The Denver Post Home on the Range | June 29 2025

on the Range

Stephen Burg is a shareholder and a trial attorney with Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine. As the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Personal Injury Department, Stephen focuses on representing victims of automobile and motorcycle crashes, trucking collisions, product liability injuries, gas explosions, wrongful death, sexual assault and exploitation, and harmful drugs and medical products. A recent trial of Mr. Burg’s resulted in an $18,105,000 verdict.*

A dedicated advocate for those harmed by the carelessness of others, Stephen Burg has a long-standing reputation for his formidable skills as a litigator and a negotiator. He has a passion for holding negligent parties accountable for their actions and maximizing financial recoveries for his clients.

Mr. Burg has been recognized for his legal excellence both nationally and locally. He was named as the “Recommended Attorney” by the U.S. Legal 500, and has been consistently recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” since 2012. He has also been selected by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America, a Colorado Super Lawyer, and a 5280 Top Lawyer.

*Past results do not guarantee future success.

Stephen J. Burg, Shareholder

Large Firm Power. Small Firm Care. .

At Burg Simpson, we take pride in our ability to help people. When you need a personal injury lawyer, you want someone you can trust. Burg Simpson is a national fi rm with the resources, reputation, and results necessary to have our clients’ backs, no matter how big the opponent. We’ve built a reputation on standing up for individuals against negligent corporations and large insurance companies. We represent people nationwide, with o ces located in Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Ohio, and Wyoming.

TA BLE OF CONTENT S

Bite on the wild side

Cook Edgar Garcia showcase s a raw bull te sticle alongside a plate of prepared Rock y Mountain oysters at Buckhorn Exchange in Denver on May 21

8 Colorado rest aura nt s serv ing buffalo, elk and ot her ga me COLORADO

By Ti ne y Ricciardi cr icci ardi@d enve rpost.com

Anthony Perez vividly remembers the first time he ta sted the Colora do delica cy Rock y Mounta in oysters. Perez wa s 16 years old and ha d just begun work ing at Buck horn Exchange, an iconic Denver rest aura nt that first opened it s doors in 1893 It s menu ha rkens ba ck to the Old We st , showca sing the ty pe s of ga me that would have been avai lable to Indi genous tr ib es and settlers of that era.

As loca ls know, these oyst ers don’t come from the

se a. They ’re ac tual ly bu ll te st icle s that chef s at The Buck hor n Exchan ge sl ic e th in , br ea d and then fr y. They ’re served as an appetizer with three house sauces for dipping.

“T hey were really good,” Perez reca lls of his first experience, “until they told me what they were.”

Perez wa sn’t deterred, however Today, he is the general manager of Buck horn Exchange, where he delights in pushing diners outside their comfor t zone with it s ar ray of unusua l meat s that are emblematic of Colora do’s histor y. And he’s not alone.

Wild ga me is something of a regional specia lt y and

popula r among tour ists, rest aura nt ow ners say. Contrar y to it s moniker, wild ga me like buffalo and elk is now fa rmed throug hout the U. S. and some Colora do loca les even serve meat ra ised loca lly.

Crav in g a ta ste? Here are eight rest aura nt s where you ca n dig into the wild side.

Buckhorn Exchange

In addition to Rock y Mounta in oy st er s, guests at Buck hor n Exchange ca n tr y entrees feat ur ing buffalo and el k st ea ks , qu ai l and Corn ish ga me hen. Perez

Ga me

FROM PAGE 4

recommends the blackened bu ffalo pr ime rib, which comes with ga rlic ma shed potatoes He described buffa lo, also know n as bison, as leaner, sweeter and more tender compared to beef. “Once you ta ste it you’ ll be conver ted, I’m 100% sure of that ,” Perez sa id Those look ing for just a bite ca n opt for appetizers like the buffalo sausage, fr ied alligator ta il or the sirloin ga me tips plate that includes choice cuts of beef, bison and el k saut eed with mu sh room s. The re st aura nt also serves rattlesnake seasonally in the summer. But recently there’s been a shor tage, Perez sa id, so if it ’s available, don’t miss your chance.

10 00 Os age St ., De nv er 303- 53 4- 9505 bu ckho rn com.

The Fort Restaurant

The Fort in Morrison takes guests back in time, from the ambiance to the menu offer ings. Ow ner Holly Arnold Kinney ’s fa mily built The Fort a litera l replic a of Bent ’s Old Fort trad ing post in 1961. As she tells

The Buckhorn Exchange is one of the longes t-running re staurants in Denver

Ga me

FROM PAGE 5

it , constr uc tion on the proper ty drained the fa mily ’s bank accounts and inspired them to open a restaurant in 1963 to pay ba ck loans. Given the fa mily amassed a librar y of 3,000 histor y books, includ ing cookbook s from the Old We st , The Fort specia lize s in 19 th-c entury dining.

Buffalo is served many ways here, inspired by the Indigenous people’s commitment to using the whole animal ba ck in the day. Dishes include buffalo pr ime rib, buffalo empanada s and buffalo bone marrow The Historian’s Plat ter also feat ures buffalo tong ue alongside bu ff alo sausage and ot her ac cout rement s. The most popu la r dish is The Fort ’s Ga me Plat e, which come s with a bone -in el k chop, a bu ffalo sirloin meda llion, and gr illed teriya ki quail. The rest aura nt also serves a sa mpler of ga me sausages fe at ur in g rabbit , ratt lesnake, and antelope, and cr isp, bite -size Rock y Mounta in oysters for any occa sion.

“We’ ve even ha d some women come up celebrating their divorce with platters of Rock y Mountain oysters,” Ar nold Kinney sa id 19192 CO -8, Morr ison 303- 697- 4771 th efor t.com.

Cafe Jordano

An It al ia n re st au ra nt may se em li ke an unusua l place to find buffalo, but it ’s been on the menu at La kewo od’s Ca fe Jord ano si nc e op en in g in 1991 Ow ner Elisa Sicu ra nza and her ex-husba nd did not wa nt to serve veal because of ethica l concer ns about how the animals were raised Being in the Mountain West , they decided to substitute bu ff alo and prepare it as they would veal pounded thin for a va riet y of trad itional pa st a dishes like Buffalo Pa rmig ia na and Buffalo Alla Cocciatore. Cafe Jordano also developed some or ig inal recipes, for example, the Buffalo Roya l featuring a cream sauce ma de with cognac and mushrooms. 11068 W. Jewell Ave., Lakewood . 303-988- 6863. cafejord an o.com.

Elk Avenue Prime

Ga me is pa rt icularly popu la r in Colora do’s mountain towns, where visitors are surrounded by the natu-

Elk Avenue Prime, located in Cres

Edwards is a 62-year- old family-run busine ss at 12280 W. 44th Ave. in Wheat Ridge.

Ga me

ra l wilder ness, said Cody Penton, senior executive chef of Elk Avenue Food and Beverage. Three of the company ’s four rest aura nt s in Crested Butte currently serve ga me in some respec t, but it s stea khouse, Elk Avenue Pr ime, boasts the most options. The top seller is an elk strip loin, but Penton sa id not to sleep on the buffalo strip that ’s dr y-aged for 24 days. Though the menu often rotates seasonally, Penton ex pect s he’ll always feature some wild ga me “We’re able to get our ha nd s on some pret ty exceptiona l produc ts here while also giving people what they wa nt ,” he sa id 226 Elk Ave., Crested Butte. 970-349-1221. elkaveprimecb.com .

Appaloosa Grill

Endear ingly know n as The Horse, Appaloosa Grill is a 24 -yea r- old Denver classic serv ing ga me with a side of live music. Bison comes in a va riet y of dishes, from ch il i to bu rger s and even a bi son pa st ra mi Reub en sa ndwich Crav in g a st ea k? Choose from bison filet , T-bone and New York strip. There’s also an elk burger that comes topped with goat cheese, cream cheese, serra no ha m, grape compote and ar ug ula. 535 16th St ., Suite 110, Denver. 720-932-1700. appaloosag rill .com

D’Deli

Diners look in g for some th in g more ca sual than a st ea khou se ca n tr y bu ff alo and el k be tween br ea d at D’ Deli in Golden Both me at s come “c or ne d and smoked” and dressed to mouthwater ing delight. The Buffalo Reuben, feat ur ing the trad itiona l sauerk raut , Sw iss cheese and Thousa nd Isla nd dressing, is a good gateway bite. More adventurous eaters can opt for recipes like the Ox ford buffalo with blue cheese aioli, mozzarella , tomato, ba sil, mi xed greens and olive oil and The Big Boy, an elk sub with ba ked beans, ba rbecue Dijon, celery, coleslaw, onions and cayenne honey. 1207 Wa shington Ave., Gold en dd eligol den.com.

Edwards Meats

Though Edwa rds Meat s in Wheat Ridge is pr imarily a butcher shop, it also ha s a deli that offers corned buffalo and corned elk as meat options. You’ ll have to build your ow n sa ndwich, but st a ff ca n help guide you through the flavors. (T hink of it as a good substitute for corned beef, with a similar cure and seasoning, one person recently suggested.) Edwa rd s sells ma ny other ty pe s of ga me to ta ke home, includ in g bu ffalo, venison, elk, rabbit , phea sa nt and quail. 12280 West 44th Ave., Wh eat Ri dge. 303- 422- 4397. edward sm eats.com

The Wapiti Colorado Pub

Wapiti is a native word for “elk ,” or ig inal ly from the Cree or Shaw nee la ng uages meaning white rump. The na mesa ke of this Estes Pa rk eatery, elk are of ten

visible ha ng ing out downtown and are a quintessential pa rt of the mounta in communit y. As an ode to the wilder ness, guests will find a Centennial St ate Burger on the menu , fe at ur in g either an el k or bi son patt y topped with provolone cheese and gr illed onions The rest aura nt also serves fr ied Rock y Mounta in oyst ers with cock ta il sauce.

13 50 Fa ll Ri ve r Ro ad , Es te s Pa rk 970- 586- 50 56 th ewapit ipub.com .

Bonus: Wild game for drinking and grilling Wynkoop Brewing Co.

What bega n as an April Fool’s joke in 2012 turned into a beer that ’s on tap year-round at Denver ’s Wy nko op Br ew in g Co Ea ch batc h of the Ro ck y Mounta in Oyster Stout is brewed with about 40 pounds of roasted bull testicles, lend ing a signat ure smok y and meat y flavor to the dr in k. (Act ua lly, head brewer Kat Hess suspec ts the grain bill ha s more to do with the flavor, but we’re not one to take away from the novelt y.) 1634 18th St ., Denver 303-297-2700 wynkoop.com.

Sam’s Meat Market

Gr ill masters can find a wide variet y of game to cook at home at Sa m’s Meat Ma rket in Aurora . Meat s run the gamut from bison and elk to exotic options like antelope, rabbit , rattlesnake, wild boar, ya k, ka ngaroo, ostr ich and snapping turtle.

2300 S. Ch ambers Road , #D, Aurora 303- 696- 6146 denver meat market .com .

The women behind Denver’s ‘New Native American Cuisine’

Chef Andrea Condes pose s for a portrait at the garden of The Rooted Andina in Ar vada on June 5.

By Mi gu el Ot árol a motarola@d enve rpost.com

In her 2023 cookbook “Seed to Plat e, Soil to Sk y,” New Mexico -based chef and histor ian Lois Ellen Frank sa id the present er a of Indi genous cu isine re volves around modern chefs understa nd ing the ingred ient s and the fa rming prac tices of their ancestors.

“It’s now up to ea ch Native Amer ic an communit y and each Native American chef to decide what the New Native Amer ican Cuisine is and what they are going to serve on their plates,” Frank, who wa s advised by Na-

vajo chef Walter Whitewater, wrote in her introduction.

Severa l youn g women chefs are doin g just that in the Denver area , star ting food businesses and planting ga rdens as a way to reconnec t with the la nd and the trad itions of the pa st They are defining in real time what New Native Amer ic an Cuisine ca n be, from cultivation to creation

Their work is moving forward Indi genous cuisine in a cr itic al time of repossession af ter the forced relocations of the 19 th cent ur y and the food distribution prog ra ms of the 20 th cent ur y, a recent period Fran k referred to in her cookbook as “the most pa inful and

most difficult in terms of health and wellness in Native Amer ic an Cuisine histor y.”

Be fore the ex plor at ion of the Amer ic as , mo st of the Indi genous diet in the Sout hwest and Four Corners region ca me from fa rmed fo od s such as corn , be an s and squa sh (somet imes ca lled “t he th re e si sters”) Af ter the countr y relocated Native Amer ic ans to reservations, they were issued gover nment rations of ma ss-produced food different from what they were used to, Fr an k wr it es To her and some of her colleag ues, it amounted to “nutritional genocide.”

Alejandr a Tobar, le

and

Denver ha s long as sociat ed Native Amer ic an cu isi ne with To cabe , on 35 36 W. 44th Ave., and it s fr y brea d ta cos, ma de with shredded bison, hominy and roas te d green ch iles. When Matt Chandr a and Ben Ja cobs op ened To cabe in 20 08, the re st au ra nt wa s billed as “the on ly Amer ic an Indian-owned and -operated rest aura nt in metro Denver specia lizing in Native Amer ic an cuisine.”

Af ter lear ning that Ja cobs, a Native chef, wa s using some of his family ’s recipes, Micaela Iron Shell-Dominguez , 36, knew she ha d to work there.

An environmental and Indigenous activist and actor with the Annishabae Theater Exchange whose father is La kota and mother is from the Sa n Luis Va lley, Iron Shell-Doming uez noted the sa nc tity of ancestral food s and emphasized the role women played in feed ing Native communities.

“I remember af ter work ing there for a while, I told Ben and Matt I wa s so in spired by ever yt hi ng they did that one day I wa nted to open and ow n an Indig-

Native

enous rest aura nt just like them,” she sa id in an email to The Denver Post

She is now a mother of two and worker-owner of Moonshell Pizza Cooperative (w ww.moonshell.coop), a roving pizza crew where her pa rtner, Sid Fa rber, is lead dough roller. The bounty of foods native to the region, such as corn, berr ies and sage, ma kes it ea sy to ba se dishes around those ingred ient s, she sa id Their buffalo chokecherr y pizza is one such example, she added, the chokecherr y plant being native to Colorado.

Iron Shell-Doming uez’s multidisciplinar y and holistic approa ch to her Native culture is also shared by Indigenous groups outside of North Amer ic a.

Andrea Condes, 39, wa s born in Ca ra ca s, Venezuela, and adopte d into the Un it ed St at es , where she grew up and pursued a ca reer in the culina ry ar ts. It wa s in Colora do where the self-descr ibed “child of the Ande s” la nded Althou gh sepa rated by thousa nd s of mi le s, Condes saw ma ny si mi la rities integral to the ex periences of the pre- colonia l Amer ic as “How people are treated, how the la nd is respec ted, how animal relatives and plant relatives are just that: relatives,” Condes sa id

Draw n to root vegetables like the potato, which or iginated in the Andes, she st ar ted a catering company,

Four Directions Cuisine (w ww.fourd irec tionscuisine com). She grows her ow n plants and is hosting meals two weekends a month through October as The Rooted Andina at her home in Ar va da Lear ning about Indigenous food s and hist or y, she sa id , help ed her overcome the “c ultu ra l gap” of living in another countr y and brought her closer to her homela nd.

“It’s definitely not something that I had lang uage for when I first st ar ted wa lk ing down this path,” Condes sa id . “Rec on ne ct in g with those fo od s, I didn’t re alize then, but I do now: It wa s me reconnec ting with myself.”

Si nc e grow in g fo od wa s a way of li fe , some New Native Amer ic an Cu isine chef s are re tu rn in g to the prac tice, what Fran k equates with “food sovereig nt y.” Planting companion crops, such as the three sist ers, is one of the cultivation method s Fran k teaches in an effor t to br in g what she ca lls “tra ditional ec olog ic al knowledge” (TEK) ba ck to Native communities.

Na ri ssa Ribera , a memb er of the Navajo Nation , st ar ted planting out of necessit y. She wa s always fa sci nate d with fo od sy st em s, a ja ck-of-al l-tr ades who lear ned to ga rden as a child and ha d years of ex perience ba king cott age food s.

The lifest yle developed into Ch’il Indigenous Food s (w ww.chi l-indi genousfoods.c om), a meal pick up service she st ar ted th ree ye ar s ago. She work s out of a commercial kitchen in the Wheat Ridge Center for Music and Ar ts, on 7530 W. 38th Ave. in Wheat Ridge, baking cook ies with ingredients grow n by Indigenous har-

vesters and other delica cies, like blue corn ice crea m. (She’l l soon open an outdoor eating area at the ar ts center.)

The city of Wheat Ridge lent her two commercial plot s of la nd behi nd the city ’s commun it y ga rden , where she cultivated the beans, corn and squa sh (including Apache gourds and La kota squa sh) along with sunflowers. It ’ll be a couple of years until the crops are ready to ha rvest, she sa id

Until then, Ribera is prepar ing to launch a Native cook ie and tea busine ss with the in gred ient s for the tea grow n in her garden, she said She received federa l grants to help with ma rketing and her brand, which she would one day like to see in supermarkets.

“I wa nt representation,” Ribera sa id

Althou gh she welc omes non-Native s who suppor t her work and wa nt to lear n about Indigenous food s, her ma in conc er n is re connec ti ng Native pe ople to their ancestra l food s.

“So much wa s ta ken from us, includ ing so much of our food,” she sa id “You’ll find a lot of Native people they ’re just not interested in cook ing.”

She solicits social media followers to help tend the Wheat Ridge ga rden s and visits classe s at Je ffer son County scho ol s, show in g st udents how to ma ke Indigenous dishes

At a wi nt er holiday ma rket , Ribera sold a box of cook ie s that ca me with a paper de scribing ea ch one and the histor y behind it s ingred ient s. For her, the joy wa s in having an authentic option for Indigenous people to gift their fr iend s and fa mily.

Pig and Tiger chefs Tr avis Masar, le ft, and Darren Chang

‘A

merican’ foods are changing

But Four th of July still revolves around the gr ill

By Mi gu el Ot árol a motarola@d enve rpost.com

For much of the la st cent ur y of Amer ic an hist or y, ba rb ec ue s and potlucks have domi nated the Four th of July feast-iv ities.

Hot dogs and hamburgers accompany sides of macaroni and cheese, potato sa lad and watermelon slices in ec st atic union in ba ck ya rd s and front porches across the countr y. Coolers full of beer and soda crackle as the ice melt s throughout the hot summer day. Ice- cream sa ndwiches, popsicle s and pie await as the su n se ts and fireworks light up the night. But those aren’t the only kind s of Amer ic an food s.

