Last fall, in early September, Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, jetted to Denver, his film crew on his heels, to film footage of an upcoming episode of his wildly popular television show, in which Zimmern stuffs his gullet with foodstuffs that some people would find peculiar.
He feasted on tacos from El Taco de Mexico and what he calls "stoner food" at the original Chubby's; he inhaled beasty buffalo nuts at Euclid Hall; he went in search of exotics at Asian markets around the city; he stomached a sausage or two at Biker Jim's; he went pheasant and jackrabbit hunting in Nunn; and he partook in a multi-course meal at Parallel Seventeen, Mary Nguyen's contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in Uptown, which hosted a blow-out dinner for the Denver Adventurous Eaters Club, a group of food-obsessed warriors led by Jon Emanuel, the executive chef of Project Angel Heart and an associate professor/chef instructor at Metro.
See also: - Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern arrives in Denver this weekend for an adventurous romp of eating - Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern eats his way through Denver - and Parallel Seventeen chef Mary Nguyen's fantastical menu - Sneak peek: The first ten minutes of Top Chef Seattle showcase Jorel Pierce
And on Monday night, you can join the throngs of fans who will gather to watch the Colorado episode, which airs at 7 p.m. and will be shown at both Euclid Hall and Parallel Seventeen.
Parallel Seventeen's viewing party begins at 6 p.m., and it'll have two flat-screen TVs tuned to the Travel Channel, plus a four-course, prix-fixe menu that showcases several of the dishes -- the coconut caterpillar torte, for example -- that chef-owner Mary Nguyen served at the Denver Adventurous Eaters Club dinner in September. That menu, priced at $55 per person, will also include balut, a fertilized chicken egg that exposes a nearly-developed embryo. In addition, she'll serve her regular menu for those of you who are squeamish. Tables, she warns, are booked until 8 p.m., but both menus will be available throughout the evening, and she'll continue to repeat the show until 10 p.m.
Euclid Hall's viewing party begins at 7 p.m., and it, too, will tune all of its tellies to the Travel Channel. When Zimmern was shooting in Denver, he was joined by chef Jennifer Jasinski, who also owns Euclid Hall (and Rioja and Bistro Vendome), the two of whom bonded in the kitchen while cooking a ball-busting menu created by Euclid Hall chef de cuisine Jorel Pierce. And Euclid Hall will feature one of Pierce's dishes -- Rocky Mountain oysters, both grilled and fried and served with jerked banana chutney, Fresno chiles, scallions and toasted sesame -- beginning on Monday and continuing through Friday, February 22.
If, on the other hand, you choose to watch the Mile High episode from the confines of your cushy couch, it's airing on Comcast channel 74, or HD 774.
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