Restaurant Reviews
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 ...
Fettuccine a la ESPN
Some things I’ll never fully understand, like string theory, the jokes in Lolita or why people pay Michael Bay to make movies. Sitting just below advanced calculus, and just above pickles on that list, is why otherwise nice restaurants insist on installing ambiance-...
Two Spoons gelato shop churns out soups, sandwiches in winter
Quickly glancing into its window, it’s easy to dismiss Pearl Street’s Two Spoons as a mere gelato shop. But as the temperature drops, this self-proclaimed “smallbatch kitchen” shifts its focus from frozen treats to a more seasonally appropriate menu of warming soups ...
Upstairs and upscale
The Hotel Boulderado spent much of this year revamping its culinary amenities with overhauls transforming the basement-level Catacombs Bar into License No. 1, and the upstairs and upscale sitdown, Q’s, into Spruce. The, ahem, “sprucing up” was finished and launched ...
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 ...
Classic Italian in Lafayette
As someone with too much time on my hands, I’ve recently been preoccupied with seeking out classic, if not downright iconic, meals. These repasts don’t necessarily have to be pricey or complex, and can be as simple as a grilled cheese accompanied by tomato soup. ...
Off the beaten brunch
As friend Lisa and I drove on Hwy. 36 north of Boulder, we couldn’t help but notice the landscape’s arid harshness. Even though the sun was shining, we couldn’t shake a feeling of wintry desolation. Happily, the mood shifted for the better once we entered our ...
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 ...
Rama Ramen crafts noodle bowls
With news that the proposed 15,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor food truck park in Boulder is moving forward, it’s a good sign that when I...
The Boulder Cork has aged well
Settings into a venerable locale such as the Boulder Cork restaurant, one can’t but help wonder if the dapper sports coat-clad gentleman at the next table might be a regular who’s come here for decades. Perhaps a younger version of him showed up here in the ’70s, ...
Belgium, bikes and burgers
Blending the disparate elements of cycling, Belgian gastronomy and burgers, Rueben’s Burger Bistro is a recent, if not risktaking, addition to the downtown Boulder dining scene. This space’s interior harkens back to its two-wheeled heritage, with a depiction of ...
Vegan food for meat eaters
Meeting up with old friends Michael and Allison, a dining dilemma posed itself. Michael describes himself as the antithesis of a vegan, while Allison is a self-proclaimed picky eater straddling the line between vegetarianism and full-tilt veganism. While there’s more...