Schniptoberfest
Flying wieners at Goat Patch Brewing; the Jägerschnitzel recipe you need; tap&table talks 20 years of Paragon with Reverend Doctor Chef; sweet and not-so-sweet action; + more food & drink news
Where to start this week? The wiener toss? The dog costume contest? The Doppelbock, Helles Lager, Maerzen Lager, Munich Dunkel Lager and Czech Pilsner beer releases for Oktoberfest at Goat Patch Brewing?
No. That’s the party all day on Sept. 28. I want to talk about the pre-party, which is my next Sip with Schnip from 5-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26 at said brewery (one of my Side Dish Dozen sponsors). We planned this one out months ago, recruiting Chuckwagon 719 and Solsage food trucks, and tacking on Roma Ransom for good measure. We hoped Nacho Matrix would be open next door by then, too, and the heavens obliged. So damned if we don’t have a great evening planned for the general public, but especially my Side Dish subscribers, who’ll get $2 off pints during the event (and a first beer free to paid-level peeps).
I’m calling it a pre-party for your weekend ahead, giving you ample recovery time on Friday (not that I wish for anyone to over-imbibe, so don’t) to be back out Saturday at Goat Patch for their third annual Oktoberfest. Or wherever else you might wish to go, as we’re aware there are a ton of other Oktoberfest activities around town, and we’re happy for you to support any of our fine local breweries, eateries or event centers that add culture to this town. (I’ve listed some other fests at the bottom of this newsletter.)
But let’s make a case for Goat Patch, winner of a Bronze World Beer Cup award this past April for their Baaah-ley Wine, who this past June made the exciting announcement of an expansion north to a second taproom location. In July, they celebrated their seventh anniversary in style; it’s their biggest annual gathering says Social Media & Events Coordinator Averee Dilday. She tells me Oktoberfest quickly grew to become their second largest annual event. But why wait four years to launch one, I ask? “We were coming out of Covid and looking to create more community,” she says, flashing me back to my own feelings during those months, when attending my first post-pandemic concert felt so new, strange and even naughty somehow. We had to get comfy coming out of our shells, and few things bring people together easier and more effectively than a couple pints over conversation — or yard games.
Dilday’s the one who created the aforementioned wiener toss, trying to conceive of a game nobody else around town was offering to fall drinkers taking their annual interest in German brews. (And appropriating what they wish of Bavarian culture, mainly cheap knockoffs of traditional lederhosen for the dudes and frilly, busty, checkered print tops for the ladies. It reminds me of being on the grand tasting floor at the Great American Beer Festival, where pretzel necklaces are also standard issue).
How exactly does it work, I ask? Well, it starts with a cornhole board (I like it so far…) and you swap the bean bags out for brats (tasty little twist - but don’t eat them, throw them!) and you take 20 competitors (first-come-first-serve so sign up early) and each one gets a toss toward the hole. Via the process of elimination, those that put the sausage in the hole advance (hey, get your mind out of the gutter, I’m being serious here), while the flaccid losers (I mean, um… less dexterous and motivated competitors) go back to their drinkin’ and maybe have a good cry in their Doppelbock. The last person standing wins a live, baby goat. (Not true! Just checking to see if you’re still with me.) Actually winners get branded steins and a liter beer fill in them. Not bad.
That brings us to other activities like the stein hoist competition (now popular at many beer events) and the doggie costume contest, which encourages any type of costume, includes a mini parade around the back patio to show them off, and is inspired from the historical origins of Oktoberfest when Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen put a leash around the neck of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria at their wedding in 1810 and marched him through a crowd of attending merrymakers. (Again, not true! Although Oktoberfest in fact was created to celebrate their marriage, which no modern day stein-pounder cares about as they imbibe.)
So that’s most of the deets on both the Goat Patch parties (aside from live music and food trucks at Oktoberfest too), but before I stop mining Dilday for information, I ask if there’s anything else in the near future we need to know about? She says to keep an eye out on taps around town — literally the tap handles — to see their blond ale officially rebranded as Tiger Tail Blonde Ale as part of their earlier announced partnership with Colorado College. Look for the tiger tail, and if you happen to be a person carrying a CC Gold Card, you can now come in anytime for $1 off Goat Patch flagship pints. They’ll also be screening all the men’s hockey games in their taproom this season, in case you can’t score tickets or wish to watch an away game.
