Steve Renfro of Flyboy BBQ in Bailey was named the grand champion of the 2013 Colorado BBQ Challenge in Frisco. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

Just got home from the Colorado BBQ Challenge in Frisco and turned on the TV, hoping for some baseball. All the games are over, but I find “BBQ Pitmasters” on a channel I have never even watched, Destination America. And I realize we walked right by the guy featured on this episode, Johnny Trigg, and his bright blue super-sized soapbox derby-looking smoker.

Johnny and Peggy Trigg during filming of “BBQ Pitmasters.” (Destination America)

We were making a beeline to grand champion Steve Renfro’s tent, because he told me he had “just a little brisket left.” Renfro is a pilot and instructor for United Airlines who built his own smoker and will whip out the drawings on his iPad if you ask. I assume he does this barbecue thing as a stress reducer. But I’m wrong.

“This stuff here is stressful. Way more stressful than flying a plane,” says Renfro, whose grilling alias is Flyboy BBQ. “It’s crisis management.”

Well, call it crisis managed, as Renfro’s brisket was the best I’ve ever tasted, crusty on the edges and with a slightly tangy, juicy interior that you just want to savor. In fact, I wish he would find a way to make chewing gum out of it. Want to taste it? Head over to Fairplay June 21 and 22 for the “Kickass BBQ,” where Flyboy and a bunch of his friendly competitors will be throwing down the meat, South Park-style.

All that was left of Steve Renfro’s prize-winning brisket. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

We also ran into Sydney Jilbert and her dad, Todd “Toad” Jilbert of Golden Toad. Sydney won first place in the kids division for her bacon-wrapped chicken and apple sausage.

Sydney and Todd Jilbert

Shrimp and kielbasa skewers from Golden Toad, sausage from Mean Dean’s and jalapeno-bacon poppers from 1-2-Barbecue. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

While the fancy people flock to Aspen for the annual Food & Wine Classic this weekend, the decidedly less fancy Colorado Barbecue Challenge fills the sky over Frisco with the aroma of smoked meats (a pleasant contrast to the forest fires to the north and south of here).

The Colorado BBQ Challenge, a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition, draws thousands of smoked meat fans and 70 teams of barbecuers to Frisco every year. Teams compete in categories ranging from pork, chicken, and beef brisket, to sauces, salsa and desserts.

Chef Brian Malarkey (Kristen Browning-Blas)

Celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, one of the judges on “The Taste,” grilled bourbon-peach pork and served it with watermelon salad on Friday night before heading up to Aspen to hang with friends.

He is movie-star handsome and boy-next-door friendly, with a healthy sense of humor. Of “The Taste” he said, “It’s a game show. One bite does not define your culinary career. I should know, I got kicked off ‘Top Chef.’”

Barbecue experts Keith Yowell, left, and Mark Welty. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

The exclusive and informative Breckenridge Distillery Whiskey “Rub It, Smoke It, Sip It BBQ Tour,” took guests behind the scenes, cups of Breck bourbon in hand, to talk to some of the expert ‘cue-ers.

Sometimes competitors Keith Yowell and Mark Welty agreed that Costco sells excellent pork ribs. Serious competitors trim off a little of the cartilage on the ends so that judges can get a meatier bite.

“High-dollar chicken thighs don’t have enough skin, so I go for the 99-centers. But always organic on the breasts,” says Beth Lenz, of Frog and A Dog.

The Golden Toad team puts on a rockin’ show. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

The tour ended with a barbecue version of Guns & Roses (Grills & Roasts?) or was it Rolling Stones (Grilling Bones?) at the Golden Toad tent, home of the sticky, addictive “shrimp bombs.” The Littleton BBQ team won the Grand Championship at the Sam’s Club National BBQ Tour in Thornton in 2012. They do not have a restaurant, but you can find their sauces at Whole Foods.

Giant Louisiana oysters fresh off the grill.(Kristen Browning-Blas)

Seafood made a showing as well, with juicy grilled oysters and a salmon demo.

