Make some fresh pasta, kick off festival season with a new kind of event, get a free baking lesson and score some last-minute treats for Mom this weekend. Then keep reading for future events to plan for, plus ongoing online happenings.
If you haven't yet made it in to Attimo's tasting room (it just opened in January), now you can get a peek when you pick up your Pasta Party package.
Courtesy Attimo
Starting Friday, May 8, new Denver winery Attimo, at 2246 Larimer Street, is bringing on Rebel Bread baker/owner Zach Martinucci for a series of online classes that will pair perfectly with Attimo's Italian varietals. Every Friday through May 29, the Pasta Party series tackles a different fresh pasta or bread recipe. First up: northern Italian flatbreads tigella and piadina, followed by hand-rolled pasta (you'll learn ten different shapes), gnocchi and sfoglia. Each class is $30 (including instruction and recipes); you can also add on ingredient kits, snacks and side dishes for $2 to $12, and bottles of wine starting at just $15. Sign up on Attimo's website.
Saturday, May 9
Yes, you're stuck inside, and yes, you've reached the end of the Internet. But that doesn't mean you can't still have fun online. The Front Porch Festival kicks off what would have been the start of festival season on Saturday, May 9, with a full day of music, art, food and drink — all of it streaming online from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. For $25, you'll get access to cooking demos of seared squash with Honduran sofrito from chef Edwin Sandoval of Xatrucho; chocolate hazelnut babka from Safta pastry chef Liliana Myers; beer and wine tastings from Joyride Brewing and Infinite Monkey Theorem (beverages aren't included, but they're available for pre-order); a cocktail hour led by Death & Co.'s head bartender, Alex Jump, that focuses on maximizing your home bar; and more. See the entire lineup and purchase your ticket on the Front Porch Festival website.
Sunday, May 10
Coronavirus hasn't been kind to anyone, but among the many groups being hit hard by the ravages of the current health crisis are procrastinators. Gone are the days of frantically searching the Internet late Saturday night for brunch restaurants that might have walk-in availability on Mother's Day. The new normal includes pre-ordering several days (if not more) in advance, which renders day-before planning difficult, if not impossible. Still, we've rounded up a few more options for last-minute celebrations. American Elm, 4132 West 38th Avenue, is offering its brunch package for pre-order through 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8 (c'mon, man — you have to plan a little bit); brunch for two ranges from $50 to $105 depending on whether you opt for just food (quiche, a giant cinnamon roll, bacon, hash and fresh fruit) or add flowers, mimosas or both; there are also four-person options starting at $95. You have until Saturday, May 9, to order brunch for takeout from The Feedery, 900 East Hampden Avenue, plus you'll get 10 percent off your meal (eggs Benedict, salad and blackberry tart, $18 per person) if you order a hanging plant. Finally, order a Mother's Day brunch box ($160) filled with a flower bouquet, bagels, salmon, cream cheese, granola and fixings, box of chocolates, bottle of bubbly and OJ from Denver Central Market's website through (gasp!) Sunday; you can pick it up at the market at 2669 Larimer Street.
Long I Pie owner Shauna Lott Harman has been peddling pies for years, but has had to hit pause because of the current pandemic. Despite the shutdown, Harman still makes sure her love of baking gets shared with anyone who wishes to bask in it, even if she isn't doing much baking right now. Each Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m., Harman is hosting a free virtual baking class on Zoom, where's she's turned out carrot whoopie pies, homemade Oreos, biscuits, cornbread and more; upcoming classes will include soft pretzels, pizza dough and cookies. To sign up, email [email protected] or message Long I Pie's Facebook page and you'll receive a link to the class.
Thursday, May 14
Cook Street School of Culinary Arts had recently moved into new digs at 43 West Ninth Avenue when COVID-19 shuttered the dining rooms of restaurants and bars across the state. While we're still waiting (and waiting...and waiting) for guidance on when businesses will be allowed to reopen, Cook Street has reopened with a slate of online classes that have been selling out. Its next class, A World of Taste: Thai Online, is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m. and still has a few slots available. The menu includes satay with peanut sauce, fried rice, vegetarian yellow curry, and Thai basil and coconut ice cream. Tuition is $45 per person and includes ingredients for one, recipes and a Zoom live stream. Sign up on Cook Street's website, where you can also see upcoming classes in case you miss out on this one.
