Articles by Ethan Pan
The 5 Best U-Pick Farms for Fruits and Vegetables on the Front Range
Summer in Colorado is prime for backyard barbecues, hiking fourteeners, and feasting on fresh fruits and veggies. And while the many Denver-area farmers’ markets are a great place to stock up on locally grown goodies, nothing beats gathering produce straight from the vine (or tree, or bush). Slather on your sunscreen, wear your sturdiest shoes, and enjoy the fruits of your labor at these Colorado U-pick farms. Mother Nature can be fickle, so the picking dates below are estimates.
The Best Farmers’ Markets in Metro Denver and Beyond
This summer could be a tough one for Colorado as the statewide drought continues. But rest assured that growers are doing their best to get high-quality fruits and vegetables to farmers’ markets along the Front Range for your cooking needs. Denverites know, though, that local outdoor markets are also a great place for pantry items, prepared foods, meats, dairy, eggs, and crafts—especially in the early growing season.
This Easy Salad Dressing 'Works Like Magic' on Just About Everything Original
Order a side salad at your everyday Japanese restaurant, and you’re in for a delightful game of culinary roulette. To be clear, no one’s betting on vegetables. Who cares whether it’s spring mix or iceberg, shredded carrots or grape tomatoes? What the vegetables are tossed in, that’s the real gamble. And so often, a sunny, ginger-zinged carrot dressing appears at my table. I have no qualms with that. But if you’re like me, you’ve got your fingers crossed for something creamier, something toastier.
The 5-Ingredient Lunar New Year Dessert My Mom Made All Year Long Original
At first glance, you might not expect which dessert takes center stage on a Lunar New Year table in China. Not the pillow-soft tang yuan filled with black sesame paste, nor the perfectly crisp sesame balls, or even ba bao fan—the “eight treasure rice” adorned with a mosaic of dried fruits and nuts. Surprisingly, the sweet that rises above them all is far more modest in appearance.
15 of the Best Places to Order Mocktails and Low-ABV Drinks in Denver
When Alex Jump started bartending 13 years ago, a customer asking for a nonalcoholic (NA) option usually sent her scrambling to dust off an expired bottle of O’Doul’s. In fact, she didn’t work for an establishment with NA drinks on the menu until she was hired to open the Denver location of illustrious NYC cocktail bar Death & Co in 2018.
Sleep Duration, Quality, and Factors Affecting Sleep Health Among Young People in the California Bay Area: A Cross-Sectional Study
Specialty Please choose I'm not a medical professional. Allergy and Immunology Anatomy Anesthesiology Biostatistics Cardiac/Thoracic/Vascular Surgery Cardiology Critical Care Dentistry Dermatology Diabetes and Endocrinology Emergency Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Family Medicine Forensic Medicine Gastroenterology General Practice Genetics Geriatrics Health Policy Hematology HIV/AIDS Hospital-based Medicine I'm not a medical professional.
My Chinese Family Never Loved Thanksgiving Food-Until This Creamed Corn Recipe Came Along Original
My family didn’t put up a fight when I—an earnest 12-year-old—declared I’d be taking over Thanksgiving dinner in 2013. The holiday stirs up little passion in my parents, who were born in China and didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving with conventional fare until having me and my sister, years after immigrating to the United States.
Exploring the Old and New Culinary Scene in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, once the first capital of the United States, is now one of its top tourist destinations, and the food here is a major reason why. Shrewd foodies will already know that Philly isn’t just a place for whiz-covered cheese steaks, old-school red sauce joints, and soft pretzels salted to hell. The fine dining scene here has exploded in recent years, as demonstrated by the city’s three James Beard Award wins in 2023.
Everything You Need to Know About Grocery Shopping in Chinatown
Guides Everything You Need to Know About Grocery Shopping in Chinatown Stocking up for Lunar New Year? Here's where to go for the freshest fish, hard-to-find fruits and vegetables, and every Asian snack you can think of. Devoted foodies and restaurant newbies love Foobooz. Sign up now for our twice weekly newsletter.
Paborito’s Ghost Kitchen Serves Some of Denver’s Best Filipino Food
The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today! Before they opened Paborito seven months ago, Jayson Leaño and Geraldine Gan weren’t confident their ghost kitchen would succeed in Denver. “We were very anxious at first,” Leaño says, after watching a series of Filipino eateries on the Front Range close over the past few years—most recently, Aurora’s Manila Bay, which shuttered in early 2024.
