Cheese curds at Wally's.
Mark Antonation
The cheese lobby has been hard at work, and Monday, October 15, is yet another national food day. And while we're painfully bored of writing about random food specials, we're including this one because there's nothing that unites us as a nation like fried cheese curds. Wally's Wisconsin Tavern, 1417 Market Street, is offering everyone's favorite deep-fried dairy product for half-price. Just $4 will get you a basket of the bar food that belies the claims of cardiovascular health for vegetarian diets. Doors open at 3 p.m.; find out more on Facebook.
Tuesday, October 16
Think it's too chilly to enjoy a scoop of ice cream? Not if you pair it with whiskey. Cozy up with a whiskey flight at West End Tavern, 926 Pearl Street in Boulder, at its Whiskey and Ice Cream Tasting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16. Laws Whiskey House and Sweet Cow are teaming up to offer six sweet desserts (vanilla, Dutch chocolate, salted caramel, butter pecan, Butterfinger and vanilla cornflake cookie) with six stiff drinks. Call the bar at 303-444-3535 to secure your spot for just $20.
Wednesday, October 17
There are few things as deeply satisfying as chewy, flavorful homemade pasta; our only quibble with the Italians is that they don't actually eat it for every course at every meal. Luckily, Coperta, 400 East 20th Avenue, is rectifying this oversight on Wednesday, October 17, when it will serve a four-course pasta tasting menu for just $39. While the menu includes some familiar dishes — spaghetti cacio e pepe (spaghetti with black pepper and Romano cheese) and ravioli al pato (duck confit ravioli with apple and brown butter sauce) — there will also be some more unusual dishes, like mbruscianta al forno (a baked Calabrian pasta with sausage, tomato and cured egg yolk) and lorighittas al sepia negra (lasso-shaped pasta with squid ink and fennel seed). The impeccable Italian eatery opens for lunch at noon; reserve a table at copertadenver.com.
Here's an idea for true pasta-farians: time your reservations right and hit a noodle two-fer. Rioja's also doing up National Pasta Day on Wednesday, October 17, with a five-course tasting menu that even includes a pasta dessert: chocolate cannelloni with marsala crème anglaise and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Other delights include red wine tortellini stuffed with fontina potato purée, lemon goat cheese gnocchetti, Broncos’ pride soprese (think blue and orange), and corzetti stampi with waygu beef and chanterelles. Reserve by calling 303-820-2282, then get your noodle on at 1431 Larimer Street. Tasting all five courses will run you $60, but you can indulge in the individual dishes for $9, $12, $15, $15 and $9, respectively.
Thursday, October 18
Everyone's favorite Mexican and champion of Den-Mex cuisine, Gustavo Arellano (author of Ask a Mexican and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America), is making an appearance down south on Thursday, October 18 — way, way down south, at the El Pueblo History Museum, 301 North Union Street in Pueblo. As part of History Colorado's Borderlands exhibition, Arellano is delivering a lecture, "Mexican Food Along the Borderlands (That Even Extend to Colorado)." Doors open at 6 p.m. with coffee and biscochitos, followed by the free lecture at 6:30 p.m. that will explore the idea of "real" versus inauthentic Mexican food in America. Details are up at historycolorado.org.
Friday, October 19
Beer drinkers in the Centennial State are spoiled for choice; given the wealth of local breweries in Denver alone, it's easy to exist inside a Colorado craft-beer bubble and turn up our noses at offerings from elsewhere. But sometimes it's a good idea to see what's going on in the outside world, which is why we're recommending the definitively named The Festival, presented by beer importers Shelton Brothers, Inc. Denver Rock Drill, 1717 East 39th Avenue, is playing host to the beery shenanigans from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 19, and again from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 20. While a few breweries from our state will be making an appearance, you'll want to show up for beers from locations as far-flung as Jordan, Estonia and Sweden. Tickets, $75, are still available on the Shelton Brothers website.
Keep reading for upcoming food and drink events.
Ian Kleinman moves through life constantly surrounded by a cloud of liquid nitrogen.
Mark Antonation
We've written about MCA Denver's Dinner Society before; the meals are always impressive and the setting enjoyable. But the next installment in the series promises to raise the bar even higher: Ian Kleinman (of the Inventing Room) will be cooking a meal inspired by Tara Donovan's Fieldwork exhibit. The entire museum, 1485 Delgany Street, is currently taken over by Donovan's elaborate and engrossing site-specific sculptures, and there's no one in Denver we'd rather see interpret her vision on a plate than the wildly creative Kleinman. Tickets, $125, include a tour of the exhibit as well as a three-course meal (miso crepe with lemon crab, béchamel, coconut caviar and saltwater bubbles; hoisin and orange sous-vide pork with black-tea jelly and smoked potatoes; and mousse with peanut butter Pop Rocks, nitro puffed rice and a sugar slinky) and drinks from the Family Jones. Reserve your seat at eventbrite.com before tickets are gone like a puff of liquid nitrogen.
Arcana is hosting a chablis brunch on November 4 as part of the Boulder Burgundy Festival.
Danielle Lirette
If you want to improve your knowledge of French wine (or French geography, as the two go hand in hand), consider attending the Boulder Burgundy Festival from Thursday, November 1, through Sunday, November 4. The four-day fair will include an old and rare burgundy tasting and silent auction; a beaujolais wine seminar; meals at Corrida, Mateo, Frasca and Arcana; and the finale, a Grand Tasting. Still not sure if you want to attend? Let's make it simple: You'll be drinking pinot noir, chardonnay and gamay. Event prices start at $85 and are on sale now at the Festival's website.
Carrot ravioli from the Bindery, which is celebrating its first anniversary November 2.
Lucy Beaugard
In the past year, The Bindery, 1817 Central Street, has established itself as one of the most creative eateries in Denver — and one of the few places we know of where you can always find rabbit on the menu. And on Friday, November 2, the kitchen is celebrating its first birthday with an epic dinner party. Starting at 6 p.m., apps will start coming out of the kitchen as a live band takes the stage. Tickets, $125, are on sale at eventbrite.com; if you don't want to commit to a full meal (why not, though?), show up between 3 and 6 p.m. for a community happy hour, with complimentary apps and the bar's excellent cocktails for sale.
If you know of a date that should be on this calendar, send information to [email protected].