Dave Welch of Food Hedz in Frisco grills salmon at the 2013 Colorado Barbecue Challenge. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

David Welch of Food Hedz in Frisco grilled wild-caught Alaska king salmon and served the rich fish with vinaigrette-tossed greens — a nice antidote to the sauce-heavy meat-centric offerings in the booths along Main Street. After 35 years in the food biz and nine running his French bistro-style Food Hedz, Welch says he still has “passion about the food,” and it certainly showed on the plates.

Grilled king salmon from chef Dave Welch of Food Hedz. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

What a treat – Rick Bayless cooking and serving his food on Friday morning. (Annie Brown)

Friday started like this – star chefs Rick Bayless and Susan Feniger cooked a huge breakfast, and served it to people who made it into the Food & Wine Classic event at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen. Bayless, naturally, went Latin: chilaquiles, tamales wrapped in banana leaves, churros. Feniger, whose newest restaurant in Los Angeles, called Street, explores the world’s street foods, served lettuce bowls with Korean rice inside, a fruit salad with sunflower seeds that was fantastic, fried bananas with a sweet cream. The dishes, too, were served with cocktails.

Nice way to get the engines started. I long have admired the two of them, and have cooked for 20 years from their books. When I mentioned to Feniger a recipe for ribs that I adore from one of her early books, she immediately knew it and said, “those ribs really are out of this world.”

Duff Goldman, a Baltimore baker, and David Funaro from Godiva Chocolate, talk about the sweet stuff. (Annie Brown)

And then things really got rolling. Chefs began appearing on stages in rooms around the town, giving lectures on wine, on cooking tricks, on sushi-making. I caught two – Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons demonstrated how to braise lamb, and then use the leftovers for other things; and star bartender Jim Meehan showed how to make cocktails for big parties. A friend also caught Mario Batali talk about cooking the Sicilian way, for summer dinners, and a pair of chocolate experts doling out tips for cooking with their favorite ingredient.

Fans lined up to have chef Thomas Keller sign his latest book. (Douglas Brown)

In between, enormous tents filled with vendors serving wine, beer, cocktails and food, and plugging products, opened to the public. The emphasis, here, was drinking. Even the popsicles that people passed out were filled with tequila. In the tents, people lined up to get books signed by Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin, Thomas Keller, Floyd Cardoz and many more. They watched a group of chefs that are on the cover of Food & Wine magazine this month – and heralded as America’s top new chefs – cook and serve food; Danny Bowien, the chef at Mission Chinese in San Francisco and New York and the recipient of a James Beard Award this year for rising star chef, garnered the most attention among the group. With his shoulder-length dyed blonde hair and wispy facial hair he was hard to miss.

Danny Bowien, left, the chef at Mission Chinese in SF and NY, chatting with NY chef Wylie Dufresne. (Annie Brown)

Around dinnertime, the parties began. I stopped by Jimmy’s for a gig sponsored by the country of Peru, where bartenders were slinging pisco sours and other cocktails made with pisco, a clear grape brandy that is ubiquitous in the country, and servers walked around passing out ceviche, fried shrimp, and other goodies.

The publisher’s party at Food & Wine Classic had a Mexican theme. (Douglas Brown)

The publisher’s party, on top of Aspen Mountain, was the night’s big event. Guests took gondolas to the summit, then wandered around a big ski lodge that was made to feel like a fiesta on the Yucatan peninsula – Mexico sponsored the party. Every other cluster of partiers contained a foodie celebrity. Marcus Samuelsson, in a white sport coat and bow tie; Michael Voltaggio and his gazillion tattoos; Danny Meyer, always grinning; Bobby Stuckey from Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder. Stuckey should have been tired – the guy stalked the floor selling wine at The Little Nell on Thursday, where he worked before moving to The French Laundry in Northern California, and then opening Frasca. He was apparently still pouring wine at 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning.

The parties continued, until the wee hours. The last one I hit was a dessert party in the Hotel Jerome, hosted by Gail Simmons, a Top Chef judge. By the time this party started, at 10 p.m., I found it difficult to make room for yet more food. But it’s tough to turn down free dessert, isn’t it?

