Restaurant Reviews
Mediterranean simplicity
Sometimes all you want to eat is something cheap, quick and simple. Boulder’s Mediterranean Market fits this description to a T with the added bonus of dishing out unpretentious ethnic cuisine. Trappings here are basic and functional, and true to this establishment’s...
More than a cold remedy
Back in the ’90s, I’d hightail it down to Pearl Street’s New York Deli at the first sign of a cold. Reflexively, I’d order a big bowl of chicken matzo ball soup, sided with bagel chips, as a form of self-medication. The steamy, nutritious liquid would help clear the ...
An authentic Chicago dog, hold the ketchup
The finer points of the Chicago-style hot dog have always been a bit cryptic for me. A few layover meals of sausage in a bun at O’Hare did little to deepen my understanding of this Windy City nosh. Unsurprisingly, I was happy to have friend and Windy City native Paul...
An ambitious take on Mexican at Agave Mexico Bistro
Friend Mara and I descended on 28th Street’s Agave Mexico Bistro and Tequila House for a leisurely weekend lunch. We were attracted in part by its menu, which goes beyond that of the typical Mexican joint, underscoring the kitchen’s gastronomic aspirations...
Indian street food in Lafayette
Chaat is savory Indian street food, and it’s also something that has become increasingly available at local eateries like Boulder’s Jai Ho and Tiffins. Lafayette’s Krishna Kafe is the newest purveyor of these subcontinental specialties, and like its forerunners, it’s...
Back to the basics
Mara had a bee in her bonnet vis a vis biscuits. Solicitous friend that I am, I proposed a weekend morning’s excursion to Hygiene, where we could sample the rustic charms of the Crane Hollow Cafe. Resembling more of a lived-in cottage than a sleek diner, this homey ...
Power lunching on Pearl for $10
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” famously wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. Perhaps a modern corollary to this pearl of wisdom is “A foolish inconsistency is the hobgoblin of short-lived restaurateurs.” We’ve all fallen in love with particular ...
A farmhouse kitchen and pub
Bramble and Hare — the name evokes an English countryside pub, perhaps a spot in the Cotswolds. Waggish diners may initially dismiss this as Black Cat Bistro Chef Eric Skokan’s attempt at creating a sort of Locale Next Door. Yet this new self-styled farmhouse ...
Brunch at Boulder’s Brasserie Ten Ten
Recently a pal insistently extolled the virtues of Brasserie Ten Ten’s weekend brunch, but I remained skeptical. However, I have been happily satisfied with this French-influenced eatery’s fine happy hour and have splurged on its seafood platters. So friend Wayne and...
A classic diner standby still delivers
One does not live by New American locavore farm-to-table fare alone. Sometimes all one needs is a simple diner experience more suited to an unpretentious ’70s movie protagonist like Jack Nicholson’s character in Five Easy Pieces or Dirty Harry than some lightweight ...
Mainlining cured meats and cheeses
Back in the ’70s, Dad would often return from overseas business trips with his battered black briefcase freighted not with paperwork, but culinary treasures. Returning from Lisbon, Dad once brought back an enigmatic hunk of salted meat. “It’s Portuguese prosciutto,” ...
Burgers and shakes with style
I used to mess with my friend Andrew by feeding him false reports that a popular burger and milkshake chain had set up shop in Colorado. As it turns out, that chain now does have a Denver-area outpost, but it’s far enough away to require advanced planning, and who ...