From Beer to Beaujolais, Fifteen Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar

Take your mind off of that brutal Broncos loss in the best way possible, by eating—and drinking—until you feel better. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to satiate your appetite and quench your thirst this week. Keep reading for all the tasty events on this week's culinary calender.  

Monday, November 16

Frasca Food and Wine will be exploring the wines of Encantada with Andrew Larson in tonight's Monday Night Wine Dinner, which features dishes from chef/co-owner Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson’s seasonal menu. Frasca co-owner and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey will also be on hand.The Monday Night Wine Dinners are $50 per person for four courses, not including the optional wine pairings, which range from $40 to $50 per person. For reservations and more information, call Frasca at 303-442-6966.

The tenth annual First Bite Boulder restaurant week continues through Saturday. Over forty Boulder restaurants will be serving special, three-course menus for just $29 per person—some for even less. For more information, including a complete list of participating restaurants, check out firstbiteboulder.com.  

Hideaway Kitchen + Bar is hosting a five-course Spanish Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m. A seat is $75 per person, excluding tax and gratuity; for reservations, contact the restaurant at 303-526-0556. 

Dickens Opera House will be showing The Princess Bride at the Monday Night Movie and Tap Takeover. The 1987 classic film will be shown alongside beers from Odd 13 Brewing. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 7:30. Admission is free; for more information, click here. 

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse will be smoking tonight for the restaurant's Woodford Reserve and El Toty Cigar Dinner, featuring cigars, small batch bourbon with passed appetizers and a three-course dinner accompanied by live music. Cigar roller Edel Gomez, owner of Sanchez Gomez Cigars, will be on hand; diners can try three El Toty cigars, and take home a cigar rolled by Edel Gomez himself.  You can save your seat, $145, by calling Del Frisco's at 303-796-0100.


Tuesday, November 17 

PlainSmart Clinic, at 401 West Hampden Place, will hold a "Holidays Gone Healthy" Seminar today. Lindsey Roth, RDN, a registered dietitian for PlainSmart, will teach participants how to navigate the upcoming holiday meals in a healthy way, without sacrificing flavor. The hour-long seminar will be offered at two times: 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.  You can RSVP here; admission is $6.27, which includes a recipe book of holiday recipes with a healthy twist.

Arugula is holding a Barolo Wine dinner tonight at 6:30 p.m., featuring a five-course meal with five pairings. The cost is $99 and reservations are required; call the restaurant at  303-443-5100. 

Wednesday, November 18  

Zengo is introducing a new menu featuring over twenty new dishes inspired by chef Richard Sandoval’s recent visits to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Thailand. In celebration, the restaurant will hold a meet-and-greet VIP cocktail reception with Sandoval from 5 to 7 p.m. today; starting at 7 p.m., Zengo will serve a three-course dinner that features the new Culinary Tour menu. Dinner is $65; for reservations and more information, call Zengo at 720-904-0965. 

Firenze a Tavola will be focusing on the warming powers of "spoon food" for the restaurant's final community table meal of 2015. As winter approaches and the cold sets in, Firenze will be serving up a family-style, four-course meal to warm your bones at 6:30 p.m. tonight. The dinner is $33; call the restaurant at 303-561-0234. 

The Colorado Springs Vegan & Vegetarian Group is putting on a Quick and Easy Vegan Holiday Meals Cooking Class from 6 to 8 p.m.today at the Ivywild School in Colorado Springs. The course will teach students to whip up vegan and plant-based recipes in a flash, just in time for the upcoming holidays. Tuition is $20; register and learn more here. 

Thursday, November 19

The seventeenth annual Beaujolais & Beyond Festival takes place at Mile High Station from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. today. The event, which celebrates the arrival of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine to the Rocky Mountain Region, will feature a live performance by Imagination Arts Circus, a culinary challenge highlighting twenty Colorado chefs creating French-inspired dishes paired with Beaujolais Nouveau wine, plenty of drinks and more. The fundraising event benefiting the French American Chamber of Commerce is $70 in advance, $80 at the door; for tickets and more information, click here. 

Friday, November 20


MCA Denver will hold a special edition of the museum's Bartender in Residence program in celebration of Marilyn Minter's Pretty/Dirty exhibition. Guest bartender A. Minetta Gould of Ste. Ellie will be mixing up some pretty dirty cocktails on the museum's rooftop from 5 to 9 p.m.  Admission is $5, free for museum members. For more information, visit mcadenver.org.

The team behind Bru Frou will be putting together more boozy pairings today during MMMixer, featuring 33 mixologists and and chefs collaborating on unique cocktail and culinary pairings. Distilleries from across the state will bring their small batch whiskies, which will serve as the key ingredient in cocktails to be paired with food by the likes of Euclid Hall, Second Home, Butcher's Bistro and more. The event will take over Mile High Station from 6 to 9 p.m. today. Tickets are $65 for a full-pairing ticket, or $45 for dining only. Tickets and more information can be found at mmmixer.com.   

In an effort to raise awareness of men’s health issues, the second annual Movember Stache Bash at the Tavern Downtown will feature a DJ, games, a photo booth, prizes, an award for best mo, $5 Guinness specials and plenty of mustachioed gents and ladies (with faux-staches, we hope). The party will be rocking from 6 to 10 p.m. today, and there is no cover to attend. For more information, call the Tavern at 303-299-0100.

The Merchants of West Washington Park present  Beaujolais Nouveau Night from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. tonight on Historic Grant Avenue. The event will feature wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, an auction and more. Funds raised will go to support neighborhood schools and community projects.  Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.   

For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected].