Escargot wontons would get anyone’s attention. But French onion soup nachos seals the deal.
Adam Branz, the chef behind Ultreia and Split Lip: An Eat Place, is introducing a new concept at Dewey Beer Co.’s Denver taproom. The Delaware-based brewery has been running Mockery Brewing’s former space in the River North Art District since January.
The kitchen, called Cul-de-Sac, will feature what Branz calls “sleazy French street food” served out of a food trailer. In addition to the wontons and nachos, the menu will eventually include other tantalizingly off-centered plates like coq au vin nuggets-on-a-stick, duck confit quesadillas made with “a stinky French cheese,” and even slow-poached frog’s legs served with clarified butter, like a lobster roll.
Adam Branz of Ultreia, Split Lip and Cul-de-Sac. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
“My first chef job was at Bistro Vendome, so I have a special place in my heart for French food — and Parisian food in particular,” said Branz, who attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts before moving to Denver and working his way up through the restaurant group founded by Jenn Jasinski and Beth Gruitch, which included Bistro Vendome, Ultreia and Rioja.
But for Cul-de-Sac, he wanted to approach French food in the same way he does with the menu at Split Lip, which specializes in flavor-packed, cheffed-up versions of casual regional dishes like Nashville hot chicken, Oklahoma-style fried onion burgers, and Buffalo wings.
“The Split lip lens is playful, raw and even abrasive at times,” he said.
That means treating fun food with the extreme attention to detail — timing, balance, degrees of heat — that classically trained chefs use in more formal settings.
For the wontons, for example, Branz and his team braise the snails low and slow to bring out the aromatics, pre-cooking them in a classic French butter sauce. Then they are cooled down and folded into the wontons. (Before landing on wontons as the vehicle for the escargot, Branz experimented with jalapeno poppers and ravioli.) “But the wontons came out incredible.”
Branz’s inspiration for this approach comes from an usual place. “I once spent nine months working on a dish at Ultreia,” he said, making minor adjustments and tweaks over that time in order to find the perfect balance of flavor and texture. Then after work one day, he went to the drive-thru at Carl’s Jr. — Branz loves fast food — and ordered a Western Bacon Cheeseburger. “The amount of balance was perfect. … That’s the beauty of casual American food.”
To run the trailer, Branz and his team, including chef Cameron Tittle, will prep all of the food in a commissary-style kitchen inside the Number Thirty Eight bar and venue where Split Lip is located. Then they’ll carry it down the alley to Dewey for the final stage of cooking.
The partnership with Dewey came about first because of proximity: Number Thirty Eight, at 3560 Chestnut Place, is right around the corner from Dewey, at 3501 Delgany. “I used to finish up my shift at Number Thirty Eight and go have a beer at Dewey,” Branz said — the brewery’s Pizzetta Pilsner in particular, a lighter, floral “Italian-style” lager with a gentle hops profile. After a while, he and his friends and co-workers became friends with Dewey’s Matt Lindy.
The logo for Cul-de-Sac, a new concept from chef Adam Branz. (Provided by Cul-de-Sac)
“It was because of us hanging out there that the conversation started up,” Branz explained. The name Cul-de-Sac comes from Dewey’s location on Delgany, which dead ends, while the logo plays off of the Canadian street signs for cul-de-sacs, which are accidentally provocative.
Cul-de-Sac will open today, Oct. 3, with a very limited menu and hours, growing slowly during October before a grand opening on Nov. 1. It will have extended hours — as will the brewery — Oct. 10-12 while the Great American Beer Festival is taking place in Denver.
So often when I happen upon zucchini in a dish, it seems uncomfortable to be there, its texture and flavor hesitant. The lanky vegetable sometimes reminds me of a teenager going through a growth spurt, unsure of how to move through its surroundings. Are you mushy or tender? Bland or mild? And anything I can do to help?
While I used to just pick around it (sorry, bud), I’ve wanted to better understand zucchini and how it likes to be treated in our cooking. My whole job developing recipes is to bring ease and joy to the everyday, starting with ingredients that are easy to find or that you may already have on hand. And these days, that’s zucchini, whether I like it or not.
This week’s recipes highlight five ways I have learned to appreciate this abundant vegetable.
1. Kerala-Style Vegetable Korma
Kerala-style vegetable korma. Instead of draining away zucchini’s mild and sweet juices, capture them in a soup or stew. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Christopher Testani, The New York Times)
By Zainab Shah
A korma can be made with any combination of meats and vegetables, braised or stewed. In the Indian coastal state of Kerala, where coconuts are abundant, vegetable korma is made with desiccated fresh coconut and coconut milk. This quick, convenient version uses the same foundation — onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic — while skipping the fresh coconut. It works just as well with whatever combination of fresh or frozen vegetables that might be handy. Cashew butter is used in place of making a paste from soaked cashews. Black mustard seeds add complex bitterness; Thai green chiles, black pepper and garam masala give it a kick. Cutting corners doesn’t quell any flavor in this recipe.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 18 minutes
Ingredients
1/4 cup ghee, coconut oil or neutral oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 yellow or red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
3 Thai green chiles, sliced
2 teaspoons coarsely ground Malabar black pepper or 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri or other mild red chile powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 Roma tomatoes (optional), finely chopped
2 tablespoons cashew butter
1 pound frozen (not thawed) or fresh mixed vegetables, such as cauliflower florets, chopped carrots, peas, broccoli florets, chopped green beans and corn
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
Rice, roti or naan, for serving
Preparation
1. Heat ghee or oil in a large pot over high for 30 seconds. Add mustard seeds. When they start to sputter, add onion, ginger, garlic and green chiles. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in black pepper, salt, red chile powder and turmeric. Add tomatoes (if using) and cashew butter and stir until the cashew butter has melted. (If using the tomatoes, continue cooking until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes.) Stir in vegetables then coconut milk. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Top with garam masala and cilantro, if using. Serve with rice, roti or naan.
2. Yakitori-Style Salmon With Scallions and Zucchini
Yakitori-style salmon with scallions and zucchini. Glazing skewers of salmon and zucchini as they char over coals turns what were once stiff coins of zucchini into something slackened, singed, sweet and salty. Food styled by Rebecca Jurkevich. (Johnny Miller, The New York Times)
By Kay Chun
Yakitori is a Japanese dish in which boneless chicken pieces seasoned with salt (shio) and a soy basting sauce (tare) are threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over a charcoal fire. This weeknight meal borrows the flavors of traditional yakitori and applies it to salmon and vegetables. A salty-sweet sauce of soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic and ginger doubles as a glaze and serving sauce. Tossed with greens, the leftover salmon and vegetables make a nice salad the next day, and the sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week. Brush it onto chicken or pork chops before roasting, or use it to season your next clean-out-the-fridge fried rice.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound small zucchini (about 3), trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch-thick
8 scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise, if large, and cut into 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless salmon fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-low. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add 2/3 cup water, plus the soy sauce, sugar and vinegar, and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and whisk into sauce. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of sauce for basting, and transfer remaining sauce to a small bowl, for serving.
