Table Talk for May 9

COMING SOON: BUENOS AIRES BEEFS UP BALLPARK
Just a couple blocks from his Buenos Aires Pizza (1319 22nd Ave., 303-296-6710), Francis Carrera plans to open Buenos Aires Grill (2191 Arapahoe St.), another Argentinean restaurant, in the late-Saverino space. Carrera explains his reasoning for having two similarly-minded restaurants so close to each other: “We want to develop the idea that it’s the same country with two different kinds of food.” And that it will be. While the pizzeria will continue to serve 30 somewhat off-the-wall pies such as the Choclo—pizza topped with corn kernels, mozzarella, and bacon—the grill will hone in on Argentina’s meat and barbecue heritage with grilled beef, chicken, pork, and fish. Carrera plans to round out the menu with Italian and Spanish dishes—both cultures have heavily influenced the South American city’s cuisine. Specifics such as menu items and hours are still being worked out (Carrera just took over the space last week) but the restaurant, which will make heavy use of the stellar outdoor courtyard and patio, is slated to open June 6.

GOSSIP: LOLA’S GOT A NEW CHEF (TEMPORARILY)
It’s been a busy couple of months for Jamey Fader, co-owner and executive chef of LoLa—he successfully moved his popular restaurant from South Pearl Street across town to East Highland, and then, just a few days ago he and wife Gail welcomed a baby girl into the world. The proud papa is taking three weeks off and in the meantime, longtime LoLa chef Duane Walker and owner Dave Query are tag-teaming to fill the gap. Query—the mastermind behind Jax Fish House, Rhumba, Zolo, West End Tavern, and of course LoLa—is quite a chef himself and this gives diners a chance to glimpse Query’s culinary talent. If you haven’t been to the new LoLa yet, the restaurant still pours the margaritas strong, cooks up the coastal cuisine just right (don’t miss the lobster tamale), and boasts the best view of the city—seriously. 1575 Boulder St., 720-570-8686.

EVENT: SUSHI, CHOW MEIN, AND MORE AT THE ASIAN FOOD BAZAAR
Starting last Saturday at 6 a.m., about two dozen 80-year-old women, mostly of Japanese descent, gathered to gossip about grandchildren and Arizona golfing trips. While their stories flew so did their fingers: The grandmothers pressed egg-based dough into sand-dollar-size disks, filled them with sugared lima bean paste, painted them with egg yolk, and baked them into manju—a traditional Japanese confection akin to a cream-filled cookie, but extra sweet and doubly filling. In a week’s time, the crew will make 3,000 manju from scratch. Why all the hoopla? The women were preparing for this Saturday’s 57th Annual Asian Food Bazaar, where established Japanese home cooks and assisting professional chefs, will dish out not only manju ($7 for 5 pastries) but also sushi and a chow mein dinner (chow mein atop crunchy noodles, rice, and rich beef teriyaki) to raise money for the Simpson United Methodist Church, a Japanese-American church. It’s a good cause and a must for all those in search of authentic Japanese cooking. The dinner costs $7 (or $4 for children). Saturday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Simpson United Methodist Church, 6001 Wolff St., Arvada, 303-428-7963.

—Amanda M. Faison