Restaurant Reviews
Best of the rest
A recent Twitter conversation with my fitness nut of an ex-boss: Me: “Do you even eat ice cream? I thought Crossfit makes you cut fun out of your diet altogether.” Her: “I Crossfit so that I can eat and drink whatever I want. Paleo was no fun...
Frasca’s new sister pizzeria shines
If I’ve learned anything from the recent proliferation of high-end pizza eateries in Boulder, it’s that these aren’t the cheesy parlors of my childhood. No straw hat-doffing servers or coin-operated mechanical pony rides here. You won’t find either at the new ...
A taste of New York
"Do you use Fox’s U-Bet syrup in your egg creams?” I asked, in the manner of a character in a spy movie probing the bona fides of a new but unproven contact...
Get in the zone
When I was in high school, I participated in a summertime drama workshop that met in a studio above a San Francisco deli. We met in the afternoons, and one day I had gone to class without eating anything. Partway through the session, I became ravenously hungry while ...
Going mod
When a restaurant is named Modmarket, one expects a certain menu and ambience distinct from say, a place called the Doofusateria. Indeed, this Boulder quick-serve outpost serves fresh and healthy flatbread pizzas, salads and soups in a Twenty Ninth Street Mall spot...
Getting into the Gindi
Boulder’s Gindi Café has a European influence exemplified by offering both food and ambience best described as fresh and modern. One is certainly glad this eatery chooses to emulate these continental qualities instead of, say, those of the Inquisition or Serge ...
Something for everyone
Avexing of diminutive slider size. A product of gender bias, culinary conundrum revolves around A&W’s sizing scheme for its hamburgers. It was easy enough to figure out the Baby Burger’s place in the pecking order, as it was the Mama Burger was larger, but it was ...
Roadside romance
When I went to school in Los Angeles, nearly a third of my meals were eaten at Cactus Taqueria, a tiny orange shack outside my apartment near Vine and Melrose. It had enough exhaust from passing traffic to function as a smokehouse, no shade, no seating, no bathroom, ...
More than what meets the eyes
It’s hard to be unassuming so close to the Pearl Street Mall, but that’s just what Fuji Cafe and Bar is. The shop is clean and welllighted, but that’s about all you can say about the physical space of the restaurant. It’s small, with seating for maybe 20 people, and ...
Empire’s main dishes deliver
Over the past few years, downtown Louisville’s dining options have grown impressively, and the Empire Restaurant and Lounge is one of this burg’s top spots for fine dining in a relaxed setting. While this space can accommodate many diners, it feels smaller and more ...
Carelli’s strikes right balance
At one end of the Italian restaurant spectrum, you’ve got your familyrun spaghetti joints, like the old line joints you’ll find in Louisville and North Denver. At the other, you’ve got your high-end spots, defined by pricey dishes like squid ink pasta and house-...
Following the recipe
From the outside, Vina Pho & Grill has that anonymous, unappealing look so many non- Pearl Street located Boulder restaurants have: a plain tan box with a sign of some sort. It is the khaki of architecture...