July was a tumultuous month for the Denver dining scene, but it was particularly tough for Point Easy, a new eatery that opened at 2000 East 28th Avenue on June 29. Less than a month later, on July 22, co-owner Denn Phelps passed away. A few days before, we’d had the chance to dine at Point Easy and found the service, drinks and food all impressive — particularly the agnolotti stuffed with porcini and morels. With a focus on using seasonal ingredients, the menu here will change often, but even if morels are gone, you can’t go wrong at this welcome addition to the Whittier neighborhood, where Phelps’s legacy lives on.
In February, we reminded you to explore the menu at our pick for this year’s Best Vietnamese Restaurant, Savory Vietnam, at 2200 West Alameda Avenue. And last month, we did just that, trying an order of the canh ga chien nuoc mam, deep-fried chicken wings in a spicy fish sauce. The verdict: another winner — and a new contender for this year’s list of the ten best wings in Denver.
Street Feud opened late last year at 5410 East Colfax Avenue (in the longtime home of Solera and, more recently, Hank’s Texas Barbecue) and nabbed our Best of Denver 2022 pick for Best French Fries shortly thereafter. Lately, chef/owner Merlin Verrier has been having some fun with new menu items, like Doritos-crusted fried Oaxaca cheese sticks, and our favorite, his take on a Taco Bell classic with a cult following. The Mexican Pizza Supreme is made with pork chorizo, pico de gallo, cheese, hot sauce and crema stacked on flour and corn tortillas. Pair it with a cucumber lime marg on the patio, because Street Feud also recently got its liquor license.
It was way too hot to cook most nights in July, but takeout from Khan Toke made meals easy to handle. This ghost kitchen from owner Jonathan Konsila operates out of the ChefReady facility at 1468 South Cherokee Street; he runs it alongside his wife and brother as well as his parents, who are from Thailand. “It’s how we cook in Thailand,” he told Westword. Available through all the major delivery apps, Khan Toke offers a number of options not often seen on menus around town, as well as some familiar favorites. The pad Thai is excellent, but the moo nam tok, a grilled pork salad with roasted rice, mint, shallots, green onions and Thai chile powder, left us ready to eat our way through the rest of the menu. Pro tip: Get the mango sticky rice, too.
After reminiscing about a memorable March visit to old-school classic Columbine Steak House at 300 Federal Boulevard, a craving for steak hit hard, and Columbine came through as always. You can order at the counter in front or opt to sit in the bar area and get table service, which is what we did. Cheap cocktails and a $19 sirloin, cooked to order and served with salad, Texas toast and a baked potato swimming in melted butter and sour cream, makes for a meal that’s hard to beat. Though the prices have gone up a bit in recent years (and Columbine is now closed on Sundays), this is still one of the best deals in town.
Monday mornings are tough, but this series isn’t. Social Sightings is your quick look at interesting food tidbits that we’ve spotted recently. It goes down as easy as your first cup of coffee, and should whet your appetite for the week ahead.
July was a tumultuous month for the Denver dining scene, but it was particularly tough for Point Easy, a new eatery that opened at 2000 East 28th Avenue on June 29. Less than a month later, on July 22, co-owner Denn Phelps passed away. A few days before, we’d had the chance to dine at Point Easy and found the service, drinks and food all impressive — particularly the agnolotti stuffed with porcini and morels. With a focus on using seasonal ingredients, the menu here will change often, but even if morels are gone, you can’t go wrong at this welcome addition to the Whittier neighborhood, where Phelps’s legacy lives on.
In February, we reminded you to explore the menu at our pick for this year’s Best Vietnamese Restaurant, Savory Vietnam, at 2200 West Alameda Avenue. And last month, we did just that, trying an order of the canh ga chien nuoc mam, deep-fried chicken wings in a spicy fish sauce. The verdict: another winner — and a new contender for this year’s list of the ten best wings in Denver.
Street Feud opened late last year at 5410 East Colfax Avenue (in the longtime home of Solera and, more recently, Hank’s Texas Barbecue) and nabbed our Best of Denver 2022 pick for Best French Fries shortly thereafter. Lately, chef/owner Merlin Verrier has been having some fun with new menu items, like Doritos-crusted fried Oaxaca cheese sticks, and our favorite, his take on a Taco Bell classic with a cult following. The Mexican Pizza Supreme is made with pork chorizo, pico de gallo, cheese, hot sauce and crema stacked on flour and corn tortillas. Pair it with a cucumber lime marg on the patio, because Street Feud also recently got its liquor license.
It was way too hot to cook most nights in July, but takeout from Khan Toke made meals easy to handle. This ghost kitchen from owner Jonathan Konsila operates out of the ChefReady facility at 1468 South Cherokee Street; he runs it alongside his wife and brother as well as his parents, who are from Thailand. “It’s how we cook in Thailand,” he told Westword. Available through all the major delivery apps, Khan Toke offers a number of options not often seen on menus around town, as well as some familiar favorites. The pad Thai is excellent, but the moo nam tok, a grilled pork salad with roasted rice, mint, shallots, green onions and Thai chile powder, left us ready to eat our way through the rest of the menu. Pro tip: Get the mango sticky rice, too.
After reminiscing about a memorable March visit to old-school classic Columbine Steak House at 300 Federal Boulevard, a craving for steak hit hard, and Columbine came through as always. You can order at the counter in front or opt to sit in the bar area and get table service, which is what we did. Cheap cocktails and a $19 sirloin, cooked to order and served with salad, Texas toast and a baked potato swimming in melted butter and sour cream, makes for a meal that’s hard to beat. Though the prices have gone up a bit in recent years (and Columbine is now closed on Sundays), this is still one of the best deals in town.
In April, we wrote about Denver being in the midst of a French food revolution. More evidence came on August 5, when Noisette opened in LoHi. A few days prior, we got a sneak peek at the French dinner spot (and soon to be daytime bakery, as well). The duck was as dreamy as the decor, but we’ve spent every day since craving another Tarte Tropezienne, a buttery brioche bun topped with Pearl sugar and filled with vanilla cream. Bon appétit, indeed!