3. Heat a grill, or a lightly greased cast-iron griddle or grill pan over medium. Season zucchini and scallions with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Thread onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water or metal ones. Season salmon with salt and pepper and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Thread onto skewers.
4. Grill, basting with sauce and turning every few minutes, until salmon and vegetables are caramelized and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes for salmon and 12 to 15 minutes for vegetables. Serve with lemon wedges and reserved sauce for dipping.
3. Turkey Zucchini Burgers
Turkey zucchini burgers. A little grated zucchini in your burgers or meatballs won’t affect their flavor, but you will notice a difference in texture (meaning they’ll no longer be hockey pucks). Food styled by Barrett Washburne. (Bryan Gardner, The New York Times)
By Ali Slagle
Consider this your dependable, blank-slate turkey burger that will always be juicy and well-seared no matter how you embellish it. Add ground spices, such as cumin or garlic powder; chopped herbs; or Worcestershire sauce or anchovies for umami — or leave the patty alone. With just a swipe of ketchup or mustard, it’ll hold its own. Grated zucchini keeps the burgers moist, mayonnaise helps bind and brown them, and salting only on the outside ensures that the meat stays tender. (For a cheeseburger, drape sliced cheese on the patties during the last 2 minutes of cooking and cover the pan.)
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Neutral oil (such as grapeseed), for greasing
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup coarsely grated unpeeled zucchini (from 1 small zucchini)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
Hamburger buns, toasted
Toppings and condiments, as desired
Preparation
1. Lightly grease a plate with neutral oil and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, zucchini and mayonnaise. Form 4 patties, each about 4 1/2 inches wide (about 5 ounces). Press a small dimple in the center of each patty, then place the burgers on the plate and refrigerate to firm up for at least 5 minutes (or keep them covered for up to 2 days).
2. Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add about 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet to lightly coat. Generously season the tops of the patties with salt and pepper. Add the patties, seasoned-side down, to the skillet and cook until seared and dark brown, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t press down; that’ll release juices.) Season the tops generously with salt and pepper, then flip and cook until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, turning the heat down as necessary to avoid scorching.
3. Transfer to a clean plate and let rest for at least 5 minutes before building into a burger on the buns with desired toppings and condiments.
4. Cold Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce
Cold noodle salad with spicy peanut sauce. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Christopher Simpson, The New York Times)
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Soba, Japanese buckwheat noodles, are ideal for salads because they taste particularly great when served cold. Crunchy vegetables are highlighted here, adding lots of crisp, fresh texture. Substitute with any raw vegetables you have on hand, such as cabbage, carrot, fennel, asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower. The spicy peanut sauce is very adaptable: If you don’t want to use peanut butter, you can use any nut or seed butter, like cashew, almond, sunflower or even tahini. Both the soba and the peanut sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge overnight, but wait to combine them until you are ready to eat for the best texture and consistency. The peanut sauce thickens as it sits, so add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up, if necessary.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the Salad:
Kosher salt
10 ounces soba noodles
1 medium zucchini or cucumber (about 6 ounces)
5 radishes (about 4 ounces)
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts (about 2 ounces), roughly chopped
2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
Handful of cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons chile oil or hot sauce, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, grated
Preparation
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the soba, stir to prevent sticking, and cook according to package instructions until just tender. Rinse under cold water until the noodles are completely cold.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, chile oil or hot sauce, and garlic. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the sauce is a pourable consistency. Taste and add more chile oil or hot sauce as desired; set aside.
3. Cut the zucchini or cucumber and radishes into 1/8-inch thick slices, then cut into thin matchsticks. Slice the peppers into 1/8-inch pieces. Place them all in a large bowl.
4. Loosen the soba noodles by running them under some water, then allow to drain again. Add them to the vegetables, add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and toss to combine.
5. When you are ready to serve, drizzle with spicy peanut sauce and top with peanuts, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, with lime wedges alongside.
5. Caramelized Zucchini and White Bean Salad
Caramelized zucchini and white bean salad. Yossy Arefi pairs caramelized zucchini and onions with white beans, fresh lemon and herbs for a summertime salad. Food styled by Carrie Purcell. (Andrew Purcell, The New York Times)
By Yossy Arefi
This flavorful and hearty salad makes use of one of summer’s most abundant vegetables, zucchini. You start with a big pile of shredded zucchini and onions, then might marvel at how much it cooks down as it browns and caramelizes. Next, you’ll toss that potent blend with creamy white beans and herbs to make an easy, flavorful side or main. The mint adds brightness, and it pairs well with other soft herbs, like parsley, dill and basil. The caramelized zucchini mixture makes a great base for bean salad, but it is so versatile it can be used in many other ways: Make a big batch and toss it with pasta, serve it on top of ricotta-slathered toast, or top a flatbread with it; you really can’t go wrong.
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 45 minutes, plus cooling and chilling (optional)
Ingredients
2 large zucchini, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, like cannellini, rinsed
1 lemon, plus more if needed
1/2 cup roughly chopped mint
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley, dill or basil
Preparation
1. Wrap the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze it to remove excess moisture.
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, combine the zucchini and onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil, the red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the zucchini and onion turn golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. You will have to stir more often toward the end of cooking to prevent burning.
3. Add the cooked zucchini mixture to a large bowl along with the beans. Zest and juice the lemon over the top and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil; stir gently to combine. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then add the herbs and stir gently. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice, if desired. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Editor’s note: An untold number of unheralded artists live in Colorado, those creators who can’t (or don’t want to) get into galleries and rely on word of mouth, luck or social media to make a living. You’ve likely seen them on Instagram, at festivals or at small-town art fairs. This occasional series, Through the Lens, will introduce you to some of these artists.
The last time you saw a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, there’s a good chance that live-music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell was there, painting a 3-by-4-foot abstract acrylic artwork of the very band you came to see.
A fixture at the venue, Campbell has created more than 630 live paintings since his debut there in 2000, when he painted the band Widespread Panic. Immersed in the rhythm of the music, the artist moves with the beat, using his paintbrush like an instrument to capture the vibrant spirit and energy of the performance onto his canvas.
Inspired from a young age by New York graffiti artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí, he found his calling in emulating American speed painter Denny Dent, known for creating large-scale, 8-foot canvases of musicians in just 10 minutes, often at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Discovering live music painting, he says, transformed his life and solidified his path as an artist.
