The world of Asian cuisine in metro Denver has become deeper, larger and more complex over the past few years as chefs and restaurants have begun focusing on regional cooking styles, elevated fare and fusion dishes that combine multiple kitchen traditions. Local diners, national food media and restaurant critics have taken notice, which has resulted in quite a bit of recognition recently. Want to get a taste? The second annual Mile High Asian Food Week runs from April 28 to May 4, offering specials, events, secret menu items and other perks from more than 100 businesses. The event is a celebra ..read more

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But with the Craft Brewers Conference underway there, the results of the event’s hallmark competition, the World Beer Cup, were bound to get out. On Wednesday night, beermakers from around the globe celebrated their accolades in what’s billed as the industry’s largest and most prestigious competition. This year, World Beer Cup judges evaluated 9,300 beers from 2,060 breweries. Participation was down substantially from 10,213 beers from 2,376 breweries in 2023, possibly due to the fact the competition now happens annually instead of every other yea ..read more

State regulators say that a local Indian restaurant with one location used “half-truths and lies” to sell investors on its grandiose plans for a nationwide expansion before spending the $380,000 that shareholders invested on rent, operating costs and Ponzi-like payments. Through a pair of lawsuits it filed April 16, the Colorado Division of Securities is seeking to recover lost investor cash from The Bombay Group and securities broker Michael Bissonnette. Both defendants declined offers to discuss the allegations with BusinessDen. Bombay Clay Oven opened in Highlands Ranch in the early 1990s b ..read more

Growing up in Chihuahua, Mexico, chef Dana Rodriguez was used to seeing rows of restaurants serving similar menus all next door to each other. But the idea of a non-compete clause preventing someone from leaving one restaurant and taking a job at another one nearby doesn’t really exist, said Rodriguez, who owns Work & Class, Cantina Loca and Super Mega Bien. “Non-competes aren’t a part of our Mexican culture, and they’re not something everyone understands. Part of it can be ignorance, but we don’t have those laws in Mexico. Our culture isn’t based on that.” Last month, the restaurant compa ..read more

By Genevieve Ko, The New York Times My cousins and I used to dare one another to touch the shrimp, their 10 legs dancing, their antennae waving. At the Chinese seafood restaurants near us in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, the servers would bring our orders, still alive, to the table for approval before taking them into the kitchen. In Cantonese cuisine, feisty fish and crustaceans are prized for their delicate freshness. The best shrimp would be gently boiled whole and served with a soy dipping sauce laced with hot chiles. Their heads had a sweet sea-saltiness, and their bodies ..read more

By Christina Morales, The New York Times During Passover, Jews move culinary mountains with matzo: cheesy lasagna with layers of the unleavened bread instead of noodles; peanut and caramel brittle; homemade pasta; and even pizza. It’s one of 10-year-old Hudson Greenstein’s favorite foods. During Passover two years ago, he was craving pizza when he and his father stopped by one of his favorite neighborhood restaurants, Nick’s Pizza & Ice Cream in Armonk, New York, to pick up a salad for his mother. That’s where he got the idea to sell matzo pizza. Last year, he organized a pop-up, Yalla Mat ..read more

In 1999, the U.S. women’s soccer team captivated sports fans across the globe when it won the World Cup and became the first team in the female league to do so on home soil. The championship title was a pivotal moment for women’s sports that inspired a generation of young girls, among them Miranda Spencer and Annie Weaver. “I remember the 1999 World Cup and the Fab Five and the rest of that group, the ’99ers,” said Weaver, who was 5 years old then. “That was the first time it was broadcast live and people were seeing women being extremely successful in a professional sport. Seeing them win, se ..read more

Colorado is known for producing some of the best beer in the world, but cocktail fans here also have access to bars where mixology keeps step with some of the nation’s best. Need proof? The 18th annual Spirited Awards, part of the esteemed Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, recently announced its roster of 2024 regional honorees, which included three Denver bars. The annual competition is self-described as “honoring excellence in the drinks industry, showcasing the best of the global cocktail community.” The divey Yacht Club (3701 N. Williams St.) earned recognition in two catego ..read more

Denver recently beat out New York, Chicago and Detroit to take the top spot on a controversial list of the best pizza cities in the country. How did it happen? A data team from a company called Clever Real Estate tallied up Yelp ratings and the average price for a large cheese pizza, along with the number of pizza restaurants in 50 cities nationwide to create the list. Plenty of people were thoroughly bewildered — and certainly angry — since Denver doesn’t even have a signature pizza style, let alone a storied pizza tradition. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some solid, even exceptiona ..read more

BrewDog, the Scottish-born beer maker that was founded based on a brash attitude and big beers, has teamed up with a family-owned holding company on a new location in Denver. It’s the first time BrewDog has licensed its name and beers to a franchisee in the United States. BrewDog Denver, 3950 Wynkoop St., opens at noon Friday, April 19, in a 10,000-square-foot space with two patios, a 3.5-barrel brewing system, games and a full menu featuring burgers, giant pub pretzels, salads and wings. But there will also be a number of Mexican specialties unique to Denver based on the heritage of the franc ..read more