Restaurant Reviews
Yellowbelly is for Boulder´s culinary chickens
There’s no way around it; with its efficient combination order-counter/steam-heated prep line, brightly colored walls and easy-clean tile floors packed into a strip mall unit on Arapahoe Street, Yellowbelly looks just like a fast food restaurant. And the contents of ...
Pizzeria da Lupo serves up little bites of excellence
When Julia Child anoints you as one of her Great Regional Chefs and James Beard names you one of the five best chefs in the Southwest, it’s safe to say you’re nearing the culinary apex. New York born chef and restaurateur Jim Cohen humbly accepts these accolades, but...
Brunch without the wait
Downtown Pearl Street is a sea of wait-lists on weekends between 9 a.m. and noon. The masses of hangover-inflicted students, sleepy 20-somethings, hungry and screaming children and hostile foodies all serve as roadblocks to the end goal: brunch. Luckily, tucked in ...
At your service
When we go out for a dining experience, there are expectations, many of which we can’t even articulate, but know viscerally when they’re not met. That’s why as a food writer, I spend so much time writing about a restaurant’s environment and atmosphere. The food is ...
Going guilty at Dish Gourmet
Since 2006, chef-owner Brian Benham’s Pearl Street fixture has been catering to Boulderites in the figurative as well as the literal sense of the verb. From the antique pantry at the entrance of Dish Gourmet to the colorful blackboard menu mounted above the deli ...
Comfort and warmth in Arabesque’s kitchen
With my Italian family, the kitchen is the focal point of our lives. Gathering around the kitchen table is where we find ourselves as we sit through laughter, joy, sadness and loss. It is our common denominator and of course there is always endless food to fill our ...
A refreshing take on a tequila bistro
Sweet and spicy mole sauce, crunchy peanuts and tangy pickled red onions — the chicken mole taco at Tahona Tequila Bistro says everything you need to know about this downtown Pearl locale: It’s well-executed, vibrant and unique, and it’s best experienced with a ...
Classy doesn’t have to be pricey
You know a restaurant is truly farm-to-table when the menu has to be printed daily. Don’t worry. The paper gets recycled. Chef Eric Skokan and his wife Jill deliver ingredients directly after a harvest from their 130-acre farm to sister restaurants Black Cat and ...
Can’t complain
As applied to restaurants no less than to novels or films, the adjective “critic-proof ” is usually a backhanded compliment, acknowledging the consumer savvy rather than the craftsmanship of the producer in question. There’s just no point in arguing with the easy ...
An overdone riff
The word “riff” implies improvisation and excitement. It instantly brings to mind a memorable guitar solo, and applied to food, the expectation for something inspiring. Unfortunately, in the case of Riffs Urban Fare, there is such a thing as too much riffing...
In bee-tween
After taking a head count on my most recent visit to the Beehive Restaurant and arriving at a grand total of 20 women and four babies to only two men, I found myself rushing home to watch Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time in years. Between the circulation of ...
Cheaper than a plane ticket to Japan
Melita and David Issa know a good Izakaya. An Izakaya is best translated as a tavern, or in the case of Izakaya Amu, a classy looking sake bar. In Japan, this is the place to go after work to drink, smoke, eat and drink some more. In Boulder, Amu is the place to ...