Honey holes
Tails, Tunes & Tastes will be sweet action. Bartenders to battle. Distillery 291 joins next Sip with Schnip + more food & drink news
Tails, Tunes & Tastes is set for both July 27 and Aug. 31 at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Proceeds benefit the care of the zoo’s animals, so you can feel good about punishing the unlimited small plate samples that are included in the $64.75 ticket price. That also gets attendees two drinks (with a cash bar open for followups) and each event will feature six bands spread around the facility.
Earlier this week, I got a preview tasting of several of the items off the menu planned for the July 27 event. Impressively, Executive Chef John Kuespert has created separate menus for each event — nobody’s saying you can’t but tickets to both. And neither list is small, featuring more than a dozen items. See a full menu here.
Kuespert has been in the exec chef role here for two years, prior to that serving as Chef de Cuisine at Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa in Tabernash, Colorado. If it’s surprising to see such nicely presented, gourmet food served in a zoo setting, I understand. A guest I brought to the tasting was totally bowled over based on his expectations when I simply told him that I was taking him to the zoo to eat. But the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has had a long tradition of better-than bites thanks to prior chefs like locally beloved Beau Green and hard-working Nathan Dirnberger (now at Royal Gorge Route Railroad). Over the past decade, I’ve reported on many fine meals on the premise: No monkey business; Rocky Mountain Barbecue Company and The Cozy Goat; and Pizza with a view among my writings.
Back to our preview: It’s great to see how sustainability-minded Kuespert is, sourcing local where possible and even contributing honey from his own hives.
Our first course spotlights Rocky Ford melons beautifully, all light and fresh with a pop of sweetness from Kuespert’s honey and acidity from heirloom tomatoes. The next celebrates earthy Microvora-grown trumpet mushrooms atop house sourdough with Boursin and Grana Padano cheeses. Chive garnish and a dousing of fermented honey balsamic sauce play counterpoint. “I’m a big fan of mushrooms” Kuespert says.
Next up, a phenomenal 48-hour sous vide pork belly, seared for a crispy exterior but wonderfully soft interior. It’s Szechuan-hoisin marinated and served with crispy garlic and sesame seeds plus a cilantro topping, all on a pillowy, starchy bao bun. It excites all the senses, ranging from tart to lightly spicy and sweet. (The Zoo’s website says it will be served at the Grizzly Grill, so maybe make a beeline to it upon arrival.)
And for dessert we receive what the chef’s calling a Pacific Sunrise Panna Cotta plated with pretty puddles of peach gelée and Kuespert honey three ways: drizzled raw; comb and a baked honey crisp. Badass. Perfect for summer.
Based off what we did taste from July 27’s menu, I’m bummed I won’t be able to try what we didn’t. (I’ll be judging Taste of Pikes Peak downtown that night, though I plan to attend the next zoo event in August.)
But, good news for one lucky winner this week: I have two tickets for the July 27 Tails, Tunes & Tastes to give away. Last week I limited my giveaway to paid subscribers. This week let’s open it up to all Side Dish subscribers. Entry rules: 1) Comment on this post and tell me one of your favorite places to eat/drink in town, and why. 2) What’s your favorite Cheyenne Mountain Zoo exhibit/animal to visit, and why. 3) Be following my Side Dish Facebook page and Instagram and consider following the zoo’s insta for endless, cute animal photos.
Make Gather Food Studio’s Beast Mode Burger this month with Ranch Foods Direct Callicrate beef. Full recipe via these links and the above QR code. What makes it wild? Ranch Foods Direct’s special ground beef blend that incorporates liver and heart. The recipe balances the subtle organ meat taste with sweet and sharp flavors. It’s a bangin’ bite. We invite (no, urge) you to break out of your comfort zone. Go Beast Mode!
GABF tickets now on sale
From Side Dish partner Focus on the Beer this week:
The Great American Beer Festival is happening on October 6-9, and tickets are on sale. New for this year: kombucha, hard seltzers and expanded non-alcoholic options will be available on the floor.
Also from Focus on the Beer this week, Ryan Hannigan gives Metric Brewing a retrospective and look ahead for its fifth anniversary. The party at the brewery starts at noon, Saturday July 15. There’ll be food trucks, swag giveaways and they’ll be collecting items for RezDawg Rescue’s pet adoption and foster program. View the list of needed items at the bottom of Hannigan’s post.
Here’s the list of special beer releases:
Five Below - Cold IPA (Collaboration with Bristol Brewing) with Nectaron and Experimental Hops
Cerise - Golden Sour inspired by La Folie, aged on Cherries.
Dayman - Tangelo Petite Saison
Nightman - Black Kölsch
Peach Extra Pulp - Milkshake IPA
C’est la Vie - Apricot Mixed Culture Saison (Collaboration with Taylor Donner)
Beer Slushies also available
Shaken and served
Remember to head to Tipperary Cocktail Parlor inside of Folklore Irish Pub this upcoming Monday evening at 6 p.m. Admission and cocktail samples from the competitors are free. I’ll be co-judging the competition, sponsored by Diageo, with some special guests. We’ll announce more details during the first round as to how the battle will unfold in the coming months. Be there!
In Bloom
My full review of Bloom Ultra Lounge is now out from behind the pay wall. I emailed it out to all my free subscribers this past week, so you may have already given it a read. Cheers, if so. If not — well, I believe in second chances, so here you go. Take a sip.
I’m super excited for the Sip with Schnip Barrel Bash with 291 Colorado Whiskey!
We are going all out for this one:
• Slow-roasted whole hog, Carolina-style, over 291 Colorado maple syrup whiskey barrels
• Two 291 Whiskey Barrel Aged Barley Wines from Local Relic
• 291 cocktail specials at Araucana + Tasting flights of 291's newest releases, including 291 E Batch 12 and 291 M Colorado Whiskey (maple syrup barrel finished)
It’s going to be an epic culinary evening — don’t miss it!
Time left to Taste
The countdown to Thursday, July 27 continues. The vendor count is up past 85 now for this year’s Taste of Pikes Peak. Remember, free subscribers to Side Dish can get $10 off their entry by using the promo code SIDEDISH10 on this tickets page.
And congrats to paid subscriber Peter Christensen, who won two free tickets via last week’s newsletter contest. Thanks for your support “Wicked Pete.”
Something cool to know about this year’s event: The organizers are thinking green.
“Events create significant amounts of landfill waste, and food and beverage events are among the worst,” says co-organizer and Studio Q Events’ Lauren Ripko. “This year, Taste of Pikes Peak is working towards a more sustainable model with the introduction of r.Cup and compostable plates from Eco Products and Western Paper. We're excited to partner with Food to Power to alleviate significant amounts of landfill waste with their compost program.”
Click on this FAQ link to learn about the reusable r.Cups, which are super cool, and work toward reducing waste. According to their site, “The live event industry contributes over 4 billion single-use and disposable cups that end up in landfills each year in North America alone.”
Yikes, we suck! … But not at Taste of Pikes Peak we won’t. Cheers to that.
Quote of the week
“I feel like I only ever have ideas on what to do, where to go, and how to be social solely from your articles!” — Cortney
Parting shot
I love to eat at Huevones food truck - my favorite taco in town, so flavorful and obviously made with a lot of care. I haven't been to the zoo in ages but I would love to see their opossum - they're my favorite animal but I've never met one in real life! Thanks for your informative and interesting newsletter, I'm a devoted reader!