Bryan Dayton

Some celebrity chefs are stars...and others, like Daniel Cofrades, cook for them

The term "celebrity chef" is as ubiquitous as pork belly, but I bet that if I asked ten people for a definition, I'd get ten different answers. To some, it means a nationally known chef with a mug you'd recognize from appearances on TV. Denver has a few of these, such as Keegan Gerhard of D Bar Dess ... More >>

Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski of Oak at Fourteenth reflect on their one-year milestone following a fire that left the restaurant in ashes

On March 9, 2011, Steve Redzikowski, co-owner and chef of Oak at Fourteenth, stood on the street in disbelief. The restaurant that he and his partner, Bryan Dayton, had opened four months prior in Boulder, was smoldering, the thick surges of smoke emblazoning the downtown Boulder skyline. It would t ... More >>

Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski of Oak at Fourteenth are opening Acorn in Denver

Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowki, the team behind Oak at Fourteenth, in Boulder, are opening a new restaurant in Denver next year. The duo, who spent months rebuilding Oak after a devastating fire all but gutted the acclaimed restaurant in March of 2011, will open Acorn in The Source, a 26,000 squa ... More >>

A celebration of American beer kicks off the calendar this week

American Craft Beer Week begins today, with dozens of beer-related events filling the calendar from now through May 20, including brewery tours, special releases, food-and-beer pairings and tap takeovers. Here's what else is on tap for this week:

Food & Wine unveils its 2012 cocktail book -- with recipes from two local bartenders

Each year Food & Wine releases a cocktail guide, which, in addition to being an anthology of recipes both classic and creative, is a window into the minds of some of the country's best bartenders and a reflection of current drink trends. This year's guide -- Food & Wine Cocktails 2012 -- just hit th ... More >>

The Colorado Bartenders Guild announces its newly elected board

To give the Colorado Bartenders Guild all the credit for Denver's flourishing cocktail culture would be wrong, says Sean Kenyon, owner of Williams & Graham and one of the founding members of this state's chapter. But it certainly helped. "We were officially chartered in February of 2008," he says, " ... More >>

Photos: Pig roast at Oak at Fourteenth

A snowstorm might not be the best weather for a pig roast, but that didn't prevent a crowd from descending on Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth last night for the restaurant's first quarterly pig roast, a new tradition that was slated to get off the ground the very week the six-month-old spot went up in f ... More >>

Oak at Fourteenth will host a quarterly pig roast

Since they first opened -- and re-opened -- then reopened Oak at Fourteenth, owners Bryan Dayton and chef Steve Redzikowski have tried to create a true neighborhood restaurant, pulling in crowds of regulars with their creative take on North American cuisine and an equally inventive beverage program. ... More >>

Bryan Dayton reflects on the year since the Oak at Fourteenth fire

A year ago, Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski were just hitting their stride at Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth, garnering national accolades in the process. And then on March 9, fire broke out in the chimney of the wood-burning oven, forcing Oak to close for months so that the entire space could be gu ... More >>

Mike Henderson: Be nice!

In this interview, Root Down bar manager Mike Henderson weighs in on the formation of the Colorado Bartenders Guild, counting to four and the rise of the beverage professional.

Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth now open for lunch

It's been just over a month since Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski reopened the doors of Oak at Fourteenth, revealing the space they had to rebuild after fire destroyed the original restaurant last spring. "Things have been going really well," Dayton says. "I mean, really well. It seems like every ... More >>

Two Colorado spots land on Food & Wine's fifty best bars in America roundup

Lori Midson​'Tis the season to get obliterated with family members and co-workers, and just in time for those special events, Food & Wine has released its list of the fifty best bars in the country. And while you're sure to find it a useful guide if you're headed out of state, you don't have t ... More >>

Oak at Fourteenth rolls out bottled housemade sodas, some with alcohol

Sarah Cowell​When Oak at Fourteenth shuttered last spring due to remodel after a fire, the staff and management seized a unique opportunity: While they scurried to get the restaurant rebuilt, they also spent the down months studying and creating so that when the place reopened, they'd be at th ... More >>