Lastly, expect details soon on an Oct. 27 Trunk or Treat event at the brewery, in collaboration with local nonprofit Monster Motors Hot Rod Garage and the Shitheads Car Club. (I’m not making that one up — see I even included a link. I’m honestly not sure why you’d think I’m trying to fool you here.)
Ranch Foods Direct can supply your Oktoberfest
Big thanks again to Chef Fernando Trancoso for supplying the lengua al pipian recipe for our September collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct. Even though the calendar hasn’t yet turned to October, we’re just days away and Oktoberfest celebrations around town have already begun. So I wanted to go ahead and release our October collaboration recipe, this month with John Kuespert, Area Chef for SSA Group, who operates food services for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Flame Cafe and Royal Gorge Bridge. You probably recognize his name from prior mentions here and here in Side Dish. Chef Kuespert has German/European heritage: His father’s family hails from Düsseldorf and his mother’s from Vienna, Austria. He grew up eating German food, and he adapted his recipe for Jägerschnitzel that he’s sharing with us from his mom’s. Kuespert tells me he served it at a restaurant named Prost Kitchen + Bar in Tampa, Florida where he formerly worked in his career. And, for those of you who are going to Tails, Tunes & Tastes at the Zoo Sept. 26, he’ll be serving it there as well. Head to Ranch Foods Direct for your pork tenderloin and tallow for frying to make this at home sometime during Oktoberfest, or whenever you wish.
The unconventional and scrappy Paragon Culinary School celebrates 20 years. We sit down with its dynamic founder, a man of many hats, the one and only:
Kudos to my podcast cohost Ryan Hannigan for the clever title card on this episode. Paragon Culinary School founder Victor Matthews really is the Reverend Doctor Chef, given the advanced degrees he holds and professional roles he inhabits. While overseeing Paragon for the past two decades, Matthews has also taught theology part of that time, and he launched Black Bear Distillery a decade ago (earning more than 30 competition medals since), meaning his nickname probably should be extended to Revered Doctor Distiller Chef at some point. If you’ve been around the Springs a while, you probably remember The Black Bear fine dining restaurant in Green Mountain Falls, which was Matthews’ creative culinary endeavor during the late ’90s and early aughts. Matthews was a big force at the time behind Club 9, a group of pioneering chefs of that era who tried to push our culinary scene forward. (We talk about it in Ep. 2 of my State of Plate podcast, “Drunk in the Walk-In”.) Listen to (or better yet, watch) this episode to hear how Matthews came up in the industry and how he got the idea for Paragon’s intensive and demanding class format. We also shout-out Paragon alums working around the Springs today — some of whom operate their own restaurants. And the sit-down wouldn’t be complete without a deep dive into making whiskey the Black Bear way, inspired by Matthews’ Southern roots and family legacy. Also, read to the bottom of this newsletter (as you always do, ahem) to see pics from my meal at a Paragon student final this past week; these kids are cooking with fire!
* Subscribe to our tap&table YouTube channel. Or follow us on Apple, Spotify, etc.
Sweet Action, indeed
I was up in Denver earlier this week for a Colorado Restaurant Association meeting and happened upon Sweet Action. Having never been to one of their four locations (Wash Park, Jeff Park, Uptown and Broadway), I decided to duck-in for a post-lunch treat before my drive home. I learned they’ve been around since 2009 and can be found in Whole Foods markets across the state. They source some local ingredients, including their dairy, and hooch for flavors like their popular Stranahan’s Whiskey Brickle, which I do try a sample of. Yes, it’s a delight.
What really draws me in off the sidewalk are the descriptors or more-interesting-than-most marketplace flavors you don’t see everywhere. Like sweet potato pie, fig praline, strawberry chamomile, honey orange latte and HPNOTIQ (the tropical-tasting booze that informs the Incredible Hulk cocktail). I sample most of those too thanks to an overly benevolent, patient and friendly scooper who’s happy to have me try things because she sees my clear enthusiasm, I think. (Plus there’s nobody else in the shop; I told her I write about food; and she seems genuinely kind.)
