Postino (9Co) Delivers With A Great Wine And Food Selections

Denver has its fair share of amazing food and wine options to choose from. Even with a pandemic some establishments are thriving under the pulse of amazing service and food and drink selections. The up-an-coming area around 9th and Colorado has seen a resurgence in new restaurants, retail, apartment complexes and more. At the center is the newest Postino (9co), the wine-cafe is the third location in Colorado. Other locations are spread out between Arizona and Texas. We had a chance to indulge in some amazing wine tastings that paired amazingly with their delicious food options.

Hailing from the fine wine regions of Argentina, Espiritu delivered. (Photo: Robert Castro)

With its extensive wine selections (one of the best in Denver) and an amazing array of food board and bruschetta options, the pairings are sure to fulfill your taste palette.

We tried a couple different options including the cheese board that featured three different cheese options, nuts and a delicious quince jam that paired well with the Malbec (smooth and bold) wine bottle we had.

Cheese Board (Photo: Abbe Glasser)

Cheese Board (Photo: Abbe Glasser)

We also tried the Bruschetta option which allowed us to pair four different spreads that included their:

Brie, Apple and Fig spread

Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil

Sweet N’ Spicy Pepper Jam and Goat Cheese

Ricotta, Dates and Pistachio

Bruschetta pairings to die for. (Photo: Robert Castro)

The ambiance of the restaurant is a perfect mix of classical nostalgia and hip decor (check out their sunglass wall). Ambient lighting sets the mood perfect for anytime, we recommend their 5 ‘Til 5 Every Day Happy Hour, $5 glasses of wine and pitchers of beer ‘til 5 PM. They also have an amazing Board and Bottle special featuring a $25 bottle of wine and bruschetta board on Mondays and Tuesdays after 8 PM.

If you are looking for a quaint place to enjoy amazing wine and food options make sure to visit Postino (9Co).



Saucy Chix Giving Us That "Tender Lovin" Chicken We All Need

Saucy Chix_Big Chix Platter_To Go-2.jpg

Dining out at restaurants has taken a unusual turn due to the COVID crisis and while many are beginning to open up again, it has become a rather challenging time for many. Many restaurants have opted for takeout and curbside pickup options. The team behind Morning Story has launched a new concept: Saucy Chix, offering freshly-fried chicken takeaway and delivery, from 4-10 p.m. daily, from the same Denver and Arvada locations: 560 S. Holly Street and 8025 Sheridan Blvd, respectively.  

Morning Story will continue to offer diners daily breakfast, brunch and lunch, but beginning at 4 p.m., the kitchens will prepare and package menu items for Saucy Chix, the casual delivery and takeout-friendly local fried chicken joint, specializing in house-made sauces. 

With freshly-fried chicken at the forefront, the Saucy Chix menu features “Tender Lovin’” chicken platters and “Mother Clucking” fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, including the Swaddled Chix: Chicken strips wrapped in a giant spinach tortilla with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and buttermilk ranch sauce, and the Bare Naked Chix: A grilled chicken breast with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, zesty pickles and house sauce. Starters – or “Chicken Feed” – such as fried pickles, onion rings and waffle fries, along with an array of salads, sides and sweets round out the menu. The complete menu is complemented by a thoughtful variety of house-made dipping sauces, including a secret-ingredient House Sauce,  The Original Buffalo, Buttermilk Ranch, Scorpion Ranch, Golden BBQ, Honey Dijon and Sweet & Spicy Thai, allowing guests to personalize every bite.

Saucy Chix_Tablescape_To Go-2.jpg

“With this new concept, we want to offer our guests something delicious and comforting, all while being incredibly convenient,” said James Gregory, owner of Saucy Chix and Morning Story. “With diners continuing to seek options that are delivery/take-away friendly, Saucy Chix will meet that need, providing a variety of new, fresh and customized choices for busy families and individuals on-the-go.”   

We have had a chance to sample some of this goodness and would highly recommend it if you are looking for a well rounded lunch/dinner with an amazing sides and an array of sauces for you to dip in.

Redzikowski Brothers Battle on Food Network's "Beat Bobby Flay" January 17th

Chef Steven Redzikowski of Boulder’s OAK at fourteenth and his brother Brian Redzikowski, Executive Chef of Kettner Exchange in San Diego are competing on the Food Network’s show Beat Bobby Flay Thursday, January 17. The two brothers will battle it out in the kitchen to determine who has the skills to compete against Chef Bobby Flay himself in this episode titled Oh Brother. The winner will be decided by Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy and Chopped's Alex Guarnaschelli and will air at 10pmEST/8pmMST Jan 17.

