Parducci  wines are so good because the vintners take such good care of the land,  according to owner Tim Thornhill. The Mendocino County, Calif., vineyards have  been around since prohibition, but in recent years under Thornhill’s tutelage,  it has made sustainability part of its core mission, and now claims to be the  nation’s first carbon neutral winery (and its greenest, overall, a distinction  that’s difficult to measure). It’s an energy- and water-efficient operation that  draws its power from renewable sources and shuns chemical pesticides or  fertilizers in favor of predatory insects for pest control, on-site owls for  rodent control, homemade compost for fertilizer and other organic and biodynamic  growing methods.

“I want more insects,” Thornhill says, and, expanding on his water-, energy-  and soil-saving practices, he adds: “I end up with a better wine in the  end.”

It’s true. The 2008 Sustainable Red is an easy smooth-drinking wine described  by Parducci as having “berry fruit flavors and spicy complexities” that pair well with pasta, pizza and flavorful cheese.

Experience Parducci’s wines first hand right here in Denver at Rialto Cafe on April 23rd at 6:30pm for a 4-course paired dinner, featuring a menu by Chef Michael Dodge and Q&A by Pardcci Winemaker, Bob Swain. THhe menu will feature the popular Sustainable Red and a rare Port that only is allowed to family member of the Wineyard. The cost of the WIne Dinner is $50 per person (tax & gratuity additional) and includes 4 glasses of the sought after wine!

Check out the Parducci Wine Dinner menu here.

Reservation to this event can be made by calling: 303.260.4735

 Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/latest/parducci-sustainable-red-wine#ixzz2O16o4wvf

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Gluten-free diets first emerged as a treatment for the chronic disease of the intestinal tract dubbed Celiac Disease.  The cause of this illness is unknown however it is linked to the gene pool.  If a family member is affected, chances are more likely there will be other cases within that family.  Although the disease itself is incurable, a gluten free diet is proven to ease the laundry list of uncomfortable symptoms that affect Celiac patients.  Gluten, a protein composite found in wheat, grains, oats, rye, barley, etc., breaks down the villi in the intestine, which prohibits the patient from absorbing nutrients, therefore, they become malnourished.

Celiac disease is a very real one, but the gluten free diet associated with it has become a trend amongst health enthusiasts.  Gluten intolerance is a very different device and many people use this diet in order to alleviate much smaller discomforts than those who have actually been diagnosed with Celiac.  All the same, restaurants cater to this trend, offering menus filled with grain free items to make dining experiences more enjoyable for all of those affected by either of these disorders.

At the Rialto Café, we developed a gluten free menu several years ago in light of these changing dietary demands and trends.  Just ask your server to present this menu and you will be delighted with limitless choices of appetizers, entrees, “naked” burgers, soups, salads and even desserts.

For lunch, sample the Seared Ahi Tuna appetizer or the “naked” salmon sandwich topped with artichoke hearts and tomatoes.  For dinner choose from steak, seafood or our infamous pork chop.  Top off your dining experience with chocolate fondue, created just for you.

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Chefs everywhere are playing with Mac and Cheese recipes, adding lobster, truffle oil, bacon and the like.  They are embracing your grandma’s meatloaf recipe with open arms, taking it apart and putting it back together with items such as buffalo, kobe and turkey as opposed to the traditional ground beef.  Culinary geniuses everywhere are infusing mashed potatoes, rotating rotisserie chicken and re-creating bread puddings, chocolate cakes and apple pies.

If you have been to the Rialto Café in the past ten years, this may all sound familiar to you.  Our Truffle Mac and Cheese, Skillet Corn Bread, Buffalo Meatloaf and White Chocolate

These are not your grandmother’s pork chops…But they are massively delicious! Another of Rialto’s upscale twists on a hearty homemade meal.

Cherry Bread Pudding were all created in the idea of giving you the comforts of home…Long before the downturn in the economic status of our nation.

This, for us, is not a trend.  This is a foundation of our ideology as a dining establishment.  It may be a coincidence that we stayed ahead of the curve on this Comfort Food Trend created by the topsy-turvy economy, but it there is no irony in the fact that we are so good at this specific aspect of the food industry.  Comfort food with an elegant twist has always been a “trend” of ours…Time and practice does, in fact, make perfect.

