• Canned food and frozen dinners? Pathetic. Go inside Cook Street here: http://ow.ly/21cSM #
• What do you serve at a dinner hosted by the queen? Hint: it's offal – http://ow.ly/21cZc #
• Foodie quote of the day: "We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking." ~Steve Elbert #
• Are you cutting back on seafood due to the #oilspill? You may not have to: http://ow.ly/21d5J #
• Interesting @cafewestword feature on Oogave, a local soda alternative with big plans: http://ow.ly/21Lov #
• Seating's still available for @wynkoop's 6/24 beer dinner…w/craft brew superstar Greg Koch of Stone Brewing. Call 303-297-9999 for deets. #
• Foodie quote of the day: "When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste." ~Laiko Bahrs #
• Here's a new kind of test kitchen…one where chefs try out for jobs: http://ow.ly/21LGV #
• Great article on eco-awareness at restaurants. We compost, recycle…how has your kitchen gone green? http://ow.ly/21LIL #
• What's better than leftovers that taste better the next day? @cafewestword dishes on ten faves: http://ow.ly/22fRD #
• Is well-done meat a thing of the past? We found this article intriguing: http://ow.ly/22fU6 #
• Foodie quote of the day: "The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live." ~Confucius #
• When's the last time you brushed up on improv cooking, i.e. using what's in the fridge/pantry sans recipe? We can help: http://ow.ly/22fYe #
• Yeah, yeah, we've heard it before…but are whoopie pies really replacing cupcakes in hotness? http://ow.ly/22fVu #
• For some chefs, the roof's now the place to be (and not just for dining): http://ow.ly/22EJo #
• YES: Gourmet Magazine making an (online) return: http://ow.ly/22ELb What's your fave cooking website? #
• Foodie quote of the day: "If junk food is the devil, then a sweet orange is as scripture." ~Terri Guillemets #
• Wait…what? Food Network calls King's Chef Diner the best breakfast in Colorado http://ow.ly/22EP3 (via @sprocketcomm) #
• Congratulations @chipotle for your 1,000th restaurant! http://ow.ly/23e0i #
• How does French Laundry stay fresh? Great article on a great restaurant: http://ow.ly/23e3r #
• Foodie quote of the day: "Bread and butter, devoid of charm in the drawing-room, is ambrosia eating under a tree." ~Elizabeth Russell #
• This is cool: a dinner based entirely on recipes from the 1870s. What will you eat this weekend? http://ow.ly/23e83 #

• When's the last time you ate manna? This heavenly food is for real: http://ow.ly/1Yf6v #
• Got ugly tomatoes? You could have beautiful soup. We love this article about making do with weird-looking food: http://ow.ly/1Yfde #
• Foodie quote of the day: "All sorrows are less with bread." ~ Miguel de Cervantes #
• Like good design with your food? Vote for @modmarket for outstanding restaurant design: http://ow.ly/1Yjo4 #
• Interesting article on what seafood scarcity is doing to New Orleans cuisine (and creative workarounds): http://ow.ly/1Yz8v #oilspill #
• This article offers something you don't see so often…a great explanation of the purpose and mentality of the aperitif: http://ow.ly/1YzaE #
• Foodie (meaty) quote of the day: "Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." ~Doug Larson #
• Craving something sweet? It won't be too long until Sugar Bakeshop opens its doors (via @cafewestword): http://ow.ly/1YzbB #
• This article on food and fatherhood gives us the warm fuzzies. Do you cook with your kids? http://ow.ly/1Zhxn #
• We enjoyed this profile on @mealswithlove's Jon Emanuel via @cafewestword: http://ow.ly/1ZhBe #
• RT @VinoLuci: RT @stsupery: A special #WineWednesday to @VinoLuci for helping us with the new look of our blog –> http://www.stsupery.com/blog... #
• Who's that we spy on this new Metromix feature? Cook Street, of course! Watch Thurs at 9:30 p.m. on KTVD-My20 http://ow.ly/1Znpi #
• Foodie quote of the day: "There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson #
• We're dishing on our favorite vegetarian websites on the blog: http://ow.ly/1ZoCp What's your fave veggie site? #
• More than "a moment" for Alex Seidel, just picked as one of Food & Wine's 10 best new chefs: http://ow.ly/1ZCvI #
• As farm to table heats up for the summer, we're compelled to ask…which farmer's market do you frequent? Any faves of the season? #
• Foodie quote of the day: "Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing." ~ Walt Kelly #
• Another nod to cooking with dad: this NPR essay about butter chicken (yum): http://ow.ly/1ZCyq #
• Thanks for sharing your fave farmers' markets – @justforthefork likes Denver Urban Homesteading, @vinoluci indulges at Cherry Creek. #
• Summer means lavender, and this article on cooking with lavender has us craving this aromatic treat: http://ow.ly/206LF #
• They're here…summer wine recommendations from Cook Street's expert wine staff! YUM: http://ow.ly/20pJR #
• Foodie quote of the day: "In general, mankind, since the improvement in cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires." ~ Benjamin Franklin #