“It seems easier to tell you which artists I haven’t painted versus the ones that I have,” he said recently. “I’ve painted over 1,000 live shows and 4,000 canvases in my career. It is a lifetime of going to shows all over the world. It isn’t just Red Rocks. If it’s live music, I will paint it.”
Q: Where does your name come from?
A: I was a speed roller skater in the 1970s and ’80s. I had a friend who called me Scramble because of the way I scrambled around the rink. Early on, I was heavily influenced by artists Andy Warhol, Bob Ross, LeRoy Neiman and Dalí. When I decided to make art my career, I felt like all of the influences from these artists were like an alphabet soup of names, a scramble of influences on me. I decided that Scramble would be a fitting name for me. (I also felt that it sounded a lot more creative than Keith and it rhymed with Campbell.)
Q: Could you give us a brief history of how you became an artist?
A: When I was in the seventh grade, I wanted to quit school because I knew I wanted to be an artist. My mother luckily convinced me it was wise to stay in school.
In the late ’80s, New York City was deep in the rave culture and the graffiti scene with rising artists like Haring, Warhol and Basquiat. They showed their work through nightclubs and public art. They were doing paintings on walls, in the subways and on the streets directly bringing art to the people. I was entranced by their work.
In 1991, I answered an ad looking for a visual artist to paint live during a music festival. The man who placed the ad was Perry Farrell, of Jane’s Addiction. The music festival was Lollapalooza.
When I got the job, it felt like the beginning of my career. I had had so many rejections over the years of trying to get into galleries and art shows. It was when I made the crossover from the art world into the music world that I really discovered my path as an artist.
Live-music painter Keith “Scramble” Campbell looks through some of his archives in his studio at his home in Wheat Ridge on July 24, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Throughout the ’90s, I did music festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Lollapalooza, the HOARD festival, Bonnaroo, Woodstock ’94, the Lilith Fair and even the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. I have painted Widespread Panic 170 times.
Q: What kind of artist are you?
A: At heart, I am really a musician with a paintbrush. My instruments are my canvases, paintbrushes and paints.
Acrylic paints are the medium of choice for live-music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell. Here, he paints during a Tedeschi Trucks Band show at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
I like to think of myself as a conduit of music, transcribing their energy and their music into a dance on canvas.
As a live artist, my paintings reflect the concert. I let the music and the environment dictate how I paint. If it’s windy and the music is hardcore, my paintings will reflect that. I’ll paint fast and furiously, the work looking abstract and impressionistic. I dance and move with the music as I paint. If there is a slower song in between, that is the time I take to fill in the details. The musicians, the weather, the people all play a role in the painting I create. I am trying to tell a story of that night. If it rains or is windy, I add that in my paintings. If there is a rainbow I will put that in there. I am capturing the entire night into one canvas.
Q: What kind of music do you like to paint to, and do you specifically stay within a specific genre?
A: I don’t stick to any one genre. I have painted over 1,000 different bands and 4,000 canvases that include jam bands like Widespread Panic and Leftover Salmon to up-and-coming Christian rock bands. Next month, I’ll be painting King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, an Australian rock band. I’ve had the opportunity to paint jazz legends Fats Domino, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. I’ve painted Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Prince and other legends like Diana Ross, Melissa Etheridge, Carlos Santana, Blues Traveler, Lady Gaga with Tony Bennett, Johnny Winter and Tom Petty.
It seems easier to tell you which artists I haven’t painted versus the ones that I have.
Live music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell, right, gets inundated with requests for selfies with fans while he paints during a recent Tedeschi Trucks Band show at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Q: How did you end up becoming what seems like the artist-in-residence at Red Rocks?
A: After a show in Florida, Todd Nance, the drummer for Widespread Panic, traded a summer tour pass for a painting I had done of the band. I ended up at my first Red Rocks show where the band played in June 2000. It was love at first sight when I did that show.
Since then, I have done over 630 paintings at Red Rocks. I buy my own tickets and pay for every single concert that I go to. Red Rocks does not pay me to be there but they do allow me the space in which to paint.
Live music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell starts painting Margo Price, the warm-up act to Tedeschi Trucks Band at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Q: Do you remember the first piece of art you ever got paid for?
A: It was 1987 at one of my first group shows at a shopping mall where I sold a drawing of Joey Ramone. It was a studio piece before I was a live-music artist. I guess I have always been a music artist. even from the start.
Live music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell paints musician Margo Price, the warm-up act to Tedeschi Trucks Band, as she performs at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Q: Where can we see your art?
A: On my website (scramblecampbell.com), but I invite people to come see me live at Row 23 at Red Rocks. I also have small paintings, postcards, magnets and other items for sale at the Red Rocks Trading Post.
Q: Do you have a favorite art piece?
A: I did a painting of Lou Reed in 1998 in Bethel, N.Y., on the original Woodstock grounds for the 29th anniversary of the original Woodstock. I got to talk to him and meet him afterwards and he signed the back of my painting. There are also paintings I’ve done of legendary musicians, like B.B. King and Fats Domino, who have since died. All of these paintings I love and will never sell.
Q: What memorable responses have you had to your work?
A: I showed David Crosby a painting I had just done of him and he said, “Not bad for speed painting.” Another time when I showed my painting to James Brown, he said, “Son, I’d like to thank you for coming out and painting my portrait.” He signed the entire back of the painting and said “I feel good. James Brown.”
Live music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell paints during the Tedeschi Trucks Band performance at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)Live music artist Keith “Scramble” Campbell paints during the Tedeschi Trucks Band show at Red Rocks in Morrison on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A: In my mid-20s, I wrote a letter to well-known graffiti artist Keith Haring asking for advice. He was a big influence for me back then. He actually wrote me back and said: “I’m not good at giving advice. All I can say is do what you want to do and find a way to do it as much as you want to. There is no ’answer’ that is the same for everyone. You have to find your own direction.” I’ve followed that advice ever since.
Q: What advice would you offer to beginning artists?
A: Try to make your own way and make your own art. Don’t do art for somebody else, do it for yourself.
Q: Describe your dream project.
A: Next season is my 25th at Red Rocks. I’d really like to do a book that talks more about my experiences at the hundreds of concerts and of the thousands of artists I have painted. I feel like I already have the book illustrated with my paintings. It just hasn’t been written down yet. There are so many stories that go along with the artists that I have painted. I want to be able to tell those stories. It’s 25 years of jazz fest, 25 years of Red Rocks, 35 years of live painting. I’d like to tell those stories.
Denver’s Union Station just wrapped up an $11 million renovation, but that wasn’t enough to keep its first restaurant tenant in the house.
