Casa Bonita, Ghetto?; Cockroach in Da Lat Hot Pot

LODO— 5280 food editor Amanda Faison can't get over The Kitchen's fries: "It's been nearly 24 hours since my lunch at the Kitchen Denver and I can't stop thinking about the garlic fries. Those chubby lengths of potato arrive piled high, piping hot, and with house-made ketchup. I’ll gladly risk burning my fingertips for the first bite." [5280]

COLFAX— Denver's iconic Casa Bonita is certainly a destination, as Kristin Mastre of Feasting Ft. Collins discovered. "It’s literally in the ghetto of Lakewood on Colfax, a section of town littered with dollar stores, many used car lots (more than four in a span of four blocks!), used furniture rental stores, graffiti, and people passed out on the sides of the streets. Nothing says 'Happy Birthday!' like 'lock your doors.' The only reason to drive down this street is to take your kids to see high school theater geek cliff divers, guys in gorilla suits, and eat the most disgusting Mexican food on the face of the Earth (if you can even call it food). [FFC]

FEDERAL BLVD— Apparently Da Lat serves cockroaches. Westword has a rather disgusting photo of the cockroach recently found in a seafood hot pot. [Westword]

ESTES PARK— Here's some food porn from chef Richard Beichner of The Stanley Hotel. Reactions from Boulder Locavore: "I departed more than pleasantly surprised not only by the cuisine and wine pairing but about the vision, commitment, execution and plans for the future." [BL]