It’s taco time on new “best” lists picked by www.Zagat.com, Westword (www.westword.com) and Food Network Magazine (www.foodnetworkmag.com).

According to Claire Martin’s Culinary Colorado blog, “Zagat.com’s latest best-of list is The Best Tacos in 15 U.S. Cities, of which Denver is one. Surprisingly Pinche Taqueria wasn’t it. Then again, (Zagat’s) winner was also Westword‘s 2013 honoree for Denver’s best tacos…

“Here’s what Zagat.com posted:

“Denver: Cochinita Pibil at La Calle Taqueria y Carnitas (1565 W. Alameda Ave).

“Why We Love It: Housed in a comfy little two-room cottage along the Valverde stretch of Alameda, this absolute gem gives new meaning to the word ‘sumptuous.’ We wholeheartedly recommend every taco on the menu, but since you’ve got to start somewhere, try the cochinita pibil – pork slow-roasted in citrus-achiote marinade…With one bite, the depth of its rich and tangy flavor seems almost boundless; slivers of pickled onion add sharp contrast should you want it, but the stew-thick mixture is perfect as is…

“Insider Tip: While the wall-mounted menus are entirely in Spanish, a printed menu at the order counter offers moderately helpful English translations.”

Here’s the link to the post: www.culinary-colorado.com/2014/05/01/denvers-top-tacos-at-la-calle/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+culinary-colorado+%28CulinaryColorado%29.

And for another opinion, Food Network Magazine’s May issue picks the best 50 tacos in 50 states. where Pinche Taqueria (1514 York St. and 3300 W. 32nd Ave.) and its pork belly taco is vindicated.

Food Network Magazine said, “Visitors drive from several towns away to dig into this pork belly taco: a thick slice braised in orange juice and vinegar, served with candied garlic and a side of dipping jus.”

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver introduces Museum Quality Drinking, a summer evening experience extending museum hours with discounted admission, premium cocktails and music programming in the museum’s rooftop garden.

Beginning May 27, MCA Denver will stay open until 9 p.m. weeknights, so visitors can experience the museum, enjoy a cocktail and relax in the summer air on the rooftop deck.

On Wednesdays throughout the summer, café visitors can sample cocktails and foods from local food and beverage purveyors. On Friday evenings, art lovers can experience live music from local musicians on the rooftop garden.

Programming highlights include tastings from Leopold Bros. on June 11, Hogshead Brewery on July 23 and Fruition Farms on  Aug. 20. The musical line-up will be announced each week on Twitter and at www.mcadenver.org.

Admission to MCA Denver is free for museum members and $5 after 5 p.m. for non-members.

Currently on view:

* Rashid Johnson: New Growth through June 15.

* Senga Nengudi: The Material Body through July 13.

* Jorge Méndez Blake: Project for a Park Library (Aerial View Large) through July 13.

MCA Denver is located at 1485 Delgany on the corner of 15th Street and Delgany. Parking is available in the parking garage across 15th St. After 4 p.m., and on weekends parking is $3 with no validation required.

Museum summer hours are noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free admission to anyone 17 and younger. The museum is closed on Monday.

John Lehndorff, my former Rocky Mountain News colleague and eater about town, is hosting a food-writing workshop for writers who want to focus on food or for foodies craving the tools to describe cuisine from 2 to 4:30 p.m.. June 7 at the Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St.

This workshop is designed to help you develop your food “voice and get it heard. Lehndorff will offer an insider’s view of the changing food media landscape and the opportunities and challenges that the digital world offers.

“You’ll analyze examples of great culinary writing, learn how to create a recipe and query a food editor, and be a better blogger. Participants will be encouraged to do a tasty pre-workshop assignment. They also may sign up separately for Dining Like a Restaurant Critic, a post-workshop, multi-course meal, group critique and discussion.

“The award-winning journalist hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU and his recent features have appeared in AAA “EnCompass Magazine”, “The Denver Post”, and “Edible Front Range.” He was the food editor at the Daily Camera and the Aurora Sentinel, dining critic for The Rocky Mountain News and author of “Denver Dines: A Restaurant Guide and More.”

Tickets are $35 and space is limited. Purchase tickets at the store or over the phone. More information: www.boulderbookstore.net/event/will-write-food-five-course-workshop-john-lehndorff.

Former Rocky Mountain News food critic John Lehndorff is hosting a food-writing workshop for writers who want to focus on food or foodies craving the tools to describe cuisine on June 7 at the Boulder Book Store. (Photo courtesy of boulderbookstore.net)

Eavesdropping on a woman: “I have RLS – Restless Life Syndrome.”

How is Cherry Creek North like the month of June?

It’s bustin’ out all over.

Last week, Julie Underdahl, CEO of the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District, led media types through a slide show of new construction as well as conducted a foot tour of a handful of shops in the popular shopping destination.

Cherry Creek North, whose boundaries encompass 16 blocks from First to Third Avenues, and from University to Steele, has several major building projects under construction or on the drawing board, which will increase the number of residents, office spaces and retail outlets in and around the burgeoning area.

But the pressing question, is how will the construction craze impact parking, which remains the No. 1 complaint of CCN shoppers and diners.

While the resolution to that issue remains to be seen, cranes are quickly becoming CCN’s official bird.

Projects on board to be added to the 400 businesses operating within the District’s borders, are:

* Adolph Coors Foundation headquarters, Second and St. Paul; 27,500 square feet of office and retail space set to open soon.

* Western Development Group (Christian Anschutz’s project), under construction at 250 Columbine St.; 273,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space slated to open in June 2015.

* Fillmore Residences, on Second Avenue between Fillmore and Milwaukee; 26 apartment units in 38,000 square feet with a projected opening of August.

* Columbine Development Partners, 245 Columbine St. in the old Post Office space with 94,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space.