Immigrants from other countr ies of ten celebrate their patr iotism with tw ists on the classics, or other food s entirely.

And with it s prox imit y to the Southwest, Colora do ha s a few of its ow n traditions for the patr iotic holiday, includ ing green and red chile, corn, beans and tortillas food s eaten in Hispanic communities long before there wa s a Colora do or a Four th of July.

In fa ct , anth ropolo gi st Ca role Coun ih an do cument ed Four th of Ju ly food s in Colora do’s Sa n Lu is Va lley in a report published in a 2009 antholog y, The Globalization of Food She observed special dishes such as posole, deviled eg gs and pa st a, noting the holiday is represented by dishes from all over the world with

a heav y emphasis on gr illed meat s.

Below, a group of Denver chefs share their personal spread s for the Four th of July. Some, like Munetoshi Ta ira at Sushi by Scratch and Ma nny Ba rella at Riot BBQ, wh ic h op ened th is ye ar, weren’ t born in the United St ates. Others, like Ni Ng uyen of Sap Sua and Da rren Chan g at Pi g and Ti ger, are fir st-generat ion Amer ic ans. La st ly, one chef shares a recipe in spired by his annual travels to It aly for the Four th

The gr ill and the outdoors are what tie most of their respec tive menus together.

Manny Barella, Riot BBQ (2180 S. Delaware St .): “BBQ cu lt ure wa s a hu ge pa rt of my upbr in gi ng in Monter rey, Mexico. Ever y gather ing revolved around open-fire cook ing and outdoor gr illing Tending to the gr ill on your ow n is a rite of pa ssage. We celebrate the

Chef Manny Barella looks at orders at The Regular on May 1.

FROM PAGE 11

Four th of July here in the U. S. by honoring those sa me gr illing trad itions You ca n count on me having ca rne asada, ribs al pa stor and gr illed vegetables on the table. We also li ke to smoke chim ichu rr i, a classic element of Monter rey cookouts than ks to the strong Argentine influence in our region.”

Erasmo “Ras” Casiano, Xiquita (500 E. 19th Ave.): “We go all out with a giant ba ck ya rd BBQ that is exac tly li ke the gather in gs we ha d ba ck in Mexico. We throw ca rne asada and chicken on the fire and ma ke a bunch of sa lsas: sa lsa Mexica na , pico de ga llo, sa lsa ra nchera . And of course, fresh corn tortilla s and rice. We wrap onions in aluminum and throw them in the fire. Once they are good and roasted we hit them with some lime ju ic e. The day is al l about great food and gather ing with fa mily and fr iend s. That ’s the best tradition of all.”

Darren Chang, Pig and Tiger (2200 California St .; op enin g this summ er): “My da d gr il le d Ta iw anes e st reet corn ever y Four th of Ju ly grow in g up in (L os

GRILL » PAGE 13

Chef/owner Er

An gele s). Some of my be st su mmer memories ar e st anding arou nd the gr il l and ea gerly awaiting that first bite of succulent corn At Pig and Tiger, our Ta iwa nese street corn st ar ts with fresh Olathe corn. We use my da d’s or ig inal shacha sauce recipe (only difference is that we ma ke it vega n), then we give it a da sh of sweet soy for a perfec tly savory-sweet bite.”

Anna and Anthony “Ni” Nguyen, Sap Sua (2550 E. Colfax Ave.): “Every year, we ma ke BBQ pork skewers, Amer icana-st yle. We skewer quar tered onions and bell peppers along with pork shoulder marinated in lemongrass. We still don’t miss out on the hot dogs, though! We throw them on the gr ill right alon gside the pork shou lder and serve them with Vietna me se ac cout erment s. Our favorite is brat wurst with ou r version of pick les: lacto-fermented garlic , baby eggplant , daikon,

and ca rrot . It prov ides the perfec t, br iny, ac id pop. Don’t forget the brow n must ard.”

Mune to shi Tair a, Su shi by Scratch Re st aurant s (1441 Larimer St .): “In my kitchen, I enjoy blending trad it iona l Amer ic an Independence Day dishes with Japa nese flavors. For inst ance, I of ten prepare ya kitori-style gr illed meat s alongside classic ba rbecue fa re, and I like to incorporate ingredient s like miso or shiso into fa mi liar side s such as potato sa la d. This fusion not only honors the holiday but also reflect s the ha rmonious blend of cult ures that I cher ish.”

Darrel Truett, Barolo Grill (3030 E. 6th Ave.): “For the pa st 15 years, I’ve spent the Four th of July in Italy with the Ba rolo Gr il l team on ou r an nual st a ff tr ip One of the things I always look forward to on a hot day during that first week of July is Panzanella It ’s an Italian bread sa lad with mi xed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and toasted bread tossed in a beautiful red wine vinaig rette. And I usua lly ma ke it when I come home from the trip shor tly af ter the Four th of July to offset all of the incredible food and wine we indulged in.”

You herd it here first

Part of Rex Moore’s bison herd is moved to their summer pasture in Hudson on May 15

Colorado’s at forefront of bison industry

By El iz ab et h Hern ande z eh er nand ez@d enve rpost .c om

It took about a year for the bison hear t to complete it s jour ney from pumping blood through the hulk ing grazer of the plains to being microplaned over a bed of grains, cherries and beets at a Michelin-starred restaura nt in Denver

More than a month curing in a wet br ine. Around eight months of dr y-ag ing at a controlled temperature. A dehydration process.

Then, the grand reveal as guests dining at Br uto

were treated to a tableside bison-hear t grating.

“T he dish wa s fr uity,” sa id Br ut o Chef By ron Gomez. “It ha d a lot of fermentation. It wa s crea my and then it wa s ea rthy, but also sweet from the beet s, and then you have th is smok y, al mo st jerky-l ike te xt ure and ta ste of the bison hear t that would be snowed on top of ever ything. When you eat it , it ’s like comfor ting, wa rm, refreshing, sweet, ea rthy notes to ever y bite.” Bison. It ’s what ’s for dinner.

From fa st ca sual to fine dining, bison is increasingly a Colora do menu st aple The he ar ty creatu re s, once syst emic ally slaughtered by European settlers to the

detr iment of Native Amer ic an tr ibes, are now grazing their way ba ck from the br in k of ex tinc tion.

“Colorado is ground zero for the bison industry,” said Jim Matheson, executive director of the Denver-based trade orga nization National Bison Association.

Restoring bison herds

Colora do ac ts as the nation’s hub for bi son pr oce ssin g and ma rket in g, Matheson sa id . The st at e is home to the largest bison processor in the world, Great Range Premium Bison. In compar ison to beef, bison is a small sect or of the ag ricu lt ure industry, Matheson sa id. In addition to the big processors, there are dedic ated small and mid-size bison processors that contr ibute to the st ate’s reputation as a bison meat haven.

PAGE 14

“T he bison industry in Colora do is at the forefront,” said Rex Moore, ow ner of loca l bison ranch Rock River Ra nches.

The National Bison Association is headquar tered in Westminster. The National Western Stock Show br ings bison and ranchers to the area . Demand for bison produc ts is on the rise, Moore sa id

“T he more people that we ca n get to tr y bison and eat bi son, the more we ca n help gr ow the nation al herd,” Moore sa id “We have a slogan in the bison indu st ry: We eat bi son to re st ore bi son… My pa ssion today is to be a bison ment or and te ach ot her bison ra nchers how to do it .”

Tens of millions of bison once roamed across North Amer ic a. The he ar ty an imals were a cr ucia l pa rt of Native Amer ic an cu lt ure, prov id in g fo od and ot her resources.

Bi son were wipe d out as Eu rope an se tt lers encroa ched on Native la nd s in the 1800s. The U. S. Ar my “began a ca mpaign to remove Native Amer ic an tr ibes from the la nd sc ape by ta ki ng away thei r ma in food source: bi son,” ac cord in g to the National Pa rk Service Hu nd reds of thousa nd s of bison were ki lled by U. S. soldiers and hunters, and by the 1880s, bison were nearly ex tinc t.

Federa l and st ate gover nments, conser vation pa rtners and tr ibal nations have worked to restore bison herd s. Now, about 20,500 plains bison ma ke up conservation herds, and 420,000 are in commercial herds, accord ing to the U. S. Fish & Wild life Serv ice.

Ro ck Ri ve r Ra nc he s suppli es ar ou nd 50 lo ca l re st aura nt s throug hout the Front Ra nge with bison. If you’re eating the braised sh redded bison or bison ribs at Denver ’s Tocabe Amer ic an Indian Eatery, the ba con-wrapped buffalo filet at Simms St ea khouse in La kewood, or Br uto’s bison tenderloin, you’ ve chowed down on Rock River Ra nches’ wa res. Contra ry to popula r belief, Moore sa id bison is ty pic ally not ga mey. The ra ncher compared the meat to a

beef stea k or a burger with a more robust flavor.

It ’s import ant to Moore to use as much of the whole animal as possible, so he finds creative ways to employ bison ma rrow bones, kneec aps, tong ues, hear ts, sc apulas and femurs.

Knuc kle bone s ar e adde d to soup st oc ks Mo or e craf ted a “cave man burger” using ground bison hear ts, tong ues and liver, “a nd a lot of good vita mins and nutr ition and minera ls,” that he hopes succeeds with the keto and pa leo diet crowd.

Br uto’s Chef Gomez is asking Moore for bison hor ns to see if they ca n constr uc t serv ing spoons and other utensils out of them.

“It’s my job to get into the nitt y gr it ty of what cut of meat s we could use to be sust ainable to put a few buck s ba ck with the fa rmer and educ at e the guest,” Gomez sa id

Br ut o’s bison offer in gs include a bison tenderloin marinated in a thyme shio koji a Japanese fermented cond iment. Gomez al so create d a su nchoke and bison swee tbre ad s di sh ca lled the Bi rt h of Spri ng , in

15

which he roasts sunchoke s in a hear th, purees them and ma ke s a su nchoke cr umble that lo ok s li ke soil. Then , the whole di sh ma rr ie d with bi son swee tbrea ds is roasted and presented in a clea r bowl to resemble an arboretum.

“Bison is such a majestic animal that is so unique to this pa rt of the region that it just ma kes sense to me,” Gomez sa id “T his wa s an animal that wa s almost extinc t at one point How do we preser ve somethin g like this?”

‘Protein of the American plains’

The Fort Rest aura nt in Morr ison, an adobe replic a of the fa mous fur-trad ing post Bent ’s Old Fort on the Sa nt a Fe Trail, wa s or ig inally commissioned to be the fa mily home where Holly Ar nold Kinney, her brother and pet Ca na dian black bear, Sissy, grew up

The fa mily intended to turn pa rt of the home, built in 1961, into a museum to teach people about Bent ’s Old Fort, but the cost of adobe br icks inspired a change of plans a rest aura nt to help pay off the mortgage. When conceptualizing The Fort ’s menu, the fa mily turned to diar ies of those who pa ssed through the historic Fort , leaning heav ily on pioneer gr ub and Native Amer ic an st aples.

“Buffalo wa s the pr imar y protein of the Amer ic an plains,” Kinney sa id.

The rest aura nt serves more than 80,000 buffalo entrees per year, Kinney sa id.

The Fort, along with its bison purveyor Rocky Mounta in Natura l Meat s, is work ing with Cheyenne tr ibes to grow their buffalo herd so the rest aura nt ca n one day buy bison directly from Native tr ibes to suppor t them, Kinney sa id

“It’s br inging that full circle back in histor y to where the Indian s used to pr ov ide bu ff alo me at at Bent ’s Fort ,” she sa id

Buffalo tenderloin. Buffalo prime rib. Buffalo tong ue. Buffalo testicles.

These are all up for grabs on The Fort menu.

So, too, are creative visions including bison empanada s and bison bone marrow, where the animal’s femur bone is placed in fire until it ’s sizzling and crackling, and then diners are encouraged to sop up the “pra ir ie butter ” ma rrow with yeasty brea d.

“Buffalo is like a really good, lean beef sirloin stea k, but if you injected it with beef bullion,” Kinney sa id “It ha s a more meat y flavor, but not ga mey. It ’s like the best stea k you’ ve ever ha d. It ’s juic y and good.” It ’s best to serve bison medium to medium ra re, or ra re, Kinney sa id, because the meat is so lean “It’s very, very healthy,” Kinney sa id.

Bison on a budget

For bison on a budget , Tocabe Amer ican Indian Eater y in North Denver offers up authentic Native dishes under $20. Indian tacos, nachos, rice bowls and sa lads prov ide a ba se for bison consumption. Bison ribs cured for 24 hours offer a more direct approa ch

The fa st ca sual location buys around 1,000 pounds of bison a mont h, ac cord in g to Ben Ja cobs, Tocabe’s ow ner and chef, and an Osage Native Amer ic an “It’s become our most popula r and most import ant protein,” Ja cobs sa id

It ’s import ant to Ja cobs to offer bison in a more accessible setting where people of all stripes have the opport unit y to be ex posed to it

“Bu ff alo, wh ile it is di st inct ly Amer ic an , ha s or igins in Native communities that sust ained it for gen-

erations,” Jacobs said “We’re really pushing for the redevelopment and health of the animal. The animal is very meaningf ul to us.”

When Ja cobs, the youngest of four kids, wa s growing up, his family didn’t get the chance to eat out much, he sa id

Tocabe’s pr ic es are at the forefront of his mind as he hopes to prov ide a dining ex perience that fa milies

like his could have ta ken adva nt age of

“T hat’s a business decision,” Ja cobs sa id. “We have to deal with lower ma rg ins. For me , re st au ra nt s are about prov iding people an experience and making sure ever yone ha s the opport unit y to eat and have somethin g specia l. That ’s why we do it We wa nt to ma ke sure ever yone can ex perience our identity, culture and cuisine.”

Colorado farmers are helping to redefine what it means to eat local

By Br it ta ny An as

Spec ial to Th e De nver Post

Across the Front Ra nge, dozens of fa rmers ma rket s are in fu ll sw in g, ea ch one a lively hub where lo ca l growers, ba kers and food purveyors br in g their be st to the table (a nd the vendor st alls).

If you’ ve ever sp ent a morn in g we av in g th roug h ma rket crowd s, you know the sc ene: upbe at , a litt le frenetic , and full of delicious seasonal surprises. But behind the bushels of greens, stacks of sourdough, and sizzling brea kfast sandwiches are deeper personal stories of heritage, the ha rvest season hustle and fr iendsh ips that you mi ght ot herw ise mi ss out on du ri ng the ma rket rush.

Th is su mmer, in sy nc with fa rmer s ma rket se ason, we’re spotlighting two st andout vendors you just might meet while browsing: a four th-generation Japanese-Amer ic an (Yonsei) fa rmer grow in g Asia n produce to sell at the City Park Farmers Market , and three college fr iends running a farm-to-food-truck operation at the Long mont Fa rmers Ma rket Minoru Farms

While st udying ar t in college, one pr inciple st ayed with Ja de Sato: “You don’t cont rol the medium; the medium controls you.”

That mind set now ca rr ie s over to her work at Minoru Fa rm in Br ig ht on , wher e Sa to, who is Japane se -A merica n, grow s Asia n vege tables on a 4-acre

plot using low-till and orga nic methods. Fa rming requires precision, sure, but Sato also br ings an ar tist ’s sensibilit y to the process, letting her creative root s influence how she tend s to her crops.

“In work ing with nature, and the farm and weather, I have a pr ed ispo sition to not tr y to cont rol ever ything,” she sa id She leans into the wild beauty of the proc ess by celebrat in g nature’s pa lett e: purple ba si l, white bitter melon, and a whole ra inbow of ca rrot s. Sato wa s amon g the fir st fa rmer s to join the City Pa rk Fa rmers Ma rket when it launched in 2021 Now in her fif th se ason , her st al l br im s with ever yt hi ng from ka le, Sw iss chard, and Ga ilaa n (a Chinese broccoli) to ga rl ic va riet ie s from acro ss Asia , as well as

peppers, summer squa sh and tomatoes. She’s always ex perimenting, too, recreating tropic al cond itions to grow things like ginger.

One of her fa rmer s ma rket favorite s is a mo onshaped Korean melon that ar rives in late August and ta stes like a mini honeydew. “W hen you put them in the freezer, you’ ll get a nice sorbet consistenc y.”

Sato star ted Minoru Farm in Januar y 2020 with just a handful of CSA (Community Suppor ted Agriculture) members. She named the farm af ter her late paternal grandfather, George Minoru Sato, a second-generation Japanese -A merican farmer. Her family histor y traces back to rice farmers in Japan who immigrated to America in the early 20th centur y to continue farming. Her grandfather, along with other family members, was impr isoned during World War II in the Japanese internment camps, losing the family farm in the process. Wh ile the fa mi ly never re covere d that la nd , they

eventually moved to Colorado and opened Sato’s Flowers, a nurser y that offered seasonal plants and transitioned to Christma s trees and poinsettia s in the winter. Ja de worked there as a kid, potting mi xed flower ar ra ngements and helping ring up customers. Those ea rly ex perience s helped spark her intere st in working with soil

Today, fa rming helps her feel connec ted to her ancestors and allows her to nour ish others with produce that ma kes them feel at home

“It feels familiar and very natura l,” she says. “It feels like what I’m supposed to be doing.”

In addition to grow in g for the City Pa rk Fa rmer s Ma rket , Sato also supplies produce to Yuan Wont on, run by award-winning Chef Penelope Wong She offers both summer and winter CSA prog ra ms, with enrollment dead line s on Sept . 1 for the wint er season and Jan. 1 for the summer Those interested in the CSA can email her at minorufa rmcsa@gmail.com.

Vi sit Minoru Farm s at City Park Farm ers Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturd ays at City Park Espl an ad e in Denver. Th e farm ers market runs through Oct. 26. cityparkfarm ersm arket.com

Schlop Stop

You’re no stranger to farm-to-table meals. But at the Long mont Farmers Market , you’ ll discover a fresh take on the garden-to-plate movement: Schlop Stop, a farmto -food-tr uck concept run by three long time fr iend s. Their chili-pepper-red tr uck rolls into the market each Saturday, slinging seasonal dishes made from the produce they grow on their ow n Long mont fa rm.

Shaun Burns, Ja ke Downey and Mike My rbeck met wh ile at tend in g the Un iver sity of Ha rt ford in Connecticut and moved out to Boulder together in 2016 as young 20 -somethings. “We’re like a fa mily of fr iend s,” Downey sa id.

