asher desscribing both his culinary philosophy and the next dish to Gather diners.

Chef Daniel Asher describing both his culinary philosophy and the next dish to Gather diners. Photo courtesy Denver Botanic Gardens.

Last evening’s guest chef was Daniel Asher from Root Down and Linger, two restaurants that have been on my Denver Dining bucket list since they opened. Asher created what he called a plant-centric four-course menu, more nuanced and elaborate that he could do in a restaurant dinner menu.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The evening began with gorgeous ruby red cocktails mixed by Mike Henderson, who according to his two-sided business card is both Root Down’s “cocktail service tech” (which is yet another extension of “mixologist” and “bartender” before that) and also Linger’s “spiritual advisor” (which seems just plain whimsical).

Mike Henserson, mixing two drinks at a time.

Mike Henderson, mixing two drinks at a time.

P1020628

Then it was time to dine. Chef Asher is a gifted culinarian and committed advocate of fresh and local products. He not only conceived of a brilliant menu full of veggie wonderfulness, but presented each dish artistically — and named each one cleverly. My friend friend and fellow foodie, Toni Dash, who has serious gluten issues, was able to clean the plate at each course, and even though the macadamia-sesame crust on the dessert was reportedly gluten-free, she avoided it — in case. Continue reading →

Asher to Cook at Botanic Gardens’ Next “Gather”

1 Reply

Root Down and Linger chef at the quarterly event

Word is that Daniel Asher, whose cuisine I have yet to try at either of his Denver restaurants, Root Down and Linger, will be cooking for the Denver Botanic Gardens’ next Gather event on April 30. The fact that I’ve never eaten at either of restaurants where Asher captains the kitchen has nothing to do with desire but a lot to do with the challenge in getting reservations at a desired time. This pop-up dinner is presented by the Denver Botanic Gardens, in partnership with Catering by Design.

Asher, like the Gather chefs before him (Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg, Fruition’s Alex Seidel and Panzano’s Elise Wiggins), is developing a special menu for the event. Each Gather event is limited to 75 attendees, served at a long family-style table in Denver Botanic Garden’s Orangery, features four courses of seasonally inspired cuisine. I’m thrilled to have been invited next week, and I promise to report back. Gather is always BYOB, and I’ll have to drink judiciously since my husband, who is usually a good sport about driving home after a dinner out, declined the opportunity to attend. Call 720-865-3585 to check on last-minute ticket availablity for the event.

The Taco House Simplicity & Economy

2 Replies

The Taco House is a Colorado classic

My husband, who moved to Colorado in the ’70s, recalls several Taco Houses scattered around the Denver metro area. Now there are two (South Federal in Denver and Wadsworth in Lakewood). Founded 55 years ago by one Gerald H. Bevelhymer, a name one would not associate with the creation of a Mexican restaurant, the remaining two are still family-owned and family-friendly. My husband and I stopped at the Lakewood location on Sunday, so I finally got to try the simple, tasty and inexpensive dishes, and I also give The Taco House lots of credit for serving on crockery, not styrofoam or paper that ends up in the landfill.

The Taco House in Lakewood is simple outside and in. Was it originally a chain restaurant?

A basket of crisp chips and a spicy salsa start the meal.

Part one of the popular No. 4 dinner are three “chips” — actually open tortillas (one bean, one chili con queso and one guacamole.

Part two of the No. 4 combo is a trio of three cheese enchiladas in a fine sauce with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

The huge all-masa tamale, served without the corn husks, comes smothered in chile (spicy green here, with hefty pork chunks)

The Lakewood location is right next to the new rail station on the W-Line slated to start carrying passengers on April 26, and unless someone succeeds in buying the property and adjacent “under-utilized” parcels, as real estate developers put it, the quality and price should draw more and more customers to The Taco House for eat-in or take-out.

The lines will be the longest on Tuesday and the 20th day of every month (I’m sure there’s a reason), with all-you-can-eat food for just $8.95 per person. There are only limitations on guacamole.

Price check: Enchilada, burrada, burrito, taco, tortilla, tostada and tamale items and salads, $1.09-$5.55; combination dinners (with refried beans, rice and flour tortilla), $3.54-$6.99.

