Free Market's Sole Restaurant BRUTØ Opens

September 27, 2019

BRUTØ, located inside the Denver Free Market, is a sustainability focused American restaurant officially opening Friday, September 27, 2019. The word BRUTØ means crude or directly from the earth, which is a reflection of the menu and vibe here.

The Denver Free Market opened in downtown Denver’s Dairy Block earlier this year and was created by local Id Est Hospitality. Their vision was to create a marketplace that connects people, objects, and ideas with hospitality at the forefront and a very thoughtful food and beverage partnership. The eight shops inside have not had a presence yet in Colorado, but bring great products and services, uphold good corporate values and exude a personable spirit. By incorporating the culinary and hospitality worlds into the Free Market, visitors are more comfortable browsing, shopping and more likely return again.

West Coast Oysters, Carrot & Fennel Salad, Sobrasada with Wildflower soda

The team behind BRUTØ is known for the beloved Basta in Boulder and the funky Wolf’s Tailor in Denver, all led by James Beard Foundation nominee Chef Kelly Whitaker. The menu is small but broad, centering around their Italian wood-fired oven and heritage grain-based items milled on-site or at Dry Storage, their baking counterpart of Basta in Boulder. Expect fresh-baked breads, seasonal crudités, hearty wood-fired meat dishes, and a raw-bar. They also have a full bar with a few craft beers, wines, local Stem Cider and cocktails and a coffee bar named called BØH (for back of house) around the corner inside Free Market.

Socca (milled chickpeas) with Ricotta & basil

BRUTØ’s open kitchen with a wrap around bar is situated in a floor-to-ceiling glass corner of the market exposing it to passerby’s, making it perfect for cooking workshops and other events that are in the works. Their location also situates them one block from the Union Station farmers market, which was a selling point for Chef Whitaker who aims to provide Colorado-grown vegetables year-round.

The interior was a collaboration between three design groups: one from Berlin, one from LA, and a furniture and lighting artist in CA. The architect was a local CO company that designed Denver hot spots like Hop Alley.

Open during Free Market hours Tuesday -Sunday 11am-7pm.

Written & photographed by Tiffany Candelaria @TCdoesFnB

Denver Holiday Markets

November 17, 2018

Denver Christkindl Market | Nov. 16 - Dec. 23

This annual event brings authentic German and European holiday traditions to Denver’s downtown (1515 Arapahoe St.)! Guests can find delicious cuisine, festive German drinks, handmade jewelry, toys, clothing, gifts and much more. Live entertainment is featured inside the festival tent every evening, and dancing is encouraged! This market is planned and executed by the German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter (GACC-CO).

Union Station Holiday Market by Denver Flea | Friday's-Sunday's Nov. 23-25, 30-Dec. 2, Dec. 7-9 & Dec. 14-16th, 2018

The Union Station Holiday Market by Denver Flea will include four weekends of shopping, festivities and winter fun - kicking off on Black Friday, Nov. 23 at the historic Denver Union Station! 100s of Colorado’s best makers and artisan brands will pack the Plaza of Union Station each weekend throughout the season along with music, eats, drinks, activities and more. We’ll be there opening day (Friday 23rd) so check our Instagram @ultra5280 to see this year’s market in action! Tickets are $5.

Stapleton Holiday BAZAAR | November 29, 2018

Shop, Sip, and Mingle with Colorado’s finest craft, fashion, and art makers for one night only at Stapleton Holiday BAZAAR inside The Shops at Northfield. This BAZAAR will feature over 40 craft vendors including Beer, Cider, Wine & Spirit tastings throughout the evening, along with festive music and more! 4-10 PM, GA Admission is free.

RiNo Holiday BAZAAR | December 7-9, 2018

Taking over Walnut Street at 28th St. from December 7 – December 9, the RiNo Holiday BAZAAR hosts over 100 hand-picked local craft, fashion, and food vendors, with local breweries, cideries and mead booths onsite pouring holiday-themed drinks and participating in the BAAZAR’s Shop & Sip program.

A combination of outdoor pop-up shops sprinkled with fashion trucks and cozy, heated tents, the RiNo Holiday BAZAAR will spark the festive spirit for all with warm drinks and fire pits, funky music, and a selection of Denver Metro’s best food trucks on hand and a full bar! RiNo BOOZ hall, located in the heart of the BAZAAR, will be open all weekend long serving an array of Colorado crafted spirits and has bottles available to purchase.

Admission to RiNo Holiday BAZAAR is free until 7 PM on Friday, and before 12 PM on Saturday and Sunday, with GA tickets available for $5 at the door. Or RSVP at denverbazaar.com for free admission all weekend! Drink sampling packages are also available, with a range of options to fit your Shop & Sip experience. Please click here for details and more information on all Shop & Sip packages.

