Restaurant Reviews
South of the border but a cut above
While most local Mexican restaurants are affordable familystyle venues, there are a handful of restaurants in this genre gunning for something rarefied. These locales up the ante with memorable ambience, a gourmet versus utilitarian experience, and prices to ...
Simply satisfying
After a long flight back from California, I needed something comforting yet not complicated to facilitate my post-holiday re-entry to the working week. Consigliere Keith had been kind enough to give me a lift from DIA, and Louisville’s Via Toscana, an old standby, ...
A simple question
On the far western edge of the Hill’s business district sits a building that used to be the Second Kitchen Food Co-op but has since been remodeled and made the home of Alpine Modern Café. It’s the restaurant of a company that publishes the Alpine Modern magazine, a...
Mateo is authentic, affordable high-end dining
Mateo is the place you wish existed in the U.S. when you’re abroad, eating simple and wonderful food, so abundant that you hate yourself...
It’s in the name
There’s no better name for Precision Pours in Louisville than what they chose. Like many in the craft coffee world, there is a focus on acquiring the best beans from around the world, and there is a second focus on using the best methods available to extract flavor, ...
Otis and a beer
Poor Otis. Otis is the cartoon pig mascot of Nederland’s Wild Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery, seemingly oblivious to his likely fate as a barbecued entrée here. The sign above the front door shows him quizzically contemplating a spilled mug of beer. But more ...
Boulder restaurant Zeal flaunts enthusiasm
One by one, the nations participating in the Winter Olympics in Sochi strolled past the cameras, waving flags and led by pretty women wearing go-go boots and enormous, garish metal and plastic cages. Poor Tajikistan only had one athlete to boast of...
Step away from the buffet
As part of my ongoing efforts to craft a taxonomy for Chinese restaurants, I recently realized there are two main angles to categorizing these eateries. The first is assessing the formality and pricing of the place, ranging from the come-one-come-all budget dive to ...
The return of succulent sushi
About a year ago, I was dismayed to learn that Longmont’s Ichiban was suspending its sushi and sashimi service, as this was perhaps my favorite spot for variations on the raw fish theme. I was out of sorts until learning that a retooled version of Ichiban reopened ...
Rolling with noodles in Lafayette
The brief email arrived late on Saturday afternoon from old friend Daniel, who I hadn’t seen in years. It was a summons to Lafayette’s Udon Kaisha, which he deemed “the best!” Not one to turn down such an invitation, I soon found myself in a strip mall chockablock ...
A well-designed and hospitable Kasa
You’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant in Boulder with a more conscious design aesthetic than the Japanese eatery known as Kasa Japanese Grill. Decor here is anchored by leafy trees painted monochromatic white, setting off light hardwood floors in a cheerful, ...
Creation Story
Creativity is paramount in the coffee game. Hell, creativity is the coffee game. Now, the folks at Folger’s would have you believe it’s about ease, and the hipsters downtown would have you believe it’s all about Bunsen burners and science bottles. But at its core, ...

















