Hot dogs on a stick over a flame make a fine meal when camping. But maybe you’ve been looking to upgrade your dining experience while enjoying the outdoors?
Last week, Root Down in Denver rolled out a gourmet camping meal kit that can be pre-ordered from the restaurant, packed, and easily warmed up tent-side (or just at home).
Related: What Colorado’s top chefs cook when they go camping
It will set you back a few dollars more than a pack of hot dogs and buns, but Root Down executive chef Brendan Bailey said it’s worth the pricetag; each meal kit costs $74, comes in an insulated bag and serves two people. “We want it to be worth it for the guest, and worth it for us,” he said. “Nothing is cheap these days, especially good takeout food.”
So what’s in it? The main course is boneless short ribs from Callicrate Farms in Colorado Springs, with a peach barbecue sauce. That is accompanied by fork-tender potatoes that were sautéed in duck fat with onions and Peru’s famed yellow aji chile peppers.
“Those are one of my favorite things,” Bailey said. “They travel well and are easily reheated. You can forget about them and overcook them and they are still really good.”
There are also seasonal vegetables – summer succotash — a “trail mix” salad with hot honey vinaigrette, and a s’mores kit. Customers can also order bottled wines or cocktails (made by The Family Jones) to go along with the food. The kits should be ordered at least three days in advance since they are limited, and are available for pickup at Root Down, 1600 W. 33rd Ave., on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. (DoorDash delivery is also available.)
“The number one thing,” Bailey said, was to make sure the meals are practical for someone who is going camping with minimal equipment and are of “good quality when reheated. We asked ourselves, ‘What would you want to be eating around a campfire?’”
Bailey recommended heating the meals up in a pan or pot on a campstove, but he said they could also be warmed over a fire if necessary in the foil packets they come in.
“We wanted to find a new way to engage with guests. If it goes well, we will probably extend it through the rest of the summer if there is demand,” he added.
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