Denver’s Best Restaurant Openings and Saddest Closings in 2024
The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today! A steady pace of new restaurants is the true signal of a healthy dining scene. It means that there’s creativity within the community that’s translating to realized businesses that feed into shifting consumer desires. Recently in Denver, this cycle has produced brilliant modern Mexican eateries, astonishing high-elevation bagels, and snacky cocktail bars out the wazoo.
Luchador Taco & More Brings Mexican Street Eats to Whittier
Usually, the word “luchador” conjures the boldly masked athletes who participate in a Mexican style of pro wrestling. In Denver, though, the term has taken on a much more delicious connotation. Ever since chef Zuri Resendiz, who came up in local fine-dining restaurants like Cattivella, launched the Luchador Food Truck by Chef Z in 2022, he has dazzled Front Rangers with his casual yet expertly executed dishes that draw on his native Mexico’s street cuisine.
The 10 Best Dumplings in Denver
There is a common denominator behind every good dumpling: a human hand, stuffing and pleating and twisting with care. By this definition, though, many foods can be considered dumplings. Ravioli. Samosas. Tamales. Empanadas. Each of these fussy labors of love requires some hands-on hard work, and the people who pour their hearts into these little pockets deserve their flowers, too.
Makoto Vail Marks This Edomae-Style Sushi Chef’s First Colorado Outpost
There’s an energetic pull—the same kind of magnetic allure that beckons us down darkened paths and into thick forests—drawing the hungry and curious through the Grand Hyatt’s posh, polished lobby and into Makoto Vail. The sexy, shadowy restaurant opened in February with a powerful Japanese aesthetic built around clean geometric lines, natural wood, and a soft soundtrack composed by the rushing Gore Creek linking arms with pulsating beats from the restaurant’s speakers.
How Pueblo’s Cuisine Unites Italian and Mexican Cooking Traditions
Many Coloradans have an affinity for green chile. But only a select few have consumed a Sicilian slopper—an open-face Italian sausage sandwich topped with gooey melted cheese, buried under a mound of spicy pork green chile. Those who have are probably from (or have visited) Pueblo in south-central Colorado, where a unique blending of southern Italian, Mexican, and Southwestern flavors—built upon the foundation of the region’s iconic Pueblo chile—has occurred over time.
Owners Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch Celebrate Rioja’s 20th Anniverary By Downsizing
What does the end of an era look like? On August 2, the Denver hospitality community found out when chef Jennifer Jasinski and co-proprietor Beth Gruitch announced sweeping changes to their restaurant group, Crafted Concepts. Not only would they be closing Stoic & Genuine, their ten-year-old seafood spot in Union Station, on September 1, but they’d be transferring ownership of French institution Bistro Vendôme and Iberian eatery Ultreia to partners Tim Kuklinski and Adam Branz, respectively.
5 of Colorado’s Best Edible Brands
If you’re looking to enjoy a high without the hassle of grinding flower and packing paper, edibles are an easier—and often tastier—alternative. Nowadays, you’ll find hundreds of brands offering a smorgasbord of food and beverage options, trendy cannabinoids that go beyond THC and CBD, and even new technologies that might raise an eyebrow (can edibles really be fast-acting?) on the shelves. Hell, even Mike Tyson has thrown his hat in the ring.
Baekga Serves Comforting Korean Cuisine in Lowry
Chef Sean Baek’s two-decade-long culinary journey has taken him to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and multiple other Middle Eastern countries, where he worked as a private chef and as the brand executive chef for luxury Japanese chain Katsuya. The Korea native’s first restaurant job, though, was in comparatively humble Cherry Creek, where Baek cooked at the long-closed Mao Asian Bistro after moving to Aurora at 16 years old.
Will Odell Bagel Be Denver’s Hottest New Breakfast Spot?
Denver has become something of a bagel mecca in recent years. Despite the addition of so many options, what’s available can still be categorized as New York–, Montreal-, or Los Angeles–style. Miles Odell is ready to introduce a new option to our palates: a Denver-style bagel.
A Perfect Day in Paonia and Hotchkiss
You can’t visit the Western Slope without experiencing the impact of its local agriculture. The North Fork Valley, roughly comprising the towns of Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Crawford, is an especially ripe area for agritourism (i.e., recreational activities on farms and ranches).
