Thirteen Tastiest Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar, April 11-15

This week's culinary calendar is brimming with goodness. Over the next few days, you can find out about the birth of sake while doing a little sake tasting yourself; support a local charity during an all-star chefs' dinner at Lola; learn about some of Denver's greatest food failures; and dig into much more. Keep reading for all the tasty details.  

Monday, April 11

Cook Street School of Culinary Arts will showcase its students' skills during the school's version of restaurant week, which gets under way today and runs through April 15. Each evening, the Cook Street Cafe will be transformed into a fully functioning restaurant where students will prepare a three-course meal under the guidance of Cook Street's chef instructors. Dinner is $25; check out the menu and make reservations here.

The Frasca Food and Wine team — Bobby Stuckey, Matthew Mather and Carlin Karr — will hand-select the wines for this week's Monday Night Wine Dinner; the kitchen will create a course to go with each one. Call Frasca at 303-442-6966 for reservations.

Tuesday, April 12 

The Colorado Restaurant Association and the Denver Film Society have teamed up for a special screening of The Birth of Sake at 6 p.m. today at the Sie FilmCenter. Hosted by Marc Hughes, brewer and owner of Denver’s own Gaijin 24866, the film will be followed by a sake tasting and sake cocktails sponsored by Southern Wine & Spirits. There will also be sushi burritos provided by Komotodo, popcorn samples by SkinnyPop, and edamame tastes from EdaMovie. Tickets are $50; get them at denverfilm.org.   

Frasca Food and Wine dives into the wines of the Loire Valley for the final region in the restaurant's Istituto Frasca per Il Vino series. Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey offers the class from 6 to 8 p.m. today or Thursday; tuition is $255. To reserve a spot, contact Erin Pommer at 303-442-0608 or at [email protected].   

Keep reading for more events this week.

Wednesday, April 13 

Lola will host the ninth annual Dos Casas benefiting Brent’s Place from 5:30 to 10 p.m. tonight. Founding chef/co-owner Jamey Fader will share his kitchen with an all-star lineup of some of Denver’s best chefs for an evening of food, fine wine, live music, a silent auction, raffles and more. The twelve participating chefs will collaborate on a five-course meal with passed appetizers, and each course will be paired with a wine. Tickets are $186, which covers two nights of housing for a Brent's Place family. Get tickets or find out more at doscasas.org.  

Thursday, April 14 

FuckUp Nights — the global program in which stories of failed businesses and projects are told, questioned and celebrated — kicks off from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight in Denver at Globe Hall. Justin Cucci of Root Down, Linger and Ophelia's will be featured, along with Danielle ‘Kiwi' Schloffel, Joey Bullock, Aaron Ray and Matt Fajohn. Tickets are $10, which includes a PBR; the series will continue to pop up every third Thursday of the month. For tickets and more information, click here.

Lala's Wine Bar + Pizzeria will hold a dinner featuring the beers of New Belgium Brewing today at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include three courses and a welcome beer. Save your seat and check out the menu here.    

Avion Tequila will be in the spotlight during La Biblioteca's Tapas and Tequila event starting at 7 p.m. this evening. Diners can try a four-course tasting menu with Avion pairings for $35; call the restaurant at 720-904-0965. 

Interstate Kitchen & Bar will host a special whiskey paired dinner with Jack Daniel's brand ambassador Eric Tecosky. The meal starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $50; call 720-479-8829.

In celebration of its first anniversary, from 4 to 11 p.m. today Max's Wine Dive will offer a special prix fixe menu for $40, with an optional #birthdaybubbles pairing for an additional $30. Call the restaurant at 303-593-2554. 

From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today, Nosh & Posh will roll into Civic Center Park, filling the space with food and fashion. This is the last event of the season; for more information, head to civiccenterconservancy.org.

Friday, April 15 

Traveler and culinary adventurer Peggy Markel will be leading a Moroccan cooking class today at Food Lab, 1825 Pearl Street in Boulder. The cooking class features a complete cultural experience, with stories, music, visuals and a sit-down meal with paired wine. Tuition is $95; get all the details at foodlabboulder.com.

Pancakes and Booze brings together two pretty great things in one great event. The underground-art show will feature more than eighty artists, live body painting, free pancakes, live music performances and more, starting at 8 p.m. tonight at City Hall. Admission is $5 at the door; for more information, check out pancakesandbooze.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].