Twenty-Five Tastiest Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar June 6-10

Restaurants and bars around the world will be celebrating Negroni Week today through June 12, all to raise money for charitable causes. Many restaurants in Denver will be serving up the gin, Campari and vermouth drink, and donating $1 or more from each sale to charity; for info on participating spots, check out negroniweek.com. And once you've caught a good buzz for a good cause, pore over the culinary calendar, which is full of other worthwhile events around town this week.

Monday, June 6

For Negroni Week, The Nickel will not only serve a barrel-aged Nickel Negroni for $12, but will also feature a Negroni-inspired dessert: an orange-juniper sponge cake served in a rocks glass with Campari “styrofoam,” vermouth ice cubes and a freeze-dried tangerine. A buck from the sale of each cocktail and dessert will go directly to the American Cancer Society. For more information, contact the Nickel at 720-889-2128.   

Blue Island Oyster Bar is offering Buck-a-Shuck oysters every Monday from 11 a.m. to close. That means you can get $1 shucker's choice oysters all day long. Contact the restaurant at 303-333-2462 for reservations or more information. 

Starting today from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and continuing every weekday at the same time, Beast + Bottle will be offering Patio Pinks and Patio Plates, a rotating selection of rosé wines or Moscow Mules for $6 a glass, along with a menu of small bites for $3 that will only be available on the restaurant's patio. Guests can order the bites à la carte or buy six bites and get one free. For more information, contact Beast + Bottle at 303-623-3223.

Samuel Adams is bringing its Brewing the American Dream Pitch Room and speed-coaching events back to Denver today. In the Pitch Room, which is intended for small food and beverage business owners, a panel of judges will offer business owners advice on their sales pitches; one winning business will be invited to join competitors from around the country at the Boston finals in December, where they will compete for a $10,000 business grant and a year of extended coaching and mentoring from Samuel Adams. Following the Pitch Room, businesses and entrepreneurs can take part in speed-coaching, with the goal of solving specific problems related to sales and distribution, packaging, finance, e-commerce and more. The Pitch Room will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and speed-coaching will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m., both at Industry Denver. Find more information here. 

Today from 1 to 4 p.m., you can meet Illy Caffe's Master Barista, Giorgio Milos, who is flying in from Italy. During the meet-and-greet, you can enjoy complimentary coffee beverages. For more information, call Illy at 303-867-8100. 

Frasca Food and Wine welcomes guest Sara Pedrali, who will explore the wines of Bellavista. The Monday Night Wine Dinners are $50 for a four-course tasting menu, with optional wine pairings ranging from $40 to $50. Call Frasca at 303-442-6966 for reservations.

Tuesday, June 7 

The Crimson Room’s June Cocktail Class will focus on all things gin today. The monthly cocktail classes take place on the first Tuesday of each month, from 6 to 7 p.m., when $30 buys admission to the class, two cocktails, tips on mixing up great drinks, recipes to take home to re-create the cocktails, and more. To save your spot, call the Crimson Room at 720-639-6987.

Keep reading for more tasty events this week.

Wednesday, June 8 

The Inventing Room is launching a series of “Science of Ice Cream” demonstrations designed for kids, and the first will take place today from 11 a.m. to noon. Each free class will teach kids about carbon dioxide, liquid nitrogen ice cream and more. Space is limited to twenty kids, and reservations are required. Call 303-885-2802.

Backyard on Blake will host chef Brendan Russell of the Preservary, chef Ian Kleinman of the Inventing Room and chef Enrique Soccaras of Revelry Kitchen at the first Backyard on Blake Chef Experience. Each chef will prepare — and talk you through — a course and its drink pairing; Gypsy Swing Revue provides the tunes. The dinner, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight, is $75 per person. Purchase tickets and find more information, including the full menu, here.  

In celebration of all the hardworking nurses out there, Chipotle Mexican Grill is offering a special buy-one-get-one promotion today. All nurses who show a valid ID can receive a free burrito, burrito bowl, salad or order of tacos with the purchase of another menu item. The promotion is valid at any Chipotle location in the U.S. and Canada from 3 p.m. to close; head to your nearest Chipotle for more information. 

