Storming castles
Fine whiskey and steak dinners, stellar sushi lunch, nocturnal happenings + more food & drink news
I won’t claim to know what you’re thinking, but maybe it’s: “Hey, wait, why is Schnip covering Sushi Row again already? Didn’t he just review the spot two weeks ago?”
Yep, you’re correct, astute reader. I did just write them up, and I was impressed.
But that’s not why you’re looking at a picture of chef/partner Zaya Altbish above. The reason I’m writing about Sushi Row so soon again is twofold: 1) They just dropped a new lunch and happy hour menu that makes the spot just a touch more approachable. And I was invited to sample it with other media. 2) For my review, I missed the opportunity to connect directly with Altbish to interview him; I opted to publish before I was able to pin him down. But now I have, and I’ve gleaned things and stuff worth sharing. Plus: more pretty pictures of food and drink.
All our food was exceptional, so I’m going to let my prior review speak to that quality and let these images say the rest for now. Let’s get to Altbish. Here’s excerpts from my convo with him:
• “What sets you apart?” I ask. “Technique and knowledge — a lot of attention to detail,” he says. (He started at age 17 inside Denver’s sushi scene.)
• “We are doing everything scratch every day,” he says. “We strike a fine balance to not over-prep, so we keep it fresh.”
• “I came up with a traditional Japanese training. I’m still rooted in tradition. But I’m figuring out how to make that work in a modern setting.”
• “Every sushi restaurant has access to fresh fish, and many places are essentially all the same. But I’m seeing some things here I don’t see elsewhere,” I say. “It’s access within the companies I’m sourcing from,” Altbish replies. “I’ve been working with some of these purveyors for 10 or 15 years. It’s relationships. I can get top pick of exclusive products.”
• As I noted in my review, Sushi Row is far from cheap, and some folks have complained about the prices. So I ask Altbish to justify them. “I buy top-of-line product. We minimize waste and maximize the yield we get from it. We’re charging a fair price for that. It’s the cost of doing business. I wouldn’t feel good lowering quality to meet a certain price point.”
• “I’m striving to be on the cutting edge, and match the coastal cities,” he says. “I’m willing to teach everything I know to elevate this place. We want to create a casual environment, but we’re super serious about food.”
• Altbish calls this debut menu “timid” as the partners wanted to test the Springs to see what it’s ready for. “We’re at the 90-day mark and stabilizing, getting our service-flow down, and our cover count.” (That’s restaurant speak for daily averages on butts in seats, i.e. what to prep for.) “We wanted to cover the basics at high quality and make sure the market responded — and they have. From here, Jason and Riley (the co-partners) want to take it up a notch… This menu will look completely different in a year from now.”
291 at 1858 (you cannot have)
Restaurant 1858 at The Broadmoor’s Seven Falls has announced a series of whiskey dinners upcoming. The first, on Aug. 15, with Distillery 291, sold out within four hours of ticket sales going live. (Wowsa!) A second dinner’s scheduled for Oct. 24 with Buffalo Trace, “highlighting the more sought-after and rare offerings from the brand’s portfolio.” Get on their email list early (like, now) to be notified when tickets go on sale. More whiskey dinners will be announced down the line, as well.
Find the Gather Food Studio recipe for Ranch Foods Direct’s Schnip’s Pick of the Month for August here. We give tips for how to grill the perfect steak, in this case Ranch Food Direct’s sirloin tip, with Gather’s Old Colorado City Steak Rub.
Dauntless to the bitter end
Side Dish partner Focus on the Beer has the full backstory on Dauntless Brewing deciding to pull the plug on their planned facility at 1647 S. Tejon St., in the former Distillery 291 and Bristol Brewing location. This was after five years of attempts to get open, which included efforts in several other spots.
Bites and bits
• Humble Coffee celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at 4797 Barnes Road on Aug. 8. Not long ago, they’d expanded into downtown.
• King’s Chef Diner’s purple castle location at 110 E. Costilla St. has launched evening hours, from 4:30-11:30 p.m., Thursday to Saturday for #BreakfastForDinner. Typically it’s only open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday.
