Celebrating the people, passion, and stories behind great hospitality with Tock 10.
Chefs counter at Beckon
Beckon
Denver, CO
The concept
The moon controls ocean tides and stabilizes the Earth’s axis. At Beckon, the satellite gets its due. Executive Chef Duncan Holmes presents one prix-fixe experience nightly, where earthy vegetables shine brightly in 11 dynamic courses paced across two-and-a-half hours. With thematic menus inspired by moon cycles, like summer’s Strawberry Moon or fall’s Harvest Moon, the dishes ebb and flow with the lunar calendar.
As the sun sets over Denver, it’s the moon’s turn to rule the night sky. It’s time for the first course: antelope broth with fragrant ginger and thyme. The steady rhythm of plates continues, putting you in a hypnotic-like trance of leeks, daikon, and truffles. Before you know it, the final course hits the table. One thing is for sure: Beckon will pull you back.
In addition to a bar director and two lead sommeliers, Beckon boasts an expert dedicated solely to the restaurant’s nonalcoholic beverage program: Chef Peter Briggs, who mixes herbs, teas, mirin, and more into alchemy. After dining at Beckon last fall, the Beyond Beurre Blanc Substack called him a “genius” and begged all chefs who care about N/A drinks to send their staff to Beckon for research and development.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Fierberg
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Fierberg
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Fierberg
The Counter at Odell's
Denver, CO
The concept
Chef Miles Odell is best known for his wildly popular bagel shop, but this new chef’s counter experience is inspired by his three years in Japan, serving as a culinary ambassador selected by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and working at three-star MICHELIN restaurant Gion Sasaki in Kyoto. The restaurant transforms from a warm and sunny bagel shop by day to sleek fine dining at night. Guests gather at a 12-seat oak counter to watch Odell and his sous chefs grill every skewer and press each piece of sushi, handing pieces of nigiri directly to guests.
The kaiseki-inspired menu is a progression of cooked and raw courses, including traditional sushi preparations, chawanmushi, and Japanese binchōtan charcoal grilled skewers. There are even a couple of glimpses from the morning bagel shop, like an amuse bouche chip made from dehydrated salmon skin, and binchōtan grilled Colorado lamb dressed with everything spice miso made with seeds from Odell’s bagels. Sushi counter classics like soy-cured chutoro bluefin tuna topped with fresh nori sauce and lightly seared nodoguro are as precise as you’ll find in Japan.
For the free spirited creativity. Have you ever been to a tasting menu in a bagel shop? Odell is serious about his food and changes his hyper seasonal menu weekly, but wants diners to be laughing, asking questions, and having fun. The atmosphere is incredibly laidback for the level of cooking in such an untraditional kitchen.