Kristen Kish, the winner of Top Chef last season, was everywhere – often, nabbing smoke breaks. (Annie Brown)

Friday’s late-night dessert party was tough to pass up. (Annie Brown)

The pisco sours at the Peru event at Jimmy’s in Aspen were perfect. (Douglas Brown)

Jim Meehan, a renowned bartender at the bar PDT in New York, was a showman. (Douglas Brown)

Top Chef victor Richard Blais serving lobster rolls at the Food & Wine Classic. (Douglas Brown)

Chefs from around the country rolled into Aspen Thursday for the kick-off to the annual Food & Wine Classic, the biggest food party in the nation. While Friday and Saturday are packed with seminars on everything from cooking meatballs to using social media, Thursday night it was all about decadence.

Beginning at 6 p.m., former winners of the Top Chef televised cooking challenge gathered in rooms and patios in the posh St. Regis Hotel, preparing things like lobster rolls and truffled eggs with pork belly.

While he placed microgreens atop small sandwiches stuffed with lobster knuckle, Top Chef Season 8 winner Richard Blais said he was headed out for a run Friday morning with Bobby Stuckey, the owner of Boulder’s Frasca Food & Wine restaurant and the winner this year of a James Beard Award.

“You know the guy’s a beast, right?” I told him. “He’ll win the thing.”

“Seriously?” said Blais. “I’m going to have to get my act together.”

Sometimes the simple things are the best. Lamb roasted on a spit was ambrosia. (Douglas Brown)

Then the party moved to a $25 million new house on the outskirts of town, where Washington, DC restaurateur Jose Andres hosted a lavish party, with lamb roasting on a spit, “tacos” comprised of fancy Spanish ham topped with caviar, an oyster-shucking station, wine galore, a gin-and-tonic bar, and much more. Denver’s Glaze, a bakery specializing in Japanese cakes, provided the desserts for the evening.

Here, Mario Batali moved around like a colorful planet (orange Crocs, purple hair tie, red ponytail) – a cluster of people always seemed held in his orbit. Here, New York restaurateur Danny Meyer could be found wandering the enormous house, ducking into the wine cellar for a spell.

“So we will sit and watch this basketball, yes?” said old-school celebrity chef Jacques Pepin in the basement at one point, plopping down into a chair. The room behind him was packed with people drinking gin and tonics and watching the Miami Heat-San Antonio Spurs playoff game.

Every head turn revealed fresh foodie celebrities.

Chris Cosentino, a San Francisco chef with a lot of buzz, used to live in his car in Colorado (Douglas Brown)

Tom Colicchio, a restaurateur and the longtime head judge of the show Top Chef, arrived late in the evening, in a blue down vest and bright sneakers. Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Susan Feniger spent the evening smiling and chatting warmly with all who approached. She was a delight.

“I love Biker Jim,” she said of Denver’s hot dog king. She tried one of his elk sausages a number of years ago, back when Jim Pittenger only had a hot dog cart (he now has his own restaurant), and called it one of the best things she had ever eaten.

San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino, whose whole-animal approach to cooking has been subject to a lot of buzz for the past year, was in his element – the Andres party was a meat-fest, with Spanish hams, lamb ribs, plates of steak in Romesco sauce, sausages, and enormous prawns swimming in garlic and olive oil. While a lamb slowly turned on a spit over a bed of coals – with every revolution the spit made an atmospheric squeaking sound, making it seem even more Game of Thrones – Cosentino talked about his time in Colorado.

“I used to be a professional cyclist, and I lived in the middle of nowhere in Summit County,” he said. “In my car. All I did was ride my bike.”

He comes to Aspen every year, he said, for the camaraderie.

“Here we are at this house with Jose,” he said. “We talk business, we talk shop, it’s a lovely place – these mountains are one of my favorite places. Amazing food and wine, great company. It’s not often that we can get together as group and blow off steam.”

Adelita’s mother-daughter team, Silvia and Karina Ayala. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

I thought that asking in Spanish might sway Silvia Ayala to share her carne asada recipe with me. But the she just smiled and shook her head, unwilling to part with anything beyond the fact that she uses a blend of seven spices on the steak at her new restaurant, Adelita’s Cocina y Cantina.

So I said, “I’ll guess and you tell me if I’m right.”

“Okay,” she says, Mona Lisa smile still on her face.

“Oregano?”

“No.”

“Paprika?”

