Tidbites | Week of July 24, 2014

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July 24 is National Tequila Day.

NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY!

This year’s National Tequila Day falls on Thirsty Thursday (July 24, to be precise) and Boulder’s Suerte Tequila is set to release a limited-edition, Extra Añejo, or “ultra-aged,” five-year-old tequila this fall.

Each of the four blends is drawn from a different charred American white oak whiskey barrel — making each batch unique. For Tequila Day, one of the company’s ideas for a distinguished tequila cocktail recipe to try is the “Rabbit Cooler,” a Suerte Blanco Tequila mixed with cucumber, Anaheim chili, lemon juice, sea salt, simple syrup and tonic water.

Suerte Tequila, located at 1930 14th St., is made in the highlands of rural Jalisco, Mexico by Pedro Hernandez Barba, a former attorney in Guadalajara. Barba uses a tahona — a traditional, handcarved stone wheel — to crush blue weber agave and cooks the piñas of the the agave in a brick oven. For more recipe ideas and store locators, go to www.drinksuerte.com.

LOCAL FOOD THINK TANK WANTS SOLUTIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM 

The second annual “Local Food Think Tank” will be held Monday, July 28 at Anschutz Medical Campus — University of Colorado Denver, and will bring together influencers of our local food system to facilitate in-depth discussions and problem solving to “develop a local food system that provides for the entire community in a sustainable, long-term manner.”

The think tank continues the work of the Colorado Food Guild and a series of food system programming by Mile High Business Alliance. Sessions include “Barriers to Local Food Access,” and “Resource Implications: Reclaimed water for crops,” where a discussion of using reclaimed water will help with a “doubling population by 2050,” and the limited resource of water. Other sessions include local food stories from the community, “Making Food Affordable,” and “How Can We Significantly Increase Local Food Production?” 

The event goes from 12:30-6 p.m. and registration is open to the public at www.milehighbiz.org. Standard registration is $40 while member registration is $35.

FLAGSTAFF HOUSE WINS WINE SPECTATOR’S GRAND AWARD 

It was recently announced that Boulder’s prestigious mountain restaurant, Flagstaff House, was one of 74 restaurants worldwide to be awarded Wine Spectator Magazine’s most esteemed Grand Award — an honor they’ve won every year since 1983.

Qualified restaurants typically offer 1,500- plus wine selections spanning the world’s classic wine regions. Service, wine cellar and ambiance are among the other criteria examined for the annual award. Flagstaff’s commitment to fine wine and their 15,000-bottle wine cellar has made them a top contender.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized again for the commitment we have to offering one of the best wine cellars in the world,” owner and general manager Scott Monette said in a press release.

All award winners are featured in Wine Spectator’s Aug. 31 issue, which hit newsstands July 22. 

For more information visit www.winespectator.com.

GARDEN-TO-TABLE COOKING CLASSES SURROUNDED BY A GARDEN!

Growing Gardens — a Boulder nonprofit dedicated to cultivating community through urban agriculture — is putting on garden-totable cooking classes with Chef Michael Montgomery, a longtime chef instructor at the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder.

Classes are located on-site at the Growing Garden’s at 1630 Hawthorn Ave. There, Chef Montgomery will demonstrate how to pick ripe, organic vegetables, basic knife set skills, how to use fresh herbs and aromatics, and intuitive cooking. Creative ideas for using and storing tomatoes and squash will also be discussed while fall classes will focus on cheese and bread making, pickling, and preserving.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Squash Fritters and Zucchini Pappardelle are some of the items to be prepared. Classes are held on Thursdays, July 24, Aug. 7 and Aug. 21 from 6-8:30 p.m. and are $40, which includes samples to taste and a recipe packet. 

To register, visit www.growinggardens.org or call them at 303-443-9952.

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