Ea ch of them eventual ly vent ured into thei r ow n ca reer paths. A few years ago, though, they decided to combine their complement ar y sk il l se ts: Bu rn s’ ga rdening ba ck ground, honed at Esoter ra Culina ry Ga rden (a favorite of top Front Ra nge chef s); Downey ’s food tr uck ex perience; and My rbeck’s business savv y, shar pened in the outdoor industry

Together, they connec ted with pr ivate la ndow ners

interested in restor ing a farm proper ty and got to work transfor ming a plot of ar id soil into what ’s now a thriving ha lf-a cre ma rket ga rden ca lled Sunbur ns Fa rms. Their culina ry ga rden now supplies the produce for the Schlop St op fo od tr uck, wh ich serves up ever ything from brea kfast sa ndwiches to smashburgers ever y Saturday at the Long mont Fa rmers Ma rket . Considering that produce in the U. S. travels an average of 1, 500 miles to reach your plate, it ’s notable that Schlop Stop’s ingred ient s travel just a few miles across town, cutting down the ca rbon foot pr int and delivering ultra-fresh (a nd super ta st y) vegetables.

The Schlop St op menu chan ge s we ek ly ba se d on what ’s in season, giving ma rket shoppers a prev iew of and inspiration for what they ca n cook at home.

“We’re cook ing what you ca n go to the st ands and buy,” Downey sa id “You wouldn’t thin k to put ca rrot s in an omelet , and then it turns out to be the best veggie omelet you’ ve ever ha d. We’re always tr ying to be creative.”

They also source from other market vendors and loca l purveyors, like eg gs from Bluebird Sk y Fa rmstea d and meat from Grama Gra ss & Livestock. Schlop St op ha s bu ilt a loya l follow in g of fa rmers ma rket regula rs curious to see what ’s new on the menu ea ch week

One beloved staple that usua lly appears later in the summer is the “far ma fel,” as Downey likes to ca ll it The Sunburns Farms team grows chickpea s (a tr ue labor of love), along with parsley, cilantro, garlic and onions to create the Lebanese dish that Downey lear ned to ma ke from fr iend s ba ck Ea st

Anot her crowd favorite is the Fa rm Plat e, wh ich feat ures a protein like fr ied chicken thighs, potatoes from the fa rm (oft en wh ippe d into some th in g li ke goat chee se ma shed potatoes) and a generous helping of in-sea son vegetables, roasted with olive oil and herbs. Portions are big; that ’s where the “schlop” name or ig inated.

In addition to grow in g for Schlop St op, the team also sells produce to Yellow Ba rn Fa rm in Long mont , which ha s fa rm shares available that allow for ma rke t ac ce ss , and at the Ne derland Fa rmer s Ma rket

In addition to vegg ies, Sunbur ns Fa rm grows ever ything from ar ug ula flowers and lavender to Tanger ine Gem Ma rigold “that ta stes almost like a Cutie, with the flowers ex plod ing with citr us when you bite into them,” Downey sa id

These ty pes of edible flowers and ga rnishes are the sa me kind s you might find Michelin-sta rred using to ga rnish dishes with tweezers, which ma ke s it a fun way to level up your ow n week night schlop cook ing.

Vi sit Schl op Stop from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays at th e Long mont Farm ers Market , located at th e Bo ul de r Co unty Fa irground s, 9595 Nels on Road in Long mont Th e market runs through Nov. 15 bcfm org/market s/ long mont-far mers -m arket

Farmers markets to visit

Here are five of the la rgest fa rmers ma rket s across the Front Ra nge. For the complete list , go to denverpost .com

Boulder Farmers Market

Open: Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Nov. 22

Things to know: Run by the Boulder County Fa rmers Ma rket , this beloved Saturday ma rket showca ses tr uly loca l vendors ra ng ing from fa rmers cultivating multi-generational fr uit orchards to ra nchers prac ticin g regenerative ag ricu lt ure. The ma rket , which ha s been runnin g for nearly four deca de s, ha s become a go -t o spot for ma ny Front Ra nge chef s, who source fresh produce from favorites like Aspen Moon, Black Cat, and Toohey & Sons Orga nic for seasonal dishes plated at their rest aura nt s. No pets are allowed at this fa rmers ma rket

Feat ures: Week ly live music, kids’ craf ts; first-t asteof-the -sea son produc t sa mplings; communit y gatherings On the second Saturday of ever y month, loca l artisans join the market and sell jewelr y, body care produc ts, clothing and more

Location: Near Central Park, on 13th Street between Ca nyon Boulev ar d and Ar apahoe Avenue , Boulder; bc fm.org

City Park Farmers Market

Open: Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Oc t. 25

Things to know: In it s fif th season, City Pa rk Fa rmers Ma rket feat ures more than 100 loca l vendors. La st

ye ar, the ma rket adde d vendor s sell in g st aple s li ke cheese and chicken while continuing to build va riet y in categories like produce and ba ked good s, ma king it ea sier to shop for a fu ll week ’s wort h of groc er ie s all in one plac e. Grab a bite to eat for brea kfast and a cup of coffee and stroll through the st alls while listening to live music.

Features: The market hosts monthly demonstrations from Denver ’s top chefs. The 2025 lineup ha sn’t been announc ed yet, but keep an eye out for the schedu le on it s websit e. There’s plenty of pa rk in g available in the Ea st High School lot. SNAP, WIC and Double Up Food Buck s accepted

Location: The ma rket is located near City Pa rk , at City Pa rk Esplanade, the quar ter-mile promenade beginning at 2551 Ea st Colfax Ave., running between Columbine Street and Ea st 17th Avenue; city park farmersma rket .com.

South Pearl Street Farm ers Market

Open: Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Nov. 9.

Things to know: The communit y-focused group Jarman and Co Events manages this busy market , prov iding not just produce, but an ex perience as well. Check out the on line ca lend ar of musica l guests The ma rket is open ra in, snow or shine, and on all holidays It closes only for ex treme weather cond itions.

Fe at ures: Fresh produc e, meat , chee se , wine , prepa red food s and more. Seat s available for eating; dozens of vendors; multiple entrances.

Location: South Pearl Street between Ea st Iowa and Ea st Arka nsas avenue s; sout hpea rlst reet .c om/far mers-ma rket . Urban Market at Union Station

Op en: Ju ly 5- 6; Ju ly 19 -20; Ju ly 26 -27; Au g. 9-10; Aug. 16 -17; Oc t. 11-12; Oc t. 18 -19; Oc t. 25 -26, from noon to 6 p.m.

Thin gs to know: Shop from loca l vendors and enjoy a meal at one of Union St ation’s 10 rest aura nt s.

Feat ures: Ex pect to find a Colora do ma kers ma rket as well as fresh produce and food in the hear t of downtown, set to the soundtra ck of live music.

Lo cation: Denver ’s Un ion St at ion, at 17 th Avenue and Wy nkoop Street; denver unionstation.com.

Highlands Square Farmers Market

Open: Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 12

Th in gs to know: Ja rman and Co Events ma na ge s th is Hi gh la nd s Squa re ma rket that draw s hu nd reds of vendors selling ever ything from plump tomatoes to fresh- cut flowers and loaves of sourdoug h and fla ky puff pa stries Check out the online ca lendar of musica l guests

Features: Colorado-grown produce, local meat, fresh flowers, ba ked good s, prepared food and live music. Sw ing by the ma rket ba r for a delicious concoc tion

Location: At 32nd Avenue between Julian and Mead street s; highla nd ssquarefar mersma rket .com

Br it tany An as is a Denver -based freelance wr iter.

Grow ing your ow n food (yes,

By Ma rt ha Ki rk

Spec ial to Th e De nver Post

even on

During the post-Civ il Wa r era, settlers traveled by covered wagon across the Great Plains to ma ke their home s at the fo ot of the Ro ck ie s. The lu re wa s the prom ise of up to 160 acre s of govern ment-sur ve ye d la nd in exchan ge for work in g the la nd and bu ilding a home on it

Those who ha d the gr it and determination to fa rm for five years, despite Colora do’s ha rsh climate, were

an apar tment balcony)

rewa rded with a deed to the la nd

That sa me spir it is alive today at the Plains Conservation Cent er, where Arapahoe County Ma st er Ga rdener volunteers use the sa me planting method s and heirloom plants of early pioneers. Denver Botanic Gardens grows and donates selected va rieties for the ga rden that have been ca refully researched and verified as va rieties used in the late 1800s.

Fa st -for wa rd 150 ye ar s to pr esent- day ga rdener s who face other challenges, such as planting on a slope, in restricted spaces such as balconies, or in shade from

adja cent houses At a time when there is seemingly no end in sight for sk yrocketing food prices, grow ing one’s ow n fr uit, vegetables and herbs makes economic sense.

The good news is that a trad itiona l dedicated space is not needed to grow food.

Create a tapestry

One option for grow ing your ow n food is foodsc aping, the prac tice of integrating ed ible plants with orna ment al plants. Food sc aping is as old as the ancient

Grow

FROM PAGE 21

Eg yptians and Babylonians, who were know n for combining or na ment al trees, shrubs and fr uit trees along with flower ga rdens and ed ible crops. It wa sn’t until the Rena issa nce period that Europeans st ar ted separating or na ment al ga rdens and food ga rdens.

Mayb e you pl an to ex pa nd or na ment al ga rden s to include a food ga rden border. A perennia l ga rden with a border of greens, squa sh and edible flowers ca n add beautiful text ure just a few steps away from the kitchen. A simila r effec t is possible by adding a border of herbs, lett uce or spinach to an ex isting flower ga rden Look for a sunny transition area between turf and or na ment al ga rden to tuck in a few favorites such as ra dishes, Sw iss chard and sc allions.

Smaller tomato plants of the determinate ty pe ca n add a spla sh of color while not over ta king the ga rden space Idea lly, the area should receive at least si x hours of direct sunlight and have well-d ra ined soil Vegetable, herb and small fr uit choices are abunda nt and invite creative design idea s.

Balconie s can be windy so if you have the space, consider a raised bed with a screen me sh cover that can protect plants. Some also have fros t covers for additional protection.

keep cont ainers well hydrated They dr y out ea sily, especially terracot ta pots.

Consider grow ing these in cont ainers:

• Herbs: Keep near the kitchen door!

Tight on space?

If your ga rden in g spa ce is limited to a ba lc ony or tiny ya rd, thin k vertic al and cont ainer ga rdening. Almost anyt hi ng ca n be grow n in a cont ai ner even trees if the cont ainer is appropriately sized for the ta sk Ma ke use of vertic al space by at ta ching smaller cont ainers to a fence or place an obelisk or trellis in a cont ainer to suppor t climbing plants like pole beans or cucu mber s. Smal ler, more compac t cu lt ivar s specific ally intended for cont ainers are widely available. Place cont ainers where they will receive at least si x hours of sun each day. Cool-sea son crops (like broccoli, lett uce and spinach) should be kept in pa rtia l shade. If you have ga rden space, you ca n also place cont ainer s in or na ment al beds Fi ll cont ainers with qualit y potting soil to ensure proper drainage. Plant either a single va riet y per pot or multiple va rieties in one pot. Groupe d toge ther, you ca n create an in spir in g and plea sing display of colors, height s and text ures. Water in and apply an all-purpose liquid fertilizer to new transpla nt s. Continue to fertilize during the summer, as directed on the fertilizer cont ainer. Be sure to

• Ca rrot s: Use a cont ainer double the height of the va riet y you will grow

• Cucu mb er s and Squa sh (z uc ch in i and su mmer squa sh): Choose bush va rieties unless you have a trellis for vining cultivars. A single plant ca n quickly fill a cont ainer.

• Eg gpla nt: Fa irly sensit ive to co ol temp er at ures (lower than 50 degrees)

• Leaf y Greens: Snip and snip again for multiple harvest s! This includes lett uce, ka le and spinach.

• Peas: Put ta ll suppor ts in the cont ainer and water frequently.

• Pepper s: Whet her a bell or hot va riet y, pepper s do well in cont ainers and are great for pick ling, preserves and sa lsa.

• Potatoes: Choose ty pe s that matu re ea rly. Some potatoes ca n ta ke up to 120 days to mature

• Ra dishes: No need for a la rge cont ainer.

• Tomatoes: Micro va riet ies do well Suppor t with a tomato cage or st ake if needed

Planting mid-season

The dog days of summer are almost here, but don’t despair. See those empt y spaces that were prev iously

oc cupied by ea rly- season crops? You ca n direct-seed now for ha rvest in September or Oc tober. Some favorites to seed in mid-July are cabbage, collards, endive, green onions, New Zealand spinach, bush beans, cucumber, cauliflower, snow peas and summer squa sh. Crops that ca n be seeded unti l late Ju ly to ea rly August are Chinese cabbage, small carrots, broccoli, kale, tu rn ips, tu rn ip greens and beet s. Recommended for se ed in g ea rly to mid-Au gu st ar e le af le tt uc e, mu sta rd greens, ra dishes, spinach, Sw iss chard and turnip greens.

Ga rden cent ers will also ca rr y some st ar ts of cool season plants by mid-August . Ba sed on the first frost date (roughly Oc t. 15 in our area), check the seed pa cket s for planting-t o-ha rvest dates to see if there is time for a second crop of your favorite vegetables. Later in the season, if frost is predicted, cover plants with floating row cover, an inexpensive, reusable fabr ic that give s plants severa l degrees of protec tion

Grow ing your ow n food is immensely satisf ying It connec ts us to the earth, and we all know that gardenin g is good for you. And what could be fresher, ta stier and better than food right from your ow n ga rden?

Martha Kirk is an Arapah oe County Colora do ma ster gard en er. Cont ributing to this column were Ju dy Kunz an d Kathi Thistl ethwaite.

Cowboy caviar is the trifecta of part y dishes: delicious, easy and a crowd favorite

Cowboy cook ing (think ‘Bla zing Saddles,’ but better)

West er n-inspired dishes that shou ld satisf y even the hung riest cowboy.

TwoDot in 2021 INGREDIENTS

This August , Colora do is celebrating it s 149th year as a st ate. Even before then, the pioneers who settled or moved alon g the terr it or y took to open-fi re cooking of rationed beans, stews and cornbrea d to gather streng th and ca rr y on in their jour neys.

To th is day, some re st au ra nt s in the st at e honor that ea rly su st enance with their ow n he ar ty dishes. Here are a couple of recipes from The Fort , plus more

The Fort’s Hot Sausage Bean Dip

Now in its sixth decade, the Fort in Morrison has staked (no pun intended) its claim to the frontier food game, publishing its re staurant recipe s in a long-running cookbook. The most recent edition, “The Fort Re staurant Cookbook ,” by Holly Arnold Kinney, was published by

2 pounds re fried beans (t wo 16-ounce cans)

8 ounces dark beer

¾ pound buff alo saus age

¾ cup finely chopped white onion

3-5 serr ano chiles, seeded and finely minced

Cowboy

FROM PAGE 24

1½ -2 cups gr ated cheddar chee se

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the beans and beer in a double boiler to prevent burning.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, brown saus age and onion over medium heat Stir to crumble the saus age as it cooks.

3. Pour o ff any fat and add the chiles Saute a few minute s longer, then combine with the bean and beer mixture.

4. At the last minute, stir in the chee se, which will melt nicely into the warm dip. Serve with fresh, warm corn tortillas.

The Fort’s Roasted Buffalo Bone Marrow

Known by some as “prairie butter,” the Fort’s beginner plate uses buff alo or beef femur bone s. “The Fort Re staurant Cookbook” recipe recommends using a fork or small spoons to scoop out and eat the marrow

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 buff alo or beef femur bone s Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 baguet te

1 tablespoon olive oil

Hawaiian red clay sea salt or other coarse sea salt Cilantro sprigs or Italian parsley, for garnish Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Saw the femur bone s in half lengthwise or cut them into 1½ -inch thick discs. You might want to ask the butcher to do this for you.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degree s Fahrenheit Arrange the marrow bone s on a jelly-roll pan or baking shee t with side s and roas t on the middle shelf of the oven for about 14 minute s. Watch the marrow as it cooks, as you want it cooked, but still gelatinous in the center If overcooked, the marrow will liquef y.

3. While the bone s are roas ting, thinly slice the bread, brush lightly with olive oil, and arrange on a separate baking shee t. Place in the oven for about 5 minute s, until lightly toas ted.

4. Arrange the marrow bone s on oval serving plates A sprinkling of Hawaiian red clay sea salt around the plate is very tast y and represents the Hawaiian fur tr aders hired by the American Fur Tr ade Company in the 1820s. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro or parsley.

5. Remove the marrow from the bone s with marrow spoons or butter knives Spread the marrow on the toas ted French bread. If de sired, top with a dash of green pepper sauce.

Cowboy Caviar

Depending on where you’re from, this simple dip is known as cowboy caviar or Texas caviar, and it’s a favorite at tailgate s and potlucks all over the South. Its creator, Helen Corbit t, a dietitian from New York, had never heard of black- eyed peas when she moved to Texas in 1931 The exact de tails are fuzzy, but at some point in her 40 years working in re staurants there, she combined black- eyed peas with a simple vinaigre tte, and it was a big hit. The recipe has evolved over the

Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread

years, and you can find a number of variations online. Some contain corn and black beans (as this one does), and others avocado. Some call for bottled Italian salad dres sing, others homemade. No matter how you tweak it, it’s always good with a pile of tortilla chips.

Yield: 8 cups Source: Margaux Laskey, The New York Time s.

INGREDIENTS

For the dres sing:

1⁄3 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon gr anulated sugar

Kosher salt and black pepper

For the salad:

3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded if de sired, and diced

½ red onion, finely diced (about ¾ cup)

1 (15- ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1 (15- ounce) can black- eyed peas, rinsed

1½ cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 to 4 cobs) or thawed, dr ained frozen swee t corn (about 8 ounces)

1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish, if de sired

1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Tortilla chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dres sing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to combine.

2. Add the tomatoes, red onion, black beans, black- eyed peas, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plas tic wr ap and re friger ate for 2 hours be fore serving.

3. To serve, toss well and season to taste. Sprinkle with scallions and serve with tortilla chips.

This lightly swee t cornbread has a crunchy, butter y crus t, which come s from baking it in a hot skille t. If you have a cast-iron pan, this is the time to use it The heav y, heat-retaining material will give you the darkes t color (which equals the most flavor). But any large ovenproof skille t will work And if you don’t have a skille t big enough to hold all the batter, you can either halve the recipe or bake the cornbread in a 9-by-13-inch pan. (Brown the butter firs t in a saucepan.) Your bread won’t have the same dark crus t, but the mois t crumb flavored with brown butter and maple syrup is ample recompense.

Yield: 12 servings Star t to finish: 1 hour. Source: Meliss a Clark, The New York Time s.