“No.”

“Chile powder?”

“No.”

“Black pepper?” (I’m getting desperate now.)

“No.”

“I know!” Cumin!”

“No.”

“Cilantro?”

“No.”

She seems to feel a little sorry for me, and says, “Okay, I will tell you one. Celery.”

“Celery?! Like, chopped up?”

“No, in a powder.”

Carne asada (left) and al pastor tacos at Adelita’s. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

Well, I give up, because I don’t have celery powder in my spice cabinet, and even if I did, there’s no way I could duplicate the savory, smoky, slightly tangy flavor of Silvia’s carne asada tacos. They were so good, we ordered more, even after we had tried almost every taco on the list. At least it was Tuesday, when most tacos are just a buck at Adelita’s (the fish and shrimp are more). But I’d happily pay full price ($8.95 for three) for these bewitching three-bite wonders.

Adelita’s Cocina y Cantina, 1294 S. Broadway, Denver. (Kristen Browning-Blas)

Adelita’s opened at the end of April at Broadway and Louisiana, with a turquoise and chocolate interior that feels up-to-date and vintage at the same time. Run by the Ayala family and veteran restaurant guy, Brian Rossi, the place is welcoming and cheerful and cool.

Del Maguey dinner

And, Monday, June 17, they are hosting Del Maguey dinner with Sean Yontz, late of El Diablo and Sketch, along with Seaon’s brother Cy, Brandon Biederman of Ace/Steuben’s, Sean Kenyon of Williams and Graham and Chris Douglas of The Squeaky Bean. Tickets are $75, call 303-778-1294.

This food cart, at Civic Center Eats on Tuesdays, makes perfect falafel sandwiches. (Douglas Brown)

I’m a falafel nut, which means I’m often disappointed. Too often the fried knobs of ground chickpeas, spices and herbs comes from a box. Too often they are greasy, or too crunchy, or too soft. The pitas nestling them are dry, the hummus is manufactured in Peoria and comes from a tub, the tahini sauce is insipid.

Still, I scarf ‘em.

But now I’ve got Baba’s Falafel, a food cart that roams around the city but sets up shop at Civic Center every Tuesday for that park’s twice-weekly smorgasbord of roving food vendors.

Dalia Hannah and Christopher Paul make some of the best falafel sandwiches I’ve had in Colorado. I’ll visit them often.

Christopher Paul and Dalia Hannah make awesome falafel. (Douglas Brown)

Hannah said everything is made from scratch, from recipes passed-down from her dad. In Arabic, baba means “father.” This is a padre I want to visit.

The falafel had a depth of flavor I haven’t encountered since leaving Baltimore, where my local falafel shop was run by Israelis. At Baba’s, the falafel sits in a pliant homemade pita that is wedged into a paper cone – nice touch. The hummus had zing, the spicy tahini sauce (there is a non-spicy option) had punch, the vegetables in the cone of pita were substantial, and as I loved the pickles.

The menu holds more than falafel cones. They use falafel in a variety of different dishes, and also have lamb sliders, a pita with lamb, and lentil soup, among other things.

Great work, Dalia and Christopher.

Toshi Kizaki, the chef-owner of Izakaya Den, has built a temple to Japanese food. (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

It’s been more than a year since construction began on the new Izakaya Den. Today, the place officially opens its doors.

Welcome.

The new space – a two-story sprawl of clean lines, earth tones, and intricate craftsmanship, at 1487-A South Pearl Street – sits beside the Japanese restaurant’s sister joint, Sushi Den. A doorway with a partial curtain separates the two places.

I visited the new place last week, as workers sawed tile and hammered and moved things around. At one point I said to an older guy who seemed in charge, “A heckuva’ project, huh?” He said, “details, details, details” as his eyes scanned the room, scrutinizing those details.

What’s inside?

A lit mural from the original restaurant hangs above the open kitchen in Izakaya Den. (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

On the first floor alone, a bamboo garden beside a glass elevator. A sushi bar, a communal table, and a private dining area. A display of sake barrels. Scattered around are pieces from the original Sushi Den: red lacquer wall boxes, lanterns of antique kimono fabric, bamboo partitions, custom chairs made in Japan.

