The Six Tastiest Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar, February 24-26

The weekend is here, so a smart gambler would put money on there being a beer festival somewhere in town. There's also a wine festival, an opportunity for you to unleash your latent DJ, the chance to do some real good in the world, and a pair of Oscar parties. Oh, and Denver Restaurant Week starts today, too! Here are six of the most delicious events around town this weekend. Dig in, Denver.

Friday, February 24

Big Choice Brewing has launched a twice-a-month listening series for vinyl enthusiasts; BYOV (Bring Your Own Vinyl) Night encourages customers to bring their own platters for a spin at the taproom. Have a beer and play that record you and your buddies pressed in college, or the favorite record you've managed to hang on to through all your breakups. Sign-up starts at 4 p.m. and music begins at 5 at the Broomfield taproom, 6600 West 120th Avenue; for more info, call 303-469-2616.

Denver Restaurant Week starts today and runs through March 5, and thanks to the Edible Beats restaurant group, you can do good while eating well: Ten percent of every Restaurant Week dinner sold at Linger, Root Down, Vital Root and Ophelia's Electric Soapbox will be donated to Islamic Relief USA as part of the Pay Attention to Syria Campaign. If you haven't already secured a reservation, try calling to see if any last-minute openings have popped up. You can reach Root Down at 303-993-4200, Vital Root at 303-474-4131, Linger at 303-993-3120 and Ophelia's at 303-993-8023. Islamic Relief USA has provided assistance to more than nine million refugees in Syria and neighboring countries since the civil war in Syria began in 2011.

Saturday, February 25

Wine and art come to the suburbs with CU South Denver's Sips, Sights & Sounds from 6 to 10 p.m. today. Painters, photographers and other visual artists will provide demonstrations, and a cappella, electronic and salsa music groups will be performing. Bites from local restaurants will be served to pair with more than 200 bottles of wine from around the world. Tickets are $50 (designated drivers can attend for $25), with an additional discount for CU alums at the link above; the event will be held at 10035 South Peoria Street in Parker.

The third WinterCraft Beer Fest kicks off today at 2 p.m., boasting beers from more than forty brewers from Colorado and beyond. This year, the festival has relocated to the 29th Street parking garage in Boulder to accommodate the ever-growing crowd, so bundle up before boozing it up. General admission tickets run $40 (VIP will set you back $70 but includes 1 p.m. entry, among other things) and can be obtained on the WinterCraft website.

Sunday, February 26

If watching the Oscars on your small screen at home isn't fabulous enough, put on your jewels and head over to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House at 8100 East Orchard Road. The posh steakhouse will show the ceremony in its cigar bar and serve a red-carpet-worthy martini with pomegranate liqueur and a splash of cranberry to mark the occasion. Reservations are recommended; call 303-796-0100.

For a slightly less glamorous and more affordable Oscar party experience, consider Ace Eat Serve; doors at 501 East 17th Avenue open at 4 p.m., and the awards will be shown on the big screen in the ping-pong hall. Take advantage of happy-hour pricing until 6 p.m., including reduced rates on ping-pong balls as well as highballs. Call 303-800-7705 for more info.