INGREDIENTS

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks)/ 170 gr ams unsalted butter

½ cup/ 120 ml maple syrup

2¼ cups /530 ml buttermilk

3 large eggs

1½ cups /180 gr ams yellow cornmeal, fine or medium-coarse grind

½ cup/65 gr ams whole wheat flour

½ cup/60 gr ams all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons/ 18 gr ams baking powder

1½ teaspoons/9 gr ams kosher salt

½ teaspoon /5 gr ams baking soda

1. DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degree s. On the stovetop, in a 11- or 12-inch skille t (ovenproof and prefer ably cast-iron), melt the butter over medium heat Cook , swirling pan to lightly coat side s and bottom, until the foam subsides and the butter turns a deep nut brown. (Watch care fully to see that it does not burn.)

2. Pour brown butter into a large bowl (Do not wipe out the pan.) Whisk the maple syrup into the butter, then whisk in buttermilk The mixture should be cool to the touch; if not, le t cool be fore whisking in the eggs Then whisk in the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, salt and baking soda

3. If the skille t is no longer hot (cas t iron re tains heat longer than other me tals), reheat it brie fly on the stove for a few minute s. Scrape batter back into it Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into it emerge s clean, 30 to 40 minute s.

4. Cool in the skille t for 10 minute s be fore slicing.

Cowboy Stew

Bored of casseroles? Cowboy stew is ever y bit as filling and comfor ting but far easier.

Servings: 8. Active time: 1 hour 10 minute s. Source: Catherine Je ssee, Southern Living INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef (85 /15)

1 pound kielbasa saus age, sliced into 1⁄2-inch rounds

1 medium (10 ounces) yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1⁄2 cups)

3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups beef stock

4 medium (20 ounces total) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

2 (15.5- ounce) can dark kidney beans, dr ained and rinsed

1 (28- ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (15- ounce) can corn, dr ained

1 (14.5- ounce) can re -roasted diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons hot sauce

4 ounces sharp Cheddar chee se, shredded (1 cup)

1 chopped or sliced carrot (optional)

Sliced scallions, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add ground beef and cook , stirring occasionally to break up beef into smaller pieces, until browned, about 4 to 6 minute s.

2. Add kielbasa, onion, garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper ; cook , stirring o ften, until onion is tender and kielbasa is browned, about 6 minute s.

3. Stir in beef stock, potatoes, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, re -roasted diced tomatoes and hot sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and potatoes are tender, about 45 to 50 minute s.

4. Divide among serving bowls; top with scallions and chee se be fore serving.

Cowboy Beans

Thes e beans are swee t, smok y and tangy.

Yield: 6-8 servings Total time: 1 hour 20 minute s.

Source: Leah Perez, The Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 pound thick- cut bacon, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 swee t onion, diced

1 pound lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground chili powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (15- ounce) can pinto beans

1 (15- ounce) can cannellini beans

1 (15- ounce) can kidney beans

1 (15- ounce) can black beans

3⁄4 cup ke tchup

1⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoon Worce stershire sauce

2 tablespoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoon hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minute s. Remove from the pot with a slot ted spoon, leaving the bacon drippings. Add the bell peppers and onion to the bacon drippings and saute them until tender and lightly golden, 7 to 9 minute s.

2. Add the ground beef and garlic, and crumble the beef until it is no longer pink Stir in the chili powder, salt, paprika, and ground black pepper

3. Dr ain and rinse the pinto, cannellini, kidney and black beans. Stir the beans, ke tchup, 3⁄4 cup water, brown sugar, vinegar, Worce stershire sauce, yellow mustard, hot sauce, and cooked bacon into the ground beef mixture.

4. Cover and bake the beans in the oven until the liquid has thickened, about 45 minute s. Serve hot.

Tip: Swap a green bell pepper with a poblano or jalapeno for a spicier kick!

Spicy Dried Fruit Dessert Sauce

Hound’s ears with whirlup sauce (fried dough and a sauce made from water, sugar and dried fruit) were popular de sser ts on the range, but today, we can do be tter than that

This recipe is entirely flexible; feel free to add or ange ze st, walnuts, apricots or whatever you like The sauce will be equally good on pumpkin or swee t potato pie, ice cream or baked apples Or even over hound’s ears

Yield: 2 cups. Total time: 1 day or more. Source: Julia Moskin, The New York Time s.

INGREDIENTS

For the minced dried fruit:

1 tart apple, peeled and cored

4 ounce s golden raisins

3 ounce s dark brown sugar

2 ounces prunes or dried figs, coarsely chopped

2 ounces walnut or pecan halves

1 ounce s dried cherries

1 ounce cold butter, cut into pieces

½ ounce cr ys tallized ginger, coarsely chopped

¼ cup br andy, like Cognac or Calvados

1 lemon, ze sted and juiced

½ teaspoon freshl y gr ated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon freshly ground allspice

¼ teaspoon freshly ground clove

To finish the sauce:

Dark rum, apple cider or or ange juice

Black pepper to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients except those to finish the sauce in a food proces sor and pulse until coarsely chopped; do not purée. Tr ansfer to an airtight container and le t re st at leas t 1 day, or up to 4 weeks.

2. When ready to serve, tr ansfer to a saucepan and add enough rum or other liquid to loosen Heat until warm and bubbly If de sired, add black pepper to make the mixture more spicy. To make a richer sauce, whisk in cold butter 1 tablespoon at a time, to taste.

3. Serve warm over ice cream, pumpkin pie or baked apples.

RO N ONTI VEROZ

A beet-infused lion’s mane mushroom grills at Apple Blos som in downtown Denver on May 28

Work ing the grill means know ing your hot spot s, Denver chefs say

By Mi gu el Ot árol a motarola@d enve rpost.com

In si mple st term s, gr il li ng re qu ir es co ok in g raw fo od over fire, a cons ta nt ly sh if ti ng and potent ia lly volatile element. Since no protein cook s the sa me, and vegetables reac t tenderly to the flames, getting used to the nuance s of gr illing requires intimate knowledge of the gr illing surface it self.

“W hen you are gr illing anything, you’re literally and fig ur at ively play in g with fire,” sa id Da niel Ma ng in , exec ut ive chef of Amer ic an El m, 41 32 W. 38 th Ave.

in Denver. “It’s not about le ar ni ng how to do it one time It ’s about lear ning all of the va riables that come with it .”

Af ter four ye ar s at the helm of Amer ic an El m, Ma ng in ha s fa mi liar ized hi msel f with ever y squa re inch of his gr ill, ty pica l to what you’d find in kitchens acro ss the countr y: a grat ed su rfac e over ga s-bu rning fla mes. He compared it s gr id to a “weather map” with different hot spots that shif t in intensit y throughout the night.

His gr ill is on full blast at all times to keep the coils sizzling. “I never, never, never, never, never mess with

the knobs,” he sa id. Instea d, he moves food to different hot spot s to regulate how it cook s.

At Apple Blossom and Bloom, the two rest aura nt s in side the Hyat t Cent ric hotel downtown, exec ut ive chef Amanda Singh uses a gas grill. But she learned her technique on a wood-fire gr ill during a three-month stint in Ma rfa, Texa s, under the tutelage of Alexandra Gates, a James Beard-recognized chef there. With practice, Sing h kept the fire runn in g th roug hout a ninecourse meal for 60 people, she sa id

She transfer red those sk ills to The Wolf ’s Ta ilor in

FROM PAGE 28

Denver and later to Apple Blossom, at 822 18th St.. Creativ it y and spontaneit y fuel the dishes on her menu, as does local produce, including wasabi microgreens from Tall Guy Tiny Greens and carrots grow n in local farms.

One of her favorite s, thou gh, is the th ick, beet-infu se d lion’s ma ne mu sh ro om s that she br ines overnight in ta ma ri, beet and honey juice. “T he vega n option that bleeds,” she ca lls it To her, gr illing it on her indoor kitchen gr ill simila r to Ma ng in’s but ha lf the size wa s a no -bra iner.

“I put the honey in there, so it ’s gonna ca ra melize,” she sa id as she watched the purple mushrooms char “W hatever this cr ust that I ma de (is), it ’s gonna ca ramelize and get those gr ill ma rk s and get that really nice chargr illed flavor on it .”

Cut them open with a fork and knife, beet juice mi xture oozes out of the mushrooms.

When it comes to stea k, though, Singh and Ma ng in follow different philosophies.

At Amer ic an Elm, Ma ng in moves his cut of ribeye around the gr ill and flips it so ea ch side fa ces the heat and chars the outside, guaranteeing a more even cook inside Singh, on the other ha nd, gr ills her New York strip enough to develop brow n outer ma rk s but ot her wise keeps it at a “rare plus.”

Her aversion to well-done stea k stems from a fateful beef stroga noff her mother once ma de for dinner. “It wa s the toughest stea k I’ve ever ha d in my life,” she said. At Apple Blossom, she sprink les coarse sa lt fla kes on her stea k once it ’s off the gr ill and plates it with a ga rlic bourbon sauce.

Both favor text ure over temperat ure when judg ing their stea ks. Ma ng in instruct s his line cook s to drop their reliance on ther mometers and instea d use ca ke testers, st abbing them inside the meat for five to ten second s and pressing them against the inside of their wr ists The tester stick gets prog ressively wa rmer as the stea k cook s, he sa id.

Fish also show their ow n signs of progression as they cook . In what ’s know n as the Ma illa rd reac tion, a cut of sa lmon will st ar t brow ning underneath and lift itself off the gr ill as it ca ra melizes, Ma ng in sa id Flip it too soon and the fish will stick to the gr ill.

“It’ ll tell you when it ’s ready,” Ma ng in sa id.

His gr illed sa lmon is served over a mound of cauliflower and a minced golden ra isin gremolat a. He understa nd s there are proponents of sa lmon sk in includ ing the fa mily of Amer ic an Elm ow ner Bob Reiter but he prefers to cut it off of ever y fillet for a more evenly cooked produc t.

For his squa sh cavatell i, he gr il ls squa sh di re ct ly over the fire until the sk ins are fully black and charred. From there, they ’re sliced and tossed inside a smoker, where the squa sh develops into a sauce that forms the foundation of the pa st a dish.

St ir red with a little ga rlic , butt er and fishy bonito fla kes, ever ything but the sk in of the squa sh is served with the cavatelli and topped with anchov ies, lemon ze st and dr iz zled herb oi l that add ac id it y and fr agrance to the savory sauce.

All in all, it’s a two-day process that begins on the grill.

“Pat ienc e is nece ssar y, but fines se ca n conquer usua lly,” Ma ng in sa id. “Just because you burn something doesn’t mean it ’s ruined.”

Crispy Trout Almondine with carrot, snap pea, quinoa, almond

pickled

Trout a st aple at Colorado rest aurant s, though most fish come from outside st ate

By El ise Sch me lzer eschmelz er@d enve rpost.com

Cr usted in almond s and pa n-fr ied. Cooked in a citrusy broth of tropic al fr uit. Slathered in hollanda ise next to poached eg gs and gr it s.

Trout aren’t just found in Colorado’s rivers and lakes but are also a st aple across a ra nge of rest aura nt s in a wide va riet y of forms, from a simple roasted whole fish over seasonal vegetables to decadently dressed-up plays on the savory dish

“We felt as though putting trout on the menu fit into the dining cult ure in Colora do,” sa id Da niel Ma ng in, executive chef at Amer ican Elm in Denver ’s West Highla nd neighborhood.

But most of the trout trot ted out to Colora do diners don’t hail from Colorado, and they ’re definitely not caught streamside with flies and ties. Instea d, nearly al l of it is ra ised on trout fa rm s in Id aho and Iowa . Some even come from further afield, like an isla nd off of Austra lia.

Guard and Grace, a modern stea khouse downtown, serves Ta smania n trout in a Thai coconut sauce with pick led chanterelle mushrooms and herbs.

Tr out us ed to be a st aple and a popu la r fish in rest aura nt s in the 1970s and 80s, sa id Troy Guard, executive chef and ow ner of Guard and Grace. But ma ny customers now wa nt something more exotic , he sa id

“Now I ca n get Ta smania n trout from Austra lia in a day,” he sa id. “I’ve always been one to tr y new things,

and a lot of people have never had it before, so I wanted to do something different.”

But less exotic trout specimens still retain broad customer appeal, accord ing to severa l chefs.

“If I were to ta ke the trout off the menu, I’d have a number of people who would be very upset with me,” sa id Ma ng in of Amer ic an Elm.

The neighborhood bistro’s dish centers around the classic trout almondine dish a lightly fr ied filet with a cr ispy cr ust of cr ushed almond s. The trout is then pa ired with quinoa , pick led onions, ga rlic chili oil and vegetables. It ’s a year-round st aple at the rest aura nt , Ma ng in sa id

Ru ss Fox, exec ut ive chef at Boulder’s River and

kitchens His Frontier Trout Ra nch in Saguache ha s supplied fish to some of the most high-end restaurant s in Colorado, he sa id.

no’s ow ner, Robbie Balenger, and its chef, Jesse Rogers

“We wa nt ou r in fluence to come from arou nd the world, but not our ingred ient s,” Ba lenger sa id.

FROM PAGE 30

Woods, ha s also found that the establishment’s roasted Rock y Mountain trout is consistently a top seller It fits the re st au ra nt ’s goal to serve fa mi liar comfor t food with an elevated tw ist.

“R iver and Woods is what you would find if you were out foraging and in the wood s look ing for something to cook with,” Fox sa id

De spit e an abunda nc e of wi ld tr out ra inbow, brook and brow n being some of the most common in Colora do’s gold meda l waters, rest aura nt s look ing to source trout loca lly don’t have a lot of options, the chefs sa id. River and Woods uses trout ra ised in Idaho while Amer ic an Elm cook s steelhea d trout from Iowa

As far as he knows, Kermit Krantz is the only farmer ra isin g trout in Colora do for commercial re st au ra nt

“We’re not a very big fa rm, but we tr y to compete,” he sa id.

Krantz bought the trout farm a former fish hatcher y in 2013 and is rebuilding his small business after COVID-19 disr upted his customers’ livelihoods and his supply of fish food and trout eg gs. He ra ises ra inbow trout now, but hopes to again st ar t selling golden trout and brook trout.

On any given day, tens of thou sa nd s of fish sw im on Krantz’s fa rm When it ’s time to ha rvest, he euthanizes the fish by dunk ing them in an ice bath. Then he puts them on ice, hops in his tr uck and delivers them to his cust omer s. “T hey ca n be on a plat e in Denver that day,” he sa id.

Krantz sells 100 pounds of trout a week to Shavano, a new rest aura nt an hour north in Sa lida , he sa id.

Sourcing ingredient s loca lly is important for Shava-

Rogers modeled his trout dish af ter a meal he ha d la st year while visiting Tulum, Mexico. He wa nted to add a simi la r dish to Shavano’s menu, but on ly if he could source the fish loca lly.

“T hat dish in pa rt icular really sets us apar t, to be able to have a fresh fish option here in the midd le of the Rock ies,” Ba lenger sa id

Rogers butchers Krantz’s trout once it ar rive s and marinades it in a mi xture of garlic, orange, lemon, vinegar, Dijon must ard and achiote a spice common in Mexican and Ca ribbea n cuisine. He then gr ills the fish and serves it whole

The restaurant of ten sells out of the fish nearly ever y day, Ba lenger sa id. Some people st ar ted coming to eat ea rlier so they could be sure to get the dish

“I ’ve be en hu mble d by the fa ct th at pe ople have ta ken to it so well,” Rogers sa id. “People are stoked.”

Front Range is fresh with vegan, vegetarian delights

By El la Cobb Medi aNews Group

In Boulder and Denver, it ’s enti rely or di na ry to meet someone who introduc es them selves by na me , pronouns, politica l beliefs, favorite trail and whether or not they eat eg gs Around here, diet func tions less as a diet ar y choice and more as an ex tension of persona l identity right up there with zodiac sign, vot-

ing histor y and what brand of running shoes are currently in rotation

There are, of course, your st anda rd vegeta rians but from there it begins to branch La cto-vegeta rians forgo meat , fish and eg gs, but keep da ir y; ovo-vegeta ria ns sk ip ever yt hing but the eg g; and la ct o- ovo veget ar ia ns embrace both, just not anything with legs

Pesc at ar ia ns are content to eat creatures of the sea but draw the li ne at an imals that breathe ai r, wh ile

the fa ir-weather flexita rian s approa ch me at le ss eatin g with a si nc ere e ffor t and a shor t memory, of ten swayed by whatever look s best on the menu.

And of cour se , there are vega ns, who live st rict ly by the rather gr im (g ruesome?) guidelines, “never eat anything with a fa ce.”

Pl an t- ba se d ea ti ng ar ou nd th e Fr ont Ra ng e ha s long outg rown it s well ne ss trend phase. It ha s

Lotus Moon’s Hainan chicken with ginger sauce. Re staurant

communit y has been quie tly over whelming

n

PAGE 32

become , qu it e si mply, a fa ct of da ily life , embedded into the menus of fa st-c asua l ca fes, whit e-tablecloth bistros and neighborhood spot s that pr ide themselves on feed in g ever yone from fu ll-t ime vega ns to om nivores who just happen to love a good tofu bá nh mì. From Boulder to Englewood, rest aura nt s are leaning in not just accommodating the plant-ba sed curiou s, but co ok in g for them with genu ine ca re and unique imag ination.

At Lotus Moon, 27 70 Pearl St ., Boulder, a wa rm and quietly elegant Vietna me se re st aura nt tucked into a low-key shopping plaza just off Pearl Street , a wave of rich umam i air gree ts guests as they ya nk open the door to a soft and un hu rr ied dining room, speckled with Lotus-shaped lights emit ting a gentle glow over da rk wo oden tables From the kitchen, st ea m cu rls upwa rd from oversized bowls of pho, the broth ma de fresh each day from a ba se of daikon, corn, carrots and cauliflower. The plac e ca rr ie s the feelin g of a fa mily

Boulder’s Thuy Steward and her husband, both vegan, felt le ft out. “It was hard to find any vegan Vietnamese food locally. Lotus Moon Vegan Pho is a Vietname se plant-based re staurant in Boulder.

cially those pa ssed down from her mother who still helps in the kitchen, offer ing advice, seasoning broths by ta st e and su ggesting produc e ba sed on what ’s in season

vironment, and what we’re putting into our bodies.”

At Lo tu s Mo on , ne arly ever y di sh is either gluten-free or ca n be ma de that way, and ever yt hing is fully vega n.

kitchen, not a storef ront operation.

