You've just recovered from Thanksgiving — the turkey carcass has been picked clean, the stuffing and mashed potatoes are long gone. Time to start eating again! Here are seven of the best food and drink events from Monday, November 27, through Friday, December 1.
Monday, November 27
You're a traditionalist (or perhaps just a social climber): You love elaborate holiday decorations, dressing up for classy Christmas parties and sipping from a champagne flute. The Governor's Residence Preservation Fund's Holiday Kick-Off Party, at 6 p.m. Monday, November 27, ticks off all those boxes (and, refreshingly, kicks off the holiday season after Thanksgiving, as God intended). For $35, you can see how the other half lives at the Governor's Residence, 400 East Eighth Avenue, where you'll get a sneak peek at holiday decorations created by members of the Colorado chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. In between oohing and aahing over the trees and trimming, there will be appetizers and drinks to enjoy while seeing and being seen. So slip on that slinky cocktail dress or knot your bow tie and get over to coloradoshome.org to secure your spot.
Tuesday, November 28
The Women's Bakery helps women in Rwanda and Tanzania make something most Americans take for granted: bread. While we think of it as a staple — who can't get bread? — the challenges of reliable transportation and availability in East Africa mean that it's not as easy to enjoy a freshly baked loaf as you might think. The organization supports women in sourcing ingredients, baking and running bakeries in their own communities; see what it's accomplishing (and enjoy the bakery's bread, appetizers and wine) at Slice of Hope on Tuesday, November 28, at The Posner Center for International Development, 1031 33rd Street. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m.; tickets, $30, are available at the door. Find out more at posnercenter.org.
Wednesday, November 29
Firenze a Tavola, 4401 Tennyson Street, is continuing its Community Table during the crush of holiday parties that take over restaurants during November and December. This edition, on Wednesday, November 29, at 6:30 p.m., is serving everyone's favorite pasta: ravioli. Enjoy three courses of stuffed pasta (plus dessert) for $33; drinks are extra. Call the eatery at 303-561-0234 to make reservations or go to parisidenver.com to make them online and check out the entire menu.
Jack's Uptown Grill, 1600 East 17th Avenue, is hosting a Waging Hope Fundraiser on Wednesday, November 29, from 5 to 9 p.m. to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The restaurant is named in honor of owner Steve Lockton's father, Jack, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2004. Jack’s will be donating 25 percent of profits from dinner sales this evening to the organization and accepting additional cash donations. There will also be a signature Purple ‘Tini and other drink specials in honor of the event and volunteers from the Action Network will be present to share educational materials.Call the restaurant at 303-399-0988 for details and reservations.
Thursday, November 30
Start your holiday shopping (or your own art collection) at RedLine and DRiNk RiNo's Brew Fest Art Market on Thursday, November 30. Browse affordable art and sip suds (or cider or wine) from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the art center, 2350 Arapahoe Street. Participating producers include Bigsbys Folly, Our Mutual Friend Brewing Co., Stem Ciders and Ratio Beerworks. Appetizers are also included, since you should never go shopping on an empty stomach. Get your ticket, $35, at eventbrite.com.
You can make a lot of meals for $1,000, especially if you're feeding your own family at home — but that's only if you know what to buy and how to plan and cook those meals. Enter No Kid Hungry Colorado, which is raising money for its six-week courses that teach families how to do just that. For every $1,000 raised on Thursday, November 30, during Dine Out to End Childhood Hunger Day, twenty families can participate in the nonprofit organization's course on budgeting, shopping and cooking. Some of our favorite joints in town (El Five, Chowder Room, Il Porcellino, Nocturne, GQue) will be donating 10 to 20 percent of proceeds for the day to the program. So get out there and get some good food for a good cause.
Friday, December 1
Denver's fall weather has been exceedingly temperate, which means construction is still going strong in December — and city traffic is still brutal. Get the hell out of Dodge and dodge the Dodges by checking out Frisco's Wassail Days, which runs from Friday, December 1, through Sunday, December 10. The celebration of hot spiced cider will include wassail tasting, caroling, breakfast with Santa, sleigh rides and a soup competition over the ten days; many events are free. Check out townoffrisco.com for the festival's complete schedule.
Kamayan laid out on banana leaves.
Flickr/arltzn
There are few things as satisfying as eating with your hands (just think of the scorn that's heaped on those poor weirdos who eat pizza with a knife and fork). The Tagalog language even has a word for it: kamayan. And on Saturday, December 2, you can eat Filipino-style at the Kamayan Holiday Dinner Feast. Cakeheads, 7530 South University Boulevard, is hosting chef Leah Everleigh for a pop-up dinner at 7:30 p.m.; Filipino dishes (which are, sadly, still hard to find in Denver) will be laid out on banana leaves, and there will be no utensils other than the ones at the end of your arms. Tickets are $75 (excluding beer and wine, which will be available for purchase) at eventbrite.com.
Thursday, December 7
It's no secret that Bravo's Top Chef came to Colorado to film its fifteenth season earlier this year. You can finally start planning your watch party, as the show will premiere on Thursday, December 7, at 8 p.m. The contestants traveled from Sports Authority Field to Telluride to Aspen Food + Wine and were tasked with preparing everything from the innocuous Denver omelet to the infamous Rocky Mountain oyster. Tune in to see how they fare — as well as to catch a glimpse of local legends (and a former winner!) Alex Seidel, Hosea Rosenberg, Jennifer Jasinski and Frank Bonanno.
Festivus: there has to be a better way.
Flickr/Kimberly Vardeman
Put up the aluminum pole, brace yourself for the Airing of Grievances and start training for the Feats of Strength — it's Festivus! And while traditional Festivus dinners involve covertly sipping from a flask while those around you look on soberly and disapprovingly, Denver Beer Festivus gives you the opportunity to celebrate the season with like-minded lushes. From 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 16, join your real tribe at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, 7711 East Academy Boulevard. Tickets will run you $40 to $65 and are already on sale at denverbeerfestivus.com. ’Tis the season!
If you know of a date that should be on this calendar, send information to [email protected].