Steven Redzikowski’s (OAK) Thai Eggplant & Bok Choy & Chicharrones

Before opening OAK with business partner Bryan Dayton, and then Acorn in Denver’s The Source, Chef Steven worked his way up in some very impressive restaurants around the US. For example, Le Cirque in New York, Little Nell in Aspen, and Boulder’s own Frasca Food and Wine. His appearance on the Food Network will add to his list of accolades, especially if he succeeds in Beating Bobby Flay!

To celebrate the brothers’ Food Network premier, OAK shut down dinner service to host a special Dim Sum party cooked by a number of accomplished local chefs from Denver and Boulder. OAK’s open kitchen allowed those who attended to smell, see, and hear the dishes being made well before the Dim Sum carts rolled up to their tables. Guests enjoyed a total of fifteen different dishes from the different chef’s along with wine, Japanese beer, sake, and the house cocktail OAK Tea Time. The food was delicious, adventurous and gave guests unique dishes they won’t find on the menu at any of the Colorado chefs’ restaurants. Below is the full menu, with those in bold being our favorites.

Pork Belly Bao Bun

Steven Redzikowski (OAK) - Thai Eggplant & Bok Choy

Steven Redzikowski (OAK) - Crispy Wontons with pork and shrimp

Boneless Chicken Wings with bang bang sauce

Steven Redzikowski (OAK) - Crispy Chicharrones with Thai spice and trinity aioli

Brian Redzikowski (Kettner Exchange - San Diego, CA) - Pork Belly Bao Bun

Kyle Mendenhall (Arcana) - Sesame Bun

Adam Dulye (Brewer's Association) - Brisket Spring Rolls

Sarah Beckwith (OAK) - Shrimp Toast

Sarah Beckwith (OAK) - Seaweed & Cucumber Salad with sesame

Chase Devitt (BriDer) - Pork Sui Mai

Chase Devitt (BriDer) - Kung Pow Brussels Sprouts

William Cusack (OAK) - Penang Curry Sweet Potato

Paul Jaramillo (Acorn) - Boneless Chicken Wings with bang bang sauce

William Espercuieta (SMOK) - Hoisin-Glazed Pork Ribs

Kate Horton (OAK) - Coconut Sticky Rice & Mango

OAK Dining Room

Words & Photos by Tiffany Candelaria @TCdoesFnB

Hoisin-Glazed Pork Ribs

Tacolandia: The Blueprint For a Perfect Taco Festival.

Let's "taco bout" this amazing event.

Our fair city is slowly becoming a hub for all things considered tacos. With the rise of niche owned restaurants as well as out of town chains (Torchy's and R Tacos), it's pretty easy to find a good taco in Denver nowadays. Now when it comes to taco festivals...well those can be hit or miss. We have attended our fair share of decent festivals (Top Taco) as well as some pretty (Denver Taco Festival) nightmarish ones. At this point our taco expert staff has come up with three essential ingredients to pull of a great festival.

1. Location, location, location.

2. Organization and variety.

3. Other activities (music, car shows, games, dancing, etc.).

The colorful Baile Folklorico dancers on hand.

A perfect venue should include plenty of space, a decent amount of grass, plenty of shade and for fun maybe throw it at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. Tacolandia had all of the above (could have had a bit more shade, who are we to complain we had VIP treatment and an umbrella table all to ourselves). The layout was set up perfectly along the Noble Energy Sports Legend Mall, typically reserved for an epic tailgate experience during Sundays. A green patch of grass separated two sides of the festival with taco slanging experts stationed on each side. A stage was setup within the middle providing for entertainment the whole day (more on that below).

Peyton Manning is enjoying himself after retirement.

This was hands down one of the most organized taco festivals we have ever attended. Along with great organization was the amount of variety options to choose from. Albeit we got in an hour before everybody else we were able to hit up about 80 percent of the taco tastings before we had to shut it down due to the possibilities of heat stroke and the overdose of tortilla filled morsels of heaven. The people at Westword handled everything pretty well, although lines did build up at various points, they seemed to move quickly from station to station. The VIP section was placed towards the back of the mayhem and could have used an extra station or two for beverages in this case Estrella Jalisco's (name drop). All in all great organization and an abundance of choices to select from.

This Camaro tho!

A good festival always has various different activities to do while enjoying the fest itself. This one had it all from traditional Baile Folklorico dancers, to a car show that would make Jay Leno jealous, to great music to compliment the great cultural event. Music by iZCALI (one of our favorite local groups) provided some good ol' fashion Spanish rock. Cars from every era adorned the back lot of the festival with some awesome customized automobiles that had us drooling like this Camaro above.

