From Mushrooms to Master Chefs, Fifteen Tastiest Events on the Culinary Calendar This Week

The Book of Mormon comes knocking on Denver's door again this week, inspiring a downtown restaurant to debut a special cocktail; one of Denver's hottest neighborhoods will be dishing out samples; Solera Restaurant will host an all-star lineup of chefs cooking for a great cause; and the Front Range will be abuzz with other delicious food and drink events. Keep reading for a taste of this week's culinary events. 

Monday, August 10 

Frasca Food and Wine welcomes Robert Tucker for the restaurant's Monday Night Wine Dinner that will highlight the wines of Marc de Grazia. The  Monday dinners are $50 for a prix fixe, four-course meal with optional wine pairings priced from $40 to $50. For more information, call Frasca at 303-442-6966.

Tuesday, August 11  

Get a taste of one of the hottest neighborhoods in Denver today at the fifth annual Ballpark Plates. More than thirty venues, including Work & Class, will open their doors in the Ballpark Neighborhood between 20th and 25th street and Blake and Curtis streets, offering guests samplings of food and drinks. Particpants must check in at one of the two starting locations —The Lobby or Zi South — between 5 and 6:30 p.m.; samplings will run from 5:30 to 8:30. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 the day of the event, and $25 each for a group of ten or larger. Get your tickets and learn more at ballparkplates.com.

The Book of Mormon returns to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House today through September 13, and Range will feature "The Virgin," a cocktail inspired by the musical, as part of the restaurant’s ongoing Theatre Cocktail Series. For more information, visit rangedowntown.com.


Wednesday, August 12    

The chef at Carmine’s will spend the day scouring the Cherry Creek Farmers' Market for fresh, in-season ingredients, and then will use his loot to cook up a farm-fresh, family-style dinner with wine pairings this evening. The dinner will run from 6 to 9 p.m and costs $75; reserve a spot at 303-777-6443. 

Firenze a Tavola is holding a wine dinner tonight featuring the wines of Adriatic coastal towns. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and will feature four wines paired with a multi-regional menu. Reservations can be made by calling 303-561-0234. 

Chef Isabel Ranney, sous chef at the Magnolia Hotel, will be leading the Work Options for Women's monthly cooking class, which focuses on vegetarian cuisine, from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Cafe Options. Tuition for the course is $50; enroll here. All the proceeds benefit Work Options for Women.

Thursday, August 13 

If you're into laughing and libations, Comedy and Cocktails might just be the recipe for you. The event gets under way at 7:30 p.m. and will feature comedians, live music, and drinks specials made from Rising Sun Distillery's local spirits. Tickets are $5 at the door. Learn more about the event here.

Chef Goose Sorensen and five of his closest chef “buddies” are teaming up at Solera Restaurant for an event to support Project Healing Waters. Sorensen will be joined by Jamey Fader  of Lola and Jax Fish House,  Alex Seidel of Fruition and Mercantile Dining and Provisions, Andrea Frizzi of Il Posto, Matt Selby of Central Bistro & Bar and Paul C. Reilly of Beast + Bottle. The chefs will be creating tapas for guests to enjoy as they sip award-winning wines and win raffle prizes. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased here; 100 percent of the proceeds will go to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans. For more on PHW, click here. 

Lower48 Kitchen is throwing a cocktail dinner party today, featuring DonQ rum cocktails, appetizers and a three-course tasting menu. The party begins with cocktails, appetizers and live music on the outdoor patio at 6 p.m. followed  by dinner at 7. The dinner with pairings is $52 per person and also includes a Don Q swag bag and a chance to win prizes. Reserve a seat by calling 303-942-0262. 

The Telluride Mushroom Festival will celebrate the "Future of Fungi" through lectures, workshops, hikes, dinners and more, with events kicking off today and running through the weekend. At 5 p.m. tonight, a gourmet dinner with special guests Eugenia Bone and Gary Lincoff will feature a mushroom menu created by master chef Mark Reggiannini at La Marmotte, one of Telluride's premier restaurants. For more information and a complete schedule, visit telluridemushroomfest.org.

Entertainer and Scottish-trained bagpiper Scott Beach will lead guests on a tour of Scotland through whiskeys, music and pictures during a Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle. All inclusive reservations are $80, and include a castle tour, appetizer buffet, and a dessert and coffee reception with Beach. The tasting tour will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. today; to reserve your spot or to learn more click here.

PizzaRev is celebrating the grand opening of its first Colorado store by hosting a “Pizzas for a Purpose” fundraising event today from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the restaurant, 1650 28th Street, Suite 1228 in Boulder. Guests can “pay-what-they-want” for a personal-sized pizza, with a suggested $8 contribution to benefit giveSPORTS, a partnership between I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County and A Precious Child that provides new and gently-used sports equipment and fee scholarships to children. The restaurant will also be offering a chance to win free pizza for a year. For more information, click here. 

Three representatives from Mars Inc. will visit Colorado State University for the third lecture in the Leadership in Innovation Series hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research. The lecture will take place in the Lory Student Center Ballroom D, beginning with a reception at 4:30 p.m., followed by a lecture by the three executives from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. today. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register here. 

La Biblioteca is throwing a Tapas & Tequila dinner at 7 p.m. tonight, when guests can indulge in a four-course tasting meal with Gran Centenario pairings, including blanco, reposado and anejo. The dinner is $25; make a reservation at 720-904-0965.

Friday, August 14  

Four of the 68 certified Master Chefs in the country will be in Denver this weekend for the Master Chef reunion, and the chefs will dropping by a few local restaurants this evening — including Mercantile Dining and Provisions, ChoLon and Stoic and Genuine — to talk about their impressions of Denver as an up-and-coming restaurant town and more. And on Saturday, August 15, many chefs will gather at the Governor's Mansion for a $75 fundraiser. Find more information here.

For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings — and if you have information for a culinary event you'd like included in our online calendar, send it to [email protected].

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