'The Camo Guy' At Riffs; Kid-Friendly Ernie's Bar & Pizza

Liz Moskow awarded Riffs two stars in her Daily Camera review. "Service at Riff's was timely. Staff seemed knowledgeable and attentive, but they seemed to be missing polish that comparable establishments in Boulder have down pat in both attire and in delivery of their table spiel." Ordering the same dishes on both visits, Moskow says it was obvious that chef John Platt was missing from the line on the second visit. "It quickly became evident to me that what we were experiencing instead, was the equivalent of the chef's cover band," referring to "the camo guy" sporting a camo cap behind the counter of the open kitchen. But hey, the camo guy sure knew how to cook salmon, which Moskow said was awesome despite disliking salmon dishes. [Daily Camera]

Laura Shunk took a trip to Arvada where she dined at Mama Sanninos, where the story behind Mama's and the surroundings were a bit more intriguing than the food itself. With a welcoming staff and huge portions, Shunk says Mama's egg noodles and cannoli were super, but the minestrone soup was unimpressive booted by a uninspiring iceberg salad. However, the Cheers-like feeling of the place is perhaps worth the trip back to Arvada in itself. [Westword]

William Porter enjoyed Axios, giving the Berkeley hood Greek estiatorio a handful of compliments with a couple Greek allusions in his review. "No one is likely to complain about skimpy portions at Axios. They are large: just the thing if you plan to drag a giant wooden horse up to the gates of a walled city." When Porter was presented a flaming plate of brandied cheese and told to blow on it he squeezed lemon over the cheese and "The sucker still raged like the towers of Troy the morning after the Trojans dragged the gift horse inside." Such imagery. [The Denver Post]

Denver on a Spit reviewed Ernie's Bar & Pizza, where to his surprise, he found a family-friendly bar atmosphere. The restaurant was more than accommodating to the family man. "And the food? It almost doesn't matter, because to be in a restaurant with table service, big screen TVs and a full bar was pleasure enough for us. To sip on a freshly pulled draught beer from a cold pint glass while hearing the din of bar-room conversations in the background was a very good feeling. I could see a sporting event on the television from where I sat. I was ecstatic." [Denver on a Spit]