Some of our favorite tacos:

Best Fish Taco-Southside Kitchen

Best Al Pastor-EL Aguascalientes and Los Chingones

Best Korean Pork-Ursula's Food Truck

Best BBQ-R Tacos

Best Mexican Street Corn-Lola's

Best Cabrito (Goat) Tacos-Work and Class

DISH, Denver's all-inclusive food-and-drink sampling event, returns to Sculpture Park on Sunday, September 25.

DISH, Denver's all-inclusive food-and-drink sampling event, returns to Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on Sunday, September 25.

This 22nd annual celebration of the local dining scene will feature 40+ favorite restaurants
of Westword food writers and reader, plus beverage samplings from our exclusive beer sponsor, Stella Artois, and other liquor sponsors, as well as a smokin' area dedicated to barbecue.

Adelitas, Syrup, Little Man Ice Cream, The Real Dill, Aikopops, Onefold, Biker Jim's, Americatus, Interstate Kitchen, Neighbors Wine Bar, Milk & Cake, Brazen, Keenwah, CO, Il Porcellino, The Orange Crunch, Frijoles Colorado, Amore Gelato, Jozi's Kitchen & Sheebeen, and many more will all be dishing samples at DISH.

Presale begins Tuesday, July 19 at 10 a.m. & ends Thursday, July 21 @ 11:59 p.m. Presale Promo Code: ULTRA5280

General Admission Tickets: $30 VIP Tickets: $65

Event Date/Time/Location:

September 25, 2016 11a-3:30p (VIP Reception 11-12:30) Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex Website: westworddish.com

Event Description:

Denver's all-inclusive food-and-drink sampling event returns to Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on Sunday, September 25.

Celebrating its 22nd year in the market, DISH will feature 40+ favorite restaurants of Westword food writers and readers plus a smokin' area dedicated to barbecue, beverage samplings from our exclusive beer sponsor, Stella Artois, and to-be-announced liquor sponsors.

Participating Restaurants: Adelitas // Syrup // Little Man Ice Cream // The Real Dill // Aikopops // Onefold // Biker Jim’s // Americatus // Interstate Kitchen // Neighbors Wine Bar // Milk & Cake // Brazen // Keenwah, CO // Il Porcellino // The Orange Crunch // Frijoles Colorado // Amore Gelato // Jozi’s Kitchen and Shebeen 

Foodie Fest Delivered Big Eats with Small Lines

Ultra5280’s Lifestyle staff along with many other devout epicureans (it sold out) got their fill at EatDenver’s foodie fiesta, The Big Eat. It returned for its sixth year to the Denver Center Performing Arts Complex last Thursday with over 50 of Denver’s best restaurants, along with brews, wines, spirits and entertainment.

There were many tasty meat dishes, as one would expect in the Colorado culinary scene, but there was also a surprisingly large assortment of seafood as well. We saw ceviche, sushi, salted cod, a baguette and Lox topped with not capers, but caviar from Rosenberg's Bagels & Delicatessen, and Jax Fish House and Blue Island Oyster Bar were hot stops with their fresh oyster bar. In fact, it seemed about 40 percent of the entrées offered were seafood based, while the other 40 percent were red meat, 5 percent chicken, and 5 percent veggie. We eat all foods, so we enjoyed it all, but there was one vegetarian dish that I thought was as good as any of the other entrees. Vital Root, the newest addition to Cucci’s Edible Beats restaurants, showcased their sunflower seed risotto which was hearty yet fresh and crisp with snap peas, sautéed mushrooms, carrots, chive pesto and pecorino cheese. The texture, taste, and nutrition were all top notch in this dish.

There were a couple surprising standout dishes as well, mainly because of the restaurants who served them. For “most pleasantly surprising” was Appaloosa Grill, you know the place you walk by on the 16th street mall, sometimes stopping in for a cheap happy hour drinks? Well it turns out they make a mean lamb chop, and I mean it came perfectly cooked, topped with toasted nuts and a cherry, peppadew custard, Dijon mustard, all atop a bed of dressed greens. Looking at their website, it appears Appaloosa has a bunch of potentially delectable dishes and makes most with locally sourced ingredients on site! Next time we’ll have to go for cheap drinks and dinner.

Sweet treats were scattered throughout the event, but we’ll finish up this article with them as if that’s what we really did on Thursday. . . Snooze was there with a peach pancake, DBar with a berry and custard trifle, French toast with salted tequila caramel from El Camino, cherry shortcake from Sugarmill, La Loma with churros, and sticky bread from The Lobby. Happy Bakeshop had a full display of sweet treats for every palette and even allergy, such as gluten-free carrot (cup)cakes, French macarons, and Scotcheroos which are peanut butter rice crispy treats with chocolate butterscotch topping. Between the two of us we tried (aka devoured) them all.

