Restaurant Reviews
No exotic cow parts here
Pica’s Mexican Taqueria is the latest local entry in the mid-priced, fast-casual taco and burrito arena. Not a large chain or a strictly one-location operation, it nevertheless manages to dish out satisfying and surprisingly tasty-for-the-price Mexican specialties. ...
Chinese-American standbys
I’ve finally taken a “If you can’t beat, join ‘em” tack to my critical assessment of local Chinese restaurants. No longer do I hold Boulder eateries to the same standard of the Bay Area joints of my youth. Why? Because for the most part, establishments around here ...
The water’s fine
One thing every diner needs in their toolkit is good, simple Asian food. Not simple in the sense that it’s of poor quality, but simple in the sense that it isn’t decorated to death, to the point of terminal tackiness. Just something approachably tasteful, and tasty...
Parting shot: My favorite restaurants
Editor’s note: This is Clay Fong’s last restaurant review for Boulder Weekly...
Taking the temperature
You’re lucky I got through,” my server at Centro Latin Kitchen says as he squeezed through the crowded patio and put a chili relleno platter down in front of me. “Everyone I passed wanted this for themselves...
Les bon temps
I was in another diner in Boulder one morning about a month ago when I overheard a conversation between two long-timers about iconic restaurants in town. When the name Lucile’s was uttered, sentimental and adoring gasps were released...
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 ...
The food is the thing
In the clown car kitchen of China Gourmet in Boulder, a dozen cooks are calmly doing two dozen things. Composed but busy, the kitchen is preparing Chinese-American standards like cashew chicken, mu shu pork and Szechwan beef alongside “Shanghai specials” like cold ...
Returning to a Longmont seafood favorite
I’m not entirely sure why I hadn’t paid a visit to Longmont’s Tortugas in the last few years — in the late ’90s, I thought it was one of the best restaurants in the county. Combining a hospitable, homey, Key West feel with a menu of fresh seafood, prepared in the ...
A slice of the upper crust
The latest entry in the Boulder gourmet pizza sweepstakes is Pizzeria Da Lupo, a collaboration between chef Jim Cohen and partner Ken Wolf of Louisville’s Empire Lounge. Friend Zoe and I made our way into this casually welcoming eatery, located not far from ...
BlueBox Doughnuts is a sweet addition
Boulder County has had a tumultuous relationship with the doughnut in recent years. Reputable chain bakers like Winchell’s, Daylight and LaMar’s have held court,...
Not half bad
A recent experience at a national chain sandwich shop in Lusk, Wyo., made me realize why sandwiches aren’t often my first meal choice. My sandwich wasn’t terrible, it’s just that this comestible was strictly functional, with little artistry or care involved in its ...


















