The Moonlight Classic

Yesterday was one of my most highly anticipated events of the year -- the Moonlight Classic, ranked second only to Thanksgiving, and above my birthday, Mr. Rose's birthday, our wedding anniversary, and even Halloween.  The Moonlight Classic combines several enticing aspects into one event.  Outrageous costumes, lots of bicycles, extremely loud music, a bathtub full of beer, and, of course, enough food to feed an army, twice.  The food isn't fancy, mind you.  It does have to feed an army twice, after all.  But it is always satisfying and there must be enough for the Moonlight Classic pre-party AND the post-party.

Every year, a couple dozen people park their bikes in our backyard at dusk, one of which has a serious sound system on the rear rack hooked up to a car battery which one rider must carry throughout the ride.  We feed these people, so they have energy for the slow and drunken ride.  People go back for seconds of brats, burgers and sides.  Round about midnight, we light up some glow sticks and flashing head and tail lights, and roll down the hill to the Capitol, where the Moonlight Classic starts.  And when we're done with our 10-mile loop around Denver, we reconvene at some pickup trucks strategically parked at the bottom of the hill, and transport our revelers back up the hill to our house to nosh on leftovers.  The last party-goers depart from the Speakeasy Kitchen, exhausted, but full and re-hydrated, in the wee hours of the next morning, about an hour before sunrise.

On the table this year were pico de gallo and guacamole with freshly fried corn chips, multi-colored potato salad, roasted corn salad, and pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and olivada.

The potato salad was simple and delicious, with multi-colored potatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and mint, tossed with a lemony herbed vinaigrette.  Not only was it a good side dish for the cookout, but it'll be excellent with eggs in the morning... the very late morning.