Il Giro Pizza
Pizza Colóre, 1336 Pearl St., Boulder, pizzacolore.com
Pizza Colóre does pizza right. Stop into the shop on Pearl Street for a slice and you’ll get an oversized, piping hot piece of pizza with the perfect crust-sauce-cheese ratio, and a crispy, sturdy crust that keeps the cheese and toppings in place. Take home a pie and something magical happens; something that happens to really good pies in New Jersey and Connecticut: the crust goes from extra crispy to slightly chewy as the cheese settles into it. Pizza Colóre’s crust does just this, the base still richly flavorful from the oven, but now with scarfable consistency and an integrity that keeps the toppings from sliding off. On the Il Giro pizza, Colóre tops its standard red sauce pizza with prosciutto, roasted red pepper and lightly fried eggplant. The toppings are smartly apportioned, and you’ll find yourself seeking out the crunchy and sweet eggplant bits. The sauce, meanwhile, is all fresh, bright tomato. $12-$16.95.
Breakfast Burrito
Sancho’s Mexican Restaurant, 2850 Iris Ave., Suite H, Boulder; 6545 Gunpark Drive, Suite 280, Boulder, sanchosmexican.com
If you’re coming down from an early morning hike, or ending a bike ride, or just woke up and want to take a nap, Sancho’s massive breakfast burrito is what you need. A lightly toasted, thin tortilla is stuffed with scrambled egg, hashbrowns, cheese, pork green chile and bacon. It’s remarkable that the burrito is able to stay together, but it does, and each bite brings pure, steaming indulgence. The eggs are fresh and fluffy, the hashbrown is shredded and distributed throughout the burrito, giving each bite a crunch. The green chile is dynamite, and the bacon rounds everything out. $4.95.
Tofu Bibimbap
Korea House, 2750 Glenwood Drive, Suite 4, Boulder
There’s really a lot to like about Boulder’s Korea House, it being one of the few establishments dedicated solely to Korean food in Boulder County. The cozy, well-designed space off 28th Street is a nice place to bring friends for a large, sharable meal. If you’re solo, though, try the traditional bibimbap. Glass noodles are piled with scallions, purple cabbage, carrots, pickled radish and tofu (or meat if you choose), with a fried egg on top making everything just a little richer. Pour over what comes off as a thick, mole-like chile sauce, with just a hint of heat, for something extra. $11.50.
Onigiri Set
Fuji Cafe & Bar, 2018 Broadway, Boulder, fujicafebar.com
Onigiri falls somewhere between a sushi hand roll and a sushi burrito. It’s a triangle of sticky rice, with one sheet of nori going underneath and halfway up the sides. Fuji Cafe & Bar’s onigiri are then filled and topped with your choice of mix-ins. Protein options include chicken teriyaki, beef shigure and tuna-mayo. First, the tuna-mayo is basically a tuna fish sandwich turned into a sushi roll, and it happens to be awesome — salty with a bright Japanese mayo paste. The chicken teriyaki is righteously understated, and the beef shigure is, conversely, packed with salt from soy sauce, sweetness from mirin and spice from ginger. A set comes with perhaps the best miso soup in the state and a side of fresh-steamed edamame. $12.80.