Thuy St eward, who ow ns the re st au ra nt with her hu sb and and her mo ther, sa id the conc ep t of the re st au ra nt wa s born , not out of trendi ne ss or st rateg y, but out of something fa r more personal.

“We’re a vega n fa mily,” St eward sa id. “We’ ve been plant-ba sed for a long time And when we moved to Boulder, we just couldn’t really find the kind of food we were used to eating We’d lived on the West Coast, where there’s such a freshness to ever ything, and we’ve also spent time overseas, where you can find food that’s healthy and flavorf ul at the same time But here, it wa s really ha rd to find Vietna mese food that wa sn’t meatba sed. And we just missed it .”

Though Stewar t ha d prev iously run a catering busine ss, Lotus Moon beca me her first br ick-and-mort ar rest aura nt . She leans heav ily on fa mily recipes, espe -

“She’s 76, but she pops in when she ca n,” St eward sa id “She never wr it es anyt hi ng down You have to catch her when she’s cook ing and say, ‘OK, how much of that are you putting in?’ She just knows. It ’s all by feel, by intuition. So a lot of what we’ve done is tr ying to translate that into something we ca n ac tually teach to our kitchen st a ff.”

The tr ad it ion of bu ildi ng flavor fr om vege table s, herbs and spices, rather than animal fat or bone broth, ha s root s in Steward’s Budd hist upbr inging

“In Viet na me se temple fo od , ever yt hi ng is plantba sed,” she sa id.

“A lot of people don’t realize that We’d go to temple, and the old ladies there, they could ma ke any dish veget ar ia n th in gs that you’d norm al ly associat e with beef or pork or fish, they could recreate from vegetables and spic es. So that ’s the trad it ion I come from. And it ’s not ju st about et hics. It ’s also about the en-

The pho is restorative and aromatic , while the curr y is cr ea my and fr ag ra nt with tu rmer ic and co conut milk . The fr ied “c alamar i,” ma de from konjac root imported from the West

Coast, ha s become one of the restaurant ’s most ta lked-about dishes. And the bá nh mì, layered with homema de vega n pâté ma de from lent ils, wa lnut s and olives, and st acked with pick led vegetables and a sw ipe of housemade vega n mayo, ma nages to be both fa ithful to the spir it of the or ig inal and wholly it s ow n.

Since opening, Steward sa id the response from the Boulder communit y ha s been quietly over whelming.

“We haven’t re al ly done any ma rket in g,” she sa id “We don’t have In st ag ra m. No Fa cebook We’ve ju st be en tr yi ng to ge t the kitc hen ru nn in g smoo th ly, ge tt in g ou r pr oc es se s down But pe ople have be en

Boulder’s Thuy Steward make s a vegan sandwich at her re staurant on May 31 finding us. I thin k there’s this hunger for it no pun intended And when people come in and realize ever ything is vega n, their whole fa ce just light s up. They ’ll say, ‘Wait, I don’t have to ask a million questions? ’ I’ ve ha d people hug me I’ ve ha d kids come in and just be so excited that they ca n eat ever ything. That ’s the best pa rt of my day.”

Si xt y miles south, on a lively stretch of South Broadway in Englewood, the vibe is louder, looser and more irreverent , but the ethos is just as earnest. Fellow Traveler, a di mly lit ba r with tw in kle li ghts and vi nt age glassware, offers up what ow ner Joe Phillips describes

fond ly as “vegan fat kid food.”

“W hen we op ened , the idea wa s to ru n a co ckta il ba r with a small vega n menu,” Phillips sa id. “We thought we’d be a place for dr in ks first , and food second. But it be ca me clea r re al ly qu ickly that pe ople weren’t dr in king the way they used to, especial ly in the plant-ba sed communit y. A lot of folk s who eat this way are health-conscious, and that sometimes includes avoiding alcohol. So we ha d to pivot. We tu rned the ba r into a fu ll-on vega n re st au ra nt And hone st ly, I thin k it ’s better for it .”

The food menu is like a hung ry stoner ’s dayd ream come tr ue: a double smash burger ma de with Impossible patties and melted vega n cheese, piled high with onions and pick les; ma c and cheese dressed in ca shew crea m and topped with cr umbled cornbrea d; chilaqui le s soaked in green ch ile and smot hered in chipo -

tle crema and avoc ado; de ep -f ried swee t ga rlic cauli flower; fa la fel pita s with Leba ne se slaw; pine apple fr ied rice with pick led daikon, ja lapeños and tofu; and poutine drenched in vega n grav y and ca shew cheese

“T here wa s a time when we thought people wa nted clea n vega n food , you know, sa la ds, raw th in gs, spa food,” Phillips sa id

“But we learned fast that people might say they want that , but they don’t really go out for it When people come out to eat, they wa nt indulgence They wa nt fun. They wa nt the kind of food that ma kes them feel satisfied. And we’re more than happy to give it to them.”

On the cock ta il menu are dozens of beautiful, complex , bo oz y conc oc tion s li ke the Slow Gr a ffiti , a strawberry-olive margar ita, or the Coffee & Cigarettes, a smoked coffee old-fa shioned laced with bitters but

It may be vege tarian (including the green chile and gr av y, shown here), but even carnivores will be swayed by City, O’City’s breakf as t burrito.

Watercourse Foods Street Tacos Plat ter featuring black beans, swee t potatoes, onions and peppers in so ft taco shells with chipotle aioli, avocado creme and cilantro lime slaw

FROM PAGE 35

Phillips ha s ma de it a point to ex pa nd the rest aura nt ’s non-alcoholic offer ings, too.

Still, though, the loss of dr in k revenue is pa lpable.

“If you’re not selling alcohol, it’s hard,” he said. “T hat wa s the secret sauce in the rest aura nt industry for so long. But people’s habits are chan ging. So we’re tr ying to meet them where they are.”

He paused and added: “Honestly, that ’s what plantba sed dining should be about. Meeting people where they are. Whet her they ’re vega n, vege ta rian, or ju st curious. We wa nt to give them something that ta stes amazing. That feels good.”

While places like Lotus Moon and Fellow Traveler are leading the charge with hear t and creativity, they ’re fa r from alone. All along the Front Ra nge, rest aura nt s of ever y kind are ma king space for thoughtf ul, satisfy ing, plant-ba sed dining.

Vegan fare

Blue Agave Grill: A chill Mexica n-fusion spot with a big menu and strong ma rgar it as The tofu wa lnut enchiladas are vega n, gluten-f ree and full of flavor. Expect a little heat; 1201 16th Street Ma ll, #104 , Denver; denver.blueagavegr illcolorado.com.

Machete Tequila + Tacos: A ffordable, ca sual and always solid. Tr y the vegan tacos, like the Del Jardin and De La Milpa, along with some chips and guac Great for a quick, ea sy bite that doesn’t feel like a compromise; three Denver locations; ma chetedenver.com.

Root Down: Know n for it s seasonal produce, retro decor, and creative plates Many dishes can be customized for vega n eaters, and ex pect flavor-pa cked food, bold cock ta ils, and a spac e that feels both nost al gic and fresh; 1600 W 33rd Ave., Denver; ediblebeats.com/ rest aura nt s/root-dow n.

Linger: Once a mort ua ry, now one of Denver ’s most popula r small-plates spot s ha s a bonus of offer ing one of the best views of the city. More than ha lf the menu ca n be ma de vega n, and the globally inspired options me an there’s always some th in g new to tr y; 2030 W. 30th Ave., Denver; ediblebeats.com/restaurants/linger

Vital Root: A fa st-c asua l favorite for healthy, plantba se d eats. Mo st di shes ar e vega n or ca n be ma de vega n. Tr y the vega n chik ’n ba con ra nch wrap or the Ba nh Mi ta cos. Meat options are offered quietly, but the plant-ba sed st uff is where this place shines; 3915 Tennyson St., Denver; ediblebeats.com/restaurants/vita l-root .

Watercourse Foods: A long time st aple of Denver ’s vega n sc ene, Waterc ou rse serves comfor t fo od that never feels too heav y. Ever ything is plant-ba sed. Tr y the nachos with cauliflower chor izo, refr ied beans and cheese sauce, one of the best versions in the city; 837 E 17th Ave., Denver; watercoursefoods.com.

City, O’ City : Op en late and pa cked with char acter. Th is vege ta rian ca fé and ba r ha s a long li st of vega n options, includ in g the Chur ra sc o Chee se st ea k with seit an, poblano, gr il led on ions and chipot le aioli. Great for a ca sual ha ng or a solo work session with snacks; 206 E. 13th Ave., Denver; cityocit ydenver.com.

Jennie Pho: This unassu ming Vietna me se re st aura nt offers severa l solid vega n options like fr ied rice, a “meatball” sa ndwich and non- da ir y boba teas. Quick, flavorf ul and super sati sf yi ng; 6765 W 12 0t h Ave., Broomfield; jenniepho.com.

tofu is available as a protein swap The crew is helpful and happy to accommodate; 12025 N. Pecos St ., Westminster; spiceofindiausa .com.

V Revolution: An all-vega n Asia n-fusion spot with a deep menu and quick serv ice. Tr y the Peanut Tofu Nood le Bowl or the Sweet & Spic y Katsu Burger. The food is br ig ht , fu n and hits the spot whet her you’re crav in g somethin g cozy or cr ispy; 3570 S. Loga n St ., Englewood; vrevolutionusa .com.

Sputnik: A dive ba r that serves unex pected ly great vega n food. Tr y the vega n Cuba no or the iconic vega n corn dog. Perfec t for late -n ig ht cr av in gs or ca su al ha ngs with fr iend s; 3 S. Broa dway, Denver; Gladys: A cozy, cr eative plant-ba se d sp ot with se asona l di shes th at le an elev at ed , but ne ver fu ss y. The ow ners dub the joint a “pun k ro ck ve ga n fo od conce pt .” Tr y the polent a fr ie s or the spri ng fla tbre ad with hors er ad ish ricott a and pick le d mu st ar d se ed; 55 05 W. 20 th Av e. , Su it e 116, Ed ge wa te r; gl ad ysre st au ra nt .c om .

Somebody People: A br ight , cheerf ul neighborhood rest aura nt with Mediterranea n-inspired dishes and a completely plant-ba sed menu Tr y the ta ma ri-roa sted ca bbage in lemon br ot h with ch il i se sa me oi l and cr ispy ga rlic; 1165 S. Broa dway #104 , Denver; somebody people.com

Bang Up to the Elephant: Tropic al vibes, bold cockta ils and big flavors. The Ca ssareep Rice Bowl is a favorite cr ispy tofu, pineapple, sweet peppers, coconut rice, pick led onions and herbs all tossed in tang y-spic y sauc e; 1310 Pe arl St ., Denver; ba ng uptotheelephant. rest aura nt

El Five: Top-floor views and colorf ul Mediterranean tapa s in a funk y, high-energ y space. Many of the small plat es and a couple of pa el la s ca n be ma de vega n; 2930 Um at il la St ., Denver; ed iblebe at s.com/re st aura nt s/el-five.

Wellne ss Sushi: Denver ’s first all-vega n sushi ba r, serv in g up ja ck fr uit crab rolls, colorf ul bent o boxe s, and creative tw ists on Japa nese comfor t food Tr y the Kr unchy Krab roll with avocado, cucumber, and cr ispy onions Ever ything is plant-ba sed, beautifu lly ma de, and pa cked with flavor; 2504 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; wellnesssushi.com. Vega n

Spic e of In dia Re staurant an d Bar: Br ig ht wa ll s, fr iend ly serv ice and a full menu of curr ies, dosa s and da ls. Most vegeta rian dishes ca n be ma de vega n, and

to chickens through a window cut out in a fence at a home in the Alamo Placita neighborhood in Denver in 2024

Egg price hikes drive some to raise back yard chickens

By

Br it ta ny An as Spec ial to Th e De nver Post

At the Fleischer Fa mi ly Fa rm in La kewood , fresh eggs are among the fa stest sellers at the Saturday market.

The eg gs simply ta ste better compared to ones that are fa ctor y-fa rmed, accord ing to Paul Fleischer, who runs the business with his wife, Chelsie. The eg gs are

more flavorf ul, the yolk s are a deeper yellow, and many who have made the sw itch to pa sture-raised notice the fluffier text ure of the eg gs when they ’re cooked.

“T here’s also some sort of inherently positive feeling that you get from suppor ting a loca l fa rmer or even ra ising them on your ow n,” Fleischer sa id.

Eg g lovers may have ex tra motivation to shop loca l these days. Over the pa st few years, a dead ly stra in of bird flu ha s disr upted the commercial U. S. eg g supply,

send ing pr ices soar ing at one point by as much as 49% in a year In addition, the cage -f ree eg g law and genera l inflation contributed to the hike. While grocery stores imposed limits on the number of eg gs customers could buy, shelves went ba re, and some rest aura nt s ta cked on surcharges for eg g-ba sed dishes. Pr ices have recently ea sed. A dozen Grade A la rge eg

Ma

rch, ac cord in g to the Bu re au of Labor St at istics. St il l, that ’s si gn ifica nt ly hi gher than the $1.63 average in May 2022

In the meantime, interest in loca l eg gs and loca l food , in genera l ha s grow n. Sometime s, Fleischer sa id , that means shopping at a nearby fa rmers ma rket. Other times, it means setting up a coop just steps from your kitchen.

“I feel li ke there’s a bi g movement and intere st in people wa nting to go ba ck to the la nd and prov ide for themselves,” he sa id

To help me et th at dema nd , Flei sc her, a former te acher, ha s been le ad in g “Backyard Ch icken Keeping 101” classes, which frequently sell out as interest continues to trend upwa rd. The class covers chicken ba sics, and ever ything from coop preparation to food, supplement s and treats, choosing the right bird, and compliance with your loca l municipa lities.

It ’s tr icky to pin down exac t numbers on ba ck ya rd chicken keeping, but here’s a surprising st at: About 11 million U. S. households have ba ck ya rd chickens, and 8 million consider them pets, accord ing to the latest fig ures from the Amer ic an Pet Produc ts Association. That ’s a bi g ju mp from 2018, when ju st 5. 8 mi ll ion households ha d chickens in their ya rd s.

While ma ny people are ra ising hens to collec t their eg gs and mayb e generously shar in g with fr iend s and neig hb or s fa rm-f re sh option s are al so avai lable at loca l fa rmers ma rket s and roadside st ands. In Colora do, small-sc ale flock ow ners ca n sell up to 250 dozen eg gs per month, as long as they meet the st ate’s hand ling and labeling requirements, per the Colora do Depa rt ment of Public He alth and Envi ronment. No license is needed if you’re selling eg gs directly to the end consumer. But if you’re hoping to stock a rest aura nt or grocer y store, you’ ll need an eg g producer and dealer license.

Af ter the pa ndem ic , La ke wo od re sident El ai ne Ha rper and her fa mi ly decided to ge t more self-sufficient , st ar ting by ex pa nd ing their ga rden. She took one of Fleischer’s chicken classes in May 2023, and by the follow ing Febr uary, their back yard had four chickens. Another two joined that summer.

Her fa mily collec ts between four to si x eg gs a day, wh ich is enou gh for thei r brea kf as t sa ndwiches on sourdoug h, pa nc akes , ba ke d go od s (she swea rs the eg gs ma ke the best brow nies) and more Beyond her fa mily of four, Ha rper is able to share the bounty with her neighbors and pa rent s, too.

“You could blindfold te st me and I’d know wh ich is wh ich,” Ha rper says of her home -laid eg gs versus store-bought .

Since the eg g shor tage, Ha rper sa id several people in her circles have been curious about keeping ba ckyard chickens, and she’s happy to pa ss along what she’s lear ned and show her urba n setup.

In addition to the stea dy eg g supply, the chickens, she sa id , have br ou ght ex tr a joy to her hous ehold. Though some may look alike, her fa mily knows them by their personalities.

“T he y have an eg g song they si ng before they lay eg gs, and some sing louder than others We’ll be like, ‘Oh, that ’s Pick le.’”

Th e Fl ei sc he r Fa mi ly Fa rm st an d ru ns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturd ays until November at 2005 S. Zephyr Cour t, Lake wood; fleisch er family farm .com

Br it tany An as is a Denver -based freelance wr iter.

While many people are raising hens to collect their eggs and maybe generously sharing with friends and neighbors farm-fre sh options are also available at local farmers markets and roadside stands

Amber Moreno make s drinks at Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill in Denver on May 29

Denver rest aurant classics

Charlie

Brow n’s, Domo, Chubby ’s and more that have stood the test of time

By John Wenzel

jwen zel@de nver post .c om

Charlie Brow n’s Ba r & Gr ill pulses with personalit y, from it s piano- centric sign atop a ca nopied entrance to it s squa re wooden ba r and hu ge st one patio that overlook s one of the busiest stretches of Capitol Hill.

Charlie Brow n’s first opened in 1928, accord ing to long ti me ow ner Geor ge Andr ia na kos, but didn’t secure a liquor license until 1947. The fa ct that it ’s sur-

vived all this time spea ks to it s bustling-yet-homey atmosphere Like ma ny histor ic neighborhood eateries, it also invokes the sights, sounds and aromas of a Mile High City that no longer ex ists.

Connec ted to the towering Colbur n Hotel, you’re as likely to catch retirees scratching lotter y ticket s over shrimp dinners as you are 20 -somethings popping in for late -night pizza and cock ta ils. The one-stor y space is pa cked with ha nd some fe at ures, but it s draw ha s for deca des been the nightly piano singalongs, as well

as happy hour 2-for-1 dr in ks and on the second Fr iday of ever y June, July and August a pig roast that ’s free for all.

It ’s ea sy to imag ine Beat legend Ja ck Keroua c hunkering down at a corner banquette, or Clark Gable and Ma rily n Monroe strutting through, as all have done

A few of the liquor bottles and toy ca rs above the ba r date back si x decades, although Charlie Brow n’s formerly know n for it s hu ge , smok in g-fr iend ly patio

The Buckhorn Exchange in Denver, on May 21

Classics

FROM PAGE 39

ha s updated the most yellowed aspects of it s décor (including, thank goodness, its highly absorbent carpets)

Ch arli e Brown’s is at 980 Grant St in Denver; 303860-1655 or ch arli ebrown sbaran dg rill .com .

Here ar e more Denver old-ti mers pr eser vi ng the city ’s culina ry and cult ural pa st while inching towa rd the future, in alphabetical order. (A ll are in Denver, unless otherw ise noted.)

