Aspen Food & Wine Classic, June 10-12, is a celebration of butter, cream, foie gras and wine. Now an alternate foodie fest is coming to town. The First Aspen Healthy Gourmet Fest chomps its way in July 20 and 30. No bacon for you! This will be about raw food and organic food. Food that’s good for you!
“This will just complement the Food & Wine Classic,” says event coordinator Alexandra Hammond. “This is for the really healthy cuisine chefs are putting out these days.”
Honorees this year include Nobu Matsuhisa, Bradley Ogden, Bill Wavrin, Jim Fetzer, Alice Waters (who is sending a video acceptance speech) and Morgan Spurlock, the producer/star of “Super Size Me.”
Bruuuuuuuuce
On a receipt from Bonnie Brae Liquors: “The Rockies may stumble, Gibraltar may crumble, they’re only made of clay … but our Nuggs are here to stay.”
Yeah, well. One good thing to come from the team’s recent playoff exit: Nuggets coach George Karl was available to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert Saturday with the tickets Lewis & Floorwax and G-Man scored for him. Karl had asked the boys if they’d mind if he scalped them if he was coaching that night. Moot point.
EATS!
5280’s restaurant newsletter last week told us Little Ollie’s was going into Old South Pearl Street and Benny’s Restaurant & Cantina was going into Denver Pavilions. Little Ollie’s owner Charlie Huang says he is not going into Pearl Street (he didn’t even know where it was) and Pavilions says they have not talked to Benny’s or any other Mexican restaurants about coming into the mall.
Here’s what is happening: Two LoDo nightclubbers are taking over Cielo at 1109 Lincoln St. and turning it into Donkey Den, a casual urban hip Mexican joint. All food about $10, check it out at www.donkeyden.com.
Becky Miller, former fiancée of restaurateur Charles Master, is staying in the biz by opening her own spot at East 17th Avenue and Franklin Street with Mary Nguyen, a former exec-chef at Hapa in Denver. They’re both Vietnamese, so look for a Vietnamese bistro and bar called Parallel Seventeen in July. And a club called Level is going into 1523 Market St., the old Al Fresco space.
City spirit
Sightem: Actor Peter Riegert (“Animal House,” “Local Hero”) dining with Denver Film Fest’s Ron Henderson at Campo Thursday night … You know those gold prison clogs Martha Stewart is showing off? They’re Tessa Gold Foil Clogs, shipped to Martha by Chris and Tessa Manning at Tessa Clogs of Vail … They’re the Billion Dollar Babies, five women who run real estate companies that sell more than $1 billion annually. In town for the Gathering of Eagles meeting, they had their pic taken Thursday at Ren Cannon’s manse for LORE magazine. Looking healthy and wealthy were Sherry Chris, Kelli Todd-Amundson, Joan Docktor, Pamela Alexander and Robyn Peterson … The Blues Brothers will entertain at the Children’s Hospital Gala in September, which will make loyal fans of Jim Belushi happy … Sez who: “Familiarity breeds attempt.” Goodman Ace
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears on Fox 31 News. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