Foodography: Oak at Fourteenth reopens tonight

Sarah Cowell​Business at Boulder's six-month-old Oak at Fourteenth was on fire when the restaurant actually caught fire last spring, forcing owners Bryan Dayton and Steve Redzikowski to shutter their spot so that they could gut it and rebuild it from the ground up. It was a long road back, but ... More >>

Oak at Fourteenth will rise up from the ashes next week

After six months in business, Oak at Fourteenth was really building momentum this past spring, nabbing accolades from around the country that culminated in its listing in the March Food & Wine as one of the country's best new bars. That honor arrived the same week that a fire erupted in the flue of ... More >>

GQ's Men of the Year issue hits the stands featuring Colorado's own Bryan Dayton

Bryan Dayton, owner of Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth (which is under construction after a fire there this spring), flew to Vegas this fall and outdid dozens of mixologists from around the country to bring home a big first prize: He was named GQ Bombay Sapphire's most inspired bartender in the country. ... More >>

Ask the bartender: What's up with Colorado winning so many contests?

I just returned from a week in Manhattan (New York, not Kansas), where I worked at the BAR 5-day program. The BAR 5-day is a masters'-level spirits and mixology course taught by six men -- F. Paul Pacult, Steve Olson, Andy Seymour, David Wondrich, Doug Frost and Dale Degroff -- who are icons in our ... More >>

Restaurateur Leigh Sullivan on the making, evolution and success of the Denver chef clan known as The Five

Lori Midson​It was just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday when the car dropped me off at the James Beard House, the unassuming West Village brownstone that's the former home of the legendary late American chef and cookbook author, deemed the "dean of American cookery" in the New York Times, whose qu ... More >>

Six kick-ass Denver chefs, a stellar mixologist and one meaty sausage slinger: Foodography from the James Beard House dinner in New York

Lori MidsonTop from left to right: Tyler Wiard, Matt Selby, Bryan Dayton and Paul Reilly. Bottom from left to right: Mark DeNittis, Brandon Biederman, Jamey Fader and Enrique Socarras​When six Denver chefs, one bartender and, for good measure, a muscled and tatted sausage emperor all trotted ... More >>

James Beard House will host The Five -- and dinner prepared by ten Denver chefs

Jamey Fader and Tyler Wiard are back at the James Beard House.​Lori Midson is off on a mouth-watering mission: She's winging her way to New York City, where she'll attend tonight's dinner at the James Beard House being prepared by the Five -- which now comprises ten local chefs. The Five con ... More >>

Bryan Dayton brings home first place in the national GQ Bombay Sapphire cocktail competition

Lori Midson​The third time was the charm for Bryan Dayton, owner of Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth, which is currently being rebuilt after a spring fire: In his third national cocktail competition of the year, the bartender bested 47 other top-notch professionals from across the country to take h ... More >>

Oak at Fourteenth owner Bryan Dayton heads to third national cocktail competition of the year

Lori Midson​In the months since a massive fire consumed Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth, requiring a remodel that would strip the property to its studs, owner Bryan Dayton hasn't exactly been idling. The former president of the Colorado Bartenders' Guild has kept up with staff trainings, continued ... More >>

Lola's Don Julio bartending competition serves up "luxury drops"

Jenny AnBrian Melton's drink included coconut powder, maple agave, sea salt and toasted coconut.​Fourteen bartenders. Twenty minutes. One winner of an iPad. That was roughly the formula for the bartending competition Sunday night at Lola, sponsored by Don Julio. Using either Don Julio's Reposa ... More >>

The Colorado Cocktail Project will fill the MCA with drinks and discussion Sunday -- and here's your chance to win a free ticket

​ The Colorado Cocktail Project, with its mission to create the official Colorado Cocktail, will celebrate this state's most liquid assets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany Street. on Sunday and Monday, June 26-27. Dozens of bartenders submitted entries in the Colorado Cocktail C ... More >>

Colorado Cocktail Project: Last call for libations and lectures

​ The Colorado Cocktail Project, with its mission to create the official Colorado Cocktail, will celebrate this state's most liquid assets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany Street, on Sunday and Monday, June 26-27. Dozens of bartenders submitted entries in the Colorado Cocktail C ... More >>