Where to Enjoy Dinner and a Movie in Colorado Mountain Towns
In our quest to squeeze every drop of sunshine-soaked Colorado goodness out of July and August, we’ve put together a summertime spin on dinner and a flick. Bring a date, your kids, or just take yourself out—these pairings are the perfect end to a warm-weather day. Destination: Buena Vista Simple Eatery’s blackened chicken tacos. Photo courtesy of Simple Eatery Hit the walk-up counter for local, scratch-made bites and then head out to the glowing patio to people-watch and smell the flowers.
La Forêt Transports Diners to the Forest With French Fare and Cocktails
It can be difficult for restaurateurs to see the forest for the trees. When Mike Huggins and Lenka Juchelkova took over the former home of Beatrice & Woodsley, though, they immediately knew the 46 aspen trunks that seem to grow right out of the South Broadway space’s floorboards fit into their vision for La Forêt.
Eat Your Way Through 8 Restaurants at Longmont’s First Food Hall
Last year, chefs Lisa and Patrick Balcom dreamt up a new restaurant: Baa Hachi, which they envisioned as a casual eatery serving pork belly bao buns, kara age fried chicken, tonkotsu ramen, and other Japanese street foods. The Balcoms—who run the hyperlocal, farm-to-table restaurant Farow in Niwot—looked around for a while, but couldn’t find the right space to bring their vision to life. So, when they heard about plans for a new food hall in neighboring Longmont, they were immediately intrigued.
A Conversation with Colorado’s Latest James Beard Award Winners
On June 10, Colorado brought home two James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious culinary honors in the United States. Kelly and Erika Whitaker, who under their Id Est hospitality group operate the Wolf’s Tailor, Brutø, Hey Kiddo, and others, won the Outstanding Restaurateur award, and Matt Vawter, chef-owner of Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge, won for Best Chef: Mountain.
4 New Mountain Town Restaurants to Visit this Summer
When you don’t know a town—or its restaurant scene well—the range of dining choices can feel overwhelming. Not this time. If you find yourself wondering what’s new in Aspen, Edwards, Vail, or Winter Park, we’ve chosen the must-go spots for you. Aspen: Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge’s bar. Photo by Connor Stehr After 20 years spent crafting a single malt that’s found fans around the world, distiller Jess Graber has brought Stranahan’s home to Aspen (yep, it all started there).
Where to Get the Best To-Go Cocktails in Denver
The advent of to-go cocktails was one of the few positive things that came out of the pandemic. In March 2020, Colorado legislature permitted restaurants, breweries, and bars to offer alcohol to go in order to maintain delivery and takeout sales and help them stay afloat during mandated business closures. In July 2021, it passed bipartisan House Bill 21-1027, making the measure legal until July 2025.
The 10 Best Korean Restaurants in Denver and Aurora
Bubbling stews, charred meats, and more banchan (side dishes) than you can count. Korean restaurants abound in Colorado—in no small part to Korean immigrants such as Park Hee-byung coming here in the early 20th century and kickstarting the local Korean American population—and you’ll especially find them in certain pockets of Aurora that form a veritable K-town.
One Denver Chef Opens Up About the Hospitality Industry's Mental Health Crisis
On a Wednesday evening in mid-April, Kevin Morrison bustles through the brick-walled dining room that houses his new City Park concept, Rolling Pin Pizza. Clad in a flour-dusted T-shirt and apron, he chats with a Denver Post reporter about the restaurant’s opening as servers bring out house-made chicken liver mousse with pillowy bread and 12-inch pans of pizza crowned with cupped pepperoni and slivers of red onion.
Why Shaved Ice Has Hit the Trendy List—Just in Time for Summer
The sound of shaving ice is unmistakable. The rasp, first pressed into the ice block, tense as a spring, suddenly surfs across the berg, scraping up a spume of glittering white snow as stray flecks flutter into the air. For some it may ring harsh, but under a blistering sun it signals imminent relief. Shikashika—that’s how Quechua communities near the Andes describe it. It’s a sound so recognizable that street vendors use it as an onomatopoeic term for their shaved-ice desserts.
One Denver Restaurant Owner’s Love Letter to MSG
By reclaiming the glory of MSG, we have the power to stop the racist stereotypes associated with the seasoning and help those who have been impacted by them—like me and my family—rewrite their stories. As a Hong Kong native who immigrated to the United States at the age of seven, I’ve experienced several episodes of xenophobia related to monosodium glutamate (aka MSG) in my lifetime, most recently at MAKfam, the restaurant I co-own with my husband, chef Kenneth Wan.