Bagel Deli

This 58 -yea r- old, fa mily-owned deli sells toothsome bagels and Jewish deli classics like brisket, corned beef, lox, matzo ball soup and kosher treats Its modest storefront concea ls a deep histor y, from it s 1967 founding by Holocaust surv ivors Lola and Paul Weiner to a national fan ba se thanks to shows such as “Diners, Dr iveIn s and Dive s.” New, as of Apri l: A Denver International Airpor t outpost. 6439 E. Ha mpde n Ave.; 303756- 6667 or bageld eli.com

Diners feas t at Lechuga’s Italian Re staurant in Denver on Sept 17, 2024

Classics

FROM PAGE 40

Bastien’s

Whet he r or no t you’ ve tr ie d the fa mous su ga r st ea k and you shou ld you’ ll be tr an sp or te d by the Goog ie -style architec ture and mid- cent ur y modern aesthetics of this East Colfax Avenue fix ture, which opened in 1958. Big groups of ten dine under the dim li ghts while toasting ma rt in is and Ma nhat ta ns, but there’s a roma nt ic air throug hout (a nd a spar ta n little ba r in the ba ck). 3503 E. Colfax Ave.; 303-322- 0363 or ba st iensrestaurant .com

Brewer y Bar II

This work in g- class slic e of old- school Denver won The Denver Post ’s Be st Green Chile bracket in Apri l against tough competition from Los Dos Potr illos, Tama le s Moreno, El Toro, Sa nt ia go’s and a few ot her exemplar y ma kers. Al l are wort hy, but the 69 -yea r-

Pe te’s Kitchen on East Colf ax Avenue and Race Street, on July 14, 2021

to five people. Bibs not included. 1000 Osage St .; 303534-9505 or bu ckhorn .com

Bull & Bush Brewer y

old Brewer y Ba r II show s ma ny of them up with it s face-meltingly hot variet y of the traditional stew, available in cups, bowls, ta ke -out containers and atop Mexic an di shes and combos includ in g it s unbe at able cr ispy rellenos . 150 Ka la ma th St .; 303- 893- 0971 or brewer ybars.com

Buckhorn Exchange

Feat ur ing hund reds of ta xidermied animals as well as Colorado’s first liquor license granted af ter Prohibition, Buck horn Exchange dates to 1893 when it opened as the Rio Grande Exchange The city ’s or ig inal stea khouse, as it rightly calls itself, ha s red-and-white checkered tablecloths and all the Old West flavors to match: Rock y Mountain Oysters, rattlesnake, elk, quail, alligator and, for a mere $263, a 4-pound stea k that feeds up

This British pub has stayed cozy despite its sprawling layout and long copper bar, which ha s welcomed diners and tipplers since 1971. Tw in brothers and founders Dean and Dale Peterson stocked it with British antiques and pop- culture curios while building one of the ta stiest menus in Glenda le, with favorites such as fish and chips but also Mexica n fa re and as of the 1990s some of Colorado’s first commercial craf t brews. Brunch is highly recommended. 4700 E. Ch er ry Creek South Dr ive in Glen dale; 303-759- 0333 or bullandbush.com

Casa Bonita

As overex posed as it s recent renovation ha s been, th is 51-yea r- old “e at er -t ai nment” conc ep t rema in s a Colora do ic on Kids rememb er the ca rn iv al-s tyle ga me s and intera ct ive envi ronments such as Black Ba rt ’s Cave , and new ow ners Trey Pa rker and Matt

Stone, creators of “South Pa rk ,” have preser ved them with love The un mist ak able pi nk bu ildi ng st il l fe atures cliff diving, roaming ma riachi perfor mers, and lovingly over-the -top decor, but now the food isn’t too ba d, either Be sure to book ea rly, given the newly revived demand. 6715 W Colfax Ave. in Lakewood; ca sabonita denver.com

The Cherry Cricket

As Denver ’s mo st -awa rded bu rg er sp ot , Cher ry Cr icket’s or ig inal location reca lls neig hborhood pa ls gather in g for cheap la gers and watchi ng the Br oncos sa ck (or get sa cked by) their riva ls It first opened as Zimmer ma n’s in 1945, but turned into The Cher ry Cr icket five years later, with a rotating “Duff y’s” sign coming and going over the years. It offers a full spor tsbar menu, including wild burger toppings such as peanut butt er and ma c-and- chee se, with a pa ir of ot her locations in LoDo and Littleton. 2641 E. Second Ave.; 303-322-7666 or ch er rycr icket.com

Alexis Apodaca Fres quez brings co ffee to tables for re fills during the breakf as t rush at

The Original Chubby’s

With a colorf ul fa mily histor y that occa sionally included legal disputes, this late-night Colo -Mex standby offers a burger- and burrito-driven menu of tested family re cipe s. Ow ner St el la Cordov a, who boug ht the plac e in 1967 for $2 ,500, wa s a common si ght there until she died at age 100 in 2006 Her lega cy endures with the sc ar f-wort hy bu rr it os , bu rger s, smot here d fr ies and ta ma les, most of them available with savory green chile stew la dled on top. And it ’s a must-v isit for late -night pa rtiers 1231 W. 38th Ave.; 303- 455-9311 or th eoriginalchubbysdenver.com

Columbine Steakhouse & Lounge

The fa st-cha ng ing fa ce of Federa l Boulevard ha s a

consta nt feat ure in the 64 -yea r- old, ca sh-only Columbine Stea khouse, where visitors ca n watch their porterhouses, T-bones and sirloins sizzle on line, then hunker down with them over a ba ked potato, sa la d and slice of toast (or a cock ta il from the at ta ched ba r next door). Work ing- class, fa mily-f riendly and proud of it . 300 Federal Blvd .; (303) 936-9110 or columbin esteakhouseandlounge.com

Domo

This Japa nese st alwa rt founded in 1996 revived itself in 2023 af ter a ye ar off, follow in g a 40 -sec ond, vira l Ti kTok video of the re st au ra nt ’s elaborat e ga rdens, prompting hundreds to wait in lines that snaked around the building (a nd over whelming ow ner Ga ku Homma and his st a ff, as The Denver Post report ed). Thank goodness it ’s quietly returned to serv ing its signature Japa ne se countr y cuisine, feat ur in g soba , ramen and tsukemen dipping noodles; curries and soups; donbur i rice bowls; and al l ma nner of savory, trad i-

tional apps 1365 Osage St .; 303- 595-3666 or fa cebook com/domorestaurantdenver

El Taco de Mexico

Founde d in 1985 by Felipe Ju ar ez and Ma Lu is a Za nabr ia , this incred ibly consistent , no -f rills ta quer ia is always st uffed with devoted customers, than ks to a tireless, Spanish-spea king staff that keeps things movin g br iskly. Grab an ic e- cold bott le of Mexica n soda while you select your mouth-watering ta cos, burr itos, tama les, enchiladas and sides (w ith ha ste, it should be added) If you’ ve ha d a bett er ta co or green chile, for that matter in Denver, you’re a luck y diner. (Do yourself a favor and grab brea kfast on the airy, people-watching patio, too.) 714 Santa Fe Dr ive; 303- 6233926 or elta codeme xi co5280.com

The Fort

Great stea ks are not ha rd to find in Denver, given

a few times since then. The vibe leans into it s ac tual mob-boss pa st pret ty ha rd, but there’s no need to puff up the sausage and peppers with cavatelli, or the lasagna with ground beef and sausage. 3760 Tejon St .; 303- 455-9852 or ga etan ositalian.com

our cattle -producing st ate. But at The Fort in Morr ison, you’ ll get that plus themed dinners (murder mysteries, or dining in the da rk), live perfor ma nces, cultural events that appreciate the region’s Indigenous culture, and a distinctly Southwestern mood in its adobe ca stle, which dates to 1961 The Fort opened two years af ter that , and it remains one of the region’s most culturally- and geog raphically-rooted dining ex periences. 19192 CO -8 in Morr ison; 303- 697- 4771 or thefor t.com Gaetano’s

Denver ’s Nort hside neig hborhood , now know n as Highland, was once an Italian-food paradise, and businesses like Ga et ano’s are some of the only reminders. The tidy red-sauce joint opened in 1947, with a secretive ga mbling room upst airs, and ha s changed ha nd s

La Popular

Ta ma le s ar e the word at th is fa mi ly ba kery and tortilleria in centra l Denver. For the la st si x deca des, they ’ve chur ned out thousands of traditiona l, red-andgr een Me xica n ta ma le s ever y we ek , but al so to -go brea kfast burr itos, Denver ’s best ha rd-shell ta cos, giant bags of hear ty tortilla chips, ga llons of spic y sa lsa, and a ra inbow’s-worth of imma culately craf ted Mexic an cook ie s, brow nies and fresh brea ds most for 75 cent s apiece 2033 La wren ce St .; 303-296-1687 or lapopulartam al es.com

La Fiesta

The histor ic building is arguably just as notable as the food, but both hearken to a time of neon-lit street s

and wood-grain interiors. Family-owned in Curtis Park since it wa s founded by Michael W. Herrera in 1963, La Fiesta offers cheap beer, Mexican specia lties they ’ve long touted their green chile and chile rellenos and a well-preserved interior that feels like stepping ba ck in time. 2340 Ch ampa St .; 303-292-2800 or lafie st adenver.com

Lechuga’s

This humble It alia n rest aura nt , mere blocks from ot her in st it ut ions such as Chubby ’s and the prolific ta ma le -legend La Ca sita , is know n be st for it s sausage ca nnolis Wrapped in puff y doug h and a recipe that ha sn’t chan ge d si nc e 1961 , ac cord in g to ow ners, they ’re perfec t for dipping in marinara and pairing with pizza, spaghetti, meatba lls, garlic bread and other fresh, made -daily delights (See also the char ming, nearby Carl’s Pizza, which opened in 1953; carlspi zza.foodjoyy.c om.) 3609 Tejon St .; 303- 455-1502 or lechugasitalian.com

Mexico City Restaurant and Lounge

Most of the orig inal Mexican restaurants in the area are gone, but Mexico City ha s held down it s spot in what ’s now the Ba llpa rk neighborhood in downtown Denver for more than 65 years. The family recipes, set in motion by founders Grandpa Willie and Grandma Es ther (a s they ’re a ffec tionat ely know n), are dominated by the ir resistible fr ied tacos an office -worker lunch favorite. “For the 8% of you that need a brea k from Fr ie d Ta co s from ti me to ti me , we al so serve menudo, chili verde, enchiladas, elotes and more,” they wr ite online. We couldn’t have sa id it better. 2115 Larim er St .; 303-296- 0563 or il ovem ex icocit ytacos.com

My Brother’s Bar

Alon g with The Buck horn Exchange, this endearingly na med slab of br ick-and-wood is the oldest continually operating ba r in the city, having st ayed open under va rious na me s sinc e 1873 (it received it s cu rrent one in 1970). It ’s long been know n for bu rger s, fr ies, onion rings and other cr ispy delights served in plastic ba sket s with wa xed paper. Ice- cold bottles of beer and a surprisingly secluded patio ma ke for perfe ct su mmer ni ghts 2376 15th St .; 303- 455- 99 91 or mybrothersbar.com

Pete’s Kitchen

Colfax Avenue just wouldn’t be Colfax Avenue without Pete’s Kitchen, which ha s beckoned all ma nner of diners since opening in 1962 It offers a wide ar ray of brea kfast, lunch and dinner items, and is fa mous for it s heft y brea kfast burr ito, which you ca n smother in green ch ile and top with gobs of sh re dded chedda r and va rious perk s. Other must-tries include the Greek sp ec ia lt ie s, cement ed by fou nder and late entrepreneur Pete Contos, as well as a seat at the classic diner counter that hums with an energy like no other. 1962 E Colfax Ave.; 303-321-3139 or petesrestaurants.com

Peter’s Chinese Cafe

This Cong ress Pa rk neighborhood favorite one of just a few solid Chinese restaurants in Denver ’s immediate southeast ha s been mostly a ta keout spot since opening in 1985, with loya l customers cycling through the tiny ma in room and offer in g wa rm sm iles to familiar st a ff Or ig inally from Hong Kong, founder Peter Chan ea rl ier th is ye ar comple te d the sa le of the rest aura nt to employees, which hopefu lly means we’ll get ma ny more years of savory chicken, pork , beef and shrimp specials, along with soups, rice dishes, egg rolls and ot her Chinese-Amer ic an menu fix tu re s. 2609 E. 12th Ave.; 303-377-3218 or peterschin ese.com

Pho Duy Denver

The metro area’s surprising bevy of pho restaurants, situat ed up and down Federa l Boulevard and sprinkled heav ily across Aurora , would be forg iven for be -

The overstuffed counter at Pho Duy shows the overlapping generations of Vietname se culture at the Federal Boulevard re staurant

ing jealous of the constant at tention, awards and business that flows through this peerless Vietnamese beefbroth soup fa ctor y. Along with a dozen-plus va rieties of trad it iona l pho, it ha s for more than 30 ye ar s (i n different locations, it shou ld be noted) pedd led bestin-cla ss boba teas, spring rolls, rice -noodle bowls, stir fr ies and more. 925 S. Federal Blvd .; 303-937-1609 or ph oduyrestaurant .com

Poppies Restaurant & Lounge

Hu mble ye t lively, Poppie s serves di nner and ba r favori te s of the mid- to -l at e 20 th ce nt ur y wi th a wide-ranging flair sorely missing in many restaurants. Thin k stea ks and red wine, but also mussels du jour, sa lmon sa la d, pr ime rib, chicken pa rmesan, seafood, Mexica n fa re and indulgent desser ts. A great place to sa mple the flavor of Denver and the rest aura nt industry ’s upsc ale culina ry pa st , circ a it s 1985 opening. 2334 S. Colora do Blvd .; 303-756-1268 or poppiesdenver.com

Sam’s No. 3

Few Denver rest aura nt s are better know n or loved than th is be -a ll, end-al l downtown in st it ut ion, with more than 100 menu items that span the entire day’s

meals, and then some Its signature green chile ha s for years given other loca ls a run for their money they sell 60 ga llon s of the st u ff da ily and it s re d-andwhite aw ning ha s happily welcomed loca ls and tourists since 1927, with another location in Glendale. If you see a line outside on weekends, don’t worr y: It ’s worth the wait. 1500 Curtis St.; 303- 534-1927 or samsno3.com

Wynkoop Brewing Company

A group of fr iend s and business pa rtners built Colorado’s first-ever brew pub in 1988 in the red-br ick J. S. Brow n Mercantile Building, just across the street from Union St ation, and it ha d the bonus effec t of helping turn around an ailing downtown Denver Plucky geologist-t ur ned- entrepreneur John Hickenlooper, who went on to become mayor of Denver, governor of Colorado and a U. S. senator, wa s fa mously one of those founders But tr uly, Wy nkoop has long stood on its ow n with a play ful and at tention-getting tap list (chile beer, a pr ickly-pear pu ree beer, an oy st er st out and ma ny more trad it iona l flavors) and, oh yeah, it ha s a solid ba r burger, pizza and dinner menu to boot . 1634 18th St .; 303-297-2700 or wynkoop.com

Sip wine s from around the world at the Vail Wine Clas sic.

Food and drink festivals through the end of 2025

na ry events.

ial to Th e De

By Sa ra h Kuta Spec

nver Post

There’s no shor tage of ways to spend your time in Colora do But the ma ny food and bevera ge fe st ivals are a pa rt icularly delicious way to im merse your self in all the st ate ha s to offer, from Pa lisa de peaches and Pueblo green chiles and beyond

Sip complex wine s, savor spic y ta cos and feast on succ ulent swee t corn al l wh ile enjoying the st unni ng sc ener y and vibr ant cu lt ure of the Cent en nial St at e. Ma rk your ca lend ar for these ca n’t-miss cu li-

July 12

Colora do Brewer s Rendez vous: Ask any Colora do craf t brewer what they ’re look ing forward to this summer and they ’ll likely mention the Colora do Brewers Rendez vous Ba ck for it s 29th year, this beer fest ta kes place in Riverside Park in Salida As you sip brews from more than 65 craf t brewer ie s across the st at e, you’ ll also be ra ising money for the Sa lida Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Brewers Guild a major winwin. colora dobeer.org

July 12-13

Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival: This two- day ba sh ha s all the ma kings of a good time chiefly, live music played by talented Colorado musicians and lots and lots of wine. keyston efestivals.com

July 13-20

Crested Butte Wine and Food Festival: Save up your PTO for this week long event, which includes foraging hikes, Champagne sabering work shops, live fire cook-

Festivals

in g demos, va rious world wine regions, author ta lk s and more Cap it all off with an epic grand ta sting before you head home cbwinean dfood .org

July 19

Colora do Wh iske y Fe st: If wh iske y is your dr in k of choice , put th is Ca st le Rock event on your ca lenda r. Here , you ca n sip spir it s as well as wine and beer while listening to live music and hobnobbing with fellow brow n liquor aficionados. whiskeyfestcolora do.com

July 24

The Big Eat: Spend an evening celebrating the chefs, restaurateurs, waiters, mi xologists and other hospitalit y staffers that ma ke the Front Range’s culinary scene so da rned specia l. At the Big Eat, which ra ises fund s for EatDenver, you can enjoy food and drink from more than 75 re st au ra nt s, ba rs and bevera ge brands ea tdenver.com/bigeat

and dinners

Festivals

July 26

West y Craf t Brew Fest: Westminster is one of Denver’s be st subu rb s espe cial ly du ri ng th is one- day beer festival, which includes unlimited sa mples from more th an 35 re gion al br ewer ie s. Al so, enjoy fo od tr ucks and live music. west ybre wfest.com

July 31-Aug. 2

Tellur ide Reserve: Set among the gorgeous San Juan Mounta in s in Tellur ide, th is weekend-lon g food and wine festival includes ta stings, semina rs, dinners and other scrumptious ex periences. tellur id ereser ve.com

Aug. 2

Heritage Fire: This one- day gather ing in Snow ma ss Ba se Vi llage celebrat es live -fi re co ok in g, loca l chef s and fa mily fa rms with gour met bites and free -flow ing beverages. Be sure to vote for your favorite dish and stick around for the crowning of the “Her it age Hero.” heritagefiretour.com

Aug. 2-3

Bluegrass & Beer Fe st ival: Ma ke your way to Keyst one for this lively two- day fête, which feat ures unlimited craf t beer sa mples and perfor ma nces by ar tists li ke Bi lly Fa ilin g and The La st Revel. ke yston efestivals.com

Aug. 7-10

Va il Wine Classic: Need an excuse for a little weekend ge taway? Snag ticket s to the Va il Wi ne Clas sic then invite your fr iend s so you ca n ba sk in the cool mountain air and soak up the views while sipping wines from around the world. vailwinecl assi c.com

Aug. 15 -16

Pa lisa de Peach Festival: Go on, slur p as ma ny fresh peaches as you wa nt no one’s going to judge you at this two- day fe st ival, which is ba ck for it s 57 th year

Da nc e to live music on the “Pea ch Ja m” st age, sip libations at the “Pea ch Pit” ba r, shop the vendor ma rke t, watch pe ach cu isine demos host ed by Colora do chef s and nosh on bite s from food tr ucks. pa li sa de -

peachfest.com

Aug. 16

Cidermass: Enjoy ta stings from more than 30 ha rd cideries , batch di st il leries and ha rd selt zer ma kers from all over the countr y at this one- day event, held on the Snow ma ss Ma ll. gosn owma ss.com

Front Ra nge Wine Fe st ival: Ba ck for it s 13th year, th is Wi nd sor gather in g includes live mu sic and unlimited sa mple s from more than 35 Colora do wineries. frontrange winefest ival.com

Fort Coll in s Pe ach Fe st iv al: Help ra ise fu nd s for Nor ther n Colora do nonprofit s by st u ffi ng your fa ce with pie, ice cream and fresh, whole peaches. Hosted by the Rota ry Clubs of Fort Collins, this sweet event also includes live music, food and dr in ks includ ing, of course, peach cocktails. fortcollin speachfestival.com

Aug. 21-23

Breckenr id ge Wine Classic: Enjoy even more deliciou s wine and more be autifu l mounta in sc ener y at the Breckenr id ge Wi ne Clas sic, a sist er event to the Vail festival. The Breckenr idge version spotlights more than 300 wines, beers and spir it s, plus semina rs, pa irings and winema ker meet-and-g reet s. breckenr idgewin ecla ssic.com

Aug. 22-24

Breckenr id ge Hogfest Ba con & Bourbon Festival: Indulge in all your favorite things ba con, bourbon, music and mounta ins at this mouthwater ing gather in g in Breck. Enjoy ac tivities li ke a bourbon pa iring dinner, a grand ta sting and Sunday br unch at this food-focused fête. rockymountainevents.com/breckenri dge-hogfest

Aug. 23

Boulder Ta co Fest: Alright, tw ist my ar m, why don’t you? I’ ll go with you to gorge on ta cos and ma rgar it as alon g the shady ba nk s of Boulder Creek. This peppy one- day ba sh also includes lucha libre wrestling, live music, tequila, a 5K ta co run and a cost ume contest. boul dertacofest.com

Ol at he Swee t Corn Fe st iv al: Th is fe st iv al st ar ts ea rly in the morn in g and goes unti l “t he cows come home,” accord in g to the orga nizers so it ’s guaranteed to be a good time Now in it s 35th year, this Montrose event includes live music, vendors and a 5K run/ wa lk to raise money for the Olathe Police Department .

