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Sample the restaurant scene

Sample the restaurant scene

ForkDo you remember the days of 21-year-old bar crawls? I do. It began in sober excitement, a mellow Long Island in one hand, a Vodka-Cran in the other. Before you knew it, both glasses were empty and the giggles sloppy. Then on to another – with a name you can’t quite remember. Then a third, and a fourth, and … maybe a fifth?

Ah, to be 21 again.

The idea of “crawling” from one drinking hole to the next is nothing new, but somehow it’s not really taken into other realms – say, in the world of food, for instance. Until now.

Denver, meet Dishcrawl. It’s what food lovers dream about: a chance to walk from restaurant to restaurant in any number of Denver’s delicious neighborhoods, dining on course after course of signature nibbles. In essence, it offers a profile of Denver’s culinary culture.

Take a recent crawl in the Highlands, anchored at 32nd and Lowell. We started the evening with wine and bruschetta at the cozy-quaint Highland Cork and Coffee, meandered up to Fire on the Mountain for salty-spicy wings, ambled over to Highland Pacific for garlicky mussels and beer, and finished on a sweet note at New Mexican Julia Blackbird’s, neighbor to Happy Cakes. In between and all around, we laughed about the steps and missteps of Denver’s culinary development, expressed amazement at dining opportunities we didn’t know existed, and curated a wish list for what might and should be in Denver’s foodie future. Time sailed by, wine was sipped, beer was savored, and at the end of the night we were a bit more savvy – and sated – than we would have been sticking to one spot with a smaller crowd.

An Eater’s Picks

  • Larimer: Osteria Marco, Rioja, Tamayo, Lime
  • LoDo: 9th Door, Vesta, Trillium, Venice
  • Congress Park: Shells and Sauce, Sienna Wine Bar, Madison Street
  • Five Points: Infinite Monkey Theorem, The Walnut Room, The Populist, Yours Truly Cupcakes
  • LoHi: LoHi Steakhouse, Jezebel’s, Old Major, Central

Dishcrawl Denver is undeniably still in its infancy, but promises a great many things. We all know – on some level – that Denver boasts a wealth of culinary niches and corners, unheard of gems and bright-eyed stars. But when do we have a chance to experience them in new and interested company, shaping a dining theme otherwise lost to us? It gives our dining “theater” a cohesion that might otherwise pass us by.

And don’t think this is some dictated prix-fixe event; Dishcrawlers are encouraged to offer feedback and present their own ideas on what would make a good dining itinerary. The project is inchoate, you see, so the opportunities to expand are legion.

But be forewarned: the idea of the Dishcrawl is to let go of preconceived notions. That’s why the restaurants on any given crawl are a mystery until the day of. If you’re a foodie who relishes a touch of adventure – or at the very least, exploration – then Dishcrawl Denver is right up your alley.

And if you’re seeking a bit of jovial, animated company, unplied with cheap booze and engagingly social, then you’ve got yourself the perfect evening out. Take a roll of the dice, grab one of the $45 tickets, and let the rest unfold. Friends will be made, standbys discovered, and palates enlightened from the culinary stretches of the Highlands, to the quasi-suburban plains of Lowry.

A quick note before you dig in, however: taxes and tip are included, but not alcohol. If you’re craving a beer or a glass of vino, bring some cash.

Learn about crawls that are upcoming, and start salivating at Dishcrawl.com/denver.

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