Food Truck Season Kicks Off This Evening

2 Replies

Longmont & Boulder join Denver in hosting regular food truck gatherings

There are years when the first farmers’ market weekend is a snowy one, and so it seems that the Front Range’s food truck season will also be. Longmont’s Prospect Eats is scheduled to launch this evening and continue through fall every Monday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Prospect Downtown Park along US 287 just south of Pike Road. In addition to the food, there’s live music. It claims to be Boulder County’ largest food truck gathering.

In Boulder, in addition to the trucks that create a the food court at the big Boulder County Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings (and the smaller one on Wednesday evenings), the Food Truck Party in Gunbarrel gets going in May and runs first and third Wednesdays of each month through mid-October at Gunbarrel Commons, a private park bordered by Indigo Court, White Rock Circle and Wellington Road in the northeast art of the city. My foodie pal Laura Bloom is behind it, so head over when it starts. The City of Boulder, meanwhile, is still dotting I’s and crossing Ts on its food truck policies and schedules for select public parks.

The big kahuna of Front Range food trucks is Denver’s Civic Center Eats‘ outdoor cafe. It doesn’t get going until June 7, when it is pretty sure not to snow or be cold. Unlike the Boulder County evening food truck gatherings, this one is geared from the Denver lunch crowd, operating Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through September 29 (except September 6 and 9 when entertainment producers and vendors are setting up and taking for A Taste of Colorado.

Of course, food trucks all have their regular year-round stops in office parks and other private parcels, as well is in selected “restaurant desert” locations. Want to know which truck is where and when? Two sites that can help are Denver Street Food and Denver Food Trucks.

I received two messages this morning from people who seem to prefer not to post comments about their own enterprises:

First from Laura Bloom (Food Truck Party): “Although it’s a private park, it is open to the public, but we don’t promote it as it’s goal is to be the opposite of Prospect – more small and Mayberry. And, I saw several trucks at Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont Saturday – I know they are gathering there too. Not sure how regular though.”

Then from Eric Lazzari (Civic Center Conservancy):

“We are the group behind Civic Center EATS…I was reading your blog this morning (love following it regularly). It looks like you have some outdated info for Civic Center EATS (from an outdated webpage on our website). Anyway…here is the updated link for this year’s version of EATS.We start June 4 and take off July 4, August 29 and September 3. Thanks again for the shout out and please let me know if you need any additional info.”

Cold Crush Coming to Five Points

Leave a reply

Art- and music-oriented restaurant, bar and lounge from California restaurateur

Brian Mathenge, co-owner of Killer Shrimp Restaurant and Bar in Marina Del Rey, California, is Californicating Denver, culinarily and musically speaking, when Cold Crush opens in Five Points/Ballpark Neighborhood a couple of weeks from now. The name has nothing to do with wine-making but was inspired by the Bronx-born late-’70s hip hop group, Cold Crush Brothers. Mathenge has been coming to Denver for years to visit family and became a fan of Denver’s art community. He now splits his time between Colorado and southern California. He foresees Cold Crush as a haven for artists, poets, musicians and their fans to meet, mingle and eat great food.

One of the art-focused gimmicks is that a huge mural on the side of Cold Crush’s building will be changed on a regular basis by local artists reflecting Mathenge’s support for the community. Cold Crush plans to feature local music with a club-worthy sound system, full-time DJ, and regular guest musicians and DJs. Cold Crush plans to help promote everyone from spoken-word poets to local to national music acts looking for a small, intimate venue in the Denver area. Cold Crush will be serving such healthful and homemade food as fresh sandwiches, panini, soups, salads and entrées “from lunch until late” and is installing full juice bar. Sounds to me like a nutritionally correct gastropub.

Cold Crush Restaurant, Bar and Lounge is being installed at 2700 Larimer Street in Denver. The website is still bare. The phone number (307-256-5089) is a Wyoming area code. The Facebook page is gaining some traction (persumably from locals far more tuned in to the local music scene than I. Urbanspoon doesn’t list it yet, and the only images I found were a couple of exteriors in Lori Midson’s report in Westword‘s “Cafe Society” blog.

Note: The previously announced April 19 opening has been delayed. No new date has been announced.

Culinary Colorado

Claire Walter's Colorado-oriented but not Colorado-exclusive blog about restaurants, food and wine events, recipes and related news.

Category Archives: Denver

Union Station Restaurants Announced

Udi’s at the Airport

Taste Buds Bloom at Botanic Gardens

Asher to Cook at Botanic Gardens’ Next “Gather”

The Taco House Simplicity & Economy

Food Truck Season Kicks Off This Evening

Cold Crush Coming to Five Points