There’s also all-you- can- eat roasted sweet corn, grow n and donated by the nice folk s at Tu xedo Corn ol athesweetcor nfest.com

Sept. 3- 6

Denver Food + Wine Festival: Don’t miss the Colora do Rest aura nt Foundation’s big annual fund ra ising event to help suppor t the Front Ra nge culina ry commu nity. Eat and dr in k your way th roug h the Grand Ta st in g, st udy up at the Riedel Wine Glass Semina r, open your hear t (a nd your wa llet) at the Dine Out auction series and vote on your favorite cock tails and food tr ucks at the Shake + Brake Showdown. denverfoodandwin e.com

Sept. 12-14

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival: Sip craf t beer while ja mm in g out to mu sici an s li ke The Bl ac k Cr owes , Thunderc at and Lu ka s Nelson at this three- day gather ing in the scenic Sa n Juans. tellur id eblu es.com

Sept. 13

Snow ma ss Wine Festival: As summer fades into fall, spend a drea my af ternoon sipping wine at Snow ma ss Town Pa rk This longsta nding event also includes music, bite s from loca l re st au ra nt s and a si lent auct ion benefiting it s host , the Rota ry Club of Snow ma ss Villa ge Come up a day ea rly to enjoy a re cept ion and a four -c ou rse di nner with wi ne pa ir in gs at Viceroy Snow ma ss gosn owma ss.com

Sept. 14

Ta ste of Ethiopia: Held this year at City Pa rk , Ta ste of Et hiopia is a vibrant celebrat ion of one of Colorado’s most trea sured immigrant communities. Immerse yourself in this countr y’s rich cult ure through it s cuisine. ta steofethiopi a.org

Sept. 19 -21

Pueblo Chile and Fr ijoles Festival: Green chiles are pa rt of Colora do’s identity de spit e what the good folk s down in Ne w Me xico say. You ca n celebr at e these humble, spic y beauties by ma king a tr ip down to Pueblo for this festival, which also includes a ja lapeño -eating contest, a chihua hua parade, a hot air balloon fest , a magic show, a fa rmers ma rket and more. Comedian George Lopez will also be doing stand-up at Pueblo Memorial Ha ll. pu eblochil efestival.com

Festivals

Sept. 20

Colorado Mountain Winefest: Help suppor t the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enolog y at this annual fund ra iser, which includes sa mples from dozens of Colorado wineries, cideries and meader ies. Held at Pa lisa de’s Riverbend Park , this event is a glor ious celebration of our state’s wine scene. coloradowinefest.com

Sept. 28

VegFest: Eating plant-ba sed ca n be tr icky but not at VegFest, where al l of the food tr ucks and vendors are 100 perc ent vega n. Wh ile you’re here , also enjoy live music, family-friendly activities, morning yoga and motivational speeches from chefs, athletes and other influential people. vegfestco.com

Oct. 2-5

Stea mboat Food & Wine Festival: Plan a getaway to the Ya mpa Va lley for this fest , which just so happens to coincide with pe ak fa ll foliage se ason. Enjoy cavia r and Champagne at the welc ome recept ion, le ar n about zing y dr in ks at the coffee cock ta ils semina r, sip and savor at the grand ta sting, hike to lunch on Stor m Pe ak and le ar n about St ea mboat’s da rk hist or y, ju st to na me a few ac tivities. steamboatfoodandwine.com

Oct. 3-5

Ceda redge Applefest: Thou gh peache s tend to get most of the at tention, Colora do’s apples are downright delicious, too. They deserve a moment nay, an entire weekend of your time. Head to the gorgeous Surface Creek Va lley, which ha s been celebrating the fa ll ha rvest season with this festival for more than 45 years. ced aredgeappl efest.com

Breckenr id ge Craf t Spir it s Festival: Also know n as “Still on the Hill,” this three- day festival includes pa rties, spir its seminars, craf t work shops, histor ical wa lking tours and a grand ta sting. breckenr idgecraf tspirit sfestival.com

Oct. 9-11

Great Amer ic an Beer Fe st ival: Ever y fa ll, brewer s from around the countr y descend upon the Mile High City for th is bi g an nu al gather in g, ca lled GA BF for shor t. They ’re here to win awards and pour beer, which you ca n sip to your hear t’s cont ent during the genera l sessions. greatameri canbeerfestival.com

October dates TBD

Applefest: Fa milies flock to Long mont ’s Ya Ya Fa rm & Orchard for Applefest, a fa mi ly-f riendly ba sh that includes live music and good food on a work ing fa rm Ticket s usua lly sell out, so keep an eye out for the 2025 dates. If you can’t ma ke it to Applefest (which does not include apple picking, by the way), you can still visit the orchard for you-pick fr uits. yayafarmandorchard .com

Oct. 18

Colorado Uncorked: So many Colorado wines, so little time Luck ily, if you’re look ing for some new bottles to add to your collec tion, snag some from the prestigious Colora do Governor ’s Cup Collec tion. Ea ch year, the governor ta sk s a pa nel of ex pert s with finding the be st , mo st deliciou s Colora do wi ne s and you ca n ta ste them all at Colora do Uncorked Held at the History Colorado Cent er, the event feat ures award-winning wines paired with small bites created by Colorado chefs. colora dowine.com/col orad o- un corked

Oct. 26

The Bloody Ma ry Fest ival: Show your love for this iconic br unch cock ta il at this one- day ba sh, which includes Bloo dy Ma ry ta st in gs , fo od sa mple s, temp ora ry tatt oos, a cost ume cont est, phot o ops and pe ople’s choice awards. th ebloodym ar yfest.com/denver

Dec. 5-6

Meta l & Beer Fest: This two- day ba sh bills it self as the world’s “loudest , heav iest , most ex treme craf t beer fe st ival” and that tell s you ju st ab out ever yt hi ng you need to know. Held this year at the Fillmore Auditorium, you ca n sip craf t beers while rock ing out to ba nd s like Acid Bath and Blood Inca nt ation. The full lineup of both musicians and brewer ie s wi ll be unveiled soon decibelm agaz in e.com/events

Sarah Kuta is a Denver -based freelance wr iter.

Tried and True Places that we love, for foodies

by Th e Kn ow staff

Ed it or ’s note: Wh ere ca n yo u fin d a te rr ifi c te a ro om , th e be st bl ac kb er ry sc on e, or ca n’ t-fa il ph o? Here, Denver Post staffers sh are th e Tr ied an d Tr ue pl ac es th at th ey go to over an d over again fo r food faves.

Bird Craft’s papaya salad

Eati ng he althy on the road ca n of ten fe el li ke a chor e. But dr iver s tr avel in g on Inters tate 70 ne ar Su mm it County don’t need to work ha rd to find an option beyond fa st food. Even bett er: It ’s from a loca l company.

Bi rd Craf t opened a qu ick- serv ic e counter in side Outer Br ew in g Co. in 2020, when the br ewer y expa nded it s taproom. While it s specia lt y is “T ha i-ish” fr ied chicken, the kitchen serves a ta st y papaya sa la d ($15) that offers a guiltless meal option for road tr ippers.

The sa la d feat ures green papaya , cabbage, chilled vermicelli nood les, peanut s, tomato and a chili-lime vinaigrette topped with fresh herbs. Add fried chicken ($4) and pa ir it with one of Outer Ra nge’s delicious beers to ma ke the most of your pitstop. Tiney Ri cci ardi

Bird Craf t is located in si de Outer Brewing Co., 182 Lu sh er Cour t, Fr isco, 970- 455-8392 Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., se ven days a week. outerrange.com

Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery

Wo oden Sp oon, in the Hi gh la nd neig hb orho od , is know n for it s brea kf as t sa ndwiches (s ta rt in g at $11. 50). But it s pa st ries mi ght ju st be be tt er th an the sa ndwiches , espe ci al ly the sc ones and da ni sh (a ll around $5 ea ch). My favorite s are the blackberry-lemon sc ones and cher ry da nish Wooden Spoon is the perfec t place to pick up a quick brea kfast and coffee (but get there ea rly; they do run out of items)

Jessica Seam an 2418 W. 32 nd Av e., De nv er, 303- 999 -0327. Op en 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wedn esday through Sund ay, cl osed Mond ay an d Tu esday. wood en spoond enver.com

Pho 65

This st rip ma ll Vietna me se eatery wi ll not knock you over with atmospherics the booth benches with thick slabs of tape to cover rips and tear s are a te sta ment to that but who ca re s? The pho at Pho 65 is craz y good

I ty pica lly order Ta i Chin (rare st ea k and br isket) ever y time I go; it ’s that good The brot h is spot on, and the thin ly slic ed meat and rice nood le s are perfe ct ly co oked . Served with a generous he apin g of mu ng be an sprout s, fr esh spri gs of ba si l and ju ic y

Tea time at the

Foodies

FROM PAGE 50

lime wedges (I sk ip the hot pepper s), this pho ($11.95 for small, $14. 95 for la rge) is mouth-watering John Ag uilar

6530 Wadsworth Blvd ., Arvada , 720-702- 0158. Open Mond ay -Sat urday 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., an d 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sund ay. ph o65.com

Caddywampus Comfort Foods

Ca ddywampus is a great late -night place in downtown Denver, perfec t for af ter play s or conc er ts or if you aren’t ready to ca ll it a ni ght just yet. Tr y the cr unch wraps, especially the Chicken Caesar ($15). The spa ce is shared with Gold Point, a ba r with wonder ful dr in ks and mock ta ils. It ca n get a bit loud, but what a fun vibe. Helen Ri ch ardson

3216 Larimer St Open Thursday and Sunday 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Fr id ay an d Sa tu rd ay 6 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cl osed Mond ay -Wednesd ay. ca ddywamp.us

Foodies

Cracovia Polish Restaurant & Bar

Cold night? Big appetite? Advent urous ta stes? Visit fa mi ly-owned Cr ac ov ia for he ar ty soup s, pierog ie s, sausages and other Polish dishes. The zupa ogókowa, a crea my pick led soup with vegg ie s and diced potatoes ($8 for a cup, $1 3 for a bowl), is a go -t o for me. Bonus: They offer housemade, flavored vodk as Order a flight! Noelle Phillips

8121 W. 94th Ave., Westminster, 303- 484-9388. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Mond ay through Thursd ay, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fr id ay -Sun day. cracoviarestaurant .com

La Bouche

La Bouche is a un ique wi ne ba r ex perience from wi fe -a nd -hus ba nd ow ne rs Al ex an dr a an d Al ex is Tréton This French-style bistro really transpor ts you to Pa ris. The food (including $22-$37 for cheese and meat boards) and wine are great (especia lly at happy hour). And during the summer, there’s an outdoor patio Helen Ri ch ardson

1100 E. 17th Ave., 303-830-3967 Open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturd ay labouche.win e

Corvus Coffee

A coffee snob’s destination, Corv us is know n for it s direct-f rom-the-fa rmer beans and sustainability practice s. It ’s not the plac e for a grande wh it e choc olat e mocha piled with whipped cream and ca ra mel sauces. It ’s the coffee shop for a nice cup with no need for sugar y accessor ies to hide any bitter ness or a weak brew

Noelle Phillips

Mult iple location s an d hours of operat ion. corvuscoffee.com

George’s Cafe

George’s quietly serves the best burger in town The ha lf-pound Greek burger ($13) includes mint , pa rsley and onion mi xed into the ground beef, and is served on a bi g bu n with fe ta chee se , tzaz ik i sauc e, le tt uc e and tomato. It comes with your choice of soup, sa la d, slaw, fr ies or onion rings.

This neig hborhood diner closes at 2:30 p.m. da ily, so plan accord ingly. Noelle Phillips 6504 Wadsworth Blvd ., Arvada , 303- 467-1002 Open se ve n days a we ek , 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ar va da ge orgescafe.com

Tea at the Palace

The hottest ticket in town is not for an Avs or Nugge ts pl ayoff ga me or Taylor Sw if t’s late st tour It ’s Christma s Tea at the Brow n Pa la ce. Wa nt to go on a weekend during the si x week s lead ing up to Dec. 25? You are goin g to ne ed to se t your phone alar m and ca ll as soon as the 2026 dates open, usua lly in Ja nuar y 2025 (A nd that ’s long gone.)

And li ke ot her hot ticket s, checki ng th is off your bucket list will cost you. The Signat ure Tea with tea, fin ger sa ndwiches , sc ones , De vonshi re c re am , pr eserves and pa stries is $75. Kids 6 pay $60. There are vegan and gluten-free options for an additional fee and option s with more spa rk ly bevera ge s for the grow nups with an even bigger fee.

And if you ca n’t get in for the specia l Christma s tea, you ca n ma ke reservations for the rest of the year (at the sa me pr ices). Maureen Burn et t

A pot of tea and a lemon bread from In-Tea The Little ton teashop o ffers more than 170 tea blends

House of Bread

Unique Indian Cuisine

Located in old strip ma ll on South Colora do Bouleva rd, Unique Indian does not look promising from the pot-holed park ing lot. But inside is an oa sis of frag rant spices and a rest ful decor. Go ea sy when br inging on the heat because their hot is very, very hot. The lentil soup ($7. 99) is out of this world Lee Ann Cola ci oppo 2246 S. Colora do Blvd ., 303-756- 0744. Open se ve n days a we ek , 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. uniq ue in di ancuisin e.com

In-Tea

Whether you’re look ing to buy loose-leaf tea in bulk (sta rting at $9) or just wa nt to stop at a quaint ca fe for a single cup, In-Tea ha s more than 170 teas to choose from, and the st a ff are ex pert s at recommending a tea to fit your mood Wa nt a traditiona l brew? They ’ve got it Have a kid who wa nt s a su ga ry boba conc oc tion? They have that , too. Plus, you ca n enjoy te a-in fu sed cock ta ils or beers. Tynin Fr ies

This is the plac e for choc olat e lover s. Opera ca ke , a French ba r ca ke with layers of almond sponge ca ke and coffee butt ercrea m topp ed with a nice layer of chocolate gana che, is my favorite. This Ar menian ba ker y feat ur ing Ea st er n European and Midd le Ea st er n dishes and de sser ts does it ri ght. Ever y bite is heavenly, and while I have tr ied multiple desser ts there like their Duba i chocolate treat and Moza rt ca ke I always come back for the opera ca ke. Tamara Dunn 2020 S. Parker Road , Denver, 720) 727- 0000 Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fr id ay, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, an d 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sund ay Cl osed Wedn esday. houseofbreadin c.com

Th e Brow n Pa la ce is at 321 17 th St Ca ll 303- 3128900 for availability; reservat ions al so availabl e at OpenTabl e. Th e Sign at ure tea service is Mond ay -Friday noon to 4 p.m., Saturd ay an d Sund ay 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. brownpal ace.com

2440 Main St ., Littleton, 720-981-2512. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sund ay through Thursd ay an d 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fr id ay an d Saturd ay ht tps://in-tea .n et 909 S. Oneida St., Denver, 303-331-1590. Open 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mond ay through Saturd ay, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sund ay

Grateful Bread Company

This ba kery mostly caters to rest aura nt s but opens to the public for a few hours once a week . Get in line, folk s, for ar tisa n brea ds, da nishes, st icky buns, muffins, cook ies and more I ma ke a beeline for the chocolat e babk a ($18.65). To. Die. For. And sl ic es freeze well, too, so you don’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting (which, I confess, I’ ve at tempted). Find someone who

Foodies

goes frequently and you might even get her to deliver once in a while (tha nk s, Kr isten) Barbara Elli s 42 1 Vi ol et St ., Go ld en , 30 3- 68 1- 54 06 . Op en Saturd ays 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. gratef ulbrea d.com

