Dan's Ol' Time Diner has brand-new home
Bruto pop-up downtown, Chefs trio join forces for 'masterpiece' and more in the news
Happy Humpday, Oklahoma, got some news for you to nosh this morning.
Gonna start with some good news for once! Dan’s Ol’ Time Diner has found a new home!
Owner Annie Newton posted a sign on the old property stating Dan’ would reopen Sept. 15 at 10633 S Western Ave. in the Westminister Village Shopping Center.
Can’t wait to get an old-fashioned onion burger surrounded by Coca-Cola paraphernalia this fall.
Et tu Bruto!
Nonesuch hosted a team from sister restaurant Bruto in Denver on Monday night, including chef Byron Gomez, to deliver a foreshadowing of what the 405 diningscape can expect going forward from Nonesuch.
The eight-course meal delivered next-level flavors and technique. Service was impeccable. Bruto focuses on ethic over aesthetic. You can read it’s entire credo here. The succession of dishes successfully delivered on its promise of culinary expression in brutalist form. Chef Kelly Whitaker oversaw the night from the shadows with Gomez working both dining rooms.
Gomez sent out a lettuce wrap to start dinner. Grilled trumpet mushroom, bean miso and crabapple ponzu were nestled in edible flowers wrapped in lettuce.
Up next was Scallop + Chamomile. Compressed jicama and scallops arrived in like-sized slices bathing in chamomile-honey tea with black apple puree and crabapple gel.
Corn + Caviar came third and delivering the first big surprise of the night: Toasted Koji corn ice cream with American Solera pilsner espuma and dried egg yolk plus a dollop of caviar. Blended together this motley crew struck the bulls-eye balancing flavors and evoking creativity.
The Bison Tartare that followed continued a revelatory year when it comes to that classic dish. I’ve had four top-shelf versions of beef tartare this year: Birdies by Chef Kevin Lee, Alma, Milo, now Nonesuch (via Bruto.) This one included Bison hearts, cherry and black garlic slices in a coffee dressing.
The flavor bomb of the night was the Dumpling + Rasam. Though the Rasam turned out to be an Elk broth chef Garrett Hare had in the freezer, this dish won’t soon be forgotten. That substitute broth did nothing but favors for a paunchy dumpling made from heritage flour with plenty of macha chile for kick.
The brutalist masterpiece came next dressed as Lamb. Squid Anise Lacquer coated a portion of Colorado lamb on a platform of roasted eggplant and dukkah. The Mustiguillo Finca Terrerazo paired with it completed the circle of umami.
The first of two dessert courses was a Pineapple + Truffle combination. A pineapple ring with Szechuan caramel topped with truffle ice cream. The final dessert was a bit of everything we’d eaten all night, an homage to Id Est hospitality’s zero-waste kitchen program. An eggplant mousse was joined by crabapple granita and fermented cherry juice gel for one last party on the palate.
More to do
Tickets are still available for tonigth’s “Culinary Symphony” at The Tasting Room. The Big Kahuna, chef Kurt Fleischfresser, welcomes guests Josh Valentine and Caleb Stangroom into his playground to create a culinary masterpiece conveyed through a multi-course dinner. That’s all I needed to hear. Get your tickets here. …
The Goose Sandies and Bar opens Thursday. The new spot from Stonecloud Brewing Company vets Joel Irby and Nate Roberts will feature deli sandwiches, salads, suds and spirits in north Midtown. It opens at 11 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. The eponymous sandwich is stuffed with capicola, salami, pepperoni, mortadella, and asiago. Badabing!
The Crown launches brunch this weekend. Chef Eric Smith and crew will have it every Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.