Izakaya Den’s bamboo forest is stirring and serene. (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

The second level, slated to open by mid-July, has a retractable glass ceiling, a patio, a cocktail lounge with a full bar, and dining areas.

Ready to eat? Unless it’s Saturday or Sunday, when the place serves lunch, it will be dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday.

The first-floor bar at Izakaya Den will be sake-central (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

The place has a few menus. There is sushi. The global menu pulls from world cuisines: lobster gnocchi, hoisin duck crostini, fresh pea soup, seared Wagyu strip. The izakaya menu (in addition to being the name of the joint, izakaya is a type of Japanese restaurant that serves simple dishes to go with sake) includes things like agedashi tofu, salmon collar, whole flounder, sake-steamed Manila clams, cod stew, short ribs, Japanese-style pork belly, and a range of udon and ramen noodle dishes.

The team spent the year working on the cocktail program, too, and now the sake list – one of the largest in the country – is matched by a drinks program designed to pair with Japanese cuisine.

Food shots? Click through for a few. If you aren’t hungry by now, the photos might change the situation.

Sauteed squid with coco and fava beans in a miso pesto (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

Crispy ikanago and burdock (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

Sauteed pork and kimchee. (Adam Larkey, provided by Izakaya Den)

Drop $50 per person, and a Front Range chef will cook for you in Skyline Park downtown. (RJ Sangosti)

Here’s a new one, at least in Denver. Head to an outdoor market and watch a Front Range chef buy ingredients and then cook a three-course meal – a park-to-table feast.

It’s happening every Friday from June 14 until August 30 at Skyline Market in downtown Denver, which is held in Skyline Park. Fifty bucks per person gets you dinner for a party of 10, served in the park at 6 p.m.; beer and wine pairings are available, although not included in the fee.

Not up for the whole $50 shebang? Show up at the park at 4 p.m. and walk around with the chef as she buys ingredients and offers cooking tips. That one is free. And Skyline Market, chefs or not, is another welcome freebie, with ready-to-eat meals for lunch and dinner, farmers stands, a happy hour, and more. The summer market is Fridays between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

As far as the market-chef events, no blade slingers have yet been announced. Better hurry up, Skyline Park people – the first dinner is scheduled for this Friday.

Who knew such creamy goodness could come from smushed bananas?

The food trucks finally rolled back into Civic Center, providing that end of the Mall a generous, and much-needed, culinary boost. The fleet of chow chariots expands the lunchtime options well beyond the usual: Subway, Jimmy Johns, Wok & Roll, over-priced fish and chips, and over-priced salad. The trucks bring banh mi, wood-fired pizza, arepas, barbecue, Berlin street food, and much more.

On last week’s opening day of Civic Center Eats, I nabbed a sweet treat from Ba-NOM-a-NOM, a Fort Collins truck that turns fruit – and nothing but fruit – into creamy, smooth desserts.

Sarah Ladley, the owner of Ba-NOM-a-NOM food truck, doles-out righteous desserts. (Douglas Brown)

Owner Sarah Ladley uses a contraption she made herself to mush the fruit into a soft-serve-like consistency. I got mine topped with vegan chocolate sauce, and scarfed-down the whole thing in about five minutes.

Ladley’s fruit bombs are my new Tuesday treat (Civic Center Eats runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Ladley is there on Tuesdays). And count me in for Civic Center Eats for twice a week until sometime in September.

Elway’s Restaurant will bring steaks, seafood and more to DIA (Evan Semón, Special to The Denver Post)

Food options at Denver International Airport keep getting better. Now comes Elway’s restaurant, with steaks, rack of lamb, seafood and more to the airport on the prairie, opening June 10.

The DIA joint makes it four Elway’s in the state: the first one, in Cherry Creek; downtown, in the Ritz-Carlton; in The Lodge at Vail, in Vail; and now beside the runways.

In addition to the upscale steakhouse fare, the airport Elway’s – on Concourse B – will serve take-out and breakfast, with items like beef hash, chicken fried steak burrito, omelets and even housemade granola. The full bar serves 33 wines by the glass, 59 by the bottle, and four on tap.

Way to go, John. Let’s hope the new joint is a touchdown.