Maybe the weather will cooperate and it will be nice enough to dine outside at Beast + Bottle.
Danielle Lirette
Beast + Bottle is no stranger to locally sourced meat and veg, but it's upping the ante on Friday, May 26, by hosting guest chef Joshua McFadden, owner of Ava Gene's in Portland and author of Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables. Chef and co-owner Paul C. Reilly will be cooking alongside McFadden, re-creating recipes from the cookbook including papardelle with fava beans and pistachio pesto and lamb with cucumber, apricots, celery and pistachios. The dishes will be available à la carte, so you won't be committed to an entire menu, but if you're interested, make your reservation soon; the tiny restaurant fills up quickly on weekend nights.
Jax Fish House at 650 South Colorado Boulevard in Glendale is kicking off the summer a little differently — not with a barbecue, but with a flashback to the ’80s (that's the 1980s, not the 1880s, for all you mustachioed gents out there). On Friday, May 26, the rooftop patio will be taken over by live music from the Goonies, who will also serve as judges for a costume contest. Even if you're generally not the type to don retro gear, you may want to consider it: The winner gets free crab for a year. Doors open 5 p.m.; check out the details on Jax's website.
Saturday, May 27
We're loathe to write about The Pressed Conference, as last year's inaugural event was the one of the best hidden gems in town, with plenty of room to move around and surprisingly short lines for the many craft ciders represented. But we're here for the greater good, so if you like cider, you won't want to miss out on this festival. Head over to the Highlands Masonic Center, 3550 Federal Boulevard, on Saturday, May 27, from 2 to 5 p.m., when more than twenty cideries (including local favorites Stem Ciders and Colorado Cider Co.) will be pouring dry, sweet, semi-sweet, off-dry and all manner of the fruit-based beverages. Just $45 will get you unlimited tastes, lawn games and live music; get your tickets at the event website.
Hygge has finally overtaken the food world. If difficult-to-pronounce Danish aesthetics are your jam, don your chunkiest knit sweater (gray or cream only, please) and head over to the Milston Well Farm (or farmette, as it's referred to by its owners) in Longmont on Saturday, May 27, for a Hygge Dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Chef Kevin Grossi, owner of the the Regional, will be cooking five courses paired with cocktails — there's also an open bar — and you'll be treated to a "hygge table experience," which we can only assume means there will be mandatory cuddling with your neighbors at the community table. Tickets are $135 on Hygge Life's website.
Sunday, May 28
We're at peak farmers' market right now: You can't walk down a neighborhood street on a Saturday morning without tripping over handmade-soap vendors, piles of leeks and herds of children with sparkly flowers painted on their temples. Add Slow Sundays to the fray: The market kicks off on Sunday, May 28, and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Sunday through October at The Source, 3350 Brighton Boulevard. This week's roster includes Acorn Barbecue, Comal, Epicurean Butter and Heirloom Tomato Farms. But the best thing about this market? It starts late, so you can get brunch in before before checking out the goods.
For more events, go to the Westword calendar.
