I was lucky enough to time my New York visit
with the Colorado Tourism Harvest event
and it was quite a preview into my trip to come.
The event was held at The Little Owl venue down in the Village. It’s an interesting space that’s being used for pop-up dinners, with an open kitchen and plenty of room to mingle. I took my daughter, Sam, along and we spent some time mingling. I was excited to see Anna Watson, who was the lead on my trip to Champagne & Burgundy (she’s now working in the food industry and has a great blog, The Yellow Table).
I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the food and drinks at A Taste of Colorado Harvest event. There was no fish at all, so I was able to try everything. The food was prepared by Chef Justin Cucci (left), who oversees the food at the Denver restaurants Linger and Root Down. The menu was clever and fresh and consisted of passed oversized Hors d'oeuvre that highlighted what’s fresh in the state right now:
COLORADO CAPRESE
Fried Green Zebra
Tomatoes with Charred Goat Mozzarella, Organic Golden Beet & Sunflower
Pesto, Pea Shoots and Hibiscus Gastrique
ORGANIC CARROT THAI CURRY SOUP
Asian Pear
Chutney, Cilantro
PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY CUPS
Justin’s Peanut
Butter, Miso Butterscotch, Cabernet Jelly Whipped Cream
DENVER TOFU AND FERMENTED BLACK BEAN
MISO GASTRIQUE
Slivered Ginger,
Avocado, and Green Zebra Tomato Water, Watermelon Radish, Cinnamon Caps, Sesame
Seeds
OLATHE CORN CAKES
Chia Seeds,
Amaranth, Cornmeal, Ginger, Molasses, Cinnamon, Clove, Fava Beans, Cherry
Tomatoes, Habanero Vin and Goat Cheese
PALISADE PEACH BRUSCHETTA
Palisade Peaches
with Charred Pistachio-Fava Hummus, Feta, Micro Basil, Pueblo PiƱon and Smoked
Paprika
VIETNAMESE BANH MI CHAY TEA SANDWICHES
Homemade Sourdough
Bread, Pickled Lemon Cucumber, Daikon, Carrots, Mint Watercress, Cilantro,
Fresno, Sambal Cream Cheese, Aioli, Five Spice Bean Curd
Olathe Corn and
Roasted Pueblo Chile Avocado Lime Salsa
Refried Black Quinoa, Radish & Slaw
There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like, even the Denver Tofu and Black Bean Miso, though I don’t normally go for tofu or Miso. I’d have to say my favorites were the BBQ Bison Tacos, Peach Bruschetta and Olathe Corn Cakes. The Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups, inside a delicious dark chocolate shell, were the perfect dessert.
A bar featured Colorado cocktails, wine and spirits. While Sam did try (and like) Mama’s Little Yella Pils, I couldn’t get past the incredible featured cocktail, The White Peach Sgroppino, a unbelievable concoction created by mixologists Toby Cecchini (who was there to serve it). It’s created with fresh, homemade peach sorbet, prosecco and peach vodka, topped with fresh peaches. Considering I am a big fan of the Bellini and this is even better.
After my preview of Colorado food and spirits, I am
especially excited about my trip there at the end of the month. In the meantime,
I’m off for a Midwest girls' getaway through Indianapolis, Cedar Falls Ohio and
Chicago. Stay tuned for some great stories from the road…
Photos by Samantha
Frost
No comments:
Post a Comment