Going, going gone: Twelve tickets left for the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour with Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and Thanawat Bates

Frasca Food & Wine executive chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

The Celebrity Chef Tour benefiting the James Beard Foundation lands in Denver tonight, stopping at the Brown Palace, 321 17th Street. That's where Frasca Food & Wine executive chef (and 2008 James Beard award winner for Best Southwest Chef) Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson will join host chefs Thanawat Bates and William Dexter for a reception and six-course tasting menu paired with wines chosen from master sommeliers Bobby Stuckey, from Frasca, and Richard Betts, the former wine director of the Little Nell in Aspen.

The dinner kicks off at 7 p.m., and tickets, of which only a dozen remain, are $175 per person and can be purchased by calling 720-201-1853. True, the ticket price is steep, but the menu and wine selections look deliriously fantastic:

Passed Canapés

Lachlan: Mozzarella "fritta" - "mlinci" and mustard crema
Thanawat: "Pizza" - cannelloni, ricotto cream and tomato
"Potato and Leek" - confit Yukon and truffle aioli
Wine: Betts & Scholl riesling 2008
Beer: Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe Blonde

First Course:

Lachlan: Hawaiian kampachi "crudo" - Toohey Farms pimento peppers and pickled horseradish
Wine pairing: Scarpetta pinot grigio 2008

Second Course:

Lachlan: Red Wagon Farms vegetable salad - carrots, zucchini, onions, sorrel and montegrappa
Wine pairing: Scarpetta friulano 2007

Third Course:

Lachlan: "Riso superfino carnaroli" - tomato juice and Parmesan
Wine Pairing: Betts & Scholl grenache OG 2007

Fourth Course:

Thanawat: Colorado lamb loin - lard, lavender, honey and celery root
Wine pairing: Betts & Scholl hermitage rouge 2004

Fifth Course:

Thanawat: Nantasket Bay scallop with apple, bacon, savory cabbage, Champagne and American caviar

Wine pairing: Infinite Monkey Theorem Riesling 2008

Dessert

Frasca's Valrhona chocolate cake with toasted macadamia nuts and passion fruit- caramel buttercream served with chocolate gelato

Beer and wine pairings: Leffe Blonde and Marenco Bracchetto d'Acqui 2008