Firenze a Tavola will hold a community table wine dinner, highlighting "summery picnic wines," at 6:30 p.m. today. The dinner will feature four courses and four wines for $58 per person; make a reservation at 303-561-0234.  

Declaration Brewing will host a beer, cheese and meat pairing at 6:30 p.m. today, featuring four types of Italian cheese paired with Declaration Brewing beer, as well as a variety of meats. Tickets are $25; RSVP to [email protected] soon.   

Thursday, June 9 

Taste of the West will take over the Jefferson County Fairgrounds from 5 to 8 p.m today, featuring food, wine, spirits and craft beers from more than thirty vendors. Tickets are $20 and include unlimited food tastings and five beer, wine or spirits tastings. For tickets and more information, visit westchamber.org.   

Blanc, at 3150 Walnut Street, will be the scene for CigarB-Que, which will be smoking from 6 to 9 p.m. today. Chefs and bartenders from some of Denver's top restaurants will be cooking and shaking up food and drinks, and there will be cigars provided by Diamond Crown. Tickets are $75; get more info and buy them here.

EarthLinks is celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a Beer Tasting Garden Party from 6 to 8 p.m. today. The event will feature plenty of beers, an auction, food, a paper airplane game, an art show, and a chance to vote for your favorite brew. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door; get yours here.   

La Biblioteca's Tapas and Tequila event will feature Don Julio tequila today. Every second Thursday of the month, you can get a four-course tasting menu with tequila pairings for just $35. For reservations and more information, call the restaurant at 720-904-0965.  

From 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month, Black Shirt Brewing will be teaming up with Dead Dog Chocolate to showcase chocolate-and-red-ale pairings; $25 will get you four beers and four chocolates. Check out the event's Facebook page for more information.  


Friday, June 10 

Globe Hall will host Saucy: an Evening of Burlesque and Barbecue starting at 7:30 p.m. today. Set to blues, jazz, soul, funk and '60s rock, “Saucy” will feature sultry acts by some of Denver's top burlesque stars, as well as a card-throwing demonstration by world-record card-throwing champion Roger Lopez. General admission tickets are $10, VIP are $25 and include a pre-show barbecue dinner. Get tickets and more information here.  

In honor of the year it first opened as a butcher shop (1979), Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille is offering a 79-cent Pork Chop Friday lunch to the first 100 people in line today (21+ only). The restaurant opens at 11 a.m.; for more information, contact Perry's at 303-792-2571. 

Culinary experts Adrian Miller, Rob Corbari and Shauna Lott will lead a food­-focused presentation and tasting at during the Making the Mountain program at Lighthouse Writers Workshop from 8 to 9:30 p.m. today. Making the Mountain is a quarterly artist talk that features Colorado creatives speaking about their work; tickets to this round are $10. Get yours and learn more here. 

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

MCA Denver's Lookout Club debuts tonight, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the rooftop patio. Every Friday through the summer, the museum will feature a unique mashup of drinks and DJs with a theme; tonight's is "beer cocktails." Admission is $5 after 5 p.m.; visit mcadenver.org for more information. 

The Underwearness: Drop your Drawers and Run Wild, a 3K and obstacle course, will take place at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds from 6:30 to 10 p.m. today. All registered participants will have access to the after-party — complete with drinks, food vendors, live music by Boogie Mammoth, and an underwear toss with special prizes. Registration fees vary; you can register here. For more information, visit underweareness.com. 

Carolla Drinks, founded by comedian Adam Carolla, is putting on a Mangria bar crawl in Denver today. From 6 to 9 p.m. you can join hosts Lynette Carolla, Ray Oldhafer and the Carolla Lackeys at a brawl crawl with three stops and a live performance by Chris Laxamama. The crawl gets under way at 6 p.m. at The Next Door Lounge. Tickets are $30 and include a Mangria toast beverage, transportation throughout the event, and drink and food specials. For tickets and more information, visit corolladrinks.com. 

CU South Denver will bring whiskey and Westerns to the big screen today. Guests at Whiskey and a Western: High Noon, will enjoy a screening of High Noon, two drinks, popcorn and more. Tickets are $28 for adults, $23 for CU faculty and staff, and $18 for designated drivers. Get tickets and more information 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].