At Cook Street, we’re all about wine as the perfect complement to deliciously prepared food.  And in honor of the season (and our upcoming wine classes like Wine 101 and our Wine and Food Pairing Seminar), we’d like to suggest a few delicious summer wines perfect for lazy afternoons and warm temperatures.

2009 Bieler Pere et Fils Rosé is Cook Street’s “house Rosé” …and for good reason!  Hailing from the Coteaux D’Aix-en-Provence, it’s a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.  We like to call it a “porch pounder,” i.e. a wine that is best enjoyed in quantity on a porch with friends.  Expect a dry flavor profile that combines the best things about red wine with the refreshing quality of a white…and blackberry, strawberry, and citrus notes that make it a great pair for grilled chicken, light salads, and anything mild and summery.  Priced at about $11 a bottle, you can afford to enjoy it all summer long!

Our second pick, Cave de Bonnieux Luberon Blanc “Les Safres”, is another blend (60 % Grenache, 40 % Clairette), and is sourced from ancient vineyards.  This wine is so fragrant you almost don’t need to drink it…but you’ll want to!  Think medium body, brilliant texture and mouthfeel, and gobs of minerals, white flowers, tropical fruits, melons, apricots, citrus.  Yes, this is another one of the “patio pounder” family of summer wines, and it’s so easy to drink that non-white-wine drinkers will surprise themselves by coming back for more.  Since this wine sees no oak, it’s a pure expression of fruit and mineral and truly embodies its birthplace near picturesque Provence, France.  It’s delicious on its own, but loves to play with light meats, grilled summer veggies, pasta salad, and much more.

Thanks to Cook Street Recreation/Events Coordinator Kathryn Brinkmann and Wine Educator Debbie Gray for these lip-smacking summer recommendations!

As we look forward to next week’s Vegetarian Feast course (panzanella!  portabello burgers!  slots still available!), our thoughts are turning to some of our favorite resources for vegetarian recipes and cooking techniques online.  Whether you’re a committed veghead or you’re trying to incorporate more seasonal fruits and veggies into your life, dig into these blogs and websites:

• Smitten Kitchen:  Entirely vegetarian?  No, but Deb’s fearless style and mouthwatering food photography is worth checking out anyway, especially her recipe sections that feature seasonal dishes and salads/veggie sides that are the stuff of fantasy.
• Vegan YumYum:  Vegan.  Yum, yum!  This blog is all about healthy food that still tastes delectable.
• The Post-Punk Kitchen: Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Romero, and the entire veggie/vegan crew behind Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World and The Veganomicon aren’t messing around…and their approach to everything from comfort foods to simple sides rates a second, third, and fourth glance.
• Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen: Who knew that healthy could taste (and look) so good?
• Karate Kitchen: These Portland, Oregon vegetarians are all about farm-to-table and crazy deliciousness.

What about you?  What are your favorite vegetarian websites and blogs?

• RT @MapleLeafFarms: Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Yum! #
• Tonight: eat small plates at @vestagrill, benefit Urban Peak and homeless youth: http://ow.ly/1V2Pa (via @cafewestword) #
• Foodie quote of the day: "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." ~Harriet van Horne #
• Ew…global food additives market is now almost a $40 billion business: http://ow.ly/1V2RZ #
• Here's another item for your culinary calendar: the Frisco BBQ fest is coming to town 6/17: http://ow.ly/1V2Wc (via @denverpost) #
• Whoa. PETA plans to erect bloody chicken statue in support of chicken rights near McDnld's in Denver: http://ow.ly/1VGnn (via @cafewestword) #
• Intrigued by the food cart trend? Join alum business Brava Pizza, Gastro Cart and more June 27 with HUSH Denver. http://ow.ly/1VGu8 #
• Foodie quote: "The spirit cannot endure the body when overfed, but, if underfed, the body cannot endure the spirit." ~St Frances de Sales #
• The best blogs are like the best food: sweet, savory, memorable, and addictive. What's your fave? http://ow.ly/1VGy6 #
• We usually think of strawberries as sweet…but here are some savory uses: http://ow.ly/1W0Qx #
• Speaking of strawberries…have you ever heard of Eton Mess? http://ow.ly/1W0RI #
• This summer is all about grilling classes at Cook Street…and so we ask what YOUR favorite grilling trick/technique is? #
• Hmm…are artisanal sandwiches the next big foodie trend? http://ow.ly/1Ww71 #
• Foodie quote of the day: "As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists." ~Joan Gussow #
• In season and en vogue due to its versatility: oft-misunderstood broccoli rabe http://ow.ly/1Wwa2 #
• No special requests in restaurants? This should stir up some controversy… http://ow.ly/1X3Ev #
• This is so cool: raw food at Root Down on Tuesday nights: http://ow.ly/1X3EP #
• Foodie quote o'day: "He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise." ~Thoreau #
• Thinking of opening up a restaurant/foodie biz?Think Cook Street for advice/skills/confidence in The Business of Cooking: http://ow.ly/1Xj5G #