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The Rialto Café embraces the theater crowd with open arms, offering a $28, three course, pre-fixe theater menu, free parking after 4:30pm and 50% off select bottles of wine to theater ticket holders.

The introductory course includes the option of our soup of the day, a house salad with mandarin oranges, goat cheese and slivered almonds or a house made Caesar salad.  For your entrée, choose between our Fresh Scottish Salmon with creamy goat cheese polenta, tender Beef Short Ribs, Herb Roasted Half Chicken or a Bacon Wrapped Shrimp nicoise style salad.  As an encore, try the Red Velvet Layer Cake, Crème Brulee, White Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding or a Lik’s Ice Cream Sampler.

For drinks, enjoy any of our delicious signature cocktails or, as part of the theater package, 50% off select bottles of wine.  Our current selections include:

Kim Crawford Unoaked Chard

The Book of Mormon Musical opened on Broadway March 2011 and when the theater recordings were released, it ranked as the highest charting broadway cast in four decades coming in at No. 3 on billboard charts.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Bouchard Pouilly Fuse Chardonnay

Jacob Demmer Reisling

Brancott Pinot Grigio

Beringer Knight’s Valley Cabernet

Greg Norman Shiraz

Seghesio Family Vineyard, Zinfandel

Estancia Pinot Noir

Columbia Crest Grand Estate Merlot

Tierra Secreta Reserva Malbec

Call us for reservations for the Pre-Fixe Theater menu at 303-893-2233 in order for us to ensure you make it to the show on time!

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Stop in after a movie or a show and try the Black Forest Cake, a dark chocolate indulgence, riddled with candied cherries, dark chocolate mousse and fresh raspberry sauce and “rounded” out with a crème brulee center.  Or, if you’re completely stuffed after a Rialto Café dinner, steal away with a piece of our Key Lime Pie with a graham cracker crust and freshly whipped cream.

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Last month, we made some annual changes to both our lunch and our dinner menus.  To start, we listened to your cravings for a few items from our happy hour menu and added them as appetizers so they are available all the time.  The Kobe Beef Sliders and Prosciutto Wrapped Dates, stuffed with gorgonzola cheese, are now both options during lunch, dinner and both happy hours.

We have also added some brand new menu items, also available at both lunch and dinner.  For a healthier alternative to a beef burger, try the All Natural Turkey Burger topped with garlic aioli, or pile it high with your favorite burger setup.  We like it as the Caprese Burger with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato.  Another deliciously healthy addition is the Summer Salad, a vegetarian’s delight piled high with mixed greens, cornbread croutons, asparagus, radishes, fennel, gorgonzola, heirloom grape tomatoes, hard-boiled egg and lemon-herb vinaigrette.  If you are interested in something a little heartier, try it out with a Scottish Salmon filet for just a few dollars more.

On the dinner menu, you will find a new selection from the sea.  We have replaced our Mahi filet with an Asian-inspired, pan seared Halibut topped with mango salsa and accompanied by baby bok choy and jasmine rice.  On the fishy side of things, we still offer the house favorite, Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna, but we have made a few small improvements to this delicate cut of fish.  For starters, we have encrusted the tuna with sesame and recommend it seared rare to medium rare.  Again, borrowing from an Asian influence, we have paired it with wasabi whipped potatoes, baby bok choy and a lemon buerre blanc.  Our salmon entrée, a house favorite since our inception, has also been changed for the better.  We have upgraded to using fresh Scottish Salmon for both the entrée and the Blackened Salmon Salad and have added sautéed fennel and replaced our diced tomatoes with heirlooms.  Don’t worry though the creamy goat cheese polenta and spinach are still the accompaniments for this favored dish!

Our Pork Chop is still the same enormous chunk of meat and still rests on a pillow of our famous wild mushroom risotto (which you can now order as a side dish!), but the pork is now herb crusted and packed with more flavor.  An addition of sautéed broccolini not only adds color, but health, and taste, benefits for you!

