Minimum Wage Will Increase; More 'Best Of' 2011

STATEWIDE— Good news for those busting ass for minimum wage in the restaurant industry: it's going up! Colorado's minimum wage will be increased from $7.36 per hour to $7.64 on Jan. 1st. Tipped employees will also see a 28-cent bump to $4.62. [KUSA-TV]

DENVER— In the spirit of end-of-the-year listage, here's some more! Thrillist picked the five biggest restaurant openings of the year (The Uber Sausage included) and the five best bars to get a stiff son of gun drink.

GOLDEN— Thai Gold, a new Thai restaurant in its second week, has a charming story behind it. Eat up the history and look at some food porn on Westword. [Westword]

The Uber Sausage [Photo: Festivus FF]