This Thursday was Denver Health’s annual ‘Hot Rocks Griller Challenge’ hosted at Elway’s Cherry Creek. 15 of Denver’s best chefs competed for the title by serving up their concoctions of ‘sliders and sides’. It was the ultimate pre-Father’s day party with live music, great cocktails and more food than you could handle. All the proceeds even went to Denver Health’s mens programs, so it truly was a day for the guys. Luckily the chefs did not disappoint. Each station toted a name from Denver’s most highly acclaimed restaurants. The heavy weights, like Elway’s, The Squeaky Bean and TAG Raw Bar all stood up to their names whereas the featherweights like Steve’s Snappin Dogs were a surprise hit. After sampling all 15 booths I was completely stuffed but knew it was going to be an easy vote. All attendants were applicable to vote one time by depositing their poker chip (more were for sale) into a box at the booth of their choice. At first I thought I knew who the winner was hands down, however the official results came back differently than expected. Along with the opinion of event photography manager, Caitlin Savage, I choose TAG Raw Bar and Burger Bar as our winner for their absolutely delicious roasted mushroom burger. Although TAG did well in the polls they did not claim the coveted people’s choice award. Here’s who won:
People’s Choice:
1. Tyler Wiard & Aniedra Nichols of Elway’s Cherry Creek for their Korean BBQ Slider
2. Troy Guard of TAG Raw Bar and Burger Bar for their Mushroom burger
3. Steve Ballas for Steve’s Snappin Dogs for their Hominy Dog wrap.
Chef’s Chef’s Choice:
1. Troy Guard of TAG, TAG Raw Bar and TAG Burger Bar
2. Max Mackissock of Squeaky Bean
3. Jennifer Jasinski of Rioja, Bistro Vendôme & Euclid Hall
By the end of the night everyone was pretty satisfied whether they won or not. All the food was delicious and the charity was for a great cause. It was a wonderful way to kick off Father’s Day weekend and 303 definitely looks forward to next year’s event.