Popular pop-up shopping destination Denver Bazaar has had to rethink its business model — after all, tipsy shopping and close talking in a bustling market space aren't exactly copacetic these days. So the bazaar has teamed up with local producers and restaurants to shift operations online while giving consumers the same access to local food, drink and handmade items. Visit Denver Bazaar's website to order farmers' market items, cocktails and family meals, then schedule your pick-up location and time. Current locations are Highland Tap & Burger (2219 West 32nd Avenue) on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m.; Sloan's Lake Tap & Burger (1565 North Raleigh Street) Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m.; and Belleview Station Tap & Burger (4910 South Newport Street) Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market is looking to add more items and locations, so stay tuned to its website; also note that orders must be placed no later than 6 p.m. on Tuesday for the current week.
Keep reading for ongoing online events every day of the week....
You don't have to have this fancy setup to start a garden; a few pots, some dirt and a watering can will do.
Kenzie Bruce
Even though it may feel like the world has shut down forever, Mother Nature is actually doling out some good with the bad: Spring has sprung, and now's a great time to start planning a garden. In addition to growing your own food and mitigating grocery-store trips, gardening can also be a meditative hobby — and nothing could be better in these trying times. That's why farmers' advocacy group Frontline Farming is carrying on with its annual heirloom seedling sale. This year, though, all orders must be placed via the organization's online store. Choose from snowy white Japanese eggplant, lemon-colored cucumbers, violet bell peppers, pale yellow to fiery red chiles, and pitch black, burgundy, scarlet and citron hued tomatoes. Don't have a yard? Not to worry — you can also stock up on herb seedlings (oregano, basil, thyme, chamomile, cilantro and parsley) that do great in pots. Then pick up your babies on Saturday, May 9 (at 2861 West 52nd Avenue), or May 16 (at 7000 Garrison Street in Arvada) and get growing.
Need a mid-day pick-me-up? Colorado Springs-based Distillery 291 is keeping the bar fires burning by posting short Facebook Live videos daily at 2 p.m. (and often at 5 p.m., as well). Tune in to see staff taking shotskis (appropriately socially distanced, with just one person on each end of the ski), mixing cocktails, bantering and sanitizing everything in sight. Anyone — even those who don't live south of the Denver County line — can benefit from daily cocktail recipes and a quick time-out between Zoom meetings. Distillery 291 just took home double gold for its High Rye Colorado Bourbon at the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition, so you can order a bottle for your home bar and virtual-toast along with the 291 team.
Knowing when to log out of your email is tough when you're working from home — and it's even harder turning off your work brain when your work space is the same as your sleeping, eating, cooking, TV-watching, hand-washing and gritting-your-teeth-and-trying-not-to-bite-your-roommate's-head-off space. But every day from 7:15 to 7:30 p.m., the folks at Burns Family Artisan Ales are hosting Socially Distanced Drinking on Facebook Live. Tune in and chat in the comments with like-minded beer aficionados about what you're drinking and what it pairs with.
Tuesdays
The Denver Central Market, 2669 Larimer Street, has shifted operations to function as a grocery store — and that makes it one of the few markets where you can get your pantry essentials and your hard liquor in the same spot. Curio, the in-house bar, won't mix up a cocktail to sip while you shop, but you can order cocktail kits and bottles of booze for pick-up Tuesday through Friday (2 to 6 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) For the most part, the cocktail kits don't include booze, but instead are substantial baskets of fruit, mixers, garnishes, syrups, bitters and ice that make from eight to ten drinks; prices range from $25 to $50. And while you can splurge on a bottle of spirits — there are several $300 options for sale on Curio's website — you can get a liter of most house spirits for $25 or $30. You can even get fancy ice cubes, which will run you $4 for four, if for some reason you lack access to water and a freezer. Once you have your goodies in hand, start shaking with the help of the bar's Cocktail Sessions, free videos in which bartenders from Curio, Brass Tacks and Roger's Liquid Oasis walk you through the steps to creating perfect quarantine quaffs.
Stem Ciders isn't letting a little thing like a global health crisis put a crimp in its long-running tradition of Tuesday pairings. The cidery continues to offer four cans of cider accompanied by four food items (upcoming: cupcakes and sushi) picked by bakers, chefs and producers for pick-up between 3 and 7 p.m. from the Stem taproom at 2811 Walnut Street. Unlike in pre-pandemic times, you can reserve your plate (costs vary, but hover in the $25 range) in advance on Eventbrite (recommended) through noon on the prior Monday, but there will be a limited supply of pairings for sale on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday. Take a look at Stem's Facebook page for details on the week's selections.
The Mile High City's own self-serve chicken sandwich chain, Birdcall, is taking a cue from its namesake and bestowing beautiful music on the people of Denver. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through the end of Denver's stay-at-home order, the restaurant's Facebook and Instagram pages will be streaming free mini-sets from local musicians as part of its Birdcall Lockdown concert series. Past artists include Wildermiss and Neoma; tune in at 8 p.m. for your fix of local music — even better if it's enjoyed with one of the joint's family meals or sandwiches, which you can order online, pick up from the restaurant and enjoy from the comfort of your own couch.
Visit Colorado wine country without leaving your couch.
Courtesy Colorado Wine Industry Development Board
The Boulder-based Cocktail Squad, purveyor of canned cocktails and 1989-era Taylor Swift catchphrases, has launched a series of music sets from local musicians on its YouTube channel. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, you can watch new performances from artists like Andy Thorn of Leftover Salmon, Andrew McConathy of the Drunken Hearts and more. Presumably, not every musician making an appearance will be a bearded white dude named after one of the Twelve Apostles, but you'll have to tune in to find out — and even if they are, it'll go down easier with one of the Squad's cocktails in hand; visit its website to find out where you can order them for delivery. In lieu of tips, the beverage producer is requesting that you donate to nonprofit organizations Feed the Frontlines Boulder, United States Bartenders' Guild National Charity Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Relief Fund.
Our favorite place for Negronis, Bar Helix, is doing double duty as a smokehouse on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You can order the bar's ribs and sides from 2 p.m. until sellout for no-contact pick-up at 3440 Larimer Street. Details are up on Bar Helix's website, where you can place your order for food as well as large-format cocktails designed to serve six people or more.
The longer Colorado's stay-at-home order drags on, the worse our case of cabin fever gets (at this point, your cousin's wedding in Rapelje, Montana — population 110 — sounds positively enticing). But while you're stuck at home, you can prepare for your next trip to somewhere closer and much, much tastier: Colorado's wine country. Starting Wednesday, April 15, the Colorado Wine Facebook page launched its weekly happy half-hour at 4:30 p.m. on Facebook Live. Winemakers from across the state join the stream each week and chat about tasting tips, the winemaking process and viewer questions. Visit Colorado Wine's website to connect with wineries close to you and find out how you can purchase their wares to drink during happy hour (or — let's be honest — any hour of the day).
Colorado Sake Co. is sending home sushi and sake kits to customers nearly every night of the week for sushi-rolling classes; the packages include enough seafood, rice, nori and veggies to make six rolls (two each of three different styles), plus a rolling mat, chopsticks, wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger. Oh, and the most important part — two 350-milliliter bottles of sake: the American Standard (a junmai ginjo, if you're into details) and one flavored version, such as raspberry-lavender. The kits ring in at $80 and are built for two, and you can add more bottles of sake for $10 each. Sign up for the classes on the Colorado Sake Co. Facebook page; they're currently offered every Wednesday through Sunday at 6:30 p.m., with a second session at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Bonus: This week's Mother's Day edition welcomes the chef's mom to class.