The beverage and entertainment categories of the event did not disappoint either and were likewise scattered throughout. We saw La Pompe Jazz playing and some legit swing dancers and on the far end of the event we watched an amazing group of break dancers called Block 1750. We drank local brews such as Great Divide and Call to Arms, sampled wine from The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, and drank some refreshing craft cocktails from Golden Moon Distillery and Woody Creek Distillers.

What made the event even better was how easy it was to navigate and the lack of lines! Most food/booze events we’ve attended are often so full of lines you don’t get a chance to try everything or even really enjoy what you are sampling because you’re standing in the next line or walking and talking while trying to chew. The Big Eat managed to keep waits to a minimum, even at the hottest restaurant stops and craft cocktail bars. Tables and seating were scarce, which made eating hard to do while juggling your glass and plate(s), but the overall vibe was relaxed and allowed guests to take their time without fear of missing any of the offerings. We feel that The Big Eat was very much worth the ticket price ($50) and was a fun and efficient way to say you’ve eaten at 50 of Denver’s best restaurants! We like to brag.

 Words by Tiffany Candelaria photos by McClain Morris

Denver's Weekend Lineup

Whether you're soaking up the sun in the mountains or exploring our urban jungle, there's plenty to do in the Mile High City this weekend. From experiencing the top 50+ eateries for $50 at The Big Eat, tasting the globe at a free downtown Bazaar, dancing at summer block parties, catching Pokemon at BBQs, enjoying live music and more... Here's Ultra5280's guide of what to do this weekend!

The Big Eat @ the Galleria at the Denver Performing Arts Complex 7/14

Curated by EatDenver, Big Eat celebrates celebrate Denver's food, art, and drink community. The giant party is a slice of Denver's thriving cultural scene. Bringing together 50+ locally owned and operated restaurants, tickets include unlimited bites, beer, wine, and cocktails.

Alf Queso 45+1 DJ set with Chris Dismuke @ Illegal Pete's Colfax 7/14

Free show starts at 9pm. Happy hour also runs 3-8pm daily.

Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival @ Keystone Resort 7/15

The Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival features classes, live music, seminars, tastings and more.

RNDZVS: Surf Rock Party @ Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art 7/15

The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting a Surf Rock Party, the second event in its youth-oriented RNDZVS series. “This is a brand-new pop-up series for the 21-and-up crowd that targets places often overlooked and underused,” says BMoCA’s director of education, Nicole Dial-Kay.

Call to Arms Brewing Company Anniversary Party @ 4526 Tennyson 7/16

Celebrating the anniversary of their first year open here in Denver with a day-long celebration with live music, 15 beers on tap, BBQ and carnival games with prizes.

LODOlympics @ Starts at Blake Street Tavern 3-9pm 7/16

Five different LoDo bars will host different drinking games–beer pong, corn hole, flip cup and more. Expect free food from burritos to brats, a raffle for Rockies tickets and huge prizes including a $500 private party at Blake Street Tavern. Tickets run $10-15.

The Mile High Global Bazaar @ Skyline Park 7/15, 16 & 17

A 3-day annual celebration of international cultures, arts, crafts, merchandise, food, and music. The event will consist of exhibitors from around the globe representing a vast array of cultures and goods. This event will also feature several live concerts featuring world music, belly dancers, and other entertainers.

Comedian Nikki Glaser 7:15pm, 9:45pm @ Comedy Works South 7/15 & 16

One Flew West @ Fox Theater Boulder 7/16

With The Longest Day of the Year & Whiskey Autumn

The String Cheese Incident @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre 7/15, 16, & 17th

Denver Deluxe Music Festival @ Park Burger RiNo 7/16

Mini music festival and block party presented by Park Burger featuring 10 Barrel Brewing Co. and a handful of Reggae, Jam, Rock, and Blues bands with The Original Wailers headlining. Tickets run $20-30, check Ultra5280’s social media accounts on how to win tickets!

Mini Pokémon GO meet-up @ The promenade by the boathouse in City Park, Denver 7/17

The Pokemon Trainer community in Denver will be meeting up for a fun-filled day of gotta-catch-em-all this Sunday 2-6pm.

