Twelve Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar for Denver, September 6-10

The short work week doesn't mean a shortage of tasty events around Denver over the next few days. Today marks the start of Denver Food & Wine festivities, for example, and the culinary calendar also includes special dinners and cocktail competitions. Keep reading for the delicious details on the twelve tastiest events this week.

Tuesday, September 6 

The twelfth annual Denver Food & Wine Festival brings a variety of culinary events to town, starting today and continuing through Sunday, September 11. Things kick off with tonight's Culinary Cinema Night, featuring a screening of For Grace and appearance by star chef Curtis Duffy at the Sie FilmCenter. The festivities through the week include a cocktail reception,  Dinner Under the Stars, Rise and Dine brunch, and the Grand Tasting on Saturday, September 10. For tickets and a complete schedule of events, visit denverfoodandwine.com.    

Carmine’s on Penn will be hosting a fundraising dinner for the Delores Project, which provides shelter for homeless women and transgender individuals, from 5 to 9 p.m. today.  You can choose three courses from the restaurant's full menu for $45 per person, with $30 from each dinner and 50 percent of beverage sales donated to the Delores Project. For reservations, call Carmine's at 303-777-6443.  

The Crimson Room's 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 in today's class, call the Crimson Room at 720-639-6987.

Wednesday, September 7 

Backyard on Blake is holding a Rooftop Farm to Table Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. today. Dine under the stars on the rooftop deck at Backyard on Blake with locally sourced food, wine pairings and live music. Tickets for the dinner are $55 and include a bag of produce to take home;  grab yours here. 

Firenze a Tavola will be exploring Nebbiolo wines with guest speaker Angelo Rosalia of Brava Wines at a wine dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $58; call the restaurant at 303-561-0234 for reservations.  
BookBar will host Vincent Tropepe, the celebrity chef dubbed the "American-born Gordon Ramsay," for a signing of his new book, In My Whites. Admission is free; find out more at  303-443-2227.


Thursday, September 8 

Euclid Hall is preparing for the Great American Beer Festival with a series of beer dinners leading up to the big event. This week the restaurant teams up with Call to Arms Brewing Company. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and is $65; grab your tickets here.   

La Loma, which won't move downtown until next month, is throwing a Broncos tailgate party starting at 4 p.m. today. The tailgate includes $8 Don Julio margaritas, $5 draft beers and $3 burritos, as well as a DJ, cornhole and giant Jenga. A shuttle will run to the game every twenty minutes. For more information, call La Loma at 303-433-8300.   

Keep reading for more events on Friday.

Friday, September 9 

Colorado Startup Brews will bring over thirty home-brewed beer startups to the McNichols Building for a brewing competition today. The event, described as "a mini Great American Beer Festival for the Denver startup community," will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Registration is $25 and includes unlimited beer samples and a commemorative tasting glass; register and learn more here. All proceeds will go directly to the Dear Jack Foundation.  

Oktober comes to Breckenridge early this year, as the town celebrates 22 years of Oktoberfest. The event, which runs through Sunday, will feature German fare, dancing, music, games and, of course, plenty of beer. For more information, visit gobreck.com.    

Spend a Southern-inspired evening on the Pepsi Center grounds during The Shakedown, from 6:30 to 9:30 this evening. For $55 you'll get cocktails from some of Denver's best bartenders (you can vote for your favorite), soulful bites and live jazz music. You can find tickets and more information here.  

The Bartender in Residence series culminates with a cocktail competition at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. The fun begins at 6 p.m. and is free for members, $5 for non-members after 5 p.m. (which includes a chance to tour the museum). DJ Occidental will provide the tunes; find out more at the MCA website.

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].