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Morin, the forthcoming modern French restaurant from the folks behind Bar Dough and Señor Bear, isn’t set to open in the historic Wazee Supper Club space in LoDo until this summer. But the Morin team is giving Denverites a taste of what they can expect with a pop-up dinner—hopefully, the first of many—which will take place at the currently empty restaurant (formerly Bremen’s Wine & Tap) next to Señor Bear, on Wednesday, March 28. The sneak peek will give diners a chance to experience the inventive cooking that chefs Max Mackissock and Blake Edmunds have been working on.
“We have shared some dishes that we are planning for Morin with friends and family over the last few weeks,” says MacKissock, “and now we are testing out our plan to a bigger audience.”
The party will start with rounds of hors d’oeuvres, including an oyster mousse with a seaweed tuile and a dish of Japanese eggplant with cured bluefin tuna belly, tomato confit, and crispy squash. There will also be a potato course—all before the actual four-course supper begins.
What’s a potato course? On this particular pop-up menu, it is a variation of “pommes aligot,” an ultra-rich, cheesy, whipped potato dish that in its classic form resembles a very thick, lavalike fondue. Mackissock plans to use Gruyère curds for Wednesday’s preparation, garnishing with allium (the plant family that includes onions, garlic, scallions, leeks, and chives) butter and fried bits of potato. When Morin opens, the menu will include an entire spud section, where Mackissock will highlight his obsession with the starchy nightshade.
On Wednesday, the first of the four plated courses will be a paté de campagne (a country-style terrine), with crispy pork belly, nuoc cham (a Vietnamese sauce), and lightly pickled crudité. Mackissock says that in-season leeks will star in other courses. French culinary traditions ground—but certainly don’t limit—the modern techniques and preparations that will appear in each one of these new dishes.
It’s not expected that every menu item served at this first pop-up will make it to Morin’s final menu. “We are definitely asking diners for feedback,” says Mackissock. “There will be comment cards and we are actively looking to figure out what works and what doesn’t.” So, consider this your chance to influence the development of a new Denver restaurant.
Morin is scheduled to open in July with dinner service; lunch and brunch will be added later on. In the meantime, the team hopes to show off more of its ideas with recurring pop-ups. If you miss tomorrow’s, look for future events on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
If you go: The Morin pop-up takes place on Wednesday, March 28, starting at 6:30 p.m., at 2005 W. 33rd Ave. (formerly Bremen’s Wine & Tap). Non-refundable tickets, which cost $150 per person, can be purchased by emailing morin5280@gmail.com.