It’s the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s classic double-album “Physical Graffiti,” and at , that’s reason to celebrate.
“I’ve been a Led Zeppelin fan since middle school, but that album is also played a lot in our kitchen,” said chef-owner Paul Reilly.
“I’ve definitely found that when we need a bit of a kick-start, when we may be running behind for prep or have more reservations than expected, we turn up the volume on that.”
On the night of April 26, they’re throwing a Zeppelin feast, with each course named after a song.
One of the easiest to create was “Down by the Seaside,” which features New England pollock, English peas, smoked crème fraîche, and sunflower seed risotto.
“Kashmir” took a bit more creative imagination, and Reilly delved into research on South Asian themes, before coming up with lamb sausage rogan josh.
And then there was “Trampled Under Foot.”
“That was a stretch,” he said. “I figured we do nose-to-tail.”
Pig’s feet, maybe, or shanks.
But then he found yellow-foot chanterelle mushrooms, and went veggie: lasagnette, a narrow ribbon pasta, with triple crème brie, yams, figs and those trampled-under-foot ‘shrooms.
It may be the only time you’ll hear all the songs from “Physical Graffiti” played in a top restaurant.
“We’re doing four courses,” he said, “so we’re planning on playing the album in its entirety. Why not?”
The dinner is $56, and wine pairings are an additional $21. Reservations can be made by calling 303-623-3223.
Beast + Bottle, 719 E. 17th Ave; beastandbottle.com
Chefs Up Front
Celebrity chef Johnny Iuzzini is bringing his talents to Denver for a night, where he’ll serve as keynote speaker and create a signature dessert for Chefs Up Front, the annual fundraiser for Cooking Matters.
“It’s been a long winter, and I’m excited for spring to come,” he said via e-mail. “So I’m leaning towards doing a fresh and acidic dessert, probably using rhubarb.”
It’s guaranteed to be good. Iuzzini has served as executive pastry chef for some of the best in the business, including Daniel Boulud at Daniel and Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his eponymous New York restaurant, and won the Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation.
He’ll be in the company of 30 of Colorado’s top chefs, including , Dana Rodriguez of Work & Class and Gregory Gourdet, who narrowly missed winning this year’s Top Chef, and is executive chef at Portland’s popular Departure restaurant, soon coming to Cherry Creek.
Each chef will prepare a multicourse dinner, paired with wines, for his or her individual table.
Tickets are $300 each and benefit Cooking Matters, the nonprofit organization that has taught more than 20,000 low-income families in Colorado how to cook healthy, affordable meals.
The April 19 event, held at the Mile High Ballroom of the Colorado Convention Center (700 14th St.) starts with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. You can reserve a place at
Cho77’s street cuisine
And speaking of chef Vongerichten, Lon Symensma of ChoLon worked for him, too — that’s where he developed his passion for Asian ingredients. After extensive travel throughout China and South East Asia, he participated in the opening of Jean-Georges Shanghai.
Eventually, in Denver, he created the popular ChoLon in LoDo, and now is making his food even more accessible with Cho77 on South Broadway, which opens March 30.
The new place is located in a prime location, right in the middle of the popular hipster neighborhood of modern, creative shops. It’s also got a fun concept — modern interpretations of the thriving street cuisine of South Asia.
It’s even got a food cart that Symensma bought in Vietnam and had shipped back home, and the casual atmosphere is punctuated with vibrant red chairs similar to those of street food vendors in Thai and Vietnamese markets.
Symensma and chef de cuisine Ryan Gorby have created a menu that focuses on eight small plates, four noodle bowls, three dishes from the wok, and three “happy endings.” from a green papaya salad for $8 to a whole tamarind lobster for $36.
Cho77, 42 S. Broadway. 720-638-8179; cho77.com
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or twitter.com/coconnordp