With our Herb Roasted Half Chicken, you will now find sautéed spinach and heirloom grape tomatoes.  Atop the London Broil now lies a gooey mound of smoky Poblano Butter.  All of these altercations, no matter how small, are made in our attempt to enhance each of your dining experiences at the Rialto Café just a little bit more.  Stop in soon and test out the new menu.  Tell us what you like, and what you don’t.  We are always listening for recommendations from you, our guests, in regards to ongoing improvements we can make to both the menu and the restaurant.

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Photo of last year’s Dinner in White courtesy of The Denver Post.

A group of young professionals developed the first Dinner in White three years ago and it has been a true success, being named “Best Special Fundraising Event of 2010″ by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  The Rialto Cafe and Ignite! are pleased to be among the dozen or so sponsors to lend employees, food, drink and funds to this eclectic event.

The facebook page urges ticket holders to “Dress in all white, prepare a picnic dinner and await notification at 6:00pm revealing the secret location in Denver.”  Tickets at $50 each are no longer available on the website, but you can contact contact Jen Garner of the AMC Cancer Fund at garnerj@amc.org for information on enjoying an evening in a simulated Parisian wonderland.

For more information, visit www.dinnerinwhite.com.

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There are hundreds of restaurants that line the Mall of 16^th Street, so why do the business people who require Denver as a second home flock to the Rialto?  Our staff is one of those reasons.  We make it an objective to quickly learn familiar faces and put, not only a name to them, but a favorite menu item, a regular drink or your preferred seat at the bar.

For example, last year, there were two gentlemen from Michigan who were in town on business for several months.  Each night, they drifted from the Courtyard into the Rialto bar to find their seats at the end open, or quickly cleared out by the bartenders, and their beers greeting them.  The bar staff not only made sure to accommodate their regular menu and seating requests, but also to get to know them as friends and vice versa.  We like to think we made their time away from home not only bearable, but fun.

Additionally, and on a more formal note of business, we have several banquet and meeting spaces to which we cater within the hotel.  Lunch meetings in the restaurant are made to be efficient and we welcome call-ahead orders for large parties.  Happy hour gatherings are welcome, either in our cocktail area or, more privately, on our mezzanine.  Each year, a large business buys out the restaurant and we set the stage for a party with ice luges and mojito stations!

Whether you are a lone traveler, looking for some company and some comfort food, or a large group looking for a space for your business, or pleasure, functions, we have it all at the Rialto Café.  Contact our marketing department in the Courtyard to start planning your next event!

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86’d- Once the kitchen or bar run out of a certain item, you may hear staff running around communicating to each other, “86 mussels,” or “86 Coors Light.”  This means there is no more of an item in house either for a temporary time period or for the entire evening.

The Well- The service area of the bar where the ticket printer generates the servers’ drink orders and one bartender is typically assigned to produce these drinks in a timely manner.

The Rail- The counter of the bar where guests order from the bar staff.  On a busy evening, one tender will take care of the guests seated or standing “on the rail” while another tends to “the well.”

Up or Down-  In reference to a martini or a manhattan, “up” is shaken or stirred and then strained into a cocktail glass while down is slang for “on the rocks.”

All Day- The total number of items needed to “sell” a ticket or tickets.  For example, if there are five tickets on the kitchen printer with four steaks listed amongst the tickets, the lead on the line will call for “Four steaks all day.”

Back of the House- The kitchen staff and chefs.

Front of the House- The service staff and management.

In the Weeds- Falling behind or being swamped.  If a server is sat with five tables at once or the kitchen or bar receives a large number of tickets at the same time, they will likely be in the weeds.  Typically, another staff member or management will be called upon for help to get out of the weeds.

Covers- The number of people a staff member is serving at a given point in time.  For example, if a server has a table of four and a table of two, they have six covers.

On the Fly- Rapido.  As in, we needed that item yesterday and please expedite its service to the table.

Selling a ticket- When a ticket transmitted to the bar or the kitchen is ready to hit the table.

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All of this information about the Rialto Theatre is not easy to come by on the web.  The building was torn down and is now a parking lot adjacent to the Courtyard Marriott.  After a plethora of different Google searches, I finally happened upon this article from the Westword in regards to the opening of the Rialto Café in 1998.  An interesting read if you have the time, although a lot has changed since our inception… http://www.westword.com/content/printVersion/211861/

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