We have finished another year of the Great American Beer Festival. Once again Colorado shined in multiple beer categories. Fall menus are rolling out with squash making a splash, and Native American food comes to the mountains. In other news, find out what new shop had an unfortunate snafu, and which food truck took root in a brick and mortar spot.
Read on for more of this week’s top news stories and send us any tips via Instagram or by emailing info@diningout.com.
The 411
After another successful year of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), 34 Colorado breweries took home a total of 38 medals. The festival featured 102 beer styles, 8,970 entries, and 1,773 breweries from across the country.
The Gold Medal winners included Denver Beer Co. Canworks’ Fennel Rye Ale, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company’s El Poblano Borracho, River North Brewery’s Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun, Westbound & Down Brewing Company’s Western Justice and the Infinity Pils, Bootstrap Brewing’s Wreak Havoc, and more.
For the third year in a row New Terrain Brewing Company, River North Brewery, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., and Resolute Brewing all received medals at GABF. For Cannonball Creek, the two awards it received this year puts its GABF medal streak to 12 years.
The anticipated Odell’s Bagel had a little hiccup right before opening. A water pipe burst its first week, delaying the full menu. But now it’s up and ready to serve everything.
Halloween spirits continue to take over bars. The latest, after this list we published last week, is the Stockroom in Old Town Arvada. Starting tomorrow look for the Haunted Drinks list, with items such as Do You Like Scary Movies and The Black Lagoon.
Also on the pop-up list, though not necessarily spooky, Ti Cafe is doing Anime Month again. This week look for drinks and treats themed after My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Check the venue’s Instagram for details.
Head to Tavernetta now and through the end of the month and order the Batida Amara cocktail and/or its zero-proof counterpart. One dollar from every drink ordered goes to support the World Central Kitchen, which is helping get food and potable water to those impacted by the recent hurricanes down south.
Winter Park now has a food by Tocabe thanks to a recent partnership. Co-founder and Osage Nation member Ben Jacobs said he is excited to spread Native cuisine to the mountains, giving visitors from all over the world a chance to try it.
Openings and Closings
After being solely on wheels, Nopal by Taco Block opened its first brick and mortar location at 6551 W. 44th Ave., in Wheat Ridge. Like the food truck, the restaurant serves an array of build-your-own tacos. It’s now open Thursday through Saturday.
We welcomed the bluegrass bar Velvet Banjo this past weekend. Located at 741 E. Colfax Ave., inside the former Sancho’s spot, the bar also has a pool hall and space for shows.
But as one bar opens another shutters. Denver’s oldest lesbian bar Blush & Blu closed earlier this month. Owned by Jody Bouffard, the bar was a local hot spot for over a decade.
On the Menu
New fall flavors have launched at Sweet NOLA Snoballs. Now guests can try the caramel apple snoball complete with caramel sauce, and the pumpkin spice snoball, which comes topped with whipped cream and candy corn.
Chef Jared Becker and the team at Ajax Downtown have added some fall specials to the menu. Look for Gingerbread Brioche French Toast during the morning meals, and a Chili-Smoked Pork Sandwich with rosemary fries later in the day. Squash is also coming in hot and diners can enjoy it in the form of the Raw Butternut Squash Salad with toasted cashew, brown butter, mint, chili flakes, and dried currants. It’s also showcased in the Fall Squash Tart with goat cheese mousse, and Strapponi, a dish of summer squash, torn basil, toasted hazelnuts, salmoriglio, and buerre monte.
Pastry chef Gaby Navas added desserts on the seasonal menu at Ajax Downtown as well. Think Carrot Cake, White Chocolate Apple Cheesecake, and Chocolate Espresso Entremet. Finally, Ajax also launched the Sunday “Surefire Win” special, available all day long on Sundays. The dish features four pieces of Chicken Fried Duck served with house-made buttermilk biscuits, coleslaw, and a pint of Ajax Pilsner for $28.
Postino WineCafé has new seasonal items at its locations too. Try the Greek Hummus Board, French Onion Bruschetta, Caprese Panini, Crunchy Hazelnut Bar, Olive Oil Cake, and Fudgy Brownie.
News is out, all lobster lovers should head to Water Grill in Downtown Denver right now for spiny lobster season. It’s a short window when these California crustaceans are available. Unlike most lobsters, this type doesn’t have claws, which many believe lead to sweet meat and a firmer texture. Try it for yourself.
A burger has finally landed at Blanco Cocina + Cantina. Welcome the new Green Chile Smash Burger. It comes topped with roasted poblano, caramelized onions, queso blanco, and chipotle mayo, and served with french fries. The eatery also introduced a Queso Fundido made with caramelized Oaxacan cheese and roasted chile salsa, and served with warm tortillas.
Next door at Culinary Dropout, owned by the same company, a new Roasted Salmon graces the menu, as well as a Whipped Feta and Tahini Dip, Mongolian Short Rib, and Butternut Squash and Kale Salad. Brunch goers can now get the Ham & Egg Grilled Cheese as well.
Events In the News
Join executive chef Christian Graves at Saverina for an intimate, 10-seat chef’s counter night. The event happens every third Thursday of the month, and runs $65 per person with an optional supplemental wine pairing. The next Chef Dinner Series is on October 17, at 6 p.m. Reserve a spot here.
A food and fun fall festival for the whole family will take place this Saturday, October 19 at FlyteCo Tower from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Entry is free and includes a bouncy house, shaved ice, face painting, balloon artist and a Halloween costume contest. Plus, beer, lot’s of locally-made beer.
On Wednesday, October 23 Ironton Distillery hosts A Spooky & Spirited Pairing Dinner from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The supernatural evening features a cocktail pairing dinner with Ironton’s head chef Sarah Bennett and local ghost stories from Nightly Spirits. Tickets run $125 each, find them here.
Mercantile Dining + Provision celebrates its 10 year anniversary with a special dinner on Thursday, October 24 with a one-night-only, ticketed event featuring dishes created by past Mercantile kitchen team members. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. with appetizers and a welcome cocktail by Patrick Murphy of Rootstalk and Radicto in Breckenridge, a former bar manager at Mercantile. The passed apps get followed by a five-course seated dinner. A special selection of wines will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle. A limited number of tickets for the event are $195 per person and are available here.
Join Breckenridge Brewery’s free Opening Day Parking Lot Party on Friday, October 25th at Monkey Barrel Bar in Denver from 5 to 10 p.m. The first 100 guests get a Funslinger Lager showcasing artwork by local artist Mike Graves. News is, all guests also have the chance to win the 2024 artist series Never Summer snowboard.
Rioja continues celebrating its 20th anniversary, this time on November 13 with a bevy of local food and drink experts. The special dinner features Troy Guard, Paul C. Reilly, Hosea Rosenberg, Dana Rodriguez, Max Mackissock, Alex Seidel, and Carrie Baird, each dishing up signature bites. On the beverage side, Todd Leopold, Alan Laws, Tony Zezas, Nick Touch, Jon Schlegel, and Roland Hermann will pour an array of whiskey, tequila, wine, and sherry. Tickets are $125 per person, and proceeds go to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