Stoic & Genuine was the first restaurant to open in the historic building when it reopened with a hotel, shops, restaurants and bars in 2014. But restaurant owners Beth Gruitch and Jennifer Jasinski announced that the seafood spot, at 1701 Wynkoop St., will serve its last spoonful of caviar and buttery lobster roll on Sept. 1. They cited an expiring lease and changing market conditions as the main factors behind the decision.
Crafted Concepts founders Jennifer Jasinski, left, and Beth Gruitch, right, have decided to take a step back from their restaurant group and hand over operations for Ultreia and Bistro Vendôme. (Provided by Bryan Grant for Crafted Concepts)
In addition to closing Stoic & Genuine, Gruitch and Jasinski, a James Beard award-winning chef, have decided to step away from two of their other well-known restaurants, Ultreia, a Spanish tapas restaurant also located in Union Station, and Bistro Vendome, a French food standard that moved from its longtime home in Larimer Square in early 2023 to Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood.
“Conductors pass the baton. It’s time to pass along stewardship of these beautiful places,” Jasinski said in a statement. “Surviving the pandemic and the changes to downtown Denver has left us in a great place to make this move.”
Ultreia partner Adam Branz will return as executive chef and sole owner of the Spanish tapas restaurant, which opened in 2017. Branz took a few years off to start Split Lip, an Eat Place inside Number Thirty Eight (home to one of the best burgers in Denver), which he will continue operating.
Tim Kuklinski, who has been with Gruitch and Jasinski’s restaurant group, Crafted Concepts, for 18 years will take over Bistro Vendôme. Kuklinski began his career with Crafted Concepts in the kitchen at Rioja and worked his way up to culinary director of the restaurant group in 2019.
Branz and Kuklinski plan no major changes to the restaurants.
Speaking of Rioja, at 1431 Larimer St., Gruitch and Jasinski have extended their lease, and plan to continue running the Mediterranean restaurant, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
After two years in business, Bodega has been slapped with a cease-and-desist.
The cult-favorite brunch spot in Denver’s neighborhood Sunnyside has changed its name to Odie B’s, after a Kansas City restaurant called La Bodega sent it a legal notice, according to a message that the restaurant, at 2651 W. 38th Ave., posted on Instagram Monday.
“It’s already hard enough to run restaurants and it’s tragic when other independent operators are out to get ya, too,” the restaurant wrote. “While change can suck and cause heartache, we have finally leaned into it. Even though we have happily been existing in Denver with several other bodegas, we would like to set ourselves apart and end all the confusion as we grow.”
Meanwhile, La Bodega, which has been open since 1998, is a tapas restaurant located hundreds of miles away in Kansas City, something Odie B.’s pointed out online.
“We also found it ludacris (sic) that an independently owned restaurant 600 miles away wanted us to pay to use the word bodega, but hey, that’s life,” the post reads. “Odie B.’s is still a community-driven sandwich shop inspired by bodegas across the world. Odie B.’s is still rowdy. And Odie B.’s is absolutely for the people.”
Odie B’s will be the only change to Bodega’s usual operations.
When Dana Rodriguez invited Governor Jared Polis to the opening of her new restaurant, she said he replied with a text that read, “Loca, now I know why they call you ‘Loca.’ You don’t have enough of Casa Bonita that you want to open another restaurant?”
Rodriguez, the culinary director of the famous Casa Bonita, is opening Carne, a steakhouse at 2601 Larimer St. in Denver’s River North Art District on July 3. Last week, she wore her chef Loca nickname with beaming pride during a preview of the restaurant as she walked around hand-in-hand with her new beau and business partner, Scott Shoemaker, who oversaw the renovations at Casa Bonita and helped her design the sleek, 1970s-style steakhouse.
Carne was inspired by her culinary travels and experiences in kitchens specializing in cuisines from around the world over the last 20 years. Guests can take a trip to France with duck confit or make a stop in Italy with veal osso bucco. The eclectic menu boasts Argentinian steak, Mexican ribs with a charcoal rub, Brazillia picanha steak and Colorado lamb.
“This is one of the only steakhouses in RiNo, let alone women-owned, so I wanted it to be fun, not like a traditional, stuffy setting,” Rodriguez said. “You can come here after work in a t-shirt and shorts, and get a full meal under $200.”
The opening comes just two months after Rodriguez closed Cantina Loca, her first solo project, due to low traffic. “The stress to keep up a restaurant is a lot, but you also need to be smart enough to make the decision when you know it’s not sustainable,” she said. She’s also no longer a part of Doña Loca, the mezcal brand she co-founded in 2021 and which was featured at Cantina Loca. Rodriguez explained that she didn’t have enough time to travel for the tastings and wanted to focus on her other restaurants, Work & Class and Super Mega Bien.
The multi-James Beard-nominated chef didn’t let the closure bring her down, though. “They put you down, but you’re not dead,” she said. “You can have opportunities to come back, do new things and keep providing for your employees.”
That’s why she says that when she spotted an empty corner space just down the block from Work & Class where Il Posto previously operated for 17 years, “I knew everything was supposed to happen for a reason.”
From left clockwise are cauliflower, proveleta, Mexican recado negra costillas, beef tiradito, crab cakes and Colorado lamb, at Carne in Denver on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Carne’s menu is playful with a section for “The Normies,” which includes a traditional 6-oz. filet ($33) or 10-oz. New York strip ($45). Then there’s “The Ballers,” for those looking for a $50 sirloin wagyu or $175 tomahawk steak. Sides, like the creamy au Gratin green chili cheese potatoes or a whole head of spicy roasted cauliflower, all cost $11.
And the cocktail program, created by Run For The Roses founder Steve Waters, plays with classic libations from regions around the world, like a Peruvian pisco sour, or a twist on a French sidecar. There’s also a tableside martini cart for a whole table to enjoy shaken gin or vodka to order, and a wall of wines that guests are encouraged to peruse for their selection of the night.
“There are a lot of places closing and opening, and I wanted to provide something that is easy and affordable enough for guests to come here three or four times a week,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t have to order the tomahawk, you can’t get the chicken one day and the ribs the next, but it’s flavorful enough that you keep coming back for more.”
Staff members work at Carne in Denver on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
The decor resembles an upscale version of Eric Foreman’s basement in “That 70’s Show” with old-school albums, TVs, beaded curtains, murals and funky green and orange tones throughout.
The 60-seat steakhouse is open for happy hour and dinner on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. And they’re serving brunch on Sunday mornings. There’s also an upstairs loft with a separate bar and small bites menu for late-night options, plus a 55-seat patio with a mobile grill and fireside lounge.
Rodriguez was able to bring some of her servers, managers and hosts from Cantina Loca after the closure, a key factor for why she wanted to open a new spot.
“I want to create a culture and treat my employees like family,” she said. “I have one woman who’s been getting up at 5 a.m. and making the tortillas for Work & Class for the last 11 years, who stuck by me during COVID. I want to leave a legacy and change the hospitality industry for the better. Even if it’s just a little bit, that’s my goal. That’s why I keep creating stuff like this.”
Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
I was in a bad mood the first time I set foot inside Yacht Club. It had been a long day and I didn’t feel like fighting my way through a crowd for a basic cocktail. It didn’t help that the interior of the little building was decorated in a style I was snarkily calling “kitschy hipster-chic dive-bar modern.”
But it wasn’t that crowded on the day my wife and I sat at the bar and took a look at a menu with a long list of delicious-looking (and decidedly non-basic) cocktails.
One, in particular, stood out to me: Changes in Attitude, which was made with Scotch, Madeira wine, pineapple, coconut, lemon, buttermilk and a giant ice cube. I asked the bartender about the wine and he pointed out that there is wine in almost every cocktail at Yacht Club. He also patiently explained the other ingredients and how some of the drinks were batched in advance.
My wife and I ended up splitting three Changes in Attitude. It was that good.
The banana daiquiri is a signature drink at Yacht Club, 3701 Williams St., in Denver. (Photo credit: Gottlieb)
Over the next hour or so, I had my own change in attitude – not entirely surprising based on the Scotch – but also because Yacht Club began to grow on me. The decor now seemed more charming than overwrought; the bartender continued to be patient; the drinks were excellent and the music was good: an eclectic mix of yacht rock classics, ‘90s alt bangers and pop ballads.
The second time I visited Yacht Club was even better, and the third time, I felt right at home.
“We want to make people feel at ease,” Hedges said. “To make them comfortable.”
The pair had a long time to think about how to do that. They first opened Yacht Club in a central area inside The Source food hall in the River North Art District in 2015. When their lease ran out four years later, they began looking for another home and finally found one in March 2020. Luckily for them, it fell through. Otherwise, the pandemic would likely have put an end to it.
Instead, Hedges and Wright joined a “forced reckoning” in the restaurant and bar industry, spending their downtime asking themselves what they missed the most about bars and what they’d like to return to. The answers aligned perfectly with the space on Williams Street.
But there was another challenge. How to create a dive-style neighborhood bar that didn’t seem “too precious” or overly manipulated,” Wright explained. Part of the solution was putting the bar staff to work actually building the bar, something that kept them employed during the pandemic-y days before opening. Eventually, Wright and Hedges decided on the following design ethos: If a yacht took a detour through a swamp and ran ashore, and you could only build a bar using what you had on board and what was available in the swamp, what would it look like?
That now includes everything from prodigious plant life to year-round Christmas lights to nautical trinkets, funky decorations, a huge wine list and a healthy dose of Jimmy Buffett.
“At the end of the day, you can’t just create a dive bar. They manifest themselves over time. But they usually start as neighborhood bars and that is where we are,” Hedges said.
Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges (in chairs) eating hot dogs with staff of Yacht Club, a Denver bar that opened in 2021. (Photo credit: Shawn Campbell)
The desire to be “a melting pot” for the changing neighborhoods around them – Cole, Clayton, City Park, Whittier, Skyland, Five Points – is also how they came up with their menu, he explained. You can get cocktails for around $15 a pop or a shot and a beer for $7. You can get a bottle of French champagne for $250 or a Jack-and-Coke and a hot dog for $9.
“Normally, people choose one or the other” when they start a bar, Hedges said. “But we wanted to remain accessible to the industry, the neighborhood and anyone who comes in the door.”
Did I mention the hot dogs? A regular frank is $4, a chilidog is $6 and one with cheeseball spread is $7. There’s also a caviar, crème fraiche and pickled shallot dog for $20 (the ultimate “glizzy“).
“Meat tubes and alcohol are a tried-and-true pairing,” Wright said. Plus, since there is no kitchen, the bar staff can easily make them. “They are economical on space — and affordable.”
That combination has attracted a lot of attention as well. In 2023, Yacht Club landed on North America’s 50 Best Bars list, which is put together by bar industry pros. And earlier this year, the business was named as one of the 10 best U.S. cocktail bars by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards (an industry standard).
“We’re not on one of the coasts, so we push ourselves to go out and meet people … we travel and go to bar conventions. That means people are hearing about us and it gets our name out there. It’s a lot of hard work, but we want to bring people to this city,” Hedges said.
Hard work, so people like me can relax with a drink when we pull up a barstool.
Molly Berman, right, and Charlotte Esposito, center, challenge each other to a drink off as they wait for the lifts to open at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Loveland Pass, Colorado on June 16, 2024. Today was the final ski day at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. That would give The Legend Colorado’s longest ski season — as usual — having begun on Oct. 29 and lasting 222 days. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Two Colorado chefs and restaurateurs struck gold at the “Oscars” of the food industry on Monday, taking home top awards from the James Beard Foundation.
Chef Kelly Whitaker and partner, Erika Whitaker, co-founders of Id Est Hospitality Group, earned the award for Outstanding Restaurateur among five finalists from around the country. Id Est boasts award-winning restaurants like Michelin-starred The Wolf’s Tailor and BRUTØ in Denver and Basta in Boulder, as well as the newish Hey Kiddo in Denver.
Matt Vawter, owner of Rootstalk in Breckenridge, won the title for Best Chef in the Mountain Region — which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming — out of five finalists, including Denver’s chef Penelope Wong, co-owner of Yuan Wonton in Park Hill.
Owner Kelly Whitaker is pictured at The Wolf’s Tailor on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
“What a moment, holy crap…,” Erica Whitaker said in her acceptance speech. “When we founded Id Est, our daughter was a year old, and now we’re just 10 days shy of her 16th birthday, and she’s here tonight…”
“…We own seven restaurants, but we also have engaged in so many different conversations around our food supply systems and been food advocates,” Kelly Whitaker added. “All these things are possible: to have restaurants, to have a family and to get involved.
“This year alone, we’ve contracted and built with farmers over 200 acres of regenerative land, we’re growing grains and milling flour. This isn’t just applicable to our tasting-menu restaurants, it’s applicable to a pizza or a sandwich,” he continued.
Kelly Whitaker was previously nominated as a 2020 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Mountain Chef for Wolf’s Tailor and was also an Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist in 2023. “We don’t particularly chase these awards, but we definitely chase the platform this brings, and for that, we know that this is a responsibility,” he said. “I have more sense of fight now more than ever.”
Vawter, in his speech, thanked the James Beard Foundation for “recognizing what we do in our small little mountain community in Breckenridge. I started cooking when I was 14 years old to help my parents pay rent, and I never looked back.”
After working with Denver restaurateur Alex Seidel — another highly decorated James Beard award winner — at Fruition and Mercantile Dining & Provision, Vawter opened Rootstalk in late 2020 in a remodeled home from the 1800s. The restaurant, at 207 N. Main St., focuses on providing “elevated, everyday dining” with seasonal ingredients from local farmers and ranchers, homemade pasta, and a seven-course tasting menu.
“To our producers and our farmers, we get to highlight your products on the plate and in the restaurant, and it makes our lives really easy,” Vawter continued in his speech. “To my partners, Patrick and Cameron who are in the audience, you believed in me when you said let’s open a restaurant in the pandemic, you picked up your lives and moved. You practice what you preach, you work to get better every day and our restaurant wouldn’t exist without you…”
Roasted bone marrow brulee with beef tartare, grilled sourdough and radish salad at Rootstalk on Feb. 28, 2023, in Breckenridge. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Last year, Colorado came up empty-handed in all categories at the prestigious awards. Only one finalist, chef Michael Diaz de Leon formerly of Whitaker’s BRUTØ, was in the running for the Best Chef in the Mountain Region.
Chef Caroline Glover, owner of Annette and Traveling Mercies in Stanley Marketplace, was the last local James Beard Award winner when she took home the Best Chef in the Mountain Region title in 2022.
When chef Brian De Souza and Sydney Younggreen first opened The Regular last summer, they bit off more than they could chew.
The couple had big dreams for their 6,500-square-foot space at 1432 Market St., originally dividing it into three concepts: The Regular, an a-la-carte, fine-dining restaurant; The Guest, a 22-seat speakeasy restaurant; and El Mercado, a daytime deli.
The Regular’s menu is inspired by chef and owner Brian De Souza’s Peruvian heritage through locally sourced ingredients. (Provided by Bird Tree Productions)
After a few months, they decided to transform El Mercado into The Cellar, which houses all of the wine for The Regular and serves as a stand-alone bottle shop for guests and neighbors.
And now, they’re getting rid of The Guest, their 25-course dinner series on Fridays and Saturdays.
“Sometimes your plan doesn’t always go your way, and you have to adapt to new circumstances,” De Souza said.
“When we got this huge space, it didn’t make sense to do one big restaurant at first, so we divided it up,” Younggreen said. “After some trial and error, going with our gut and listening to customers, we’ve settled into a more sustainable situation.”
The pair had originated the dinner series, a reservation-only event with a rotating multi-course menu, in Boulder in August 2020. This inspired their weekend services with a secret menu of 25 courses, which De Souza and Younggreen created every night — with only a poem to clue guests into the everchanging ingredients.
“The Guest kind of gave birth to The Regular, but trying to operate both at the same time, we found that our passion lay with The Regular, which brought in more types of people for more types of occasions,” Younggreen said.
Now, the space will be reserved for private events and dinner parties with The Regular’s menu, which has been updated to include “spirit of The Guest,” they said. Chef De Souza incorporates his Peruvian heritage with new dishes, like grilled chocolo (Peruvian corn) with black mint sauce and carrot chips; chupe, a Peruvian seafood stew his grandmother used to make; and papa a la huancaína, a traditional Peruvian potato dish.
“The Regular is the type of restaurant that Syd and I have always dreamed of, and it deserves our whole focus,” De Souza said.
Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Growing up in my household, summer was synonymous with pasta salad.
At every backyard barbecue, birthday or casual lunch, my grandma’s version is requested. And every friend that gives it a try begs for the recipe.
Tri-color rotini pasta makes a bright base for a bounty of Italian toppings, (everything but the kitchen sink) like black and green olives, mozzarella, artichokes and pepperoni. The best part is seeing what ingredients picky people leave behind on their plates. My brother isn’t a fan of celery, while I usually leave the black olives behind. But each component is crucial to the formula.
A couple of years ago, we made a cookbook featuring all of our grandmother’s recipes, and the most worn-out page is already the coveted pasta salad recipe.
We pretty much eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and if one family member makes it for themselves, the rest come flocking with Tupperware in hand. I don’t remember a life without Anita Schneider’s pasta salad, and I don’t want to. So, if you want to be the MVP of your next summer party, test out the recipe below:
Anita Schneider’s Pasta Salad:
This recipe takes 40 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes to cook. Serves 8.
Ingredients
1 1-lb package of Tri-color Rotini Pasta (Pasta LaBella)
1 can sliced black olives (3.8 oz)
1 jar sliced green olives (10 oz)
1 can quartered artichokes
1 carton of grape tomatoes (halved)
Small packaged sliced Pepperoni (mini if you can find)
8 oz package of mozzarella cheese
Chopped celery (1 or 2 stalks)
Black pepper to taste
1 bottle Creamy Italian salad dressing (Kraft)
Steps
Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain and briefly rinse with cold water and drain well. Stir to cool.
If full size, cut pepperoni slices in half. Cut cheese in approximately 1/2-inch cubes. Drain olives and artichokes. Larger pieces of artichoke can be cut.
Reserve ingredients (not celery) for topping. Reserve 1/2 package of cheese for the top.
Mix all except salad dressing. Add salad dressing to moisten all ingredients. Can refrigerate at this time.
Before serving, add more dressing, if needed, and place in serving bowl.
Suggestions for “dressing” top of salad with reserved ingredients. Place middle of hard-cooked egg in center or use cherry tomato. Arrange 4 or 5 artichoke quarters around center. Cut approximately 1/4 inch or less slices of mozzarella cheese. Slice diagonally to form triangles. Arrange around artichokes (points toward artichokes). Place pepperoni halves around the edges of the bowl for a scallop effect. Use olives wherever.
In the past couple of months, Denver’s Northside has lost a few good names, both old and new.
Colton Steiner and Allison Declercq met through Funky Flame while Steiner was working at Dry Storage. (Provided by Funky Flame)
Funky Flame
On April 21, Funky Flame held its last day of service. The bakery and pizza shop took over the former N.O.S.H. cafe space near Regis University at 4994 Lowell Blvd. in October. Owner Allison Declercq started Funky Flame as a subscription bakery from her home before adding woodfired pizza to the menu and moving it to a temporary space at the corner of 44th Avenue and Zuni Street, as well as the Highlands Square Farmers Market. It was through Funky Flame that she met her husband and now co-owner Colton Steiner, who worked at Dry Storage at the time and sold her flour.
“…We have hit a fork in our road and are choosing to walk down a different path for a myriad of reasons, both personal and professional,” the couple wrote on Instagram.
It’s unclear whether or not the couple will move forward with FunkMart, a smaller 600-square-foot store at 2557 W. 46th Ave. in Sunnyside. They didn’t respond to multiple requests for comments prior to publication.
4994 Lowell Blvd., Denver
West End Tap House
West End Tap House opened on Tennyson Street in 2013, nearly 10 years ago. The neighborhood watering hole with an elevated bar menu of burgers, Belgian fries and fried snacks closed last month without notice from owners Kurt Von Reiter and Steve Waldo. The 3,900-square-foot building at 3945 Tennyson St. has already been purchased by Nepalese restaurateur Khagendra Gurung for $2.26 million, according to public records. Gurung also owns Himchui, a Highlands Indian restaurant, and Mazevo, a healthy Mediterranean restaurant a couple of doors down from West End.
3945 Tennyson St., Denver
El Chingon was known for staples, like the Chingon Carnitas. (Provided by El Chingon via BusinessDen)
El Chingon
El Chingon closed suddenly this week, as first reported by Westword, due to unpaid taxes, according to a notice from the Colorado Department of Revenue that now hangs on the LoHi restaurant’s door. The business owes a total of $43,934 in unpaid taxes that have accrued since Feb. 2023.
Lorenzo Nunez Jr. reopened El Chingon in its new, larger LoHi space in the fall of 2022 after outgrowing its former bungalow on Tennyson St., where it was stationed for eight years. Nunez originally opened El Chingon with his mother and nephew David Lopez in Arvada in 2010 before moving to the Northside. It was known for its elevated Latin cuisine, inspired by Mexico City.
Denver International Airport is gearing up for a record number of Memorial Day weekend passengers, meaning travelers can expect a busy trip and long waits, airport officials said Tuesday.
Between Thursday and Tuesday, airport officials expect nearly 450,000 passengers to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, according to a news release from DIA. This is a 9% increase from the same holiday travel period last year.
Thursday and Friday alone will each see more than 80,000 travelers moving through TSA screening areas, with additional foot traffic coming in from flight connections inside the airport, DIA officials said.
Airport officials said holiday travelers should arrive inside the airport at least two hours before their scheduled boarding time and should have plans for parking and making it through security checkpoints.
Those committed to parking on-site should avoid the Pike Peaks lot due to construction and park at the Landslide parking lot — 6975 Valley Head Street.
The Pikes Peak and Longs Peak shuttle parking lots will close on Friday at 3 a.m. and re-open by 5 p.m., according to Tuesday’s release. The Landslide lot will be open for overflow parking at 3 a.m. Friday and will remain open until full.
Regular shuttle service will be available from all parking lots to and from the airport terminal.
TSA Security Checkpoints
DIA’s South Security Checkpoint — located on level five at the south end of the terminal — is open from 3 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next morning and is the primary checkpoint for travelers who need standard screening.
South Security has four TSA PreCheck lanes open from 4 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., but PreCheck passengers traveling after 8 p.m. may use South Security and receive a form of expedited screening, officials said Tuesday.
One CLEAR lane is available for standard screening at the South Security Checkpoint, but passengers with both PreCheck and CLEAR must use the dual-service lane at West Security.
The West Security Checkpoint — located on level six at the northwest corner of the terminal — is open from 4 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is the primary checkpoint for TSA PreCheck travelers.
Passengers with standard screening at this checkpoint should enter through West Security 1, and passengers with reservations for DEN RESERVE should enter at West Security 2.
Finally, A-Bridge Security is open for standard screening between 4:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., officials said Tuesday.
The bridge has a limited number of lanes dedicated for travelers requiring standard screening and is not available for TSA PreCheck.
Real-time security wait times and parking availability can be found online at FlyDenver.com.
Bunches of fresh mint and piles of sugar snap peas are still weeks away from showing up at my local farmers market, but April’s lengthening days and warming temperatures already have me craving that classic spring pairing. Luckily, they can also be foraged right now at the supermarket down the street.
Usually, I toss my mint and sugar snaps into a big, ebullient salad, but I was more in the mood for something substantial that could be rounded out with a protein. So, I also picked up a package of ground turkey to turn everything into a satisfying and colorful skillet dinner.
Ground turkey is ideal for all manner of impromptu cooking. Not only is it economical and convenient, it’s also mild and adaptable, a chameleon-like ingredient that blends in wherever you use it. It can anchor almost any skillet meal when you sear it until golden and crisp, especially if you throw in enough vegetables and vivid seasonings to bring out its best.
Still, I wanted a pungent sauce to spark the sweetness of the peas and the easygoing turkey, blazing them out of their quiet complacency. For that, I borrowed some of the zesty, spicy flavors of larb.
Popular in Thailand and Laos, larb is at once crunchy and soft, fiery and cooling. It’s a dish of thrilling contrasts that shift from bite to bite — just the thing to perk up a turkey and snap pea meal.
As the turkey sputtered and crisped in the pan, I mixed together a simple larb-inspired sauce of lime juice, fish sauce and chile flakes, which I drizzled onto the meat once it was browned. Then I added the sugar snaps and covered the pan so they could steam in those savory juices.
Not wanting to add a step to my dinner, I skipped toasting and grinding rice into a powder (which is typical of most larb recipes), and finished the dish instead with some chopped roasted nuts to add richness and crunch. Then I folded in the mint.
In Thailand and Laos, larb is considered a hot-weather dish. But mint and sugar snap peas make this larb-inspired meal perfect for the chilly spring nights that herald their arrival.
Recipe: Spicy Skillet Ground Turkey and Snap Peas
By Melissa Clark
Inspired by the bold and zesty flavors of a Thai larb, this easy skillet meal pairs nuggets of golden ground turkey with sugar snap peas and a mound of fresh herbs. The sauce, a combination of fish sauce, lime juice and red-pepper flakes, makes everything taste both bright and deep, while an optional sprinkling of chopped nuts adds richness and crunch. Serve over rice or rice noodles, or with flatbread.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
1 pound ground turkey
Salt, as needed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes), more to taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or coconut aminos or soy sauce), more to taste
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup torn mint leaves, more for topping
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil, more for topping
3 scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts saved for topping
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped roasted cashews or peanuts (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and red onion slices to the skillet and cook until soft and deeply brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Crumble in the ground turkey and a pinch of salt, breaking up the meat. Cook until crisp and dark brown, about 8 minutes.
2. While the turkey is cooking, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, red-pepper flakes, torn mint leaves, cilantro and scallion whites and light green parts. Pour the sauce into the skillet and add the sugar snap peas. Toss until combined. Cover and let the snap peas steam until tender and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Taste and add more fish sauce, salt and lime juice as needed to make everything bright and savory. Stir in the chopped cashews or peanuts, if using. Top with more torn mint leaves, chopped cilantro and dark green scallion slices.
On Monday, Renegade Brewing Co. (925 W. Ninth Ave., Denver) announced it will close in just a couple of weeks, on May 3. The social media post suggested the closure came as a surprise to ownership.
Michael Mulcahy, managing partner with Silver Fox Partners, which owns the brewery in the Art District on Santa Fe, declined to elaborate on factors that played into the closure. When reached by phone, he attributed it to “seen and unforeseen circumstances.”
One certain thing is that head brewer Jack Meyer is preparing to leave. Meyer, who started by washing kegs at Renegade in 2014, will soon move to Bozeman, Montana, and start a job at Julius Lehrkind Brewing. The move was not about the job, however.
“I always wanted to live in a mountain town so I’m going to do that,” Meyer told The Denver Post. “I’ve found a job, but the catalyst for the move was the opportunity to buy a house with my buddy.”
Founded in 2011 by Brian O’Connell, Renegade was one of the first of a new kind of brewery taproom that kicked off a string of openings over the next few years. And it quickly garnered locals’ attention with its boisterous ethos and beer menu.
The following year, The Denver Post lauded Renegade for its “gusto that separates the brewery from some of the city’s more traditional, comfortable venues.”
“As the super-sized logo that hangs inside the entrance proclaims, the beer for sale here is ‘offensively delicious,’” the reporter wrote.
Renegade first linked up with Silver Fox Partners in 2017 as it underwent an expansion and eyed new markets for distribution. Silver Fox Partners’ founder Anne Mulcahy served as Xerox’s CEO in the 2000s; the company invested an undisclosed amount into Renegade, The Denver Post reported at the time.
Thereafter the brewery tried to find creative ways to partner with other local beer makers. In 2019, for example, Renegade inked a deal with Good River Beer Co. to contract-brew its beers at Renegade’s large production facility, which had opened in 2015 at 1st Avenue and Santa Fe. Little Pub Company, which owns nearly 20 bars and restaurants in the metro area, was also in on the deal and the three operations formed a new brand they called the Brewers Co-Hop. Originally, they hoped to open a restaurant and bar in Arvada.
However, less than a year later – during the height of the pandemic – Good River pulled out of the deal and shuttered the taproom it had opened inside Renegade’s production facility.
Meyer worked as brewer and production manager for much of that time and helped Renegade reopen its taproom in 2020 amidst the pandemic. He loved the flexibility of the job.
“I get to brew whatever beers I want, I get to make my own schedule. If I want to make beer on a Saturday and go snowboarding on Wednesday I can do that,” Meyer said, adding he is now ready for a change of scenery.
Renegade’s closing announcement said the business is evaluating options to reopen in the future. Michael Mulcahy declined to comment on the specifics of how — or if — Renegade might reemerge.
“Bonanno Concepts will no longer operate El Rancho Colorado as our vision and values differ from the rest of the current investor group,” the company, which owns Luca, Mizuna, Osteria Marco and other restaurants, told The Denver Post. “We wish them the best in their new approach and look forward to refocusing our attention on our Denver-based restaurants.”
In 2022, El Rancho closed amid the ownership battle, and the Colorado Department of Revenue seized the property for failure to pay more than $90,000 in taxes. Commercial real estate developers Jack and Sherry Buchanan of Northstar Ventures and Travis McAfoos of Piedra Peak Properties partnered to purchase the famous destination in 2022 and enlisted Bonanno Concepts to help reopen and operate the restaurant and brewery.
Bonanno served “comfort food and celebratory Western fare” alongside the restaurant’s homemade beer. He also added his controversial but mandatory 22% Creating Happy People fee, which can be found at all of Bonanno’s concepts, to all customer checks.
It’s unclear who will be taking over operations. El Rancho did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
“…El Rancho ended its relationship with Denver-based Bonanno Concepts, which includes the termination of their CHP fee (mandatory tipping),” the restaurant posted on Facebook this week. “You’ll continue to see familiar faces – Sam, Cap, Maggie, Jimmy and others – along with our largely local staff who are excited to welcome you back, introduce our new chef, and show off our new menu (coming soon) featuring locally- and regionally-sourced, fresh foods. We’ll offer lighter menu options for the warm days ahead in addition to the Western faves you know and love.”
El Rancho, located at 29260 US-40, originally opened in 1948 as a cafe and trading post, and because of its prominent location on U.S. 40, it became a popular gift shop and post office. In the 1970s, once Interstate 70 was built, the cabin-inspired building functioned as a lodge and conference center. To this day, it maintains its own exit from the highway.
“…El Rancho is excited to honor our heritage and celebrate being part of the community for over 75 YEARS (76, to be exact),” the Facebook post continued. “It’s been a bumpy ride, no doubt – brings to mind the bumpy wagon and stagecoach rides that early pioneers took to get to this neck of the woods in the first place! We live in the mountains. We can handle a few bumps…”
It can be hard enough for skiers and snowboarders in Colorado to avoid trees, other downhillers, poles, mystery bumps and mashed-potato snow — without also having to worry about running into a moose. But that’s not always possible, as several recent social media videos have shown.
Since the 2023-24 ski season began, there have been at least three major viral moose sightings at Winter Park, one at Steamboat and one at Breckenridge. But that doesn’t include other sightings, and there have been several, that didn’t make it onto Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok.
Still, representatives of these resorts say the encounters aren’t rising in number.
“I am not aware of any recent moose sightings or encounters at the resort for Breck or Keystone this season,” said Sara Lococo, a spokesperson for Keystone and Breckenridge. “Since we do share the mountains with a variety of local wildlife, including moose, it is always possible that they are around though. It is important for our communities and our visitors to remember that, be aware of their surroundings, and to respect and give space to local wildlife if/when encountered. In the event of a sighting or encounter, we encourage guests to call and report this to ski patrol.”
Maren Franciosi, of Steamboat, said: “Steamboat Resort shares the land with many native species including moose. It is common to see wildlife on the resort and we do frequently see moose during operating hours. We work closely with the USFS and CPW, our ski patrol will close/detour ski trails if needed for moose activity and to limit interactions with guests. It does not seem more than usual this year. We have had some sightings in our new terrain, which was expected.”
Jen Miller, of Winter Park, said: “Feels like normal moose activity. We have several sightings every winter season … Winter Park has had several confirmed moose sightings on its slopes during the past few weeks. Moose call Winter Park home, and they occasionally wander onto open ski trails. We remind guests that moose are wild animals, and guests should keep their distance. If necessary, Winter Park ski patrol will close trails and lifts to help protect both the animals and people.”
