Ten Tastiest Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar, May 20-22

Beer enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to this weekend, including a couple of beer festivals, a Denver Comic Con beer release and more. But beer is not the only thing filling the weekend's culinary calendar. From doughnuts to dumpsters, there's something for every taste in Denver. Keep reading for the delicious details.

Friday, May 20

The ninth season of Old Town Lafayette's Art Night Out gets under way today with a performance by local band Grant Farm. The street festival, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. along Public Road from Emma to Cannon streets, highlights local music, beer, food and more. Every third Friday of the month from May through September, Art Night Out will feature a beer-and-wine garden, artist booths, free children’s activities and six food trucks. Various Old Town restaurants, shops, galleries and coffee shops will offer live music, art demonstrations and more in conjunction with the Art Night Out events. For more information, click here. 

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse will host a Spring Wine Experience featuring the wines of Chimney Rock at 7 p.m. The multi-course wine dinner is $200 per person; call the restaurant at 303-796-0100 for reservations. 

Breckenridge Brewery will release Snape-ricot, the winner of its "Name the Comic Con Beer," during a release party at Stoney's starting at 7:30 p.m. this evening. The first 200 people to order a Snape-ricot will be given a limited-edition pint glass featuring the beer's custom-label artwork. You can meet Frankie Serna, the artist behind the label, and there will be live music. For more information, go to breckbrew.com.  
Saturday, May 21 

The Downtown Aquarium will be swimming in brews during today's Craft Beer Festival. From 1 to 4 p.m. you can dive into beers from sixteen breweries; the event also features food samples, activities, music, giveaways and more. Tickets are $45 in advance, $49 the day of the event; grab yours here.

Rialto Cafe is bringing back Brewers Alley today. From 4 to 8 p.m., the alley between Curtis and Champa streets off the 16th Street Mall will be transformed into a beer fest, complete with ten craft breweries, live music, appetizers, lawn games and more. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Denver's Road to Work program. Purchase your tickets and learn more here.

Keep reading for more tasty events on the culinary calendar.
More on Saturday, May 21

Whiskey Throwdown & Doughnut Showdown will showcase two of everyone's favorite vices at Cluster Studios today. The event will feature a doughnut-hole-eating competition, samples from some of the best distilleries and doughnut dispensaries around, and even gluten-free and vegan options. Ten lucky guests will also win free doughnuts for life! There will be two sessions: one from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and one from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person; purchase them here.  

Dumpster Dinner and Dumpster Dance challenges some of Denver's top chefs to create a gourmet meal from wasted food. The event will kick off at 5 p.m. tonight with an Iron Chef-style culinary battle featuring four local chefs working to create masterpieces from unwanted produce. At 7 p.m., get on your feet for a dance complete with buffet, locally crafted drinks, live music from Rob Drabkin and AMZY, and entertainment by acrobatic bartenders and fire spinners. Tickets to both the Dumpster Dinner and Dance are $175, or you can attend just the dance for $50; buy yours at dumpsterdinner.com. The event, which takes place at Overland Crossing, 2205 South Delaware Street, will benefit We Don’t Waste, a nonprofit that collects unused food from venues, caterers, restaurants and other food purveyors and distributes the food to Denver’s underserved populations. 

Food-activist organization March Against Monsanto will lead thousands of activists around the world in a “March Against Monsanto” today. Here in Denver, you can join the march starting at 11 a.m. at the Colorado State Capitol Building. There will be speakers, music, educational activities, kids' activities, face painting, a march down the 16th Street Mall, vendor booths and more. For details, visit mamdenver.org.  

Sunday, May 22 

Root PR has teamed up with international food and travel photojournalist Ron Stern of the Global Gumshoe  to host two food and beverage photography workshops; the first will be held today at Zeal. From 3 to 5 p.m., Stern will teach you all about photographing food and drinks with your smartphone, including camera basics, lighting fundamentals, composition, subject matter and styling. The class is $40 and includes food and drinks to both shoot and enjoy. Call Root's Kuvy Ax at 720-329-7327 or e-mail [email protected], to reserve your spot. 

KOSI 101.1 presents classic films and tasty brunch offerings twice a month at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Today the theater will be screening Casablanca at 11 a.m. Tickets are $40 and include brunch, a cocktail and exclusive shopping deals at Aspen Grove. Get tickets at drafthouse.com. 
  
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].