Food & Drink, Colorado Springs Independent

Yakitori Grill, Culpepper's, Il Vicino

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Matthew Schniper and Bryce Crawford Culpepper's Cajun Kitchen 6502 S. Academy Blvd., 282-8479, culpeppers.net…

Fresh Bunz are coming, and Paravicini's turns 10

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Better buns Michael Sturdevant — the charismatic Brit who was once the chief baker on the RMS Queen Mary and the QE2; ran restaurants in California and New Mexico and a Breadheads locally; bought Woodland Park's The Donut Mill five years ago; and who runs the Colorado Bread Company wholesale outfit in south downtown — plans to have Bunz Bakery and Burger Bar open by early June in the former Diggy's Diner and Rosie's Diner space at 11550 Ridgeline Drive (481-0555).…

Southern Hospitality starts its national march in Denver, built on smoke and celebs

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Matthew Schniper Surprisingly, it's possible to visit Southern Hospitality without hearing the names Justin Timberlake or Ryan Tedder. For that matter, while gnawing bones off Denver's 17th Street, you might never come to find out about the two original New York City locations that inspired this first of a separate 30-store franchise to open in late February.…

Know thine onions in this growing season

Ari LeVaux — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Ari LeVaux Onions can be tricky to grow well from seed, which is why a farmer's onions have long been considered a litmus test for agricultural skill. Hence the expression I recently heard an old-timer use: "He knows his onions."…

La Carreta, Yoo Mae, Thai Lily Cuisine and Yakitori 8

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Bryce Crawford and Matthew Schniper La Carreta 35 N. Iowa Ave., 477-1157…

Expansion times three, plus one opening

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Movin' and shakin' • Coquette's Bistro & Bakery (915 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, coquettesbistroandbakery.com) dropped two big news crumbs last week: a new bakery/production facility could be in action by May's end at 2130 Spectra Drive, off 21st Street; and it's earned product placement inside Colorado Springs Whole Foods Market locations.…

Lofty Brewing arrives, 2South's new menu and P.B. & Jellies and Xpresso Yourself merge

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Low-risk Lofty Not to be confused with Lofty's, south downtown's cool coffee café, Lofty Brewing Company (2935 N. Prospect St., #108, loftybrewingcompany.com) aims to be open by early June and to deliver beers to palms by early July.…

La Carreta sister Juan Pablo's etches its own appeal

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Matthew Schniper Not that it can't stand on its own merits, but it seems best to introduce Juan Pablo's Mexican Restaurant by explaining its familial link to other local businesses. Owner Juan Pablo Sandoval's sister Rosy operates 15-year-old La Carreta nearby, while his mother Nico's sister is Rita Real of Wraps by Rita.…

Tokyo Joe's, Dank IPA, Bird Dog BBQ

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Bryce Crawford and Matthew Schniper Tokyo Joe's 7495 N. Academy Blvd., 418-2279, tokyojoes.com…

Wraps by Rita, Dion's Pizza and Radiantly Raw

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Bryce Crawford and Matthew Schniper Wraps By Rita's 2521 W. Colorado Ave., #101, 667-7268…

Nourish nourishes community and Curbside finally launches

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Nourish community As we recently reported, Nourish Organic Juice (nourishorganicjuice.com) finally procured its own storefront at 303 E. Pikes Peak Ave., where patrons can obtain vibrant fruit-and-veggie-blood direct from the juicer or as part of a new half-gallon or gallon-jug exchange program.…

Southern smoke at Mexi-Blues BBQ

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

The Texan zeitgeist reaches Rockrimmon by Bryce Crawford Though the argument over best style is never over, it's clear that Texas barbecue is ascendant. Check out Bon Appétit's 2011 declaration that Austin's Franklin BBQ is "the best BBQ restaurant in the country."…

Carlos' may be out of reach for many, but exclusivity certainly has its highlights

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Matthew Schniper It's true: Carlos Echeandia really does walk into the parking lot to greet customers at Carlos' Bistro, somehow finding the time between bartending, serving and playing host extraordinaire to mind the front window. I'd heard of the gesture, but never actually experienced how special it makes you feel until my first visit to the 81/2-year-old, premier fine-dining spot last week.…

Billy's Old World Pizza, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Bean Bandit

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Bryce Crawford and Matthew Schniper Billy's Old World Pizza 308 S. Eighth St., Suite E, 630-3400…

Seeds Community Cafe on the way — and Juggs, too

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Community cafe coming By now you've likely heard of the community cafe concept.…

Big new Broadmoor attractions, more beer at Front Range

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Play time The sawdust has cleared after the latest round of renovations at the Broadmoor (1 Lake Ave., broadmoor.com), not to return until next spring's overhaul of Charles Court into a new Italian concept.…

Hacienda Colorado's many fine attributes display why it's grown into a giant

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Bryce Crawford With its bombastic size, clinical efficiency and dressed-up takes on Southwestern Mexican cuisine — or "Mountain Mex," as the Colorado chain calls it — the fifth Hacienda Colorado is damn near a theme-park experience. Call it Disneyland for On the Border lovers.…

The Perk Downtown, Top that! Pizza, Crabtree Brewing Co.

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Matthew Schniper and Bryce Crawford The Perk Downtown 14 S. Tejon St., 635-1600…

Cafe 36, The House Chef Shoppe Sugarplum, The Chocoholic

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Matthew Schniper and Bryce Crawford Café 36 at the FAC 30 W. Dale St., 477-4377, csfineartscenter.org/cafe36.asp…

Red Leg Brewing on the way, CCM expands, Swirl converts

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Crimson craft (brew) You could call them "gun bunnies," but "red legs" apparently is a more historically accurate nickname for Army artillerymen — drawn from the smoky battlefields of the Civil War, where crimson pant stripes aided in being seen.…

A 'new' Saigon reopens on the east side

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0600

West-side staple is reborn and relished across town by Matthew Schniper I am buried in seafood lightly lacquered in brown sauce and heaped high upon thin, crispy, chow mein-like wheat noodles. Dramatic shapes and angles collide at random: ribbed, mandoline-cut carrots; bushy, halved broccoli florets; round-edge button mushrooms; thick scallop wheels; tubular squid strips curled and scored with a crosshatch pattern; green-lipped mussel shells protruding with their soft cargo like miniature versions of docked, open-domed alien spacecraft.…

Casey's Dog House does a little, right

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Appetite by Bryce Crawford In my head, the perfect local, fast-casual restaurant offers three or four entrées and spends the rest of its time testing, fixing and bettering the ingredients in each dish. It obsesses over the little stuff until that hot thing in your hand changes your day with a taste.…

Rampant IPA, Orchard Ovens Bakery, Firehouse Subs

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Dine & Dash by Bryce Crawford and Matthew Schniper Firehouse Subs 7543 N. Academy Blvd., 598-1166, firehousesubs.com…

Gotta Love It! Market, Blue Moose Tavern

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Side Dish by Matthew Schniper Expanded vision Gotta Love It!…

Side Dish: Nourish and Orchard Ovens move downtown, Blue Star closes for lunch and more

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0600

by Matthew Schniper On the move • Nourish Organic Juice (nourishorganicjuice.com), the partly mobile business that distributes its products to a handful of local natural-foods markets and eateries, will finally establish its own home retail base sometime in early April at 303 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Co-owner Evelyn Steel says that in addition to the existing menu of smoothies and juices, the expanded space, somewhat of a "mini café with comfy seating," will allow for grab-and-go salads "and other healthy snacks" from a small retail market of local products.…