September 15 also marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which you can celebrate at a special event at Cervaceria Colorado as well as RISE Westwood’s Festival de la Milpa. And that’s just the start.
Eat up all the details in this week’s culinary calendar, then keep reading for future dates to remember, including the first-ever Colorado Pizza Pop Up fest in late September and Westword‘s annual Feast, set for November 3 at the McNichols Building.
Wednesday, September 14
Food Fight returns, this year at Littleton’s Hudson Gardens. Chefs and bartenders compete in three categories — savory, sweet and sip — to see who can turn out the favorite bite of both expert judges and the crowd. VIP tickets, $110, include early access to food, drinks and the silent auction; GA tickets, $85, include entry from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The event benefits the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Scleroderma Foundation.
Learn how to mix whiskey cocktails that go beyond Manhattans at Seven Grand. From 7 to 9 p.m., a whiskey pro will be on hand to demo four cocktails using three versions of George Dickel whisky. Tickets are just $25 on Eventbrite.
Thursday, September 15
Aurora’s Southlands shopping center is busting open wine bottles for its Southlands Wine Walk. From 5 to 8 p.m., stroll through sidewalk sales and listen to live music while sipping on wines from across the globe. Tickets are $25 at the door, but buy them in advance on Eventbrite for just $15.
To mark Colorado Wine Week (which runs through September 18), Blanchard Family Wines is hosting A Taste of Colorado Winemakers from 6 to 8 p.m. For $40, guests will get a flight of four wines from different Centennial State wineries and a charcuterie board. Half of the ticket sales will be donated to the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), which supports grape-growing and winemaking in the Centennial State.
Head to Cerveceria Colorado at 1635 Platte Street from 5 to 9 p.m. to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with Cervezas for a Cause. The brewery will donate 20 percent of all proceeds during the event to Museo De Las Americas.
Van Leeuwen is celebrating the grand opening of its first Denver scoop shop at 1459 Larimer Street with $1 scoops from 3 to 7 p.m. Along with its regular lineup of flavors, guests can try the location’s exclusive collab flavor, Crooked Stave Sour Rosé, a raspberry and blueberry sorbet made with the brewery’s Sour Rosé.
Friday, September 16
RISE Westwood at 3728 Morrison Road is hosting the Festival de la Milpa from 5 to 9 p.m. This community event includes a traditional prehispanic menu featuring ingredients harvested from Re:Vision’s Milpa (urban farm) and made by local professional and community chefs; a Tzompantli (skull rack) art installation, made by local youth; a community built Tlamanalli (ofrenda) and ceremony; a Tzoalli (amaranth skull) workshop; local vendors; and an alcoholic drink menu with prephispanic beverages as well as Raices Brewery’s Cosecha beer made with Re:Vision’s chiles.
The WhiskyX Festival left the “e” out of “whiskey,” but with sixty varieties of whiskies (and whiskeys) to sample at the 7 p.m. fest, you’ll probably forgive its spelling choices. Tickets range from $75 to $125; VIPs get early entrance and a free cigar in addition to bottomless drams, live music and food for purchase. The event takes place at Wings Over the Rockies museum; snag tickets on the festival website.
Street Food Social returns to downtown Lakewood from 5 to 9 p.m. Stop by to enjoy live music and eats from over twenty street-food vendors and food trucks; there will also be artisan packaged-food vendors, craft beer and cocktails. The event is free, but you can pre-purchase a Street Food Sampler Package for $20 and then vote on the Weekly FanFav vendor. The Lakewood edition of Street Food Social will take place every Friday through September 30 in Belmar.
Saturday, September 17
Denver Beer Co is celebrating its eleventh anniversary with an all-ages party at its Platte Street location from noon to close complete with live music, food trucks, giveaways, special anniversary brews and more.
Street Food Social’s Sloan’s Lake edition will run every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through September 24. As at the Lakewood edition, there will be plenty of food vendors and trucks on hand for the free-to-attend event.
Thirsty Fest benefits Water for People, which is dedicated to providing clean water to those without. All net profits will be donated to the nonprofit. Help by drinking beer or spirits (not water) from 3 to 9 p.m. while listening to live music at Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased on the event website, where you’ll also find a list of participating breweries, distilleries and wineries.
The Downtown Lakewood Beer Fest is taking it back forty(!) years, with a 1980s-themed shindig in Belmar. Don your best retro threads for a chance to win the costume contest in between sampling close to fifty brews from 4 to 7 p.m. Buy GA tickets for $40 on Eventbrite; VIP tickets, $55, include one-hour-early entry and a swag bag.
