The best parts of June didn’t involve overheating and gardens frying in the record temperatures. No, instead this month was all about frying chicken, special pop-ups, festival food, and peak produce. It’s hard to pick just 10 great bites when you sample so many quality foods, but, since no one wants to read a million-word article, here’s our favorite dishes of June.
Uncle’s Meat ‘n’ Three Platter
Near the beginning of the month I headed to The Block Distilling Co. to try the mash up of Asian and Southern foods dished out by chef Tommy Lee (Uncle Ramen, Hop Alley). Located inside the shipping container outside the distillery, the pop-up occurs every Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. until the food sells out. The last day will be August 31.
Each plate (pictured above) runs $18 and includes a choice of protein and three sides. When we had it the yellow curry tofu with mushroom chili jam stood out, and came with chili crisp cucumber salad, steamed buns with furikake butter, fingerling potato salad, and sweet and sour eggplant. The latter two, suggested Lee, were best eaten together. He was right. We washed it down with Block’s take on boozy bubble tea and a $5 GetRights mini lime pie as an add on. 2990 Larimer St., Denver, theblockdistillingco.com
Buffalo Chicken Flatbread at The Colorado Club
Normally something like a buffalo chicken flatbread wouldn’t impress. After all it’s a simple idea using flavors both easy to like and recognize. Not bad, simply not different. Well, at Bryan Dayton’s new The Colorado Club in Boulder, that philosophy was proved wrong.
Not only did the $17 dish have subtle nuances of buffalo sauce, no five napkins needed here, but the balance of small chunks of breaded chicken and a sprinkling of blue cheese even had my picky 7-year-old enjoying it. The pillowy bread packed a lot of flavor that had us eating the whole thing. Bonus, the texture of the whole thing held up as next-day leftovers too. 1043 Pearl St., Boulder, coloradoclubsaloon.com
Grilled Baby Gem Salad at West End Social
For the first time, I visited Aspen Meadows Resort in order to attend the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. While the surroundings and rooms proved lovely, the restaurant ended up a sleeper stunner. First, you walk into West End Social and the view of the mountains and evergreens take up the view. Sit outside for a 90-angle visage or inside and watch the verdent world from the floor-to-ceiling window.
Did this view help make the grilled gem salad stand out? It didn’t hurt, but the restaurant’s take on a Caesar certainly stood alone. The large, $19 plate featured what seemed to be a whole head of baby gem lettuce, lightly cooked on the grill so it had a trace of char while keeping a pleasing crunch. Fresh herbs and homemade sourdough croutons added another layer and texture, making it one of best salads of the month. 845 Meadows Road, Aspen,aspenmeadows.com
Colorado Cherries
Hit up the last of Colorado cherry season, it won’t be around much longer. Colorado grows an array of sweet and sour cherries, though it’s the sweet we sought out last month. Look for Bing, Renier, and black cherries at farmers’ markets including City Park Farmers Market, Boulder County Farmers Market, and South Pearl Street Farmers Market. After pounds of the pitted fruit and possibly a million cherry trees now planted along our property, the research is in.
Fried Trout With Grits at American Elm
It’s not often one sees fried fish on a non-southern brunch menu, let alone with grits too. The Trout & Grits ($19) was created by chef Daniel Mangin, and it balanced out all the components one wants in a savory breakfast item.
First of all, the trout had a perfectly crispy outside while remaining tender inside, sans the oil often associated with fried foods. Paired with smoked cheddar grits, I might never want to eat trout again without it. And, speaking to the season, the dish had fresh asparagus lightly cooked to add a pop of green and a dose of veggies. 4132 W. 38th Ave., Denver, amelm.com
‘Bagel’ & Lox at Ototo Den
Recently we delved into Ototo Den’s new brunch service, available each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On the “don’t miss” side was the restaurant’s playful take on a bagel with cream cheese and lox. Save for the smoked salmon, everything was a farce in the best possible way.
The bagel was actually sticky rice shaped into a donut and fried until all sides turned crispy, while the center stayed soft. The spread consisted of tofu cream cheese, which added a mellow flavor but proved rich in texture quality. It was perfect to pillow the lovely slices of lox. Topped with slivers of cucumber and red onion with a sprinkling of salty capers, it’s a brunch dish to remember. 1501 S. Pearl St., Denver, ototoden.com
Cappelletti at Olivia Restaurant
Teaming up with the Land Institute, Olivia Restaurant hosted a special dinner highlighting perennial grains. The event also acted as a way to launch some new menu items showcasing said sustainable plants.
One of those was the perennial wheat cappelletti. Made by the talented hands of chef Ty Leon, each pillow of pasta sang with caramelized yogurt, candied garlic, tomato, and Signoria Gonzaga balsamico. While the dinner already happened, Olivia has a version of the dish made with the sweet, nutty kernza grain on its special menu. 290 S. Downing St., Denver, oliviadenver.com
Caviar and Vanilla Ice Cream From Pint’s Peak
Before you get too excited, the aforementioned dish came from RARE, DiningOut Events’ big steak competition. But it was so lovely and surprising, we had to include it. First, Pint’s Peak Ice Cream is a small-batch, local ice cream company by pastry chef Caitlin Howington. That alone speaks volumes to the quality.
While there isn’t a brick and mortar, she does bring the ice cream truck around to events, festivals, and other places that might want a sweet scoop. Made with a French custard base, the vanilla ice cream really shined with a dollop of white sturgeon caviar on top. Salty and sweet with a superb umami, we need this pairing on more menus asap. pintspeakicecream.com
Fried Chicken at Noble Riot
I’ve always been a fan of the fried chicken at Troy Bowen’s hip wine bar, something that started during the pandemic. It was so good then that the buckets of hot, crispy, gluten-free, chicken remained an offering at the RiNo spot years later, thanks to the shared kitchen and ownership with Nocturne, the next door jazz club.
This past month I got to try it again, paired with an elegant glass of King Estate Brut Cuvee. That’s right, sparkling wine and fried chicken, the best pairing for those who know. The chicken proved just as divine as memory, and once again I’ll be craving it daily. Get it as a three-piece, half bucket or whole bucket. Pro tip, get enough to take leftovers home. 1336 27th St, Denver, nobleriot.com
Wagyu by Justin Brunson at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
One perk to having a job as a professional food journalist is going to the most prestigious, and expensive, event around, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. At said festival, chef Justin Brunson, known for starting River Bear American Meats, which he has sense sold, and now runs Brunson Meat Co., was there to cook at a party on top of a mountain next to a historic mine.
Up there, he fire-roasted a Westholme wagyu strip loin and topped it with a creamed spinach salsa. This balanced, melt-in-the-mouth bite was one of the most memorable dishes of the whole weekend. While you can’t get this exact item, you can get Brunson’s thoughtful and delicious meats through local retailers. brunsonmeats.com
