Restaurant Reviews
Southern Indian seasonings
One of my more ill-advised college misadventures involved a midnight competition with a classmate to see who could consume the most Tabasco sauce straight. While I prevailed, I learned a valuable lesson (actually one of several) in that heat for heat’s sake isn’t a ...
Mary’s is not just for cyclists
It was a blowout day. And I mean that quite literally, as friend Keith’s front bicycle tire suddenly popped with a thunderous bang. Taking quick evasive action, I swerved around him as he managed to straighten out his trajectory and keep his bike upright. Fortunately...
A culinary effort to infuse with brews
Back in the ’80s, before microbreweries and tap rooms had entered the public consciousness, my parents and underage self took a tour of Washington’s now-defunct Olympia brewery. While I recollect that the bar at the end of the tour was an ornate carved wood affair, ...
The friendly, global curator
I wonder what Teddy Roosevelt would think of a swanky wine bar. You are confronted with that question at Modena Wine Cafe in Longmont. It’s located next to Roosevelt Park, but more pertinently, its large windows open up to a Rough Rider-era Roosevelt, cowboy hat and ...
All you can eat and more
There are few institutions we hold more sacred in Boulder County than the Indian buffet. Not only do we have a relatively high concentration...
Pearl Street gets a new riff
In the late 1990s, I worked on west Walnut Street, a stone’s throw from the Pearl Street Mall. For lunch, I’d patronize now-defunct venues like Juanita’s and the New York Deli, and I’d often pick up morning coffee at the old Bookends Café. Like many, I felt a touch ...
Improved decor, and the taste to match
My friend Auden was visiting from the Western Slope, and it’s customary for us to visit an Asian eatery, since decent ones are mighty scarce in his neck of the woods. To be frank, things didn’t go so well the last go-around. Attempting to prove our foodie street cred...
The frontier
Boulder’s strict growth boundaries make heading north on Broadway a bit of a cliffdrop, with the city ending abruptly as the street y’s into U.S. 36. But nestled right up against the edge is a restaurant that would be as at home in the urban core as it is on the ...
How to mingle
It may just be the holiday season, or that the name of the shop implies it, but the sandwiches at Naked Lunch had me thinking about parties...
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 ...
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 ...


