Rainy day pick-me-up: The Gun Smoke at Madison Street

​Bryan Dayton is gearing up to rewrite the vodka martini-heavy drink list at Madison Street, and we can't wait to see what the bartender has in store. In the meantime, there's at least one cocktail already on the roster that we hope he considers keeping (and if he is going to nix it, we want t ... More >>

Tonight: FIVE dinner at Il Mondo Vecchio

Lori Midson​ Tonight, at 5 p.m., the crew of FIVE, a bumper crop of local chefs who cook their hearts out in Denver, at the James Beard House in New York and at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, are gathering at Il Mondo Vecchio for their second collaborative dinner of the year. And at the bar ... More >>

Bitter irony: Following a major fire, Oak at Fourteenth gets a major shout-out in Food & Wine magazine

Lori Midson​Talk about bitter irony. A mere two days after Oak at Fourteenth, one of Boulder's best new restaurants and bars, erupted in blazes after a "false" ceiling of the restaurant caught on fire, Food & Wine magazine released its listage of the country's best new bars -- and Oak at Fourt ... More >>

Fire breaks out at Boulder's Oak at Fourteenth

Tara Anderson​Part of the Pearl Street Mall has been evacuated after fire broke out this morning at Oak at Fourteenth, the recently opened restaurant owned by bartender Bryan Dayton, chef Steve Redzepi and general manager Annie Polk. Flames burst out in the attic, a space between the ceiling ... More >>

Two great dishes from the Fabrizio Iuli wine dinner Oak at Fourteenth

Laura Shunk​It was negative six degrees in Boulder two nights ago, but that didn't stop anyone from heading over to Oak at Fourteenth for the Fabrizio Iuli wine dinner, a five-course tasting event paired with all organic wines from Piedmont. The place was packed when we bellied up to the bar, ... More >>

Bryan Dayton and Randy Layman move on to the national 42Below Cocktail World Cup competition

Tyler Nemkov​At a Sunday night event featuring bizarro go-go girl oompa loompa hybrids, an old-timey popcorn machine and an announcer named DumpTruck, Oak at Fourteenth's Bryan Dayton and Steuben's Randy Layman proved to be the biggest attraction. Tyler NemkovOkay, so what would you call the ... More >>

Il Mondo Vecchio salumi world conqueror Mark DeNittis is the final member of FIVE

Lori MidsonMark DeNittis, the salumi king of Il Mondo Vecchio, completes the ring of FIVE​Earlier this week, we announced the bumper crop of super-talented local culinarians who were tapped to become the next ring of FIVE -- namely Paul Reilly (Encore), Brandon Biederman (Steuben's), Enrique ... More >>

FIVE inducts three new chefs and one awesome mixologist: Paul Reilly, Brandon Biederman, Enrique Socarras and Bryan Dayton

Lori MidsonFour of the new FIVE: Brandon Biederman, Bryan Dayton, Enrique Socarras and Paul Reilly. ​Last night at Roth Distributing, where state-of-the-art kitchens played house to some of Denver's top chefs and mixologists, Leigh Sullivan-Guard, the founder of FIVE -- a cartel of chefs who c ... More >>

Support a good cause and drink free at Steuben's and Oak at Fourteenth

​About this time of year, we throw moderation out the window, racking up the bills during holiday shopping and then alleviating our holiday-related stress with plenty of indulgent food and drinks. We're pretty shameless about sidling up to the buffet at every party we're invited to, going back ... More >>

Sips and nibbles from the just-opened Oak at Fourteenth

​Bryan Dayton first started talking about his own project six months ago, when he forewent an offer from then-beverage director James Lee at Happy's Bitter Bar, 835 Walnut Street, to pursue his own project. He'd teamed up with chef Steve Redzikowski and beverage distributor Annie Polk, and the ... More >>

Oak at Fourteenth opens tonight in Boulder

​ "Things are starting to look pretty official," says the caption under the Facebook photograph of the wooden sign hanging at Oak at Fourteenth, 1400 Pearl Street in Boulder. Official, indeed. After months of planning and renovations, the restaurant, a venture of Colorado Bartenders' Guild pr ... More >>

