Cuisine
If it ain’t broke
In many ways, Boulder’s restaurant culture, with its focus on local, organic and high-quality ingredients and preparation, serves as a model for what the rest of the country could be doing to help Americans eat better. But a significant barrier to that end is that ...
It’s medal time
The first Great American Beer Festival (GABF) was held in the Harvest House Hotel in Boulder in 1982. The motley collection of 22 breweries brought 40 beers, and the 800 people in attendance can say they sampled the beginning of the craft beer revolution...
No exotic cow parts here
Pica’s Mexican Taqueria is the latest local entry in the mid-priced, fast-casual taco and burrito arena. Not a large chain or a strictly one-location operation, it nevertheless manages to dish out satisfying and surprisingly tasty-for-the-price Mexican specialties. ...
That’ll work
This food was made for beer. So it’s a good thing the beer at Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont is both tasty and plentiful...
In with the old
At a recent wine tasting in Boulder, there was a rarity being poured. We were all assured of it. The wine was made from 100 percent bobal grapes, a red varietal that is rarely seen in the U.S. on its own and is often used in blends. It’s mostly grown in Spain, where ...
More than a coffee shop
The first impression of downtown Boulder’s Saxy’s Cafe is that of your typical college town coffee shop with a ramshackle, slightly lived-in feel. But a closer look reveals more luxurious trappings epitomized by comfortable sofas and low coffee tables that give the ...
Water, water everywhere
After four days, six breweries and 13 beers, my conclusion on Northeast Ohio beer is that there’s something in the water. I’m not a chemist, but I am blaming the water for the little differences in the taste of the beer...
Every dog has its day
As far as drinking buddies go, they don’t come much better than Tobias. He’s always at the bar at SKEYE Brewing in Longmont. As I get deeper into the flight of seven house beers and grow untidy, he’s spilling his drink all over the floor, too. And he doesn’t say a ...
The simple made special for New Year’s
As the holiday season draws to a close, some prefer to spend a quiet New Year’s at home instead of venturing out...
Looking for a wine list bargain?
One recent Saturday morning, a friend sent me the wine list for Green Zebra, one of Chicago’s top vegetarian restaurants, and asked for my advice. He was dining there that evening with friends who enjoyed wine but weren’t obsessive about it. So he would be tasked ...
Celebrate Food Day by eating local
The first annual National Food Day is Monday, Oct. 24, and, naturally, Boulder County has decided to engage in the effort with an Eat Local Challenge...
Recreating a childhood Asian treat
Noodles were always an integral part of my family’s Friday night dinners in Oakland Chinatown. Sometimes these restaurant repasts featured thick ribbons of chow fun rice noodles topped with slices of flank steak seasoned with salty black beans and hot mustard. If we ...