This article is the worst.

 

Why?

 

Because I’m going to tell you about food you didn’t eat, unless you were one of the forty people lucky enough to score a seat at Chef Carrie Baird’s kickoff of The Modern Eater’s Summer Dinner Series on Tuesday, July 3rd!

 

Whether you were there or not, I’ll start with a not-so-gentle nudge to GO GET YOUR TICKETS for the rest of the series. Summer nights, drinks in hand, and intimate dining with Denver’s top chefs and our American Culinary Federation partners: yes, you want to be there! Remember, this dinner is about more than a simple dining experience. It’s about connecting the community, farmers, suppliers, breweries, distillers, and chefs with each other and with everyone there to eat the delicious food. And the best part? Besides all the other best parts, these dinners benefit the ACF Colorado Chef Association’s Apprenticeship Program. Come eat today to support tomorrow’s chefs!

 

Attendees at Tuesday evening’s event were welcomed by Rocker Spirit’s flame-shooting truck bar (you’ve got to see it to believe it) and BBQ Supply‘s monster smoker on a flatbed truck. Stepping through the screen door to BBQ Supply’s event space, and the sound of music, conversation, and cooking greeted you. The Rocker Spirit’s crew offered up four distinct cocktails focusing on their whiskey and vodka offerings, and their unique bottles of various spirits were placed artfully about the room.

 

Back in the kitchen, Chef Carrie and her crew prepped for a five-course meal. Bruz Beers and Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project had their glasses lined up and ready to fill, and each course was paired with a beer from both breweries (word to the wise: take an Uber or Lyft to the event!).

 

After cocktail hour, the show started rolling. Literally, and figuratively…the whole show was streamed on The Modern Eater’s Facebook page!

 

Chef Carrie talked about the prep and sourcing of each course’s ingredients, and we also heard from suppliers like Brian from Grower’s Organic and Field to Fork to further our knowledge of local farms where produce came from. Charlie Gottenkieny from Bruz Beers and the tap room manager of Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project spoke on each and every beer served, and the thought process behind the perfect pairings.

 

The first course was watermelon radish sliced and served raw with compound butter and soft rye bread; I loved the Oyuki Asian Pear Blond Ale from Bruz Beers with it. Next was a simple salad of mesclun greens and sheep’s gouda, dressed in extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Our third course was fancy toast, which Carrie demonstrated how to prepare with pointers like toasting the bread “coast to coast” and ensuring varying height, texture, and color with the toppings. This fancy toast was topped with Colorado cherries, quinoa greens, herbed ricotta, and prosciutto on fresh brioche; Intrepid Sojourner’s Apricot and Date Hefeweizen was perfect with the layered flavors of the toast. Our main course was sous vide Icelandic cod served with a fennel and onion soubise, parsley and pea salad, and topped with ice lettuce. Dessert was buttermilk panna cotta with fresh rhubarb jab and tuille, and we even got to try an unreleased beer from Bruz Beers: Drunken Monkey, a quadrupel ale aged in Rocker whiskey barrels.

 

What a spectacular spread! Check out the menu here for full beer pairings, which were spot on. It was a treat to try unique ingredients like quinoa greens and ice lettuce, and experience a deeper appreciation for all of the ingredients used in each dish, beer, and cocktail. It was also a treat to share a meal with so many talented and passionate individuals, and meet others who believe in local, Colorado Proud cuisine!

 

Tuesday, July 10th Chef Keegan Gerhard from D Bar Denver will be preparing a special menu along with his crew and members of the ACF. We hope to see you at that event and the subsequent Modern Eater Summer Dinner Series events, every Tuesday evening through August 21st! Click here to purchase your tickets and be part of local Colorado Proud dining.

 

Chef Carrie Baird, Executive chef and co-owner of Bar Dough in Denver

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

Chef Stefy DeVita, Bar Dough Denver

Chef Blake Edmunds from Senor Bear choppin it up with chef Carrie

ACF Colorado Chef's Association apprenticeship program, Brandon Hart "super chef" in the making!

Chef Stefy DeVita from Bar Dough. She be cuttin some fish!!

Chef Carries famous Fancy Toast! Cherries, quinoa greens, herbed ricotta, prosciutto, brioche

Buttermilk panna cotta, rhubarb jam, tuille

Icelandic Cod, fennel and onion soubise, parsley and pea salad

Mesclun greens, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, sheep's gouda

Bruz Beers special release, aged in Rocker Spirits whiskey barrels.

It's prep time with chef Carrie Baird and the ACF Colorado Chefs Association's apprenticeship program with Shar'on TwoCrows

Charlie Gottenkieny, co-owner Bruz Beers

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

photo credit Gigi Youngblood

The Rocker trash truck with the Bruz Beers crew! Photo credit Gigi Youngblood

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