Yes Please Makers Market | December 8 & 9, 2018
Keeping it real this holiday season with a free, maker-hosted, vendor-friendly market starring 100(ish) of our favorite makers. After being part of the local Denver market circuit, Yes Please founders Kiwi Schloffel (of Craft Boner) and Taylor Barkin (of Moore Collection) wanted to create something with the vendor experience in mind: accessible, affordable booth pricing, attention to locals-only goods, and a friendly, supportive community. Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required. The first 50 people to show up each day get awesome totes from Craft Boner.

By Tiffany Candelaria

Food Hall & Marketplace Hybrid Opens in Aurora

March 7, 2017

Food halls, collaborative work-spaces, artisan and urban markets are a trend on the rise here in Denver and the U.S. in general. Joining the club here in Denver is the new Stanley Marketplace, fully opening in April 2017, in the former Stanley Aviation headquarters in Aurora, CO. The hip, industry-style marketplace will feature a variety of carefully curated dining concepts, local shops, boutiques and a few other businesses.

Comprised of more than 100,000 sq. ft. on 22 acres, the adaptive reuse development aims to become the communities’ new centerpiece. In addition to the culinary options, it will be home to a spacious community park, indoor/outdoor event venue, office space and a wide array of shopping and recreational options, as well as residential offerings. What we learned on our visit was how this marketplace sought out and brought together a community of like-minded businesses and people who believe in doing things differently with sustainability, creativity, passion, and their customers' happiness forefront in their business practices.

We tasted a wide selection of dishes offered at the various Colorado-based eateries and found there is something for everyone. Another great feature is you aren't limited to one eatery, as many are designed to take-away if you'd like to keep exploring/shopping or grab more additions (or alcoholic beverages) to your meal. It's an informal, laid back space with storefronts of beautiful trinkets, treats and welcoming people. We invite you to take a look and have some things to eat and drink.

Dining options include:

Annette, Comida, Cheluna Brewing, Denver Biscuit Co., Glazed & Confused Doughnuts, Infinite Monkey Theorem, Logan House Coffee, Maria Empanada, Miette et Chocolat, Mondo Market, Rolling Smoke BBQ, Rosenberg's Bagels, Sazza, Stanley Beer Hall, Sweet Cow Ice Cream, and Yellowbelly Chicken.

www.stanleymarketplace.com

Photo Credit: Robert Castro

Lifestyle | The Fleakin' Holiday Flea

December 8, 2015

The Denver Flea is a contemporary marketplace showcasing various vendors who cultivate the Colorado lifestyle. The first Denver Flea was in May 2014 and since then it has grown into what we know today as the cool, community-curated, beer-forward collection of local makers and one of a kind items.

This past weekend their largest event to date took place, the Holiday Flea, starting on Thursday December 3rd with their "Ultimate Shopping Experience." This $45 ticket allowed guests first access to the 150 plus vendors that spanned the 70,000 square-foot pop-up market in the River North neighborhood. Both Thursday and Friday night's tickets included live music, valet parking, five drink tickets, and access to come back for more Fleakin' fun on Saturday and Sunday when tickets dropped to $5.

Friday night's theme was "The Un-Corporate Holiday Party" and for $35 you could kick your weekend off by shopping all of the vendors, tasting samples, and sipping on five free drinks of choice. Their festive cocktails included a hot apple cider Jameson Irish Whiskey, a winter twist on the summer Paloma with Olmeca Altos Tequila, a holiday Fris Vodka punch, and a couple clever concoctions served up from Stranahan's CO Whiskey. Beer, coffee, soda and water were also options.

We were able to get an early peek and attend Friday's Un-Corporate Holiday Party. To be honest, shopping for 5 hours seemed like a lot to handle, but we ended up closing the place down and one point we even straddled a whiskey barrel.. we think? A love for holiday drinks, CRL CRRLL keeping spirits up as DJ, the array of food trucks outside and the free Ben & Jerry's ice cream with New Belgium beer floats kept us satiated long enough to linger and mingle through every row of the Holiday Flea.

There was such an array of craftsmanship, artistry, culinary delights and creativity that left us feeling not only like we had made the best decision on where to do all our holiday shopping, but inspired as well. Browsing through all of the booths and chatting with the different artists and creators got us fired up to start creating more ourselves and in the meantime to give more attention to all the amazing local businesses here in Colorado. We had seen a handful of these vendors at other Flea events and similar markets, but we were still blown away by the vast array of local items and the talent displayed. By shopping at the Holiday Flea not only did we get to have a great time shopping and sipping, but we also got gifts that are incredibly unique and hand crafted while supporting the creativity in all. The Denver Flea will only continue to grow in the new year, so be sure to add "Attend a Denver Flea" to your New Year Resolutions Lists!

Words: Tiffany Candelaria | Photos: Robert Castro

For the full list of vendors visit: http://www.denverflea.com/vendors/