Poppies Restaurant & Lounge

Poppie s do es a lot of fo od th at is fine and a fe w things that are worth a dr ive across town Fr ied fish! Ribs! Ja eger schn it zel! Eg gs Gu il lermo! But what I cr ave is thei r ch icken pot pie, genera lly avai lable at lunch. It comes in it s ow n little pot, st uffed with big chun ks of chicken, just the right amount of sauc e and no peas It’s covered with flaky, never mushy, cr ust. Not hu ng ry? Poppie s’ loun ge is a wa rm , welc om in g neighborhood spot to stop in for a cock ta il and catch a bit of the big ga me Lee Ann Cola ci oppo 2334 S. Colorado Blvd ., 303-756-1268. Open 11 am . to 9 p.m. Sund ay through Wedn esday, an d 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursd ay through Saturd ay poppiesd enver.com

M&I International Market

This unassuming ma rket along Leet sdale Dr ive in Denver ca rr ies thousa nd s of Ea ster n European products, including Russian caviar, red sturgeon, crab, pickled herr ing, Russia n root beer, dr ied German pa st as, Polish ca nd ies and beer, fresh-ma de borscht and cabbage rolls, as well as deli ca ses filled with meat s and cheeses ga lore includ ing some 300 va rieties of sausage. And here’s a secret: It ’s the only place I ca n find Golden Deliciou s apples (b es t for pies) ye ar -r ou nd Ea rly in the day, pick up some freshly ma de Russia n piroshki (hand pies) filled with meat or potatoes from the bins on top of the deli counter, then tr y to re sist grabbing a beautiful, freshly ba ked ca ke on your way to the checkout Barbara Elli s 90 9 S. On ei da St ., De nv er; 303- 331-1590 Op en 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Mond ay -Sat urday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

Edgewater Public Market

When guests ar rive from out of town or there’s a large group with various needs and wants for food, this plac e is a mu st . The ne arly 20 food and dr in k st al ls ca n satisf y vega ns, those with gluten intolera nce and meat-eaters alike. You ca n choose between the vega n offer ings of Gladys or roll lentils and tender la mb into Ethiopia n injera at Konjo or find a fr ied chicken sa ndwich at The Luck y Bird. Happy Cones ice crea m and Black Box ba kery satisf y the sweet tooth. Roger’s Liquid Oa sis serves beer and fa nc y cock ta ils or you ca n find coffee at Saints and Sinners. There’s plenty of seating for small or la rge groups, so you don’t feel rushed And you ca n pose for silly pict ures in a photo boot h to remember it all. Noelle Phillips

55 05 W. 20 th Av e. , Ed ge wa te r. Op en We dn esday-Thursd ay 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fr id ay 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturd ay 9 a.m. to 11 p.m, an d Sund ay -Mon day 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. edge waterpubli cm arket.com

Convivio

Conv iv io Café is a coffee shop big on communit y. The Tennyson neighborhood shop is women-and-immigrant- ow ned with Guatemalan-inspired snacks and beverages rang ing from ag ua s fresca s ($4 each) to authentica lly spiced house-made chai ($6) to empanada s ($4. 50) and a picturesque tostada flight ($12). Ever ything at Conv iv io is wa rm the serv ice, the

At Gyros & Kabobs, ask for a fried chicken plat

rice, flatbread and a side salad for

atmosphere, the ba ked goods. Pull up a chair and join the neighborhood with a cup of something yummy.

Elizabeth Hern an dez

4935 We st 38th Av e. Op en 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mo nday, Wedn esday an d Thursd ay; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fr iday- Sund ay, an d 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tu esday. conviviocafe.com

The tea tour at Celestial Seasonings

Having a guest come visit from out of town is a great excuse to go on a 45 -minute tour ($6 per person, must be 5 or older) at Celestial Seasonings, in which you will discover how the fa mous Boulder brand ma kes it s tea. (T he mint room may clear out your sinuses.) There are also compliment ar y tea sa mples to tr y and a tea shop so you ca n ta ke home a box of your new favorite.

Maureen Burn et t 4600 Sleepytime Drive, Boulder, 303- 581-1484. Open Tu esday- Saturd ay 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. cele st ialsea sonings.com

La Popular’s tamales

The tama le, a Southwestern staple, gets its full due at downtown Denver ’s La Popu la r even as it competes for your dollar with a reliable stream of Mexican pa stries, ma sa (g reat for home cook ing; $1.30 per pound), corn chips, spic y sa lsas, hard shell tacos, burritos and pillow y corn tortilla s. Since 1946, the business ha s been cranking tama les out for loya l custom-

ers who know well the plea sures of the toothsome and handmade red pork , spic y green pork , and even sweet varieties of the traditiona l dish (that la st one ha s raisins, nuts, coconut and pineapple).

A single tama le ($2. 50) smothered in green chile, tomatoes and other goodies, is a great snack, depending on your hunger level.

But order ea rly if you need a ha lf-dozen ($13 -$14 , depend in g on va riet y) or a dozen ($22 .74-$21.75) for your next specia l event and don’t ex pect leftovers.

John Wenzel

2033 La wren ce St ., De nv er, 303-296-1687 Op en 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; cl osed Sund ay. lapopulartam al es. com

Gyros & Kabobs

When the na me of a re st aura nt spells out it s specialty, a diner would ex pect gy ros and kabobs to be its best dishes. But once you step into this Midd le Ea ster n eatery and place an order, it ’s the tantalizing fr ied chicken that first gets a customer ’s at tent ion. A onepiece leg quar ter is $3.50; eight pieces is $30. To ma ke it a meal, ask for a plat ter with rice, flatbread and a side sa lad for $10. 50. Don’t ex pect a trendy sauce or a thick coating on the chicken. Instea d, it ’s got a light, crispy texture that’s more home-style Tamara Dunn 2020 S. Parker Road , Denver, (303) 755-1500. Open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. ht tps://gyroskabobs

COOKOUT SEASON

Ready, set, grill

Chef Michael Sy mon shares tips for cook ing over fire

By Cathy Thom as Oran ge County Regi ster

Eating outdoors is pa rt of summer The pa ce needs to feel rela xed. Who better to guide the feasting prep than celebr it y chef, re st au rateur and television persona lity Michael Sy mon? Hi s abil it y to nu ance flavors , usin g ma na ge able in gred ient li st s and st re ssfree directions, creates pa late joy while not dema nding hours of work

Hi s ne w bo ok , “S ymon’s Di nner s Co ok in g Out” (C la rk son Potter), showca ses dishes to excite budd ing and ex pert gr il lers alike. He brainstormed the book during the pa ndem ic shut down, filming imprompt u gr illing videos on his iPhone. Airing on social media channels, he developed a ma ssive follow ing. Although the book includes recipes for ever ything from appeti zers to cock ta ils to de sser ts, I’ ve chosen three entrees to include here A charcoal gr illing purist, Sy mon give s ea sy-t o-follow in format ion on controlling temperatures, offer ing a full-page illustration of the charcoal-f ueled kettle grill’s bottom vents. Those vent s regulate how much ox ygen fuels the coals. But for ma ny, ga s gr il li ng is the on ly option Al l three recipes included here ca ll for direct heat , ma king the formulas ea sy to adapt to ga s gr illing

Smok y grilled shrimp

Symon points out that even when people say they don’t like seafood, shrimp is o ften the exception. The plump crus taceans grill quickly and can show o ff a wide variet y of flavors. Here they pair with a marinade of ex tr a-virgin olive oil, lime juice and ze st, brown sugar, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper Ground coriander and cumin come to the part y, too. Plan to marinate the shrimp in the fridge for at leas t an hour or up to 4 hours. They only take about 5 minute s to grill. Be fore grilling, always be sure to preheat the grill and wipe it clean (I use a wire brush). I like to fold a paper towel into a small bundle and secure it with tongs and then dip it in vegetable oil. I use it to wipe down the clean gr ate. Symon prepares the relish on the barbecue, but it you wish you can make it inside on the stove.

Yield: 6 servings Source: “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out,” by Michael Symon.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons ex tr a-virgin olive oil

Gr ated ze st and juice of 2 lime s

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, for serving Lime wedges, for squeezing

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk toge ther the olive oil, lime ze st and juice, salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne, coriander and cumin. Add the shrimp and toss to fully coat Cover and re friger ate for at leas t 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

2. Prepare and preheat a charcoal grill for direct cooking.

3. Cook the shrimp on the hot side of the grill until nicely charred, about 2 minute s per side

4. Tr ansfer the shrimp to a plat ter, garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges and serve.

Grilled chicken souvlaki

Symon’s mother is of Greek and Sicilian de scent, and his father’s roots are in Eastern Europe He writes that his parents made souvlaki using pork, beef, lamb or chicken.

“This recipe would work great with any of those proteins,” he added. “The key is to le t the marinade do its job for at leas t a couple hours, prefer ably overnight, to ge t a really nice char from the grill.”

Yield: 6 to 8 servings Source: “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out,” by Michael Symon.

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds bonele ss, skinle ss chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 tablespoons ex tr a-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano Gr ated ze st and juice of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the chicken in a 1- gallon zip-top bag.

2. In a large bowl, whisk toge ther the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and lemon ze st and juice. Pour the marinade over the chicken and re friger ate for at leas t 4 hours or up to overnight.

3. Prepare and preheat a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, with one hot side and one hold (unheated) side

4. Se t eight 10-inch skewers on a work surf ace (if using wooden skewers, soak them in a shallow dish of water for at leas t 30 minute s) Remove the chicken from the bag, allowing most of the marinade to drip o ff (discard the marinade). Thread 4 or 5 pieces of meat onto each of the skewers, grouping them near the top so the tip is covered by the meat but leaving space to gr ab the skewer at the bottom

5. Season on all side s with the salt and put on the hot side of the grill. Cook until lightly charred on all side s, about 6 minute s per side Move the skewers to the hold side of the grill, cover grill and cook until the meat reache s an internal temper ature of 165 degree s, about 10 minute s.

ED ANDERS ON CL ARKS ON POTTER

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki consis ts of marinated chicken that is threaded onto skewers for grilling

Grilled flank steak with pepper relish

Symon says he grills flank and skir t steak more than any other cut of beef, pointing out that you give up a bit of tenderne ss but gain a lot of flavor Plus, they are le ss expensive than upmarket cuts He reminds readers to le t the meat re st after grilling be fore slicing it thinly, agains t the gr ain. And another piece of advice: Don’t le t the meat grill past medium, as it tends to ge t chew y.

Yield: 4 servings Source: “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out,” by Michael Symon.

INGREDIENTS

For the steaks:

4 (8-ounce) flank steaks

1⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup yellow mustard

¼ cup soy sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the pepper relish:

6 tablespoons ex tr a-virgin olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced (about ½ cup)

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup sherry vinegar

Gr ated ze st and juice of 1 lime

1⁄4 cup raw honey

1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Pierce the flank steaks with a fork or paring knife a few time s on both side s. Place the steaks in a 1- gallon zip-top bag. In a small bowl, whisk toge ther the brown sugar, mustard and soy sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and twis t of black pepper Pour the marinade over the steaks and le t marinate at room temper ature for 1 hour.

2. Prepare and preheat a charcoal grill for direct cooking.

3. Remove the steaks from the bag, allowing most of the marinade to drip o ff (discard the marinade). Put the steaks on the grill and cook , without moving, until nicely charred, about 4 minute s. Flip and continue cooking until nicely charred and medium-r are (130 degree s), about 4 minute s.

4. Tr ansfer the steaks to a cutting board to re st, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minute s.

5. While the steaks are re sting, make the pepper relish: Se t a large cast-iron skille t on the grill. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until shimmering Add the red and yellow bell peppers, onions, jalapeño, garlic and thyme. Season with a pinch of salt and twis t of pepper Cook , stirring occasionally, until the vege tables are aromatic and begin to so ften, about 5 minute s. Add the vinegar and lime juice and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minute s. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, cilantro, the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and the lime ze st.

6. Slice the steaks thinly agains t the gr ain, top with pepper relish and serve.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

How to make a Cricket Burger, and more from Denver chefs

By Mi gu el Ot árol a motarola@d enve rpost.com

Cookout and picnic contributions ca n always go beyond the generic supermarket potato sa la d, wr in kled hot dog and watermelon slices. Nothin g wron g with the food s themselves they just benefit from new ingred ient s or preparations to ma ke them really st and out. Below, chefs from Denver rest aura nt s share their recipes for a specia l outdoor feast.

The Cherry Cricket’s “Cricket Royale” Burger

This is a favorite at the Cherry Cricke t’s flagship re staurant on 2220 Blake St. in Denver, a half-pound beef patt y with garlic aioli and crispy onion strings on a pretzel bun.

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 pound beef patt y

For the mushroom mixture:

2 cups mushrooms, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1⁄4 cup white wine

1⁄4 cup shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

For the caramelized onions, roasted garlic and onion jam, and garlic aioli:

1 medium swee t onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

Splash of white wine

1 head of garlic (skin and all)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1⁄2 cup kewpie mayo

For serving:

Swis s chee se

Pretzel bun

Crispy onion strings (see note)

DIRECTIONS

1. Salt and pepper the beef patt y. (The Cricke t recommends going for a locally sourced, 80⁄20 angus beef.) Grill for 6-8 minute s on one side, flipping half way through. Never pres s, and don’t close the lid on the grill. This will give you a perfect medium burger.

2. Sauté mushrooms in butter with white wine, shallots and garlic Cook down until the wine and mois ture is basically gone, then add parsley. The mushroom mixture (duxelle s) should be a paste consis tency to spread on your burger

3. In another pan, cook the chopped onion and 1 tablespoon butter on low heat until golden and tr anslucent, using white wine instead of water to deglaze your pan. Re serve half of the onions for the roas ted garlic and

onion jam.

4. To make the onion jam, begin by drizzling 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto a head of garlic (skin and all), then wr ap in aluminum foil and roas t in the oven for 20 minute s at 400 degree s. When done roas ting, care fully remove half of the cloves from the tin foil and squeeze into a container.

5. Combine the roas ted garlic with half of the caramelized onions, a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix until pureed

6. To make the garlic aioli, mix half of the roas ted garlic with 1⁄2 cup of Kewpie mayo.

7. Spread the roas ted garlic and onion jam on the bottom bun, then add the burger patt y, duxelles, Swis s chee se, caramlized onions, crispy onion strings, and the top bun shmeared with garlic aioli.

Chef ’s note: As a time -s aver (and budget-s aver), the Cricke t recommends purchasing pre-made crispy onions and quickly fr ying 1⁄4 cup in a pan.

Polidori Grilled Sausages with Peaches & Pickled Onions

The family behind Polidori Saus age, a 100-year-old Denver busine ss, o ffers a quick and easy recipe using its Hatch chile chee se saus ages

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar

1⁄4 cup distilled white vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 cup water

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced Canola oil, for brushing

6, 4- ounce Polidori Hatch Chile Chee se Saus age links

2 medium peache s, pitted and sliced 1⁄4-inch thick Parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 1- quar t jar, shake both vinegars with the molasses, salt, and water until the salt dissolve s. Add the jalapeños and onions, cover, and le t stand at room temper ature for at leas t 1 hour.

2. Oil a grill gr ate and grill the saus ages over moderate heat, turning, until lightly charred and cooked through, 10 to 12 minute s.

3. Tr ansfer the saus ages to a cutting board and le t them re st for 5 minute s, then thinly slice on the bias

4. Arrange the sliced peache s on a plat ter. Top with the saus ages and some of the pickled jalapeños and onions Drizzle with some of the pickling liquid, garnish with parsley, and serve the remaining pickled veggie s on the side

Leven Deli’s Macaroni Salad

Denver’s Leven Deli has several unique recipe s for its side s, including a creamy macaroni salad with plenty of pickle s and pickle juice. Yield: 8 cups (10-12 servings).

INGREDIENTS

For the dres sing: 1 cup mayonnaise

Denver’s Leven Deli has several unique recipe s for its side s, including a creamy macaroni salad with plenty of pickle s and pickle juice.

1⁄2 cup chopped Leven dill pickle s

1⁄4 cups Leven dill pickle juice

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

For the salad:

16-ounce package of macaroni

1 cup shredded carrots

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients for the dres sing in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2. Cook macaroni according to package directions

Strain and allow to cool

3. Add carrots, dres sing, salt and pepper and mix well Serve chilled.

Charred Strawberry and Jalapeno Vanilla Yogurt Parfait

From Paul C. Reilly, chef and co -owner of Coperta, Denver. It’s great to plan ahead for de sser t on the grill with a simple cobbler or crisp. However, if you don’t have the time and your grill is still hot after cooking dinner, this de sser t is a cinch and hits that bite of swee tnes s you cr ave when you’ve been outside all evening and are perhaps a tad buzzed from a grill se ssion. The light touch of spice from the jalapeno is a welcome surprise to the swee tnes s.

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds strawberries, halved or quar tered if large

1 jalapeno, halved and seeded

3⁄4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla ex tr act

2 ounce s torn basil leaves

Grilled saus ages with peache s and pickled onions, a recipe from Polidori Saus age, a 100-year-old family busine ss in Denver

strawberries and surprise jalapeno can make for a re freshing de sser t during cookout season

FROM PAGE 57

1 16-ounce container whole milk vanilla bean yogurt (Noosa recommended)

sliced almonds for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. With your grill still hot from dinner, dr y the strawberries and jalapenos and place in a grill basket, cooking until well charred and slightly star ting to melt

2. Remove from grill and add to a food proces sor with sugar, citrus juice, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until chunky

3. Allow to cool to room temper ature. When cool, fold in torn basil leaves

4. Gr ab four clear glas se s (like pint glas se s) Spoon in some of the strawberry-jalapeno compote and alternate layers of compote and yogurt in the pint glas se s. Build three layers compote and two layers of yogurt per glas s.

5. Serve well chilled. Garnish with almonds and basil

leaves

Pro tip: Le t sit for about 25 minute s be fore serving to allow the flavors to meld Will keep for about three days in the fridge

Green Chile Dr y Rubbed Chicken Wings

Source: Justin Brunson of Brunson Meat Co (founder of the former Denver Bacon Company and River Bear American Meats) Chef tip: Brunson ge ts his spices at the Spice Guy, and says this mix is also good on pork chops, French frie s and even popcorn.)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons Br agg nutritional yeas t

2 tablespoons Flatiron Pepper Co Hatch Valley Green seasoning blend or similar blend

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon onion powder

2 dozen chicken wings

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients toge ther in a mixing bowl Store in airtight container

2. To grill wings: Heat and place wings directly on a charcoal grill until crispy on the outside with an internal temp of 165 (approximately 10 minute s, depending on heat).

(The grill is typically hot enough when the charcoal turns gr ay If it’s flaring, it’s too hot.

3. Cook wings to 185° to make the wings ex tr a crunchy.)

4. Once wings are cooked, season with as much of the le ftover dr y rub as de sired.

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion.