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The latest in news, culture and good eats

Denver Posted Jan 2015
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week

Denver Restuarant Week kicks off February 20th - March 1st, and features over 150 businesses offering their very best courses at a discounted rate. Check out our list below for Indulgery's top 5 picks. Be sure to book your reservation now, spots are filling up fast! 9th Door 925 N Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 View Profile One of our favorite Spanish tapas bars in Denver. Great atmosphere, authentic tapas dishes and a huge selection of wine! Texas de Brazil 8390 Northfield Blvd, Denver, CO 80238 View Profile A Brazillian steakhouse to die for. Try some phenomenal eats served directly from the Guachos. Make your reservations before it fills up! Shanahan's 5085 S Syracuse St, Denver, CO 80237 View Profile One of the most popular steakhouses in Denver! Featured entrees: Filet mignon with cabernet sauce or pan roasted scottish salmon with citrus beurre blanc and micro greens. Duo 2413 W. 32nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211 View Profile A restaurant with a truly creative approach to preparing each dish. Fresh, local ingredients from top-notch chefs! Beatrice & Woodsley 38 South Broadway, Denver, CO 80209 View Profile Bringing the wilderness to Denver, Beatrice & Woodsley offers a Rustic-American menu with a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
Denver Posted Jan 2015
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses

15|FIFTY Restaurant & Lounge 9th Door - Downtown Altitude Restaurant Ambli Gourmet Eatery & Wine Argyll Whisky Beer The Avenue Grill AZITRA Bent Fork American Grill Black Crown Lounge Black Pearl Blue Sushi Sake Grill Bonefish Grill Denver West Bonefish Grill Littleton Bones Boulder Cork The Briarwood Inn Restaurant Broker Restaurant Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Cafe Aion Cafe Colore CAFE PRAGUE Cebiche Highlands Charcoal Restaurant Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe Chianti Ristorante Citron Bistro Colorado Plus Brew Pub Colterra Food & Wine Cool River Corridor 44 CRU Wine Bar The Curtis Club Dagabi Cucina The Denver ChopHouse & Brewery duo Restaurant Earls Kitchen + Bar Glenarm Firenze a Tavola Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse The Fresh Fish Company grappa italian bistro Great Northern Happy Sumo at the Orchard Town Center Humboldt Farm Fish Wine Il Fornaio Indulge Bistro and Wine Bar - Golden Ivy at the Glenn Jax Fish House Glendale Kobe An Shabu Shabu La Biblioteca La Loma La Sandia - Park Meadows Limon LITTLE INDIA LoHi SteakBar Luca Max Gill & Grill Meritage at the Omni Interlocken Miyama of Colorado Japanese Steak and Suhi Bar New Orient Vietnamese Seafood North Italia The Oceanaire Seafood Opus P17 Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen Pizza Republica Prime Steakhouse Racines range Restaurant 1472 Rioja Root Down SALT Bistro Saltgrass Steakhouse Shiraz restaurant Small Wonder Spruce Farm and Fish The Squeaky Bean Stoic & Genuine TAG Texas de Brazil The Bistro The Keg Steakhouse + Bar The Melting Pot of Littleton The Old Stone Church Restaurant The Summit Steakhouse Three Tomatoes Grille Trattoria Stella True Food Kitchen Union - An American Bistro Venice Ristorante Via Toscana ViewHouse Eatery, Bar & Rooftop - Ballpark Vita Restaurant The Washington Park Grille West 29th Restaurant & Bar Willow Creek Restaurant Zengo
Chicago Posted Jan 2015
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes

If you're a true Chicagoan, you have a soft spot in your heart for Portillos. For those who don't know, Portillos is a fast-food chain restaurant, but despite this, it is consistently described as a must-stop place to local tourists. And with locations throughout the entire Chicagoland area, it's a quick, easy and extremely satisfying bite to eat. Itallian Beef w/ Peppers (Dipped, of course) Hands down, our favorite italian beef in Chicago. Always tender beef, drenched in gravy and loaded with peppers. Want to take it a step further? Get the beef & char-grilled sausage combo. The Dogs This isn't any ordinary hot dog, this is the perfectly assembled, Vienna Chicago style hot dog. Decked with relish, freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, peppers and of course -- a pickle. Customize as you wish, but don't you dare add ketchup. Beef-n-Cheddar Croissant That same great italian beef, smothered in goey-cheddar cheese on a crispy and toasty croissant. Cheese-Fries No meal is complete without a side of cheese fries. Do yourself a favor and get the large. Chocolate Cake Shake The motherload. The shake to end all shakes. Chunks of moist chocolate cake, mixed with a chocolate shake. You'll likely finish it before you realize how many calories you just ingested, but who's looking at that anyways? -- Tell us! What is your favorite Portillos combo?
Denver Posted Jun 2014
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake

As you drive down Federal Blvd in Denver, Colorado you can’t help but notice all the ‘Pho’ restaurants lining the streets; Pho 555, Pho 95, Pho 79, Pho Duy, Can Tho Pho, Pho So 1, Pho Ta…just to name a few. You might be asking yourself, “Why so many pho restaurants, and why all the different numbers?” The truth is, there is no solid answer! Some owners prefer to include their lucky numbers, while others (such as Pho 555 on 555 Federal Blvd.) base it off their address. With that mystery put aside, it’s time to learn just what pho is. In simplest terms, pho is a Vietnamese brothy soup with some sort of meat, rice noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro and other vegetables. Pho is usually a fast and cheap lunch, with bowls ranging from $6-$9, based on your appetite. If you’re in Denver, I recommend visiting Pho 79. And while nobody can beat my family’s homemade pho, Pho 79’s broth is full of flavor, the anise is strong, and fish sauce is plentiful. Once seated, you’ll typically order with a combination of numbers and letters, usually pertaining to your meats and other options. Meat options usually range from sliced eye of round steak, to flank, tendon, tripe, meatball, chicken and seafood. For you meat lovers out there, you can even order the round stake raw and cook it in the hot broth right at your table. After ordering, the server will quickly return with a plate of vegetables, seeming to resemble a salad. But this is no salad! It’s a plate of fresh veggies (bean sprouts, sliced jalapenos, mint, basil, and limes) that can be added to your pho. Once you receive your hot, steaming bowl of Pho, it’s time to add the vegetables and season your broth to your tasting. At your table you’ll find a variety of sauces -- If the broth is a bit bland, add a teaspoon of fish sauce. If the broth is not sweet enough, add some hoisin. If all else fails, sriracha and lime will make any bowl edible. After your dish has cooled slightly, arm yourself with both hands, with your chopsticks in your dominant hand, (forks for the amateurs) and your soup spoon in the other. As you scoop up a bite of noodles and meat, you immediately follow it with a scoop of the broth. As an expert in pho, I’ll leave you with two tips: 1) Ask for water, and lots of it! 2) Walk up to the counter and pay your bill, otherwise you’ll be waiting a long time! Above all else remember to pace yourself, slurping hot broth and sriracha will give you a good sweat!
Press Releases Posted Mar 2014
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference

Chicago, IL - Local Chicago startup, Indulgery (www.indulgery.com), has been selected to exhibit at the upcoming Collision Conference in Las Vegas. Started in early 2013 by a small team of tech entrepreneurs, Indulgery has quickly grown to offer a nationwide database of restaurants and bars, with a specific focus on local specials and events. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to exhibit our startup at Collision Conference,” said Tyler Bartholomew, president and co-founder of Indulgery. “This will be a great opportunity to show our fans our unique spin on the world of local restaurant and bar discovery..” The conference will be held in downtown Las Vegas from May 13-14 and will showcase a small number of exclusively selected startups. More than sixty top tech industry leaders from around the world will speak on various topics, featuring big names such as Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos), Matt Mullenweg (Founder of Wordpress) and Danae Ringelmann (Founder of Indiegogo). Also in attendance will be several hundred investors and technology evangelists. For more information on the event, please visit http://collisionconf.com. About Indulgery Indulgery aims to change the way people discover and share specials and events at local restaurants and bars. With custom search and filtering tools, users can customize their results by exactly what they’re looking for. Further, users have the option of following specific businesses, allowing them to view a custom newsfeed of the restaurants and bars they care about. For businesses, Indulgery offers a unique platform from which business can manage all their marketing efforts from one central location. Aiming to be the “Hootsuite for restaurants and bars,” Indulgery offers simple syndication of a business’s specials and events across their website, social platforms and more. Contact Information For more information on Indulgery, please direct all inquiries to info@indulgery.com. ###
Chicago Posted Dec 2013
Chicago New Years Eve Options for All Types of Partiers

Every year around this time, it happens. Friends start asking, "What are you doing for New Years?" If you're like me, you may try to avoid thinking about this overhyped night. There are so many options and so much planning that must go in to a successful New Years Eve event, that I'm just not up for the pressure! Give me a house party and some champagne, and I'm happy. But for those of you who do like to do it up big, Chicago has plenty, and I mean hundreds, of awesome New Years Eve options for everyone. Whether you prefer a cozy dive bar surrounded by your closest friends, a grandiose ballroom with hundreds of handsome strangers or an intimate culinary experience with your significant other, here are some of Chicago's best New Years Eve options. Restaurants Girl & the Goat Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard and her team will be preparing some of their best dishes of the year, with special cocktails, wines and beers brought in just for the occasion. Start with a sit-down dinner full of individual and family-style courses and end the night with bubbly, dancing and a DJ. Shaw's Crab House Kick off the night in Shaws' festively-decorated Oyster Bar, while the "Fabulous Fish Heads" rock out in the background. Expect a complimentary champagne toast and oyster favors when the clock strikes twelve. Reservations accepted in the Oyster Bar and the main dining room. Hotels & Ballrooms Navy Pier One of the most popular Chicago NYE destinations, Navy Pier will be hosting a blow-out gala in the Grand Ballroom. Guests have access to the ballroom and Lakeview Terrace, with over 20 bar stations, and a buffet. Grab your champagne and catch the midnight fireworks from the best seats in the house! Hard Rock Hotel Join the official Playboy New Years Eve soiree hosted by playmate Raquel Pomplun. General admission tickets include four-hour cocktail reception, pasta buffet, hors d'oeuvres and several desserts. Party on with the DJ, state-of-the-art lighting system and more at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue. Bars Three Dots and a Dash Forget the harsh winter weather and ring in the new year tiki-style at Three Dots and a Dash! General admission tickets include island hors d'oeuvres like coconut shrimp, thai fried chicken and souvenir tiki mugs. Leis are provided! Sheffields A general admission ticket at Sheffields gets you premium open bar from 8:30 pm to 1:00 am, craft beer and cocktails, passed appetizers, party favors and more. Enjoy a midnight champagne toast while you party with the live DJ.
Chicago Posted Mar 2013
5 Spring Date Ideas for Any City

It's almost spring, which means staying in all night and streaming Breaking Bad isn't going to cut it anymore. Yes it's time to get out, enjoy that fresh air and socialize! Grab that significant other and shake off the winter blues by partaking in some of these spring date ideas. Make your own Shamrock Shake Thanks to McDonalds, the seasonal Shamrock Shake has garnered a cult following. But you can have some fun concocting your own shake this spring. Just combine vanilla ice cream and milk, peppermint extract and green food coloring, and blend until milkshake consistency is reached. If you're feeling extra Irish, add in a little Bailey's Irish Cream and cheers! Take a Walk/ Run Once the snow has melted away, there's nothing more invigorating than a walk or run in the fresh spring air. Take your date on a walk/run on your favorite path, alongside the lake or through the city to people watch. You'll release mood-boosting endorphins and get your body closer to swimsuit shape in time for summer. Post- Spring Cleaning Shopping Spree Note: cleaning is not actually required prior to this date, but it may help you justify buying more. Once you've cleaned out your closet, time to fill it back up! Grab a coffee and head to your favorite mall or shopping spots. Have your date help make outfit suggestions, or pick out ridiculous choices for each other and try them on. Catch a Ball Game Check MLB.com to see when your local team's season opener is and celebrate with a hot dog and a cold beer. Spring training starts in February and the regular season starts late March. Temperatures should be warmer and spirits high! Find a Rooftop There's nothing better than celebrating the arrival of warm weather with a rooftop drink. Find a local restaurant or bar with an open rooftop and make a reservation for 2, because they tend to be popular, especially in the summer. Whether it's during the day or at night, nothing beats the atmosphere and view of the city.
Chicago Posted Mar 2013
4 Dinner Date Spots in Chicago to Satisfy Any Palate

Scored a hot date and don’t know where to go besides your favorite late night pizza joint? Here are four of our favorite Chicago restaurants guaranteed to impress your date and your stomach. Coast Sushi Bar If your date loves sushi, Coast Sushi Bar in the Bucktown neighborhood is the place to be. Here you’ll find an elegant and dimly lit ambiance complementary to a date setting. On the menu you’ll find classic sushi favorites but also uniquely prepared rolls like the signature “White Dragon Roll.” One tip: Coast doesn’t take reservations, so take advantage of the BYOB and uncork a bottle of wine as you wait to be seated. Rose Angelis If you’re in the mood for Italian, we recommend Rose Angelis, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Rose Angelis has been serving residents of Chicago for over 20 years, but we like to think that part of its charm is that it is considered a hidden gem of the city. Share a bottle (or two) of wine with your date and try some of the succulent pasta options like the Mezzalune al Burro or Linguini al Frutti di Mare. It’ll be difficult, but try to save room for dessert as they have a romantic dessert menu. Zed451 River North’s stylish steakhouse Zed451 is guaranteed to be a hit no matter what the season. The interior is chock full of candles and romantic fireplaces. Walk up to the enclosed rooftop when it’s warm for a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline. The lounge menu allows for a lighter fare if you choose, or sample some of the Chef’s selections from the dinner menu. Don’t forget to order a cocktail with fresh ingredients prepared in-house. Mercadito This Mexican Chicago hotspot features an upbeat atmosphere and one-of-a-kind tacos. Choose from six gourmet guacamole flavors or opt for the ceviches if that’s your thing. The specialty drinks might be just as attractive as your date (that was a joke.) Head downstairs for some after-dinner drinks at the Double A lounge.
Chicago Posted Mar 2013
Party Speakeasy style in Chicago