I ultimately walk away with a cup of the vegan and gluten-free chocolate coconut because I am and always will be both a chocolate and a coconut slut. That, and to me this flavor’s indistinguishable from regular dairy ice cream, taste and texture wise. I love the big strands of toasted coconut incorporated throughout the mix. As Josh & John’s proved to us locally in recent years, vegan ice cream has gotten rather good compared to the sad, pioneering days of old when I recall many commercial brands had lingering off notes in their finish flavors — like wet cardboard, and desperation. (It was hard being vegan in my waning teenage years in the late 90s in Alabama.)
Dine & Dash: Azteca Urbano
Azeteca Urbano opened in late June in the former T-Byrd’s spot at 24 E. Kiowa St. after T-Byrd’s moved up the block to join its sister outfits bird tree cafe (intentionally lowercased) and District Elleven (yes, spelled that way; both are Side Dish Dozen members who I’m sure you know by now).
We stop in on a Sunday night that happens to be hosting a salsa night with a DJ, and I love the energy that brings and watching the dancers (a friend of mine included, that we bump into). The overall vibe is cool, with moody neon lights, TVs for all of you who must be watching sports all the time, friendly staffers and pretty delightful drinks. That’s evidenced by our beautifully built mangonada with blood-colored chamoy chile sauce suspended in the blended mango juice, with a salt and Tajín rim. It’s not over-sweet, and captures the rightful popularity of the drink that delivers touches of spice and sourness to the fruity body. Great rendition. Our passionfruit margarita, similarly rimmed, hits on all points too, balancing the sweetness with the booziness and tasting non-cloying and non-synthetic (two dealbreakers for me.)
So, I can confidently say from this limited tasting that Azteca Urbano is a good place to drink. But on the dining side, we struggle through several items. The mango habanero shrimp ceviche middles at best, lacking vibrancy and real fresh zing. The asada burrito’s only serviceable as well, with its chile con queso sauce as the main offender, thickly textured with granular bits and a waxy top like it sat under a heat lamp. The carnitas and pastor tacos are unmemorable standards that don’t stand out, while the birria are the best of the bunch but still subpar to others in town. Even the consomé lacks the drink-it-from-the-cup, deep, earthy, herbal, spicy allure of others.
Our biggest disappointment is the Enchiladas Suizas, a creamy salsa verde chicken enchilada with topping sour cream and cotija dusting. The supporting sides of Mexican rice and refried beans simply aren’t supportive at all. The beans are blah and the rice is bland and has a day-old, reheated texture with uneven crispy and almost mushy sections. One of my companions likens it to cafeteria rice of her childhood. As for the main attraction, the sauce lends the only redeemable quality, a little tart and zesty, but the shredded meat inside the tortillas is dry with an odd barbecue sauce taste to the finish, the overall flavor of which we just don’t dig at all. … How ’bout them drinks though? Huh?
Bites & Bits
• Chef Aaron Posey of The Joint says Vegan Restaurant Week is back. I’d reported here back in August how he was retiring from organizing the annual event, seeking others to potentially take it over. Now, he says “Two fantastic members of our community, Sami and Wren, have stepped up and been hard at work getting this fantastic community event ready for another year.” More details to come.
• New Day Cafe just opened a second location in the Northgate Plaza at 13375 Voyager Pkwy. Its original location at 5901 Delmonico Dr. opened in 2013 and the cafe serves daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Make this Cherry Mascarpone Cheese Crostata via this local Season Two Taste recipe. (What’s a crostata, you ask? Click the link and find out.)
• “Bar Mom” got a drink named after her at Cocktails After Dusk. During industry nights on Mondays, from 8 p.m. to midnight, find The Sally Wood, “a cocktail inspired by Bar Mom herself! There’s probably coffee or whiskey in it.”
• The New York Times just released a restaurant list for 2024 titled “Our 50 favorite places in America right now.” Colorado earned three spots: for Meander Eatery in Pagosa Springs and Sap Sua and Yuan Wonton in Denver. Both Mile High City spots opened last year. 5280 has this great profile on Sap Sua, and Westword named Yuan Wonton among its Top 100 Restaurants We Can’t Live Without in 2023, and in 2024 awarded it Best Rotating Dumpling Menu in its Best Of issue. Pagosa’s Meander Eatery opened in late 2021 and prides itself on local sourcing, among other things.