We Blind Tasted 14 Denver Green Chiles. Here Are the Best
It’s not easy being green. Or that’s how it seems sometimes when you order green chile—perhaps the single dish that’s most emblematic of Colorado—and you receive a bowl of butterscotch-colored (albeit delicious) gloop. And yet Coloradans love the stuff. Green chile originates from Mexican cuisine, namely, through chile verde, but the dish has taken on a uniquely revered identity in the Centennial State.
What’s New at Dio Mio 2.0
For eight years, diners have sidled up to the counter at RiNo’s Dio Mio to order some of Denver’s most affordable handmade pasta and other fine-without-the-fuss Italian eats.
3 Japanese Izakayas in Metro Denver for Enjoying Sushi, Skewers, and Sake
In Japan, izakayas are pubs where cheap drinks are paired with no-nonsense nibbles such as yakitori or sashimi. Although several self-proclaimed izakayas have opened on the Front Range in the past year, they stray from the traditional model by offering larger, more refined portions of Japanese or pan-Asian fare. Here’s why they’re still worthy of the label—and your patronage. 1.
How This Denver Baker Got On Netflix’s Is It Cake?
Grace “Grey” Pak hasn’t always been a baker, but she has always had a penchant for art. After majoring in fine art at New York University, she worked as a web designer for a decade and started a wedding stationery business on the side. After a nearly two-year-long stint doing e-commerce for New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Pak was inspired to expand her studies.
How to Eat Vegan in the Colorado High Country
Like a good powder stash or a pristine forested trail, a wholesome, plant-based food find that fills you up and keeps you playing outside is Colorado gold. Here’s where to find vegan (and a few vegetarian) options that will satisfy even the most ravenous carnivore in your high-altitude adventuring pack. Aspen Chef de cuisine Rachel Saxton spotlights Colorado foragers and farmers at West End Social, a new epicurean hangout in the 40-acre Aspen Meadows Resort.
This Boulder Coffee Shop is Run by People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
On a chilly Saturday morning in downtown Boulder, baristas wearing black polos and canvas aprons bustle around Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, heating up breakfast burritos and preparing lattes. Customers mill about, waiting to pick up their drinks or perusing the cinnamon rolls, muffins, and other tempting sweets in the glass display case by the cash register. The nutty aroma of espresso fills the air while snowflakes fall gently outside the big floor-to-ceiling windows.
In the Fold: Chef Dave Hadley’s $5 Samosa Is Worth Every Penny
Samosa Shop has been a darling of the local farmers’ market and pop-up eatery scene since owner Dave Hadley launched the business in September 2020. But last December, the Indian-inspired street food concept found a new home at the kitchen inside LoDo’s Honor Farm, enabling Hadley to up his game. There, he is slinging 2,000 samosas every week along with other craveable bites, such as lamb kebab smashburgers, masala-spiced walking tacos, and Jersey-meets-Bombay disco fries.
This Colorado Man Is Drinking Nothing but Guinness for 46 Days
Can man live off beer alone? Paul Myhill, known on social media as @colorado_beer_guy, certainly can. Myhill is about to complete his third Lenten beer fast, where he consumes nothing but beer—this year it was only Guinness—for 46 days straight. Since February 13, Myhill has ingested only Guinness, water, vitamins, and electrolytes (for previous fasts, he drank a combination of beer styles and brands).
Help Join the Fight to Restore Queer Spaces in Colorado Springs
Most Monday nights, you won’t hear a thing coming from the little purple house where Hamburger Mary’s resides in City Park West. The queer-friendly bar and grill is typically closed that day to give staff the chance to unwind after a long week of serving (in more ways than one). But last Monday, Hamburger Mary’s was aroar. By 7 p.m., every seat inside was filled, and the sounds of Broadway tunes, boisterous cheering, and clinking drinks began to soundtrack the evening.
Beyond the Wage Gap: 5 Colorado Women on the State of Our Food and Drink Industry
Colorado’s culinary scene continues to trend toward gender equality but still has a long way to go, particularly when it comes to female representation in leadership positions. The evidence is in the numbers. To celebrate Women’s History Month, 5280 spoke with five local culinary pros to get their takes on how it can feel to be the only woman at the table, the power of empathetic leadership, funding opportunities and gaps for women, and advice for other women looking to break the glass ceiling.