Sprout City Farms has built four organic vegetable farms along the Front Range as part of its nonprofit mission, and it offers a series of farm dinners at them. On September 17, Jack’s Solar Farm in Longmont will host dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Find out more and purchase tickets, $100, on the Sprout City website.
At New Image Brewing’s Arvada taproom, the laughs flow as freely as the brews during the Last Sip of Summer comedy shows. From 4 to 10 p.m., Denver comedians will take the stage back to back. There’s no cover charge, but be careful not to choke on your foam when your funny bone is tickled.
Slow Food Denver and Corrida chef Samuel McCandless are teaming up for a farm dinner at Lafayette’s Hope Hill Farm from 5 to 9 p.m. GA tickets are $165; VIP tickets are $200 and include a farm tour starting at 4 p.m., a welcome cocktail and reserved seating. See the menu and buy tickets on Slow Food Denver’s website.
Joyride Brewing at 2501 Sheridan Boulevard in Edgewater is hosting the final West Denver Bike Loop at 11:30 a.m. with a football/NFL theme. Put on your favorite jersey and venture to WestFax Brewing Company, Hogshead Brewing, Odell Brewing (Sloan’s Lake) and Joyride, where you’ll get $1 off a full pour of your choice at each stop. Those who complete the loop by biking to all four breweries earn a free beer. The ride can be done in a group or on your own — punch cards are available at each participating brewery. Get more details online.
Sunday, September 18
Urban Farmer executive chef Ryan Rau is teaming up with five other big-name chefs for a six-course dinner experience with wine pairings at 6:30 p.m., with all proceeds benefiting No Kid Hungry. The lineup includes Taylor Stark from The Wolf’s Tailor; Derek Simcik, director of culinary for Sage Restaurant Concepts and Chopped 420 Champion; Byron Gomez, Top Chef Season 18; Zoi Antonitsas, Top Chef Season 4 and Food & Wine “Best New Chef” 2015; and Jonathan Brooks, Food & Wine “Best New Chef” 2015. Each will create a dish for the dinner, which is $150 per person. Tickets are available on Tock.
Chef Justin Fulton, whose resume includes restaurants like New York City’s Daniel and Mercantile in Denver, is bringing Margot, his take on contemporary American cuisine, to Coperta (400 East 20th Avenue) on Sundays through October 2. Reservations can be made online for the ten-course meal, which is $105 per person. An optional wine pairing is also available.
Keep reading for future events…
Thursday, September 22
RiNo’s jazz supper club Nocturne is hosting its first cocktail class from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Join bartender Paul Webb, who will guide you through the history, ingredients and techniques to make your own classics from the Big Easy including the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz. Tickets are $38 and include access to the night’s live music, which starts at 6:30pm.
September 23-25
Celebrate a beloved park of Colorado culture and stock up on roasted chiles at the annual Chile & Frijoles Festival in Pueblo. Tickets are available online in advance for $5 (or it’s $6 at the door). Festivities include a jalapeno eating contest, a chihuahua parade, a hot air balloon fest and, of course, plenty of chiles.
Sunday, September 25
Organized by Audrey Jane’s owner Audrey Kelly and Melinda Carbajal, who co-owns the Simply Pizza food truck, the first-ever Colorado Pizza Pop Up will be at the Run Westy Run food truck park in Westminster from noon to 5 p.m. The event is free to attend, but coins good for slices, drinks and more are available for pre-purchase so you can skip the line. Proceeds benefit Slice Out Hunger and a local domestic-violence shelter.
Fifteen AAPI-owned businesses are gathering at Improper City from 1 to 6 p.m. to celebrate the Full Moon Festival (also known as the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival throughout Asia). Entry is free, though VIP ticket holders ($40) receive two free drinks, a commemorative T-shirt and entry in a VIP giveaway valued at $1,500. Find tickets and a list of vendors on Eventbrite.
October 4-5
Tickets are now on sale for EatDenver’s intimate Harvest Week dinners. The popular event series is also a fundraiser for the Grow Haus and includes three nights of collaborative meals from some of Denver’s top restaurants. The Thursday night dinner sold out quickly, but spots are still available for the Tuesday kickoff and Wednesday’s vegetarian meal, both of which take place at 6 p.m. at Ironton Distillery.
Thursday, November 3
Westword‘s Feast, our annual event that lets you celebrate Denver’s dining scene one bite at a time, will be back at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park from 7 to 10 p.m. Enjoy unlimited food and beverage samples from dozens of vendors; watch for updated information at westwordfeast.com.
Know of an event that belongs on this calendar? Send information to [email protected].