• KKTV recently reported on Nova Nightclub’s closure downtown. That reporting challenged Nova’s own statements about why it closed and cited City documents related to the revocation of a temporary permit to operate and serve alcohol. It also listed several incidences of misbehavior at the venue, including physical altercations and allegedly sale of alcohol to minors. The story stated that the club owners opted not to appear in court to contest the city’s motion and instead filed paperwork to surrender the temp permit and withdraw the liquor license transfer request.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
• Goat Patch Brewing: Sip with Schnip, 5-9 p.m., Sept. 26 with Chuckwagon 719, Solsage and Roma Ransom. 3rd annual Oktoberfest, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 28. “Our second favorite party of the year.” Competitions, special beers, live music, food trucks.
• Edelweiss: Stop in for Oktoberfest specials, and get your last of our seasonal plum cake before it’s gone. Also, catch happy hours in our ratskeller, 4:30-6:30 p.m., daily.
• Four by Brother Luck: The new fall menu drops Oct. 1. Chef de Cuisine Ashley Brown says “expect fall spices, winter squash, game herbed pasta and even Mexican hot chocolate.” Also catch the Free Patio Paella Jam, 6-11:45 p.m., Sept. 28 at Eleven18 Latin Tapas Bar. Chef Brother Luck will cook and DJ during the event.
• Odyssey Gastropub: Colorado College Hockey starts up Oct. 5. Get BOGO draft beer or house wines before or after the games; just show a server your ticket.
• Blue Star Group: Enjoy Date Night at Stellina through October’s end. Savor a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, two side salads and a dessert for $39.95. Also, for Monday Night Football on Sept. 30, cheer on (or bet against) the Detroit Lions. Either way, order a Detroit-Style pizza from Decent Pizza Co — delivery available!
• Ascent Beverage: Evergood Adventure Wines’ cinnamon- and clove-infused Heart Warmer cranberry lemon wine releases for the season! Find it in bars, restaurants and fine local liquor stores this upcoming week.
• District Elleven: Join us for a WhistlePig Whiskey tasting, Oct. 2. Sample a six-, 10- and 12-year rye alongside food samples from Chef Dustin Archuleta; $25.
• Rasta Pasta: Plan to join us for our 15th Anniversary Party from 8 p.m. to midnight, Oct. 12. Catch live reggae and more.
• Kangaroo Coffee: If you haven't noticed, or tasted yet, we've been rolling out new items ranging from flavorful Italian Ice (it still feels like summer) to tasty oatmeal bowls from Share Good Foods (it's going to be winter at some point). Stop in for our seasonal fall drinks too.
• Red Gravy: Our Sunday Supper Club returns Oct. 6; tickets for sale soon on our website. Also join us on Wine Wednesdays for tastings and half off all bottles.
• Bristol Brewing Company: Our bottle-conditioned Belgian Saison is now available in the taproom in 750ml bottles. Belgians are founder/brewer Mike Bristol’s favorite beer category, as told to us on tap&table. Also catch our collaboration SMaSH Pale Ale brewed with Fossil Craft Beer Co., releasing Sept. 27.
• The Carter Payne: Local Relic Monthly Bottle Release Party, 1-5 p.m., Sept. 28. Second Chance Comedy: Standup about Addiction. 5:30 and 8 p.m., Sept. 28. Event Expo and Open House, 2-6 p.m., Sept. 29.
• Wobbly Olive: Half-priced cocktails from our full menu during happy hours, 4-6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, at both locations. Pair a drink with Chef Mark Henry’s stracciatella caprese starter or the vegan Thai coconut curry eggplant ramen.
• The French Kitchen: Our Taste of October Bundle includes Brussels sprouts quiches, a beer cheese brat soup and October’s mulled cider flavor Queenet. October’s mousse flavor is malted milk chocolate.
Upcoming events
*Editor’s note: It’s Oktoberfest season and there’s so many celebrations happening at individual breweries and other spots around town that I can’t reasonably list them all. I have however selected a few of the larger parties happening around town, below. Próst!
• Sept. 26: Sip with Schnip at Goat Patch Brewing. 5-9 p.m. Paid Side Dish subscribers can enjoy their first pint on us, and all subscribers will enjoy $2 off pints during the event. Solsage & Chuckwagon 719 will be serving their food and Nacho Matrix is now open next door. Roma Ransom will play from 7-9 p.m.