Why You Should Root for Manny Barella on Top Chef
Back when I was an editorial intern for 5280, one of my first assignments was to call chef Manny Barella to fact check a story in our August 2021 issue. At the time, he was still in his first year as executive chef at Bellota, where he’d eventually earn a James Beard Award nod and a spot on our 25 Best Restaurants list.
Why You Should Buy Colorado-Grown Grains and Flours (and How to Use Them)
We’ve all heard the refrain: Buy local. But that concept doesn’t just apply to fruits and vegetables. Grains such as wheat and corn grow across the state and their flours should be key components to any locavore’s grocery list. The benefits of adding them to your diet go beyond just making it more delicious. “Having access to local food supply is really important when we experience disruptions,” says Audrey Paugh, marketing and networking specialist at the Colorado Grain Chain.
The Best Tasting Menu in Denver for Your Budget
You may have noticed something missing at some Denver restaurants lately: menus. At these tasting-menu-only restaurants, chefs—not you—decide what you’re having for dinner. Often called “omakase,” which translates to “I leave it up to you” in Japanese, this proliferating practice typically encompasses fancier ingredients, more courses but smaller bites, some sort of foam (there’s always a foam), and a bill higher than rent at your first apartment.
Meet the Chef Bringing Comforting Southern Fare to Downtown's Apple Blossom
On the surface, not much has changed at Apple Blossom, the two-year-old restaurant inside the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver which transitioned in ownership last December. The centerpiece mural of the eatery’s namesake fruits and blossoms remains, as well as the menu’s commitment to using seasonal ingredients, a mission spearheaded by former owners Paul and Aileen Reilly, who still own and operate Uptown’s Coperta.
Denver’s Best African Food
Before kneeling to pray, Chakib Marrakchi handed me a to-go cup of mint tea. “It’s cold out there,” he said. Nighttime would overtake the October twilight before Marrakchi could lock the doors to Cafe Paprika, which meant the Isha prayer—the last of five in daily Islamic practice and one that is typically offered at the beginning of complete darkness—would occur here in his North African restaurant along East Mississippi Avenue in Aurora.
Why So Many Restaurants Are Opening in the South Denver Suburbs
Despite building four successful breweries across the metro area since 2011, including a South Downing Street location that debuted in spring 2021, Denver Beer Company co-founder Patrick Crawford and CEO Robert MacEachern knew years ago that they still wanted to expand—and expand south, in particular. “When you look at the Lakewoods and Arvadas, they’re getting full, and you see that urban spread heading south,” MacEachern says.
The Best Places to Brunch in Denver
Local culinary pros have made this weekend ritual more fun—and delicious—than ever before. From the tastiest fried chicken to the fluffiest pancakes, here, in no particular order, are our picks for the best brunch fare in the Denver metro area. Editor’s Note: This is a living list that was last updated on February 12, 2024. Did we miss your favorite? Email us at dining@5280.com. New Best Brunch Additions Wilde | LoHi The Caliquiles at Wilde.
The 10 Best Breakfast Bakeries in Denver
A great breakfast bakery solves a number of culinary dilemmas, whether you’re looking for a morning hangout spot without the rigmarole of sit-down service or need goodies to fill your table for a brunch at home. Regardless of what situation you’re in, these 10 bakeries in the Denver metro area will help you get your day started right. House of Bread Head to House of Bread on South Parker Road for a glimpse of the delicious pastry traditions found in the countries of Armenia and Georgia.
The 10 Best Bloody Marys in Denver
Is there a more noble a.m. cocktail than the Bloody Mary? With slabs of crispy bacon standing at attention and decadent crowns of pickled nibbles, the popular tomato-and-vodka cocktail is the savory drink of choice for brunchers. Bartenders around town tinker with ratios of horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and secret spice blends to achieve a superb zing.
The Story Behind Colorado’s Infatuation with Pliny the Younger
On a Saturday morning each February, the sidewalk outside Hops & Pie on Tennyson Street fills with the beer faithful. Suds-loving pilgrims travel from far and wide, and they line up outside the pizza restaurant as early as 8 a.m.—often braving cold winter temperatures—to guarantee sips of a legendary ale. One guy named “Fritz” is always first in line, while another regular comes to lift a glass in her late husband’s memory.
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