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t spotted any of these bars, they are hidden for a reason. After the illegalization of alcohol in the 1920’s, the Prohibition resulted in a number of unmarked, blank bars and saloons where the alcohol flowed and the party continued all night long. Inspired by the famous speakeasies of the Twenties, Chicago has experienced a renaissance of these vague, unadvertised bars that you may not notice on the streets until someone points them out to you. That’s the idea. Take for instance The Violet Hour, located in Chicago’s trendy Wicker Park neighborhood. On any given night, you might see people lined up outside a non-descript building and wonder, “What is that?” Venture inside and you’ll be lead into an intimate dimly lit and luxuriously furnished bar whose high wing-backed chairs are almost reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. The Violet Hour’s cocktails are voted some of the best in the nation, so don’t be afraid to drop a little cash. Just be sure to abide by the house rules; including no cell phones and no “bombs of any kind.” The Violet Hour, 1520 N. Damen Chicago, IL 60622 In the heart of the River North neighborhood, you’ll find Untitled. Behind its unmarked doors lies a decadent restaurant and lounge complete with delicious food, drink and live entertainment. Untitled is an homage to the supper club and speakeasy of the Prohibition era, featuring craft cocktails, beer and wine. Check the calendar for updates on a variety of entertainment from burlesque to swing. Keep in mind there is a dress code, no t-shirts, sandals or gym shoes. Untitled, 111 W. Kinzie Chicago, IL 60654 Secret VIP-only lounge, The Office, is tucked beneath Chicago’s restaurant The Aviary. Word on the street is that this luxe bar is invite-only, and not open to the public. Keeping up with the extra exclusive speakeasy theme, The Office only seats up to 14 people. Cocktails are in the $20 range but are inventively concocted with exotic ingredients. The Office, 955 West Fulton Market Chicago, IL 60607
Chicago Posted Mar 2013
Top 5 Seafood Joints in Chicago

Freshness, quality and variety… just a few of the integral characteristics that make for pleasurable seafood experience. While Chicago may not lie on either of the Coasts, that doesn’t mean you should discount this city for its seafood savoir. Here are 5 of Chicago’s top seafood spots for when you’re craving some of the freshest fish in town. Devon Seafood Grill Throughout its several locations, Devon Seafood Grill serves up premium seafood, delivered daily in an upscale atmosphere. Whether it’s fresh oysters, jumbo lump crab cakes or a hearty lobster mac and cheese dish you’re craving, Devon does it in a simple yet refreshing way. Zagat rates this chain 21 out of 30 for ‘very good to excellent’ food. They also tout an impressive wine selection and cocktails that lend themselves to a tasty happy hour. Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House Reserve a spot at Hugo’s in the Gold Coast for some of the top seafood in Chicago. Hugo’s receives multiple shipments of fish daily, ensuring fresh, perfectly seared tuna, lobster tail and more. Signature dishes include a classic crab cake with spicy pink mayo and frog legs for the more adventurous. Don’t forget a martini! Zagat rates Hugo’s a 24 out of 30. Shaw’s Crab House This Chicago favorite has an old school feel with a modern focus on sustainable seafood. Signature Shaw’s dishes include Red Alaskan King Crab Legs and crab cakes. Although quite popular with the Sunday brunch crowd, Shaw’s also provides a show with dinner. Show up Sundays through Thursdays at 7 p.m. for some Chicago blues. Zagat scores Shaw’s Crab House 25 points out of 30. GT Fish & Oyster Little known fact, the ‘GT’ takes its name from Chef Giuseppe Tentori, member of the same restaurant group as famed Girl & the Goat. The restaurant focuses on delivering inventive yet affordable small plates such as chorizo stuffed squid, braised baby octopus- even caviar service for those moments when you’re feeling especially luxurious. The after-work crowd also heads to GT Fish & Oyster for cocktails designed by local mix-master Benjamin Schiller. GT Fish & Oyster received a Zagat rating of 26 out of 30 points. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Emulating its Florida flagship location, Joe’s Chicago fosters a sophisticated, supper club-like atmosphere. Expect a fancier feel as you dine on some of the finest stone crabs in the world, scallops, shrimp and much more. Joe’s Seafood earns an ‘extraordinary to perfection’ rating of 27 out of 30 on the Zagat scale.