🛴 Are Lyft scooters leaving Denver?

🚩 Beware of Deepfake Political Messaging

Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser is warning the public to be on the lookout for election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence. Colorado recently introduced a first-of-its-kind law on AI regulation. [Axios Denver]

• Fact-check: Here are some tips on how to spot a misleading or untruthful political ad. [Hey Denver]

🛴 Are Lyft Scooters Leaving Denver?

Lyft says it's ending its dockless scooter program — you know, the scooters that can be left just anywhere — to instead focus on e-bikes and scooters with docking stations. The company, which operates about half of the city’s scooters, has not yet said if it will bring docking stations to Denver, or leave the city altogether. [Denverite]

⛽ What If There Were No More Gas Stations?

Denver City Council is pondering a moratorium on the construction of new gas stations in certain neighborhoods in an effort to slow car-centric development. But what would it actually mean to ban one type of business in the Mile High City? [City Cast Denver 🎧]

🚘 Local Gig Drivers Want to Be Their Own Boss

Colorado rideshare drivers are taking their livelihoods into their own hands with the brand new Co-Op Colorado app — a local employee-owned rideshare service app that aims to offer fairer, more transparent working conditions than Lyft or Uber. [Westword]

• A mind-boggling tidbit: Westword cites a recent study that found gig drivers in Colorado only get about 14% of what customers pay for the ride 😳

Last year, for the first time, five Colorado restaurants were added to the exclusive world-famous fine dining portfolio that is the Michelin Guide. This year, only one additional restaurant was invited to join the prestigious rankings: Alma Fonda Fina.

You’ve likely heard of the contemporary Mexican newcomer from the rave reviews it’s garnered online and in local media. (Fellow Michelin star-holder chef Michael Diaz de Leon praised Alma Fonda Fina in a conversation we had with him last year! 🎧) So we called up Alma Fonda Fina’s chef/owner Johnny Curiel to ask him about this shiny new accolade, and what it means for the restaurant’s loyal Denver diners.

Tell us about the moment you found out you’d earned a star:

I found out exactly when everybody else found out. Nobody lets you know early. Nobody gives you a head’s up. I found out on Monday at 7:30 in the morning with my wife and my son. We were sitting in the bed and then we opened our email and we saw “Alma Fonda Fina gets a star.” And damn, it was a shock moment. I was crying. My wife was crying.

I'm still on cloud nine. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I was going to get a star — if my goal was to get a star — I would have said no. Like, I just want to share my story. I just want to be a great chef.

Denver eaters have been debating value for months — arguing that it's too expensive to go out to eat and that some restaurants are charging too much. How do you think about providing ‘good value’ to your customers?

To me, value doesn't just come from a big plate with a lot of food. I think people see value as the experience; the way that they're treated. People will forget what an item tasted like, but they will never forget how you made them feel. [People want to say], “Wow, I got this amazing experience, for under 200 bucks.”

Everybody's been asking if there’s going to be a price increase at Alma. But no. I made a commitment when I opened this restaurant to be true to who we are. You're still going to be able to come into Alma from 2-5 p.m. and enjoy our happy hour menu — no price increase.

For someone that’s never been to Alma Fonda Fina, what’s the first-visit must-order?

The Camote Asado. That's been our core menu item and it will never go anywhere. It's an agave roasted sweet potato with a fennel whipped requesón and a broken salsa matcha.

Hear more from Chef Curiel on winning the star, how much business has spiked, and his favorite places to eat in the city right now 👀