* Paul’s Group, 100 St. Paul; 150,000 square feet of office and retail with a fall 2015 opening date.

* Whole Foods Market – Cherry Creek, adding one-third more seating to the cafe, a fresh juice and pickled items bar, more prepared foods, more shopping room on the retail floor and a food cart.

In Cherry Creek East and the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, new projects include:

* The Rifkin Group – The Residences at Cherry Creek, 360 S. Monroe, 300 rental units in an eight-story building; completion date in 2015.

* Steele Creek, southeast corner of First and Steele, 230 residential units and retail with a slated opening in December.

* 3300 E. First Ave., northeast corner of First and Cook, 334,000 square feet of office and residential.

* Restoration Hardware – Cherry Creek Shopping Center, in the old Saks Fifth Avenue building, which will be demolished for a new 53,000-square-foot Restoration Hardware with an anticipated opening at the end of 2015.

Cherry Creek North facts at  your fingertips:

* Largest generator of retail sales tax in the city.

* Including the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the Cherry Creek Shopping District is the No. 1 visitor destination in Colorado.

Restoration is taking over the old Saks 5th Avenue space at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. The new location is slated to open in 2016. (Restoration Hardware photo)

Denver author Adrian Miller, who writes about the synergy between cooking and culture, earned a James Beard Award Friday in New York City for his 2013 book, “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.”

“It’s taken a while to sink in,” Miller told The Denver Post in a phone interview Saturday. “But it’s a really cool feeling.”

The book was honored in the reference-and-scholarship category. The James Beard Foundation Awards honor work in the culinary world.

In an interview with The Post shortly after the book appeared, Miller said that one of his goals was to demystify soul food.

“‘I’m trying to show that the commonality in soul food is more about class and economics than race,’ said Miller, who grew up in metro Denver and graduated from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora. ‘The food was originally a function of place, not race.’

“An attorney by training — he describes himself as a ‘recovering lawyer’ — Miller served as special assistant to former President Bill Clinton and as a policy analyst for ex-Gov. Bill Ritter. He is executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches.

“But food is one of his great passions, which he explores on his website, ‘Soul Food Scholar’ at adrianmiller.com.

Asked if he expected any changes in his life in the wake of the award, Miller told The Post. “Oh yeah, I think my phone calls will be returned …”

More at: http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_25690751/denver-author-adrian-miller-wins-beard-award-soul.

CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media’s Digital Animation Center junior Jeremy Kuehn has been selected as one of nine students worldwide for a prestigious internship with PIXAR, maker of such award-winning films as “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles” and “Cars.”

Kuehn is studying 3D graphics and animation at the Animation Center, CU Denver’s state-of-the-art animation computer software center. Kuehn is the third DAC student to be placed in the PIXAR internship program, including Jeff Gipson, who is currently part of the Oscar-winning animation team at Disney (“Frozen”) and Zach Repasky.

“This is an absolutely amazing program,” Kuehn said about DAC. “Students here appreciate how we replicate a studio environment. It prepares you for the outside world — actual (film) studios. At PIXAR, they want to know you’re able to work on a team in a studio environment.”
Howard Cook, assistant professor and director of DAC, said PIXAR selects its summer interns from a pool of more than 10,000 applicants. “It’s a coveted internship,” Cook said. “This is quite an honor for Jeremy and a great acknowledgment of our program.”

Kuehn begins his 10-week paid scholarship at the PIXAR studios near Oakland on June 12.

The Five Star Burgers spot on 555 Broadway has bitten the bun.

The affable burger joint (great service, yummy food) suddenly shuttered last week, which Westword promptly reported.

Here’s the blog item: “The Five Star Burgers … had a lot going for it, even on the restaurant-heavy corner of Sixth and Broadway. The green chile on that big, fat cheeseburger featured real Hatch chiles. If that and the hand-cut fries didn’t fill you up, you could order deep-fried banana bread for dessert. There were even plans to book bands for live music on the patio. But the lights at Five Star Burgers have gone out.

“Five Star Burgers is owned by the Taos Restaurant Group, which also owns Old Blinking Light in Highlands Ranch and Taos, and has other Five Star locations scattered between New Mexico, Missouri … and metro Denver, where the spot at 2330 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial is still open.

More at: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2014/05/five_star_burgers.php.

Acclaimed U2 tribute band Under A Blood Red Sky — The U2 Tribute will headline Denver Zoo’s 25^th annual Do At The Zoo gala on June 19. Presented by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Denver Zoo’s largest fundraiser will feature musical entertainment as well as boffo bites from some of Denver’s most popular restaurants.

The U2 tribute band will perform from 8:30-10 p.m. at the zoo’s Conoco Zoo Gardens.

Additional entertainers include: The Jay and Neil Show performing at the event’s VIP Party, above the underwater sea-lion viewing. Country singer Ben Marshal will play at Sheep Mountain. Classical and contemporary guitarist B will strum at Sycamore Island and Wichita Run will play at Bird World, presented by Frontier Airlines.

Do At The Zoo kicks off at 6 p.m. on June 19 for VIP early entrance, and at 7 p.m. for regular ticket holders. Join Denver’s wild party animals for the zoo’s best gala to date, featuring more than 60 of Denver’s top restaurants serving menu items. Guests also will experience music, dancing and close-up animal encounters at the Denver Zoo at twilight.

The zoo will close at noon on June 19 to set up for the gala. Tickets for the event are on sale at www.denverzoo.org. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the zoo and all of its daily operations, including the care and feeding of nearly 4,000 animals.

Under a Blood Red Sky — The U2 Tribute band will play at the Do At The Zoo on June 19 at Denver Zoo. The fund-raising event also has plenty of food and refreshment tents. (Photos courtesy of www.uabrs.com and Denver Zoo.