* Calling all hopeless home cooks . . . Food Network is looking for the most "disastrous cooks in the country" (their words, not mine) to participate in a new reality cooking show. If you can't boil water, don't know a fish fry from a French fry or your idea of dinner is beans on toast (with apologies to the Brits), then this is for you. To earn your shot as the winner of the biggest loser cook in America contest, here's what you need to do to prove your incompetency: From noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, gather your courage and head to the open casting call at the Magnolia Hotel, 808 17th St., for an onsite interview, or e-mail Food Network at hopelesshomecookdenv@optomenusa.com. You can nominate yourself or someone you know. The woeful "chefs" selected to participate on the show will get to learn the ropes from some of the best professional toques in the country.

* Jonesy's EatBar (400 E. 20th Ave.), which used to be Dish Bistro, is billing itself as Denver's first gastropub, a British moniker that originated in London to describe a joint that turns out better bar food than what you'd find in, well, a bar, while peddling a decent roster of hand-crafted beers and copious amounts of wine. The pub, named for owner Leigh Jones, has a small but formidable menu that includes mussels done two ways (steamed in Avery White Rascal beer or bobbing in a coconut green curry), fries done three ways, plus five different salads, macaroni and cheese, beef sliders and a hangar steak with Brussels sprouts confit.

* The Oceanaire Seafood Room (1400 Arapahoe St.), a shrine to the brine, is offering a summer seafood deal that will bring still waters to your wallet. For $32.95 per person, diners can nosh on a three-course dinner that includes your choice of a starter (Caesar salad, New England clam chowder or calamari fritti), entree (Idaho rainbow trout, "black and bleu" Costa Rican mahi-mahi or a grilled pork chop) and dessert. The special runs through Aug. 31.

* The latest inhabitant to take up residence in the space at 250 Josephine St., is Juicy Lucy, an outpost of the insanely popular Glenwood Springs steakhouse by the same name. While the Cherry Creek address has seen its share of come-and-go restaurants, most recently Tula, there's something about Lucy that leads me to believe she has staying power. Meanwhile, Cherry Creek pizza and pasta cognoscenti are gearing up for the mid-August opening of Mici Handcrafted Italian (3030 E. Second Ave.), whose original downtown location (1531 Stout St.) has been a hot spot for hipsters since it opened in 2004.

* First there was Smashburger (several locations), the build-your-own-burger barn that quickly gained a cult following. Now there's The Counter (8439 Park Meadows Center Drive), a similar concept that claims it's mathematically possible to create over 312,000 burger combinations from its roster of three patty sizes, three types of buns, 18 sauces, 10 different cheeses and 28 toppings. The 100 percent all-natural, certified humanely raised, hormone/antibiotic-free (got all that?) Angus beef burgers will start sliding across the countertops on Aug. 18.

* While I'm not lamenting the closing of the downtown location of Buca di Beppo (1400 Market St.), the abrupt departure of Mori Japanese Restaurant (2019 Market St.), a Denver stalwart since 1948, is disheartening. The now silent space, which had endured a series of ups and downs and numerous remodels throughout its 60 years in business, is flanked by a "for sale or lease" sign. If it's any consolation, Troy Guard, formerly of Ocean, Nine75 and Zengo, has signed a lease to take over the space at 1441 Larimer St., currently the home of Square One, a tony men and women's boutique. If all goes well, his new restaurant, TAG, will open in February '09.