The first summer installment of Denver Restaurant Week debuts in late August, but Mile High diners can get a sneak peek at the menus of more than 200 participating restaurants on July 23.
What’s new for the summer version: Fresh Colorado produce, including Olathe sweet corn and Palisade peaches, plus the option of dining al fresco at many restaurants.
“The two big things with the summer version of restaurant week is locally-sourced food is greatly increased as you get into harvest season,” said Rich Grant of Visit Denver, the sponsoring trade association. Plus, outdoor seating really expands. It’s a lot more fun than eating out on the patio in February.
Denver Restaurant Week was traditionally a two-week event in February, designed to give restaurants a traffic boost in the slow season just after the December holidays.
But restaurateurs lobbied to split the event into two sessions, one week in February, the other in August. The new arrangement launched this year.
It’s a sweet deal. From Aug. 23-29, restaurants will offer special multi-course dinners for the fixed price of $30, tax and tip not included. (The deal used to be $52.80 for two people, or $26.40 for one, but costs rose, and the 5280 marketing hook went out with the busboy’s dish tub.)
The lineup of restaurants and menus will go live July 23 at noon at denverrestaurantweek.com. Menus will be listed by cuisine and neighborhood.
Grant sees Denver’s version of Restaurant Week as something different than what is found in other cities with similar events.
“When you travel around the nation, not every city is into outdoor dining like Denver is,” he said. “We have 70 downtown restaurants and bars with patios and rooftop dining. Citizens here are so used to being outdoors.”
Grant is also enthused about the summer produce that participants will employ.
Lower48 is using local pears, beans and tomatoes in dishes, including a sweet corn ice cream and polenta cake.
Vesta Dipping Grill will offer Colorado peaches in a peaches-and-cream float. Spiced pea shoots, summer squash, radishes and GrowHaus bibb lettuce will appear on other plates.
“We’ll just be using a flood of local vegetables on our Restaurant Week menu,” said Andrew Lubatty, executive chef at The Avenue Grill. “A number of things will be different, including a buffalo dish.”
Denver Restaurant Week is being presented by Lexus, with support from other area organizations, including The Denver Post.
In this year’s event, diners can enter “The Pursuit of Perfection in the Kitchen” sweepstakes. Two lucky winners will land private cooking lessons with Denver chefs Andrea Frizzi of Il Posto or Elise Wiggins of Panzano.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/williamporterdp
