RiNo (River North Art District)
The Populist Awarded Two Stars by the Denver Post; Westword Reviews Cafe Byblos
The Populist, the new hipster restaurant in the RiNo neighborhood, received two out of four stars from the Denver Post in this week's review. The newspaper's critic, William Porter, found the cozy room and engaging staff to be a promising beginning to the dining experience, a positive start that continued as Porter sampled the Populist's variation on an Old Fashioned cocktail. Porter found the chicken liver mousse to be tasty but ill-paired with the chocolate that accompanies this small plate. The bacon jam with a poached egg seemed to be a clever dish while the carrots three ways disappointed with the pureed variation highlighting strong bitter notes.
Porter had mixed reviews on some of the main courses but he seemed to hands-down like the beef cheek and was perplexed by the idea of deconstruction a Cuban sandwich, something the Populist does in its Broken Duck dish. The off-putting $10 "round for the kitchen" item prompted the critic invite the kitchen staff at the Populist to reciprocate with foot rub, if they like his review, of course.
Wine Buzz
Infinite Monkey Theorem, the RiNo-based urban winery, got the spotlight on the Wall Street Journal blog for its 100th Monkey wine. The article gives a bit of background on the winery and its philosophy and also discusses this particular blend, a mix of petit verdot, petit syrah, malbec and cabernet franc. 100th Monkey recently received an 89-point rating from Wine Spectator – the highest score ever given to a Colorado wine.
Who Is Denver's Hottest Chef: Poll #2
It is still cold out, but man the voting buttons and the hot chefs make it warmer at Eater. Today is officially declared Hot Chef Day and, beginning right NOW, Denver will have its second annual turn at voting for the hottest man or woman behind a stove.
Unlike last year, when voting was spread over the course of a week, this year's competition will take place over one, voting-packed day. 26 reader-nominated chefs will battle it out for the coveted title through five polls that will be unveiled every 45 minutes until noon. All five polls will be open until 2:45 p.m. Starting at 3 p.m. the winners of all the morning polls will face off in a final round. This final round poll will close at 6 p.m., and its winner will be crowned the Hottest Chef in the Mile High City.
There is national glory at stake too. The Denver winner will then battle it out with the hot chefs from all of the other Eater cities for the title of Hottest Chef in America. Make your votes count.
Hot Chefs Preview: What to Expect On Valentine's Day
It is almost here: on Valentine's Day, Hot Chefs Day, Eater's annual hottest chef competition will go live and you will be asked to vote for your favorite.
Nominations were received and 26 chefs were selected for you to vote for. While the complete list will be revealed in the polls starting tomorrow at 9 a.m., the photo above gives you a sneak peek into the line-up. Every forty-five minutes a new poll of five (and one of six) chefs will go live. The winners of each initial poll will face off in a final round beginning at 3 p.m. At the end of this one-day battle royale, at 6 p.m., the 2013 Mile High City champion will be crowned.
· 2012 Hot Chef Competition: All Coverage [EDen]
Updating The Eater Heatmap, February 2013
It may be cold outside but Denver's dining and bar scene keeps getting hotter. New restaurants and bars that attract the crowds and make diners wait in line and get excited for great experiences open at a fast pace around the metro area. Often Eater gets this question: Where should I go for a drink right now? Where should I dine this week? What's new, what's hot, where do the crowds flock to? That is what the February Heat Map is about - this dining and drinking moment in time.
IN: Corner House, Slotted Spoon
OUT: Tom's Urban 24, the Kitchen Denver
Have any suggestions? Any vital omissions? Leave 'em in the comments or send 'em down the tipline.
Troy Guard to Open a Taqueria and a Dessert Restaurant in the RiNo Neighborhood
Rumblings of new ventures from Troy Guard, the chef and owner at TAG and TAG Raw Bar and the operating partner at TAG Burger Bar, have been getting louder and louder since late last year. This morning, 5280's Table Talk confirmed that Guard will open a taqueria and a bakery right at Broadway and Larimer at the edge of the RiNo neighborhood.
The location is right behind Billy's Hot Dogs, in a spot that is now a parking pot, Guard confirmed in a phone conversation. He is currently working on design with Xan Creative, a company that also created the space at ACE, Snooze, and Marco's Coal Fired Pizza.