BY MIGUEL OTÁROLA, @MOTAROLA_EATS

We've got no shortage of fun stories to highlight this week, including two (!) hand-pulled noodle destinations, a treatise on takeout, and something called a "hot dog tower." (You gotta go to Breckenridge to climb it.) And to think 2026 is just starting. At this pace, I hope I remember to chew before I swallow.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Owners replacing Cheesman Park cafe that was shut down after unionization attempt

TIP POOL

Any cookbooks you would recommend as essentials in any kitchen?

MORE HEADLINES

• Commentary: Is takeout dying? The middle ground between the cost of eating out, cooking is disappearing
  
• Beloved Hudson restaurant The Pepper Pod closes after 114 years
  
• Breck’s new hot dog tower turns Colorado ski area into a wiener wonderland
• There’s a new saloon at the Stock Show, and BBQ from a top chef
  
• Siren Cocktail Bar hooks in a thirsty South Boulder with sardines, caviar, martinis — Daily Camera
• Downtown landlord evicts, sues 801 Fish restaurant year after closure — BizDen
  

EAT THIS

Yu's Noodle Shop

In Lone Tree, another hand-pulled noodle shop is attracting some soup-centered attention. Yu's Noodle Shop, like the recently opened Magic Noodle House in Denver, also features its star chef tossing long strands of noodles into boiling vats of water. Theirs are thinner, and served with clear broth, more traditional in Lanzhou, China, the birthplace of hand-pulled noodle bowls. The wontons are also handmade and stuffed with pork, their wraps slippery yet chewy as they simmer in the broth. At the end of the day, it's the taste, not the spectacle, that counts.

9996 Commons St. #310, Lone Tree; yusnoodleshop.com