• Fuel & Iron Food Hall has launched Kids Nights on Thursdays (currently out through Oct. 12). Art activities (4-5 p.m.), story time (5-5:30 p.m.) and kids bingo (7-8 p.m.) are all free. That frees parents up to check out the array of food vendors and enjoy the central bar responsibly. Additionally, F&I announced a monthly fundraising effort via a $5 wooden nickel program; details are on their website. For August, they're raising money for Pueblo-based Southern Colorado Equity Alliance and hosting a Pueblo Pride party on August 20.
• In Denver, “Colorado’s first coalition of pastry chefs” has sprung up in the form of 5280 Pastry Co-Op. “While the Mile High City earned its reputation for a diverse food scene and culinary expertise, the city has left some room for dessert,” reads a press release. “5280 Pastry Co-Op. believes community support and continual improvement are essential to impart city-wide growth within the pastry industry: tackling high-altitude baking, staffing pastry cooks and encouraging local and sustainably sourced ingredients.” The Co.-Op. plans to meet quarterly, with the first event scheduled for 6-8 p.m., Aug. 14, at Matt Dulin’s GetRight’s bakery. Board members include Executive Pastry Chef for the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center Brielle Fratellone.
• A Minnesota-based, fast casual chain named Crisp & Green (and local franchisee Andrew Rauch) will open its sixth Colorado location sometime soon, this one at 7465 N. Academy Blvd., in the former Crave Real Burgers location. Look for grain bowls, acai bowls, salads, smoothies and all the usual suspects amidst healthy fare concepts. According to a press release, “Through its mix of healthy meals and wellness lifestyle, the brand aims to promote a culture of living and eating well, or ‘Living Crisp.’”
Note to Side Dish readers: If you ever see me around town, I do hope you’ll come up to me for a fist bump and say something like “I hope you’re Living Crisp, Schnips!” That would make my day.
Pasta in the Park approaches
Pasta in the Park, TESSA’s big, annual fundraiser, is set for Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Myron Stratton Home (2525 Colorado Hwy. 115). Expect: vino from Sovereignty Wines, beer from area breweries, cocktails from Blackhat Distillery and a pasta sauce cook-off competition — which I’ll be co-judging. Tickets are $120, which benefits TESSA’s vital work in the community. They offer “confidential support and services for victims of Inter-Personal Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking or Human Trafficking and their children.” They operate a 24-hour safe line, a safe house and offer victim advocacy and much more.
Related: TESSA was highlighted in a true-crime podcast that I co-produced, -wrote, and -hosted recently, named Vulnerable Creatures. I spoke to the agency’s former executive director about domestic violence and its interface with the criminal justice system as it related to the local case on which we were reporting. I haven’t mentioned the project in Side Dish prior, as it’s not food and drink related. But I’d be grateful if you checked it out, and learned more about TESSA’s mission along the way. Listen here or on any of the major podcast platforms.
Upcoming events
• Catch local food trucks at Gold Hill Mesa’s Music on the Mesa series from 4-7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 12. Find future dates at that same link.
• The next Sip With Schnip is from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17 at The Carter Payne.
• Paradox Brewing Company hosts Smokin’ the Ute Pass Summit BBQ contest & Fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 20. (I’m judging.)
• Tipperary Cocktail Parlor inside Folklore Irish Pub hosts round two of an ongoing Bar Battle Competition from 6-8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 21. (I’m judging.)
• For ONE DAY ONLY — Tuesday, Aug. 22, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Diavolo Pueblo Hot Chicken is popping up at the Colorado Springs Bingo Burger location. See the image above for details or click here. (I’m co-presenting.)
• As noted above Pasta in the Park is at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 26 at The Myron Stratton Home. (I’m judging.)
• Also on Saturday, Aug. 26, The Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber presents La Vida 2023 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at the Country Club of Colorado.
• The second Tails, Tunes & Tastes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo takes place from 6-9:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 31. See my prior coverage of July 27’s event here.
Because you’ve made it to the bottom loyal reader: I have two tickets to give away to Tails, Tunes & Tastes. This is a $130 value. How to win? I want to meet you in person. Come say hi and tell me your favorite animal and I’ll enter you in the drawing. Find me at Sip With Schnip, the Bar Battle Competition and/or the Diavolo pop-up at Bingo. I’ll announce a winner in my Aug. 24-25 newsletter.
Parting shot
