It’s that time of year again: the 10-day long event celebrating the Mile-High City’s vibrant culinary scene, when all of our gastro-wishes are granted. Yes, you guessed it, it’s the 11th annual Denver Restaurant Week, February 20th-March 1st, 2015! With 250 of Denver’s top restaurants offering multi-course dinners for $30 per person, it’s guaranteed to be a scrumptious, mouth-watering, succulent, bomb, fan-FREAKIN’-tastic, [insert your favorite yummylicious word here] ode to the food gods, and our stomachs, as there ever was. But choosing where to go and what to eat can be a bit overwhelming, so to give aid, we’re sharing the locales that we’re super stoked about!
Before we start, if you would like to see the full restaurant week menus for any participating restaurants including the ones we mention, click here!
To make reservations at the restaurants we mention, visit the website by clicking on the restaurant name or give them a call at the number provided.
The Gist: Offering tapas, of both the hot and cold variety, in a contemporary and sexy ambiance, The 9th Door is a great spot for date night as well as groups looking for a more social environment. Located near Coors Field in downtown Denver, it’s a great place to start a night out on the town.
Chow Down: To start, try the Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos -Fire roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and rosemary, next go with the Croquetas de Hongos -Risotto and mushroom croquette with truffle oil, mushroom sauce, and shaved manchego cheese, for the third course choose Callo de Hongos – Pan-seared sea scallops with truffled, mushroom
compote, and for dessert the Flan de Limon- Lemon-rosemary infused flan will be the perfect finale.
The Gist: For modern southeast asian cuisine with a twist, go to ChoLon, one of Denver’s most popular restaurants. Plates are meant to be shared, family style, so go with a big group to get a taste of as many of the unique flavors as you can! The atmosphere is upscale, so grab your crew and dress up.
Chow Down: Since you can choose three small bites, go with the Kaya Toast, Coconut Jam, Egg Cloud, Crispy Rice and Kale Salad, Candied Pecans, Coconut, Pomegranate, Beets, and local favorite Soup Dumplings, Sweet Onion, Gruyere (fyi, you’ll probably need to order at least 2 of the soup dumplings because they are the definition of fan-FEAKIN’-tastic!). For share plates, opt for Miso Marinated Cod, Cucumber Relish, Chinese Eggplant, accompanied by the Brussels Sprouts, Ground Pork, Kaffir Lime from the Wok. For the grand finale, Spiced Doughnuts, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream, Condensed Milk will leave the perfect taste in your mouth.
The Gist: This sexy little lounge serving up nouveau american cuisine is situated just off of the DCPA, and is the perfect place to grab a bite before a show or end with a nightcap.
Chow Down: To start, try the Sashimi Sampler, then go with the Braised Brisket Tacos, and Lemon Goat-Cheese Cake to finish off the meal.
The Gist: If you’re craving homemade pizza and pasta, elevated, definitely go to Pizza Republica. This is a casual spot, great for hanging out with good friends and family.
Chow Down: For Il Primo, try the Lamb Meatballs, next you have to have the staple dish “9-inch Wood-Fired Pizza*, and finish off with the Salted Caramel Budino.
The Gist: Focussed on serving local and seasonal ingredients, this restaurant is the definition of farm-to-table. With an open kitchen design, simple but modern decor, and both community tables as well as individual tables, it’s a great place for all occasions.
Chow Down: For the adventurous, start with the Wild Burgundy Snails – roasted tomatoes, garlic butter, brioche or for those of us craving the more traditional, the Lyonnaise Salad – 62 degree egg, pancetta, garlic, Dijon vinaigrette. For the main, choose the Sweet Potato Gnocchi-toasted cauliflower, spinach, brown butter, sage, and finish with the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta-peanut butter brittle, raspberry gel, cocoa nibs crumble.
In fact, the service industry recorded the strongest sales volume on record in December 2014, as well as the eighth consecutive monthly increase, totalling $49.6 billion on a seasonally-adjusted basis.
An astonishing 1.3 billion tons of food, totaling nearly $1 trillion at retail prices, is wasted annually worldwide, either because it is spoiled in transit or thrown out by consumers. This global issue is not only hurting our bank accounts, but also costing us precious natural resources. So, what can be done?
Non-Trivial Trivia
How much of the U.S. energy budget is used to get food from farms to tables nationwide?
10 percent, equaling almost $3 billion in 2014, was spent on producing, harvesting, transporting, and packaging our food.
How much U.S. land and fresh water is used for providing food to consumers?
More than a third of all food produced goes uneaten, as approximately 20 percent is spoiled or ruined and 10 percent is thrown away, costing an estimated $165 billion per year.
The numbers are pretty staggering, aren’t they? And that’s just a few facts regarding short term effects, but what about long-term consequences?
Back to the Future
Much of our wasted food ends up rotting in landfills where it accounts for a considerable portion of methane emissions that contribute to global warming. Worldwide, the energy that goes into the production, harvesting, transporting, and packaging of wasted food generates more than 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas responsible for raising Earth’s temperature. In fact, if food waste was a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report ‘Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources’.
As a call to action, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva stated, “We simply cannot allow one-third of all the food we produce to go to waste or be lost because of inappropriate practices, when 870 million people go hungry every day.” So, what can be done to curb the amount of food wasted?