Tonight: Cuervo hosts Subterraneo at The Church, a party with free booze

​ Read carefully, because opportunities like this don't come around very often. Cuervo is celebrating the release of a tequila (or re-release, because the tequila is Tradicional Silver, the original recipe from 1975), and the liquor brand that a lot of us associate with nights of epic debauche ... More >>

Bryan Dayton reveals name of new restaurant

14th Street will soon be Oak at 14th​Bryan Dayton, president of the Colorado Bartenders Guild and former bar manager at Frasca Food & Wine, divulged the details of his forthcoming Boulder restaurant a couple of weeks ago, describing a menu rooted in North America supplemented with a geeky beve ... More >>

Interstate Kitchen Bar's Andre Lobato on a SWAT team invasion, eating a fried tarantula and the demise of some of Denver's best restaurants

Lori Midson ​ Andre Lobato Interstate Kitchen Bar 901 West Tenth Avenue 720-479-8829 www.interstaterestaurant.com "The idea, when we opened, was to accommodate industry people and chefs, bartenders, cab drivers, doctors, anyone who worked off hours," says Andre Lobato, explaining the orig ... More >>

Randall Layman's Tales of the Cocktail, last call

Randall Layman, a bartender at Vesta Dipping Grill, is just back from New Orleans, where he attended his first Tales of the Cocktail. We'll be printing his dispatches all week (read the first installment here).Taryn KapronicaThe Green Goddess​ Day five: Our last morning in New Orleans is prob ... More >>

Bryan Dayton skips Bitter Bar offer for his own project

​The Bitter Bar may not have needed much more momentum to rise to the top of the Colorado cocktail scene, but it was set to take another great leap forward when it locked in mixologist Bryan Dayton, the president of the Colorado chapter of the US Bartender's Guild, to craft libations behind th ... More >>

Cafe Society: Week in review

Lori MidsonMatt Mine, executive chef of Oceanaire​What you may have missed this week on Cafe Society, while checking out the Chef and Tell interview with Matt Mine, exec of the Oceanaire Seafood Room, who's fishing for a new girlfriend. Red Claw Seafood & Wings opened today in the former Pho ... More >>

Sean Kenyon raises the B.A.R. at Domaine De Canton competition

Nancy LevineSean Kenyon takes top spot at Domaine De Canton competition​ Last night Domaine de Canton and brand ambassador Bryan Dayton of Frasca hosted the semifinalist round of the Domaine de Canton bartender competition at TAG. Beyond bragging rights, the winner of the competition won a tri ... More >>

Barbabietola Affumicato at Frasca

Behind the bar, Bryan Dayton is a Frasca Star

Taste of the Nation mixologists shake, stir and pour for a good cause

Lori MidsonHoney smoked peach cocktail from TAG's Jared Boller At last night's Taste of the Nation event at Mile High Station, nine Colorado mixologists muddled, shook, stirred, poured, begged, stole and offered bribes to the throngs of charitable party-goers who voted with dollar bills and tokens ... More >>

Frasca Food & Wine hosts the hottest pastry chef ever

Jean Georges exec pasty chef Johnny IzzuiniTonight, at 5:30 p.m., Frasca Food & Wine, at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, is hosting a winemaker dinner with Jean Georges porn star exec pastry chef Johnny Izzuini, who also did time in several other celebrated New York kitchens, including Payard and ... More >>

Colorado Bartenders Guild hosts first cocktail competition

For Colorado bartenders, taxes aren't the only thing due on April 15. That's also the deadline for submitting recipes to the first cocktail competition of the year organized by the Colorado Bartenders Guild (COBG). And I'll be helping to judge the results at 6 p.m. April 26 at Trios Enoteca, along w ... More >>

A saucy toy drive at Steuben's

Steuben's will host a toy drive to benefit the Denver Rescue Mission tonight, beginning at 9 p.m. and running until about 2 a.m. And if you donate a toy, not only does God give you a pat on the back, but you receive a free cocktail or Great Divide beer! The cocktails are creations by eight of ... More >>