Squeaky Bean Farm + Table Dinner @ Acres Farm 7/17

The special dinner will include dishes prepared from fresh produce for a four course dinner highlighting the "progression of a goat." http://www.thesqueakybean.com/#!product-page/niuhf/4d175ca2-0d85-d122-c3e4-f890ebb90962

Candlebox @ Hodi's Half Note 19th and Blake 7/17

Presented by 94.3 and Soda JerkWith Lullwater, Temple Agents.

Sufjan Stevens @ Red Rocks 7/18

With special guests RHYE 7:30pm

 

Lifestyle | So Much More Than A GreenHaus

The GrowHaus continues to surpass our ideologies on what it means to grow leafy greens. On top of providing an otherwise produce-barren community with organic fruits, vegetables and meats they also equip their community with invaluable knowledge. Throughout the month the GrowHaus Denver puts on a number of events, classes and workshops to foster community involvement and to spread their belief that education is the best way to build a better society and an all around healthy environment. Their workshops and classes are a mix of traditional sit back and listen as well as a hands on, learn as we go style. We had the privilege of attending their Inflammation Cooking class last weekend and we’re shocked by how little we knew about the various causes and remedies for inflammation. Not to mention the cure all nature of Apple Cider Vinegar! 
We barely scraped the iceberg with our class, the GrowHaus is an oasis of knowledge and events for our community. For example, If you’re a foodie in Denver you’ve more than likely heard of Harvest Week. An event that foodies and environmentalists praise alike... It’s a magical week that revolves around locally grown produce, star studded chefs and feeling no shame for wearing pants with elastic waistbands. But feeding the masses for Harvest Week (and every other week throughout the year) is no easy feat. If you’ve ever wondered how they do it, be sure to show up to the GrowHaus at 10am on Saturday and Sunday for an in-depth, behind the scenes tour. 
The GrowHaus practices a couple of unique farming methods, including hydroponics and aquaponics. (The latter being our favorite because it involves a bunch of fish, we mean, who doesn’t love a farm that doubles as an aquarium?) Both methods of farming are ideal in the sense that they conserve up to 90% of the water that is used during commercial farming. On top of being water conscious they also distribute a portion of their produce to neighboring restaurants, which helps generate income for the haus while also spreading the organic love to Denver’s various restaurateurs. Through food production, distribution and education the GrowHaus is changing the way we think about food. 


The inflammation class we attended covered how and why inflammation occurs and the various ways we can restore our bodies to their healthy homeostasis. The workshop began with an introduction and overview about our topic from an eccentric Western herbalist, who explained how inflammation occurs when our body is trying to return to normal. Symptoms include being red and puffy, having a fever, or to put it simply, just feeling a little icky. She focused on the idea that each individual ultimately knows more about their body and their health than any expert and therefore should really tune into how one feels. By tuning in, we can determine what our body needs, what it doesn’t need, and how we can operate at our best. Food is a big factor of course, so she really encouraged us to build a relationship with our food and cooking is the best way to do this because you get to interact with all of your ingredients directly. So from her perspective, the jokes about eating happy cows/chickens/etc are no laughing matter. 


After we had a better understanding of inflammation and how the food we eat plays a huge role in how we feel and function, we moved into the kitchen to start creating! Our first creation was a “tincture” or more specifically an apple cider vinegar with a bunch of anti-inflammatory herbs, spices, and roots thoughtfully sprinkled in. Some of these heavy hitters included fresh ginger, garlic, sage and turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, cayenne and onion. Everyone passed things around and we added what we wanted and sealed up our super tincture for two weeks so all of their powers could combine. After two or more weeks, we could open the jars and use it as salad dressing, cook with it or if you were feeling really ballsy take shots of it to directly detox your organs. 


Our second anti-inflammatory creation was a Dhal or one pot soup consisting of a grain, vegetables, and plenty of herbs and spices. She explained how easy it is to make a big pot of this and keep it in the fridge all week or freeze for easy meals. Ours consisted of red lentils, onions, ginger, garlic, and many of the same herbs and spices that we used for our tinctures. She let it boil for about 30 minutes but said the longer the better for all of the ingredients to infuse the liquid. It was good and warming but a little potent for some of us not accustomed to these flavors. By this time in the class we had tried some fresh ginger, drank some apple cider tincture, eaten a fresh apple from the awe inspiring hydroponic farm  and finished it all with a bowl of warm Dhal.  

 
We feel so lucky to have gotten a glimpse inside of the ever evolving GrowHaus. If you’re feeling the need to get involved, there are a multitude of volunteer opportunities and classes to attend.. or support our local GrowHaus by shopping in their Mercado de al Lado. Trust us their fresh ginger will not disappoint. The resident driven GrowHaus is all about connecting people with food. Don’t miss out on your chance to cultivate that connection.