Fans of the grape should mark their calendars: The Denver International Wine Festival — which is actually held in Broomfield — is slated for Nov. 19-21.
Named one of the Top 10 Can’t Miss Fall Wine Festivals in America by Fodor’s Wine Country Network, the fest will be held at the Omni Interlocken Resort at 500 Interlocken Blvd.
On hand will be TV chef and author Sara Moulton, the honorary host of the Pairsine Chefs’ Fine Food and Wine Pairing Event, featuring 10 Colorado chefs dishing up 20 gourmet food pairings with 20 award-winning wines. Moulton will host cooking demos at the Grand Tasting.
More than 400 wines from 18 countries will be featured. Other adult beverages will also be featured, including spirits, sake and craft beer.
Admission ranges from $65 to $150, and the event will benefit . Information: 303-664-5700 or .
chef Paul Reilly is teaming with , former chef-owner of Twelve, which closed in August, for an Oct. 9 “Mutiny at the Bottle” dinner, a series that features guest chefs. The lineup, which costs $75 per person (another $25 for wine pairings) looks tempting:
First course: Pan tomate, roasted garlic custard, mojama, oregano.
Second course: Chicken-fried sweetbreads, Anson Mills grits, aged jack cheese, poppyseed slaw.
Third: Red snapper, cabbage, pickled lobster mushrooms, apple cider consomme.
Fourth: “Lambchetta,” quinoa, preserved lemon, pistachio crumble, yogurt.
Dessert: Sweet potato financier, chocolate-chipotle ice cream, pecan, coconut.
In other beastly news, sous chef Alexander Mathieu has been promoted to chef de cuisine. He will be developing and executing the restaurant’s dinner menu. Congrats, Alex.
Just in time for the , which runs Oct. 2-4: is partnering with San Francisco-based Magnolia Brewing Co. to host a three-course beef brunch on Oct. 2 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The shebang features the music of the Grateful Dead. Tickets are $55 and include the food, three Magnolia beers, tax and tip.
The menu: Cheddar chive biscuits with housemade sausage, covered in country milk gravy with a poached egg paired with Blue Bell Bitter.
Fried chicken and waffles with gruyere cheese and herbs, plus sriracha honey paired with Kalifornia Kölsch.
Pretzel bread French toast with apples, roasted grapes, pecan granola, whipped cream with Burton’s Maplewood Farm maple syrup paired with Pride of Branthill.
oldmajor.com or 720-420-0622.
, who was the “Top Chef” winner in the fifth season of the popular TV contest, will open Blackbelly Market in Boulder this month. It’s a combo restaurant, market and butcher shop.
In the meantime, he’s operating his food truck — “Darth Tater” — in the parking lot of his restaurant at 1606 Conestoga St. It opens each morning at 7 and serves food such as breakfast burritos and coffee until the goodies run out.
And props to Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson of The Kitchen Boulder, and (Glendale and Union Station).
The duo are launching on Oct. 9, hosting a benefit to support Learning Gardens in Chicago schools, a program meant to improve childhood nutrition and academic achievement.
Brazen is up and running at 445 W. 38th Ave., with chef Lance Barto offering noshables such as hamachi crudo, hangar steak and ricotta gnudi. Open daily, the restaurant will be a roost for night owls, given that it stays open until 2 a.m. every night. It sits on the cusp of the West Highland and Berkeley neighborhoods.
Finally, longtime Denver Post reporter Colleen O’Connor has taken over the Digest column. (I will continue writing the dining reviews.) Please send information about restaurant openings/closings and other industry doings to coconnor@denverpost.com.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/williamporterdp
