The Seven Best Events on the Culinary Calendar This Week

Panzano, pop-ups, the Post and (birthday) parties: There's a plentiful pile of provisions and potions out there this week. Here are seven of the most pleasurable food and drink events from Monday, October 1, through Friday, October 5, as well as a few dates to mark on your calendar for later in the month.

Monday, October 1
Avelina, 1550 17th Street, is going overboard to celebrate World Vegetarian Day: It's partying for the entire week. From Monday, October 1, through Sunday, October 5, the restaurant will be serving a special three-course vegetarian menu during dinner service for just $40. There will be beet tartare with carrot miso purée, horseradish and dill; truffled agnolotti accompanied by porcini demi and sunchoke chips; and a very seasonal coconut pumpkin panna cotta with maple bourbon glaze and pepita brittle. You won't miss the meat at this meal.

This is the month to support a good cause simply by sipping suds — or at least by paying for a pint, whether you drink it or not. Woods Boss Brewing Company (2210 California Street) is partnering with Violence Free Colorado for the month of October to help spread awareness about domestic violence and support victims in Colorado. Woods Boss brewed up a Belgian black IPA that will go on tap starting Monday, October 1, and $1 of every full pour sold will be donated to the Violence Free Colorado organization. The kickoff event, dubbed the "Not Okay No-K," a 0.0-kilometer race that begins at the taproom door and ends at the bar, will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the brewery, which expects several state and local representatives to drop in. While you can stop by all month for a beer, tonight's event will cost you $13.44, but it includes a 0.0-K sticker, food and chances to win prizes. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

Tuesday, October 2
There's nothing more comforting than hearty fall dishes, and The Post Brewing Co., 2200 South Broadway, is highlighting the harvest on Tuesday, October 2, with its Fall Farmer's Beer Dinner. For $45, diners will be treated to four courses (including cherry and serrano glazed squash, and eggplant and squash ratatouille with smoked lamb neck) accompanied by four beers. Our most anticipated pairing? Sweet corn spoon bread with ice cream and boozy caramel matched with a bourbon-aged Meathooks Mild Ale. You can snag tickets at eventbrite.com or pop over to the Post itself to avoid those pesky service fees.

Wednesday, October 3
Briar Common Brewery + Eatery, 2298 Clay Street, entered Denver's already crowded field of craft breweries in 2016 and immediately became one of our favorites; most recently, we named it best brewery restaurant in 2018. On Wednesday, October 3, Briar Common is celebrating its second birthday by releasing three new beers starting at 3 p.m.: Joyce and Brett Belgian Saison, Bramble Blackberry Imperial Stout and 902 Bravo Brettanomyces. Stick around for dinner and enjoy some of the kitchen's excellent food: There won't be a stale sheet cake in sight.

Thursday, October 4
Denver's favorite Italian hotel restaurant, Panzano, 909 17th Street, has been holding down the corner of the Hotel Monaco for twenty years now. And it's rolling back prices for a special four-course wine dinner on Thursday, October 4, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For a base price of $98 in homage to the Italian eatery's opening year ($125.44 including tax and tip — Uncle Sam doesn't care if it's your birthday), guests will dine on prosecco with truffle deviled eggs and lamb croquettes and ricotta cheese; nebbiolo with beef tartare; and pinot nero with monkfish osso bucco and mascarpone polenta, all impeccably executed. Visit eventbrite.com to peruse the entire menu and wine pairings and pick up your ticket.

Back in July, the seafood house Maine Shack (from the folks behind Bar Dough), was scheduled to open in late summer. That's since been pushed back to spring of next year (anyone want to start a pool on the probability of further delays?), but if you've been impatiently awaiting the Shack's arrival, the kitchen at Sloan's Lake Tap & Burger, 1565 Raleigh Street, will be cooking up select menu items from as-yet-unopened eatery on Thursday, October 4. Starting at 4 p.m., three different lobster rolls, fried scallops and clams, lobster macaroni and cheese and clam chowder will be available while supplies last. The downside? Tom Brady and Co. will be tossing the pigskin around on the big screen while you eat, but the great seafood will be worth putting up with the Hoodie and his crew.

Friday, October 5
If your friends and family keep telling you that your your organic, hyper-local, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free chocolate chip cookies are the best organic, hyper-local, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free cookies they've ever tasted, and "Oh my God, you totally have to sell these, I would pay, like, $14 per cookie, they're so good!", then you need a business plan. And since you probably can't afford to rent a storefront (who can these days?) you're going to have to sell online. Enter NatchCom, a Boulder-based conference that focuses on helping entrepreneurs in the natural products industry succeed in digital marketing. From Friday, October 5, through Sunday, October 7, speakers from Facebook, Amazon, Instagram, Shopify, Noosa and many more will host discussions, lectures, panels, workshops and consultations at Galvanize Boulder, 1023 Walnut Street. At $495, it's not cheap, but it could make your organic, hyper-local, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free cookies go viral. Find out more at the NatchCom website.

Keep reading for upcoming food and drink events.

Sunday, October 7, through Thursday, October 11
Eat Denver and the GrowHaus are presenting their ninth annual Harvest Week, "a pop-up culinary collaboration between 35 Denver restaurants in tribute to Colorado’s farmers, ranchers and producers." All at the GrowHaus, the dinners are $85 each and all fabulous...and completely sold out. Find out what you're missing at the Harvest Week website.
Thursday, October 11, through Sunday, October 14
Food and film fanatics will want to plan ahead for the Flatirons Food Film Festival, taking place around Boulder from Thursday, October 11, through Sunday, October 14. And while seven feature films — documentaries and dramas with food and drink at the heart of the story — will be screened, they're far from the only thing on the menu. There will also be panel discussions, farm tours, beer tastings and an homage to the late Anthony Bourdain. Admission to single films starts at $13, with an all-access pass running $70; find the whole schedule and get tickets on the Flatirons Food Film Festival website.

If you know of a date that should be on this calendar, send information to [email protected].