Restaurant Reviews

I´m the first to admit that my familiarity with Cuban fare is somewhat limited, and I certainly claim no particular expertise regarding the sandwiches of this  island nation. Sure, I’ve enjoyed a Cuban meal or two in Miami, but I came away with the feeling that I was...

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 ...

The 28th Street Tavern is really good. I would call it underrated, but that would imply that there were people rating it. It is...

It took a while to find Café Blue in Gunbarrel. It’s hidden in a strip mall, which is in the shadow of another, bigger strip mall, which is in the shadow of a King Soopers… part of a larger strip mall. But inside those doors is a quaint, friendly cafe that serves a ...

My first job out of college was working for the U.S. Forest Service in Rutland, Vt. Unfortunately, lunch choices in this town were limited, and I ate most meals at the family-run Sandwich Shoppe. Pricing was in line with my entry-level salary — today, you can still ...

It’s prime rib night at the tavern. There’s a happy murmur in the dining room, likely because it’s the kind of place where you can get a fat prime rib and baked potato for ten bucks on a Monday night...

I´m often wracked with guilt when my vegan friend Amy joins me for a meal out. I’ll typically enjoy something like a filet mignon stuffed with oysters and a side of beluga while my hapless pal is forced to gnaw on a sprig of parsley. Happily, this culinary ...

Breadworks in Boulder is two businesses. That’s the only way to look at it. Well, the easiest way at least...

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 ...

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 ...

Once known as Pizzeria Basta, the Boulder eatery now simply known as Basta still serves savory wood oven pies. But this name change more accurately reflects a menu offering much more than just pizza, which is a smart move. Because while I’ve always felt the pies here...

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 ...