Twenty Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar in Denver June 13-17

Work hard, play hard: There are plenty of things to explore on Denver's culinary calendar this week, from new happy hours to grilling feasts. Keep reading for the tasty details of twenty of the best...

Monday, June 13 

During its regular hours, Parisi is televising all the European UEFA Soccer Championship games — and at 1 p.m. today, it will be showing Belgium v. Italy. During the game, you can order a "soccer championship deal," just $12 for a house draft and 11" margherita pizza. Find out more here.

Coohills is introducing a new summer happy hour from 3 to 6 pm. weekdays and 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, featuring $5 small plates designed by chef Tom Coohill, as well as a roster of $5 drinks. Adding to the deal's appeal: cheap parking and a great view from the patio. Find out more at coohills.com.

Frasca Food and Wine will be exploring the wines of Massican and Larkmead wineries with guest Dan Petrosk tonight. These Monday dinners are $50 for four courses — not including the optional wine pairings, which range from $45 to $50 per person. For reservations, call 303-442-6966.  

Tuesday, June 14 

The latest Dunkin' Donuts is opening at 5 a.m. today at 4800 West 121st Avenue in Broomfield, and grand-opening festivities will begin at 8 a.m., with a prize-wheel game and free medium coffee for all visitors between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Find out more at dunkindonuts.com.

The second annual Taste of the Broncos will land at Sports Authority Field at Mile High from 6:30 to 9 p.m. today. The gourmet tailgate experience will feature food and drinks from a bevy of Colorado restaurants — with Broncos players, cheerleaders, alumni and mascot Miles as sous-chefs — as well as live music and more. Tickets are $150; grab yours and get all the details at denverbroncos.com. Proceeds from the event will benefit Food Bank of the Rockies and Denver Broncos charities.

Beats on the Creek returns to Coohills. The outdoor summer concert series will kick off from 6:30 to 9 p.m. today with music by the Hazel Miller Band. Although the creek will be rocking all summer long, the event is about more than just music: there will be silent auctions, and a portion of the proceeds from each evening’s food and beverage sales will go to the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Colorado fulfill its potential economically, environmentally and socially. Check out the full concert schedule at coohills.com.   

The DaVinci Institute invites you to spend a Night With a Futurist, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight. The evening's discussion will focus on the future of beer and will be led by Michael Mosher, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Northern Colorado, and Dana Sedin, manager of the Analytic Lab at New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins. You can get $10 tickets by clicking here. 

Wednesday, June 15 

Harry and Ida’s, a New York City-based delicatessen, will host a one-day-only pop-up at The Source, starting at 11:30 a.m. today. While supplies last, executive chef and owner Will Horowitz will serve his award-winning Pop’s Pastrami sandwiches in the RiNo Yacht Club. For more information, contact the Source at 720-443-1135.   

The Inventing Room launched a series of “Science of Ice Cream” demonstrations designed for kids last week, and the series will continue today from 11 a.m. to noon. Each class will teach kids about carbon dioxide, liquid-nitrogen ice cream and more. The class is free, but space is limited and reservations are required; call 303-885-2802. 

Firenze a Tavola is holding a Vespa Raduno community-table dinner at 6:30 p.m. tonight. The multi-course, family-style dinner is $33 per person; you can save your seat at the table by calling 303-561-0234. 

New Belgium Brewing and Jax Fish House are teaming up to celebrate the brewery's 25th anniversary with a special beer dinner today. For the occasion, Jax chef Rickey Meyers will be roasting sustainably caught salmon over fire pits built from New Belgium half-barrel kegs, which will be served alongside a variety of other dishes, all paired with New Belgium beers. There will also be rare and limited-release beers. Tickets to the event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at the New Belgium Beer Garden in Fort Collins, are $85. Grab your tickets and check out the menu here.  

Keep reading for more culinary events.
Thursday, June 16 

The Town of Frisco’s 23rd annual Colorado BBQ Challenge will be smoking all weekend long. Today through Saturday, you can dig into top-notch barbecue from over seventy national barbecue masters. In addition to all the 'cue, the event will feature seven bands, pig races, kids’ activities, the second annual Fire Fighter Cook Off, food sampling and demos, the Breckenridge Distillery Whiskey Tour, the Bacon Burner 6k and more. Admission is free, but you'll want to bring cash for food and drinks. Visit townoffrisco.com for all the details.  

Gastronauts are heading to the hills for Aspen Food and Wine, and the Heritage Fire, which takes place today from 4 to 8:30 p.m. in Snowmass, will add fuel to the fire.  The live-fire feast will showcase over fifty chefs, butchers and reps of farms, distilleries, wineries and breweries, all working to turn 3,500 pounds of heritage-breed beef, pig, lamb, goat, lobster, squab, rabbit, duck, chicken, oysters and heirloom vegetables into a feast for the ages. Tickets are $125 for general admission and $200 for VIP; get yours and find more information at cochon555.com. 

Get wild during Do at the Zoo today. The annual fundraising event will feature food and drinks from over sixty of Denver's top restaurants, dancing, -animal encounters and more. Tickets to the Do, which kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Denver Zoo, are $175 per person. You can find tickets and more information at denverzoo.org. Proceeds from the event will benefit the zoo and all of its daily operations, including the care and feeding of nearly 4,000 animals.   

Adelitas Cocina y Cantina is hosting the Nuestra Soledad & El Jolgario One Night in Oaxaca dinner, starting at 7 p.m. tonight. Tickets are $75; find out more at adelitasdenver.com.

Friday, June 17 

Abend Gallery Fine Arts is hosting a young professionals' networking and blind wine-tasting event to support Dirt Coffee Bar, a nonprofit coffee truck with a mission of training and employing young adults with autism in Denver. The benefit will run from 6 to 9 p.m., and tickets are $35. Get your ticket and all the details here. 

Renegade Brewing Company, in partnership with Museo de las Americas, is holding a meet-and-greet with artist Saner, aka Edgar Flores, from 6 to 8 p.m. today. Your $25 ticket will get you access to a traditional taco bar and one beer; $1 from additional beer purchases will be donated to the Museo. Grab your ticket at museo.org. 

LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) is hosting the Amazing Traveling Silent Auction to benefit the Prom Dress Exchange every Friday through June at a different Denver location. Today the ladies will make a stop at Finn's Manor from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, check out the event's Facebook page.

A new event in the Cochon lineup, the Late Nite Asian Speakeasy Popup, will feature six star chefs from Washington, D.C., serving a five-course, Asian-inspired meal with wine pairings. The event takes place from 9 p.m. to midnight at Snowmass; tickets are $125. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Piggy Bank, a farm devoted to giving free heritage-breed pigs to family farmers. Find tickets and more information at cochon555.com. 

Old Town Lafayette's Art Night Out returns today. The street festival, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. every third Friday of the month through September along Public Road from Emma to Cannon streets, highlights local bands, beers, food and artists, with free children’s activities, a wine-and-beer garden, 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. 

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].