The Seven Best Events on the Culinary Calendar This Weekend

We've got you covered from morning ’til night this weekend, with brunches, brews and buffets for every hour of the day. Here are seven great events on the food and drink calendar from Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28.

Friday, April 26
Got a great idea for your food business? Do you make the best gluten-free, grain-free crackers seasoned with the tears of baby seals that your brother's roommate's cousin's best friend has ever tasted? Get over to the Colorado Department of Agriculture's Breakfast With the Pros on Friday, April 26, to figure out how to fund your great food venture. From 8:30 a.m. to noon, attendees at the CDA office, at 305 Interlocken Parkway in Broomfield, will get to experience presentations on grant writing tips, rural development programs and funding resources as well as an open panel discussion and time for networking — all for just $20 if you show up in person (there will be food!), or $10 if you opt to attend via Google Hangout (you don't have to put on pants!). Get the details and your ticket on the CDA website.

Saturday, April 27
Brunch warriors have a new option in town starting Saturday, April 27: Broadway Market. Denver's newest food court, at 950 Broadway, is launching the weekend meal from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, with all ten vendors serving up breakfast entrees like green chile and cheddar grits with crackly bacon and a jiggly poached egg (Mondo Mini); loco moco with rich mushroom gravy, chorizo and Spam (Misaki on Broadway); and Israeli breakfast bowls with turkey sausage or falafel, eggs and harissa Hollandaise (Mother Tongue). Not to be outdone, the central bar is mixing bottomless mimosas, Bloodies and Harvey Wallbangers for $15. Stick around to transition seamlessly into happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m., then bang into every wall in sight trying to get home. Visit Broadway Market's Facebook page for details and more menu items.

It's a new take on an age-old conundrum: If a person goes to a wine festival and doesn't post a series of artsy pics on Instagram, did it really happen? The answer to the question will have to wait until another day, because there's no way you'll make it through the Vinochromatic wine fest on Saturday, April 27, without spamming your followers' feeds with pics of wine, food and light installations. CTRL Collective, the co-working space inside the Dairy Block building at 1800 Wazee Street, is hosting the event, which will be packed with wineries (35 of them); bites from upscale restaurants (think caviar-sprinkled deviled eggs from Bar Helix, brown butter and honey pie from Bistro Georgette, and a springy pea soup with rhubarb from the Way Back, for starters); and vibrant light displays of all colors. Choose your session (1 to 4 p.m. or 7 to 10 p.m.) and nab tickets ($75) at the festival's website.
 

Has there ever been a finer cinematic exploration of cream-based cocktails than The Big Lebowski? We think not. And Mythology Distillery, 3622 Tejon Street, obviously appreciates the scholarship of the 1998 film, too: It's hosting a party honoring the Dude and his signature drink on Saturday, April 27. From 2 to 9 p.m., Little Lebowski Urban Achievers should show up in their bowling gear (shirts or Viking ensembles), bathrobes or oversized sweaters for $10 Caucasians all day, as well as bowling, a costume contest and live music. Find the details on Mythology's website and get ready to roll on Shabbos.

Sunday, April 28
Brunch is already a winner in Denver — just take a Sunday morning drive past any restaurant in town and you'll see fleets of Lyft drivers dropping off passengers, and armies of brunch soldiers laying siege outside the doors. So add puppies to an already saturated brunch landscape and what do you have? Pure, unadulterated, adorable pandemonium! On Sunday, April 28, Hotel Teatro, 1100 14th Street, is hosting its third Puppy Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Doggos from Underdogs Animal Rescue will be on hand for adoption or hijinks, and for a donation of $5, you'll get your fill of puppy kisses while you wait for your table, plus a free mimosa at the Nickel. Details are up on the hotel's Facebook page. For once in your life, skip the brunch reservations; you won't even mind the hours-long wait with these woofs for company.

How long since you've had a beer that wasn't a hazy IPA? We're guessing it's been a while, what with the ubiquity of the fruity, tropical brew. But on Sunday, April 28, Bruz Beers, 1675 West 67th Avenue, is bringing some of our favorite Colorado breweries to town for a festival that will focus on beers from back East (way, way back East): Belgium. Forget New England-style ales; brewers from Liberati, Paradox, Briar Common and Elevation as well as Ommegang and Duvel will be pouring unlimited tastes of some of their most unusual and tastiest Belgian-style beverages from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Belgian Brew Fest. Tickets are $48 on the fest's website, and they include happy-hour pricing inside the taproom for the rest of the evening.

All the usual harbingers of spring have arrived: The Rockies are losing, the clocks have been turned back, construction is a nightmare. Along with those symbols of the season come the lazy afternoons and deceptively sweet, surprisingly dangerous umbrella drinks that appear during Adrift's Summer Sunday Luaus. Starting Sunday, April 28, the tiki bar at 218 South Broadway will host an all-you-can-eat buffet from 4 to 8 p.m. on the last Sunday of each month through August. Get your fill of roast pork, huli huli chicken, macaroni salad and sticky rice for just $25, then work off the the calories with a free hula lesson on the patio. Find details and upcoming dates on Adrift's Facebook page, then make your reservations by emailing [email protected] or calling the restaurant at 303-778-8454.

Keep reading for future food and drink events.
Monday, April 29
Take an evening to support aspiring female chefs at Work Options for Women's Women Cook event on Monday, April 29. The culinary training program for hard-to-employ women offers three programs (all at no cost to participants) ranging from four weeks to two years long; the dinner presents a handful of the top names in Denver's professional kitchens coming together to cook at the Exdo Event Center, 1399 35th Street, to support their sisters just getting started in the food-service industry. Dana Rodriguez (Super Mega Bien, Work & Class), Caroline Glover (Annette), Carrie Baird (Bar Dough), Shelia Lucero (Jax Fish House) and Cindhura Reddy and Austin Nickel (Spuntino) are just a few ladies giving their time and considerable talents to the feast, so don't miss out on tickets, $125, on WOW's website.

Thursday, May 2
Good food, good cause: On Dining Out for Life day, restaurants donate 25 percent of sales (sometimes food, sometimes food and drink) to Project Angel Heart, which provides medically tailored meals for Coloradans living with serious and chronic illnesses. Thursday, May 2, marks the 25th year of the fundraiser, and more than 250 eateries will be participating. For a complete list of those restaurants — or to sign up your own place to join the effort — go to the Dining Out for Life website.

Saturday, August 17
Save the date — Tacolandia will return to Civic Center Park, Broadway and Colfax Avenue, for a fourth year on Saturday, August 17, celebrating food, art, music and culture. Join us in honoring that great Mexican invention, the taco, in its many forms as presented by the city's top cantinas, taquerias and food trucks. Although tickets aren't yet on sale, get this on your calendar before your summer weekends start filling up, and watch westwordtacolandia.com for updates.

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