This hot weather means one thing…BBQ!!!  And Cook Street is hastening to serve up a handful of hot grilling classes perfect for summery days.  As we prep for our upcoming BBQ Classics class, we’re thinking of why grilling is the way to go…so let’s count to seven:

• It’s basic.  BBQed meats are a great basic staple…and is there anything simpler than meat plus fire?  That’s not to say BBQ can’t be gourmet.
• It’s dangerous.  Yeah, we admit it…we love the fear factor that accompanies flames.
• It’s not just for men.  We love it when women defy stereotype and rock the grill!
• It’s nutritious.  Did you know you can grill things like lettuce leaves and even peaches?
• It’s all about the great outdoors.  ‘Nuff said.
• It goes great with beer.  We recommend something by our neighbor, Great Divide Brewery!
• It’s delicious.  Chipotle glazed chicken…pulled pork sandwiches…grilled corn on the cob…what’s not to love?  Click here to view our BBQ Classics class or to your left for a full class calendar!

• Got food allergies? We enjoyed this guide to frugal food allergy shopping: http://ow.ly/1Sj7g #
• Foodie quote of the day: "Rice is born in water and must die in wine." ~Italian Proverb #
• Ever wonder what a bartender's life is like? @nytimesfood begins its Ask A Bartender series here: http://ow.ly/1SxrM #
• Bourbon and beef? Check out @cafewestword's culinary calendar for this week. What's on your plate this week? #
• Can one even call this food? Gut-busting "adventures in eating" have us slightly queasy: http://ow.ly/1SxvD #
• Via @denverchefdude – Tater tots for two? It's a date! http://ow.ly/1T439 #
• Foodie quote of the day: "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." ~Mark Twain #
• Congrats Chef Pete on your mention in @cafewestword's Cafe Bites newsletter! Subscribe at Westword's site for all the foodie fun. #
• Congrats to Cook Street grad David Bravdica, whose food cart was featured in this Denver Post article today: http://ow.ly/1T5qD #
• New on the blog: Forget Fast Food…Try French Food! http://ow.ly/1TjWS #
• Foodie quote of the day: "He who eats alone chokes alone." ~Proverb #
• On the menu for our prof students today: Duck Breast, Pan Fried Trout w/ Bacon & Basque Rice, Napoléon. What's on your menu today? #
• Like chili and beer? You're in luck with a delicious Snowmass event tonight: http://ow.ly/1U8hX (via @cafewestword) #
• Retro desserts get a rhubarb update with this mouthwatering mousse recipe: http://ow.ly/1U8of #
• Foodie quote of the day: "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." ~John Gunther #
• Happy National Donut Day! Learn to make your own here: http://ow.ly/1U8FZ #

In our many travels around the Web, we came across this great, albeit a bit older, EcoSalon article on reasons and ways to avoid eating at the Golden Arches.  It reminded us of why we’re so excited about French Cuisine over the “French fries” of [insert fast food joint here]…because French cuisine combines technique, diversity, fresh ingredients, and a love of food in a way that no fast-food “experience” ever could.  Case in point:  our French Classics class, which debuts June 23, where you can learn to make real frites and mussels, squash blossoms with chevre, steak au poivre vert, and chocolate souffle with fruit coulis.

Why go for fake food when you can make your own delicious food in the grand tradition of generations of French chefs?  It’s easier than you think…and each class at Cook Street comes with deliciously paired wines and plenty of warm ambience.  So get in the kitchen this summer!  Join us for French Classics June 23, or click here for a complete class calendar.