Even coronavirus can't kill Wine Wednesday, and Bigsby's Folly is doing its part to uphold the Hump Day tradition. Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., the winery crew is holding virtual gatherings on Instagram Live; while you're there, be sure to take a moment to peruse the feed and enjoy frequent, costumed moments of levity from owners Chad and Marla Yetka.
Fridays
Foraged, 1825 Blake Street, is opening its takeout window and its heart on Fridays through May 15 with Family Fridays. Everyone is family from 3 to 5 p.m., when the restaurant is giving away free food to those left hungry by the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations are welcome; they'll go to the Foraged staff, along with proceeds from the sale of wine, beer and cocktails. Visit the eatery's Facebook page for details.
American Elm, 4132 West 32nd Avenue, is hyping a different cocktail each week during its Friday happy hour — because once you've learned everything there is to know about your housemate(s), pet(s), Tik Tok feed, Joe Exotic and the offerings of every streaming platform you can think of, God knows you need some variety. Bartenders will walk you through creating basic drinks as well as variations at 4 p.m. on the restaurant's Instagram page; to play along, visit American Elm's website, where you can place a pick-up or delivery order for the classic drink's ingredients. While the "Happy Hour Cocktail Kit" for six includes no booze — only bitters, ice cubes and simple syrup — for $15, the "Cocktails to Go" section offers a set of drink ingredients (including the booze) for six drinks at around $40. And because every alcohol purchase must include food, you can indulge in one of the spot's excellent entrees or family meals.
Denver Beer Co. is hosting a virtual happy hour and tasting every Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. on Facebook Live and its YouTube channel; the taproom's head brewer and owners will discuss select brews each week, which will be posted on DBC's Facebook page in advance so that you can drink along if you'd like.
Golden spirits maker State 38 Distilling is hosting a virtual happy hour every Friday at 4:30 p.m. (times subject to change based on guests). Past online gatherings have included cocktail recipes, whiskey 101 education and expert guest appearances. Even better? The distillery is running this deal through the end of April: Stop by 400 Corporate Circle in Golden between 3 and 5 p.m. to pick up two bottles of brown spirits (including not only whiskey, but also the outfit's reposado and añejo agave spirits) and get a free bottle of Damn Good vodka. Visit State 38's Facebook page for details about each week's edition.
Golden Moon Distillery can't invite you into its tasting room, so instead it's welcoming you behind the scenes with a series of virtual tours of the facility. Previous installments have showcased the outfit's original plant, its distinctive grain silo and distilling processes of single-malt whiskey and specialty liqueurs. Check Golden Moon's Facebook and Instagram pages for details of upcoming tours — and to get the entire tour experience, call ahead to the distillery, 303-993-7174, and order a bottle of Golden Moon's excellent spirits to accompany the tour.
Dos Luces Brewery will hold Friday night meetups on Google Hangouts at 6 p.m. until the taproom reopens. Owner/head brewer Judd Belstock will be discussing his chicha and pulque. Details are up on the Dos Luces Facebook page, where you can also find info on pre-order and pick-up of its brews.
Proof Wine & Spirits, 3360 Larimer Street, is moving its weekly in-store wine tastings into the virtual Wild West (aka Instagram). Each Tuesday, the shop will announce two wines that it will uncork; you can order the bottles on its website and pick them up at the store. Then on Friday at 6 p.m., join store manager and sommelier Jessica Barrand on Instagram Live as she tastes and takes notes on the wine. We'll raise a glass to that.
Curtis Park residents have an easy way to decide where to order Friday night takeout: Curtis Park Neighbors has recently formed the Curtis Park Meal Train. Each week, nearby denizens can order a meal for two for $35 (plus two drinks for just $5 more if the selected restaurant has a liquor license!) no later than Thursday for Friday night delivery straight to your doorstep — if you live within five miles of the participating restaurants. Past participants include Dio Mio Handmade Pasta, Hop Alley and Lou's Italian Specialties. Stay tuned for upcoming collabs and order on the Meal Train website.
Know of an event or activity that belongs here? Send information to [email protected].
