Longmont restauranteurs embrace community

Local restaurateurs are preparing for the fourth installment of Longmont Restaurant Week. Beginning today, local businesses are serving up deals on dining, beer and spirits.

Running from through October 17, 38 Longmont establishments are offering dining experiences with a  $18.71 or $28.71 price tag. For participating businesses, the little-over-a-week long event offers exposure in and out of Longmont.

Outworld Brewing — a sci-fi themed brewery and restaurant that opened in March 2020 before lockdown restrictions — is participating in multiple events housed under Longmont restaurant week. Though the brew pub joined last year’s festivities, owner Brenda Fuller said she’s excited to experience the event with less limitations.

“It really gives us a chance to hopefully interact with people who have not been to Outworld before, let them know what we're about,” Fuller said. “One of the things that we find particularly fulfilling about operating a restaurant is an opportunity to meet so many different people.”

Outworld is one of the seven brewery, distillery and cidery stops on the BrewHop Trolley’s “Longmont’s 150th Hop-on Hop-off Loop” on October 10. The brewpub is also participating in Longmont Food Rescue’s annual fundraising event the Food Truck Cup on October 16. They will sell their “2001 A Tappist Munk Odyssey” beer, a Colorado red IPA.

In addition to the events during Longmont Restaurant Week, Outworld is offering a $18.71 dining option. On the menu is a braised lamb ragout, a slow cooked local lamb served over housemade tagliatelle pasta, that’s paired with a 10 ounce pour of Outworld’s Colorado IPA. The brewery will offer a mixed drink for the event, “the Chicago Cocktail” to pay homage to the founders of Longmont who originated from Chicago.

The Times Collaborative, a coworking space on Main Street that opened this year, is participating in its first Longmont Restaurant Week. Though it is known as an office space, it has a commercial kitchen where chefs and startup restaurants and caterers work.

The events area of the Times Collaborative will transform into a restaurant. For lunch between 11 a.m and 1 p.m., Tiger and Wife has a $18.71 menu with a choice between a Vegetarian Bahn Mi or Bun Cha entree and choice of tea beverage.

Between 5 and 8 p.m., private chef and caterer Shine Provisions will serve up a three course dinner for $28.71. Owner Zachary Shine is making a chard caesar salad, bolognese with herb-roasted ricotta, and a devil's food cake with an espresso buttercream, cherry coulis, crème anglaise.

Shine, who spent his culinary career in New Jersey before working in cannabis in Colorado, opened his business during the pandemic. He started with offering private chef reservations to give people a dining alternative to going out during COVID.

Shine Provisions’ menus often pull from Shine’s background in Italian cooking. He said that he always loved participating in Restaurant Weeks in Jersey and is excited for Shine Provisions’ debut in the dining event.

Shine hopes that customers leave wanting to eat Shine Provisions’ food again, but also to enjoy the Times Collaborative event space.

“I'm hoping they would like to come back, that is always the main takeaway from a chef standpoint, I like to meet new clients but you'd like everyone to leave happy,“ Shine said. “My main takeaway is for people to like the food but love the space.”

Dry Land Distillers, a craft distillery and tasting room, has dining opportunities for both menu prices. The distillery is celebrating its second year of Longmont Restaurant Week and first in its new location at 519 Main Street.

The different dining experiences will highlight local food, said Dry Land founder Nels Wroe.

For $18.71 customers can purchase a 2-Person Charcuterie Boxes from GB Culinary‘s Peachtree Farmstead in Longmont. The curated box will feature handmade preserves, bread, and vegetables straight from the local farm. It is first person, first serve throughout the week.

Also for $18.71, guests can purchase Dry Land’s two specialty cocktails throughout the event. The drinks featured are an apple crisp cocktail day with housemade fresh pressed apple cider and a Colorado mule cocktail.

“For us it's all about celebrating the community and creativity that's here in Longmont. What I love about Longmont Restaurant Week is it is a chance for everybody, both locals to Longmont but also folks coming in from outside of Longmont, to really get a sense and appreciate what we've got here in Longmont.”

Exclusively on Oct. 17, Dry Land is hosting a chocolate and whiskey pairing with Boulder-based Moksha Chocolate. Wroe said that in the collaboration with the chocolate company, Moksha has aged some of its cocoa nibs in Dry Land’s whiskey barrels. Reservations are required for the one-night offering, and Wroe said that booking earlier is best since there is limited availability.