Take ‘Initiative’
Reduction of food waste as a movement has gained speed, and as such there is now demand for food waste solutions, from consumers and corporations alike. Initiatives aimed at making it easier to avoid waste are growing in number, and in application.
Take for example CrobMobster, which enables communities in-need and local farmers, producers, and food purveyors with surpluss to connect within a food gleaning and supply-sharing platform. To date, CropMobster has helped save over 1 million pounds, more than 2 million servings, of local food from going to waste in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California.
In order to reduce waste in the home, use Fresh Paper, which is simply a piece of paper infused with organic spices that keep fruits and vegetables fresh for 2-4 times longer. Fresh paper is available at grocery store chains such as Whole Foods and Wegmans. Another handy tool for using leftover food items is Food Rescue, an app launched by Google and Sainsbury’s, a British supermarket chain, which generates recipes based on up to nine ingredients dictated by the user.
Even rotten food is now a commodity. Harvest Power takes food waste, along with leaves and yard trimmings, and through anaerobic digestion and composting, transform them into renewable energy to power homes.
Healthy Habits
It is great that there are now products available to help us waste less food, but there are also ways to do so by incorporating a few simple habits into your daily lifestyle.
Plan ahead. Before going to the grocery store, take inventory of what you already have available. If you know what you’ll be cooking, and for whom, buy only enough necessary to feed the crew. Also, take note of expiration dates when shopping so you have an idea of how long items will last.
Remember to rotate. When loading groceries into your refrigerator and pantry, use the ‘first in first out’ method. Place new items in the back, and move older or already opened foods to the front. This way, food is less likely to go unused.
Save leftovers. If you’re in the habit of tossing leftover food at the end of the meal, consider packing it up and taking it to work or school for lunch the next day, or even save it for a second dinner. This can not only reduce wasted food, but also save you a few extra dollars.
Go trayless. Many of us frequent cafeterias where trays are available for carrying food, but next time, consider going trayless. By being unable to purchase as much food at once, you can reduce the amount of food that ends up in the trash. At the end of the meal, if you’re still hungry, you can always get back in line!
Donate. If you find yourself with a surplus of food, why not donate it. Millions of people go hungry everyday, and if you can even help feed one more person, you’re making a big difference. Find out how to donate here.
With the fast paced world of today, it can be easy to forget that wasting food is easy to avoid, and that it has dire consequences as well. However, if we all make a bit of effort, we can pave the way for responsible eating, for our health, wallets, and planet.
The fast casual dining experience is all about blending the speedy service you need to fit the demands of your hectic schedule and the delicious food your stomach is loudly demanding, and these two restaurants are using technology to reach the perfect balance.
Wow Bao, a Chicago-based restaurant serving up Asian fare with a modern twist, introduced kiosk ordering in 2009 in order to speed up the ordering process without increasing labor costs, according to Wow Bao President Geoff Alexander. An added bonus- customers love the control the kiosks afford them when ordering dishes. Plus, staff doesn’t have to worry about making mistakes when entering orders. Truly a win, win!Although Alexander agrees that technology comes with its own set of problems, such as occasional minor malfunctions and the rare crash. However, the tech investment has most definitely paid off for the franchise as Wow Bao received its return in only eight months because of increased sales as well as labor savings.
Panera Bread is a popular name in the world of fast casual, and to continue its reign, plus beat out mounting competition, CEO Ron Shaich says “Panera Bread will be different in the future.”Welcome to ‘Panera 2.0’, a series of integrated technologies aimed to reduce wait times, improve order accuracy, and create a more personalized experience for the customer. The upgrade will include the integration of a mobile app for ordering and paying for food to go, as well as a designated counter for pick up without the wait.For dine-in customers, both kiosks (similar to Wow Bao) and an online ordering system will be available in addition to cashier stations, both of which will be able to remember your food preferences. The days of picking onions off of your sandwich are nearing an end! Plus, meals will be delivered directly to your table for added convenience.For now, only designated ‘Panera 2.0 Cafés’ will feature the 2.0 technology, however the company expects to have implemented the upgrade in the majority of its locations by 2017.
What are your thoughts about the growing presence of technology in the restaurant industry? Comment below, or let us know @gosirvo.
With both sales and employment continuing to gain ground in December, the industry’s business environment starts the year out strong.
Restaurant sales totaled $49.6 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the eighth consecutive monthly increase in sales volume, as well as the strongest on record. National Restaurant Industry’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy credits the recent run of strong sales gains to declining gas prices, which fell more than $1.40 during the last 6 months. Consumers used savings at the pump to dine out. December’s total eating-and-drinking-places sales signaled a 5% increase since June, raking in an additional $2.3 billion as compared to the mid-summer’s month seasonally-adjusted sales volume.
Employment within the restaurant industry mirrored sales, also registering continued gains in December. Preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate a net gain of 43,600 jobs among eating-and-drinking-places during the final month of the year on a seasonally-adjusted basis, marking the 58th consecutive monthly increase and strongest gain in two years.
The industry is not only surpassing its own historical employment growth, but moreover the country’s. Restaurants added jobs at a 3.1 percent rate in total for 2014, more than a full percentage point above the 1.9 percent growth rate of the U.S. as a whole making this the 15th consecutive year in which restaurant job growth outpaced the overall economy.While economic challenges remain, one of those being elevated food costs, the general outlook of the restaurant industry is promising. If economic fundamentals continue to improve, 2015 will be a great year for restaurants nationwide.
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