Notices for dozens of food events fly over the transom here in Digestland each week, pushing everything from eating bugs (keep reading) to oyster festivals in Ireland that never will make the rigorous Digest cut. Most of the events seem interesting and possibly enjoyable, but after the ninth plug for a beer-pig dinner, and the 12th for a night with the vintner trumpeting the 2009 vintage of you-name-the-grape, things sort of bleed together.
And then, sometimes things stand out.
It helps that I spent a glorious few weeks in Alaska last summer tromping around the and spending time fishing for salmon with Alaskan pals. Maybe that’s why I latched onto the salmon dinners held every Wednesday evening in August at , in Boulder (1047 Pearl St., 303-444-7258, saltboulderbistro.com), and on Thursdays at Salt’s sister restaurant , in Niwot (210 Franklin St., 303-652-0777, colterra.com).
The point of the dinners — which restaurants around the country are holding through a group called — is to let people know about , an enormous Alaskan fishery that supplies nearly half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon. The bay has become part of a controversy: foreign mining companies want to install the .
Hosting the dinner is “the least I can do,” said Salt and Colterra owner and chef Bradford Heap, just minutes after he returned from a mushroom hunt that landed him 30 pounds of king boletes.
The events — $45 for three courses — showcase the salmon from what may be the world’s most successful fishery, and help raise awareness about the mine and its potential impact on the fishery.
We can’t haul king salmon out of the Platte River — wouldn’t that rock? — but we do yank quite a lot of veggies from the soil. And then we sauté them, boil them, roast, grill and fry them. And often, we forget about them until a funk slinks from the fridge every time we open the door.
Prevent the funk! Beginning tonight and running into September, (1937 Market St., 303-308-9300, cookstreet.com) is holding classes teaching students — that means you — how to pickle and preserve veggies and fruits, and how to best prepare them for meals. Wednesday night’s class, which is repeated on Sept. 17th, revolves around the pickling and preserving; on Aug. 26th, you will learn how to blanch, roast and caramelize veggies, as well as more pickling and preserving. All of the classes will run you $89 and include wine.
Don’t miss the beer at Wednesday night’s dinner at the — you might need it. The event, called , pairs suds from with dishes that feature cooked bugs. A guacamole tostada with toasted crickets gets washed down with 90 Shilling; another dish joins an India Pale Ale with a beef tenderloin topped with, among other things, mezcal mealworms.
“All of the proceeds go back to local habitat conservation,” said Ashley Garbin, a Pavilion spokeswoman. “We are trying to expose people to new flavors.” Jeff Bolton, the talented chef at , is in charge of the food, and from Fort Collins is offering nibbles as well. The $40 evening begins with a sunset stroll through the big room in the Pavilion, where 1,600 butterflies flutter about. You can hold Rosy the tarantula, explore an area filled with horseshoe crabs and sea stars, and head to dinner in the garden, which looks out over Jefferson County Open Space — you know, the patch of land where the crickets chirp. They will be watching you.
Head to City Park on Saturday for the , a big foodie shindig sponsored by . It’s got six bands, five chefs (mostly local hotshots like Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson with , but also celebrity ), and, refreshingly, farmers (including Anne Cure from Boulder’s and Longmont’s , which is owned by the brewery).
Douglas Brown: 303-954-1395, djbrown@denverpost.com or twitter.com/douglasjbrown
