Longmont Restaurant Week elevates the flavor for its 5th year

Oct. 6—Longmont Restaurant Week, an annual event that draws foodies from all over Boulder County, kicks off Friday.

With more than 30 eateries and beverage-focused establishments participating, diners will have opportunities to uncover their next favorite dish, appetizer or drink over the course of 10 days.

"It's exciting to hit the five-year milestone for this event," said Karen Stallard, membership director of Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce. "We had two phenomenal years when we launched in 2018, followed by two years like no one could have imagined. But the resilience of our community and grit of our businesses have successfully supported a Longmont Restaurant Week every year."

For the event's kickoff, organizers have recruited eight chefs based at The Times Collaborative to prepare some tasty creations.

"For a $45 ticket, you get eight chef-prepared tasting bites and a drink," Stallard said. "They have many of their chefs offering special menus during the week as well."

Proceeds from Friday's culinary tour at The Times Collaborative, from 4-7 p.m., go to Longmont Food Rescue.

While the opening night at Times Collaborative is ticketed, Longmont Restaurant Week is not. Diners can simply make a reservation at the business of their choice and pick selected specials with price points at $25, $35 and $45.

From family-friendly meals to date-night specials, the offerings remain vast.

"It's about discovering your own back yard, which is honestly why it's so awesome to have Dwellings Colorado Real Estate as our presenting sponsor," Stallard said. "Amy and Chad Neb and Mary Colwell are three local Longmont realtors who match our passion to connect people to their restaurant community because it's a key piece of where you call home."

Diners can enjoy poke bowls and Dole whips at the always colorful and tropical Swaylo's Tiki Restaurant & Bar, that once house an Outback Steakhouse.

There are plenty of fairly new eateries to try. Farow — Niwot's latest gem — serves up dishes with mostly locally sourced ingredients and plenty of flair.

"It's amazing to see Longmont's roots in agriculture hitting a whole new stride in the 21st century," Stallard said. "I think, especially with supply-chain challenges, that people are having an awakening around where their food comes from and why that matters."

From longstanding eateries to newbies, the selection of establishments participating is sure to impress.

"Urban Field Pizza just opened earlier this year in South Main Station at the corner of 2nd and Main," Stallard said. "Trust me when I say get the square deep dish. It has that caramelized cheese crust from Detroit, and it's fluffy. It doesn't hit like a loaf of bread."

Urban Field is elevating the concept of pizza with unique ingredients and serving up plenty of other dishes to the delight of diners.

"The Longmont culinary scene has never been stronger," said Paul Nashak, proprietor of Urban Field. "Restaurant Week is a chance for all the restaurateurs and chefs in town to showcase what they're proud of. We're excited for our first Longmont Restaurant Week because it gives us an opportunity to share Chef Nick Swanson's cuisine with the folks who haven't had a chance to visit us yet."

Nashak — a veteran in the Front Range culinary scene — is a partner in three Mountain Sun Pubs and Breweries, including Vine Street Pub and Brewery in Denver, Under the Sun Pub and Pizza in Boulder and Longs Peak Pub and Taphouse in Longmont.

Nick Swanson, culinary director and owner of Urban Field, has crafted a Restaurant Week menu sure to highlight produce of the season.

The latest square pizza features butternut squash, sage cream, smoked mozzarella, house-made "nduja" (spicy, spreadable pork sausage) Yukon Gold potatoes, double cream gouda and chives.

Folks can enjoy a delicious nuovo negroni or a blackberry sour with dinner.

A refreshing Caesar salad with prosciutto and parmesan is also part of the flavorful mix.

The finale comes in the form of mouthwatering pumpkin panna cotta.

"We love what we do and who we do it with," Nashak said. "From day one, we've prioritized relationships with as many local farms as we could to source the finest ingredients for Chef Swanson's menu. The genuine relationships that developed and the dishes that evolved from those relationships have created a local, dynamic menu we're proud to share with Longmont."

Urban Field also boasts a market with specialty items folks can take home. After dinner or lunch, it isn't uncommon to see diners filling baskets with pre-made chicken parm, farm-fresh eggs, artisanal bread from Whistling Boar, chocolate milk and even granola.

"The traditional restaurant model has never been more threatened," Nashak said. "Our market is one of the ways we're trying to redefine the restaurant experience. By providing for more daily needs, we're hoping to be more for more people."

Cocktails certainly elevate a dining experience to the next level. A libation can also be savored solo, providing an experience onto its own.

"I love that we have some drinkeries participating as well, so folks can really do a progressive evening for Longmont Restaurant Week if they want," Stallard said. "We have Abbott & Wallace and St. Vrain Cidery both offering meals with their drink pairings as Abbott & Wallace opens their bistro kitchen for the first time. It's awesome to work with these businesses as they grow and evolve."

Dry Land Distillers — an award-winning craft distillery known for its incredible flavor-forward and unusual liquors — will also showcase some of its offerings to folks during Longmont Restaurant Week.

"We are doing any two cocktails for $25, any two cocktails and a farm-to-table box for two for $35 and any four cocktails and choice of dessert for $45," said Kelly Dressman, brand manager and alchemist at Dry Land Distillers.

Two of the cocktails on the specials board for the first two days of Longmont Restaurant Week will be apple crisp and chokeberry sour.

"The chokeberry sour was concocted by one of our very talented mixologists, Will Edick, and it utilizes an eau de vie (fruit brandy) we distilled in collaboration with St. Vrain Cidery out of their Chokeberry Cider," Dressman said. "It is tangy, well-balanced and screams Colorado fall harvest because of the chokeberry and apple notes accentuated in the eau de vie."

Owners Nels Wroe, Marc Staats, Aaron Main and team create rare single-grain 100% wheat whiskeys, an original prickly pear cactus spirit and the first true native Colorado gin.

For Dry Land, the beauty of the American West and its natural riches are certainly muses when it comes to creating spirits.

"I love flavors and combining different flavor profiles to create a balanced cocktail," Dressman said. "I love the people I get to work with, and I love spreading the education about where our spirits come from and how they are produced, as well as encouraging our customers and others to start asking the question of where the spirits they enjoy come from and how they are produced."

Ethically made and always satisfying, Dry Land's varied options hit differently than those put out by big-brand distributors.

"Food costs are still high and staffing is a constant challenge, and yet this event returns because the restaurants and the community value it," Stallard said. "Showing up, eating out, tipping well — these are the best ways to thank the restaurants for making this event happen again."

To learn more about specific menus and offerings, visit longmontrestaurantweek.com.