In less than two weeks, the 25th Aspen Food & Wine Classic chomps down. I can’t make it this year – and here’s what I’m gonna miss.
NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer and Bacon of the Month Club’s Dan Phillips with their always off-the- wall wine pairings. This year it’s “Green Grapes and Ham: What to drink with ham after you’ve run out of pineapple juice.”
The June 16 “Love Shack” shake-down with the B52s at Belly Up – with Emeril Lagasse and Nobu Matsuhisa booked to party. Belly Up will be decorated with wheat grass, river rock and bamboo to echo the design of Vdara Condo Hotel, an environmentally friendly development going up in Las Vegas. I don’t even think the hookers in Vegas are “environmentally friendly.”
The triumphant return of Thomas Keller, the best cooker ever.
Mario Batali’s introduction of a line of watches from Ernst Benz on June 15. Finally, you can own your very own Mario watch and never again overcook the risotto.
First-timer “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto preparing sushi for the home cooker, showing off his lightning-fast knife work.
The big-name chefs playing a high- steakscelebrity poker game June 16.
Spending time with Giada De Laurentiis because she makes my socks go up and down.
The fest ends June 17 with Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi on “The Sopranos”) and Lagasse in the Classic Cook-Off, Aspen’s answer to “Iron Chef.”
Camping
Even before Post Editor Greg Moore and Rocky Editor John Temple roasted Mayor John Hickenlooper Thursday night at Larry Mizel’s jam-packed Museum of Judaica Dinner – a few people sneaked out to get to Campo de Fiori for its Spring Fling party. About 300 youngish singles were shoehorned into the tony Italian eatery, greeted at the door by Big Wayne, the world’s largest bouncer.
Host Josh Hanfling didn’t get the crowd out until 2 a.m. “People just need a reason and a place to go,” he says. Tell me about it.
Worst nightmare
A news release came from Sen. Wayne Allard’s office Thursday telling us he called for “National First Responder Appreciation Day.” The release extols their virtues, until the third graph, which reads: “First responders in Colorado have recently provided critical services in the face of blizzards and tornadoes,” added Allard. “Since I don’t think first responders have really done anything significant in comparison to their counterparts who have dealt with real natural disasters, I have no idea what else to say here. …”
Uh-oh. Seems Allard staffer Steve Wymer was goofing around with a fellow staffer in drafting the release – and the goofy version got sent out. A corrected release with an apology was issued 19 minutes later.
City spirit
Food Network’s Tyler Florence won’t be at Aspen Food & Wine, but he’ll sign books and menus 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday at Applebee’s at 9932 S. Twenty Mile Road in Parker … Toby Keith’s Big Daddy Tour coming to Red Rocks on Aug. 2 … Sez who: “My girlfriend laughs during sex, no matter what she’s reading.” Emo Philips
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at