• Sept. 26: Tails, Tunes & Tastes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. 6-9:30 p.m.; $64.75-$74.75 includes two drinks and unlimited food samples; adults only.
• Sept. 26: Jazz Thursday in Golden Hour at the Mining Exchange Hotel. 5-8 p.m.
• Sept. 27-29: 11th annual Colorado Springs Oktoberfest at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Click the link for daily programming and more details.
• Sept. 27: 20th annual Winemaker’s Dinner at The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park’s Café 1230. $150 includes nine Winery at Holy Cross Abbey wine-paired courses by Chef John Kuespert. The dinner kicks off Harvest Festival weekend.
• Sept. 27-28: Fossil Craft Beer’s 10th Anniversary Party. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Games, special beer releases, food trucks and limited-edition merch.
• Sept. 28: Fall Harvest Vendor Market at FH Beerworks. Noon-5 p.m., Sept. 28. (While there, stop by Neat Whiskey House to try their collaborative Maker’s Mark Private Selection.)
• Sept. 29: Bell Brothers Brewing Hail & Farewell Party. 11 a.m. onward. Help them drain the kegs on their final day of service; grab merch and growlers to go.
• Sept. 30: Fight Night at Cocktails After Dusk. 6 p.m., Sept. 30. Dylan Currier (Archives) vs. Maegan Ohmes (Crooked Cue). $25 tickets include a welcome drink and full-sized cocktail from each competitor.
• Oct. 1: Pikes Peak Oktoberfest at Hillside Gardens. 5-9 p.m. $12.51-$28.52. Live music, competitions, tastings, German food and more.
• Oct. 2: Sazerac Whiskey Dinner at The Broadmoor's La Taverne Restaurant. Taste rare and unique Sazerac Brand Whiskies, guided by Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace resident Master Distiller. 6 p.m.; four, whiskey-paired courses to include Blanton’s, Sazerac 18 and Van Winkle 15 and 23. $450.
• Oct. 4: Punk Rock Fine Dining 4 Year Anniversary Dinner at Ephemera. 5 and 8 p.m. seatings. Seven courses, $125.
• Oct. 5: Harvest Festival at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site at Garden of the Gods. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $4-$8 entry, $5 pumpkins, food vendors will be on site.
• Oct. 5: Thrive’s Ribbon Cutting Rally with Tapas Flight at United Way’s Family Success Center. 5-8 p.m.; $40-$45.
• Oct. 6: Multi-brewery Oktoberfest at Phantom Canyon. 3-7 p.m; $35-$45 includes two drink tickets, a food ticket and swag bag. Enjoy live polka music and games like a pretzel toss and stein hold.
• Oct. 10-12: Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Get tickets early.
*Support your local growers and ranchers at our area farmers markets. Check out Visit COS’ handy online guide.
Parting Shot(s)
Over the past 15 years (minus a couple years during the pandemic), I’ve tended to participate in at least one (if not a few) judging sessions for Paragon Culinary School during their student finals. Often that meant dispatching to various areas of town for all three meals of a day as students underwent their intensive 24-hour exam — a hellish day of prep, execution and challenge ingredients to further complicate their planning. It’s meant to mimic real-world situations in restaurants, like double shifts and every curveball that any night’s service can throw at you. Pressure under fire, and exhaustion.
This year, Chef Victor Matthews (who I mentioned last week as part of the team behind the upcoming TAVA House and who’s on Ep. 15 of tap&table) invited me for a much easier-on-me single meal at the Briarhurst Manor Estate (out of which Paragon has taught classes for the last several years of the school’s 20-year history). It was for a newly created component of the student finals that he’s calling the Live Fire Seminar. In it, students team up and execute a meal together, trading courses. Matthews told me on this particular night that each student had opted to work on their area of weakness, rather than strength, to prep for tests ahead.
That doesn’t initially inspire confidence as plates arrive at the table, but we’re quickly put at ease by fine-dining-level fare with creative touches abounding. It reminded me how many times over the years the students had impressed me with at least a couple of their courses throughout the days, and often many more. Anyway, at this wine-paired seminar, we were treated to everything from shrimp ceviche with prosciutto to Italian onion soup (a fun spin on the French version), beet carpaccio, steak and scallops, and a deconstructed Dubai chocolate bar. Impressive.
