Black and Blue Tuna
Morning Glory Cafe, 1377 Forest Park Circle, Unit 101, Lafayette, morningglorycafe.org
Ask the waitstaff if something is gluten-free at the Morning Glory Cafe and you’ll get an interesting answer with a sheepish smile. “Yes, everything on the menu is gluten-free unless you specifically ask for gluten to be added.” Good to know. With that assurance, we chose the Black and Blue Tuna. A perfectly cooked and ample piece of tuna sits atop fresh mashed potatoes sprinkled with blue cheese and surrounded by a large serving of mingled sautéed veggies that included spinach, shiitake mushrooms and onions. This dish is perfect in every way and guaranteed to fill up even that little space you were trying to leave for dessert. $21.
Tropic Like It’s Hot
Jungle, 2018 10th St., Boulder, jungletiki.com
Jungle, Boulder’s new tiki bar brought to you by the team at Arcana, has one of the best rum lists, well, anywhere, and a menu of classic and original cocktails so enticing you’ll start planning what drink you’re going to try next time. The atmosphere inside is lively and contemporary, without feeling too hip, and the décor — from the rattan loungers to the hanging jungle plants to the tropical tiki glasses — effects the feeling of a fun escape. As do the cocktails, including the Tropic Like It’s Hot, a mixture of Oaxacan rum, mezcal, cactus fruit, ancho chili and a dried slice of sour orange that’s lit on fire, extinguished by the drinker and dropped into the cocktail. It’s smoky, citrusy and pleasantly bitter on the finish — and of course the parrot tiki glass doesn’t make it actually taste better… but it also doesn’t hurt. Pair it with yam fries, a Jamaican beef patty or some stellar confit chicken wings. $12.
Pit BBQ Sandwich
Lulu’s BBQ, 701, Unit B, Main St., Louisville. lulus-bbq.com
There’s nothing quite like a simple pulled pork sandwich. Meat and bun. That’s it. So simple, yet so good. At Lulu’s BBQ, the Pit BBQ Sandwich comes with your choice of meat (we went with the classic pulled pork) served on a homemade bun, and either chips or coleslaw (we had both). Five ounces of delectable meat arrive on a fluffy bun with an ample serving of chips and crisp, light coleslaw. We went for Lulu’s Zesty Mustard barbecue sauce, but you can add as little or as much of the others: Sweet and Mild or Smokin’ Hot. “Or not,” as the menu says, “It’s your meat.” $13.
Chicken and Biscuit
Colorado Fried Chicken Co. food truck, Mobile, Boulder County, colroadofriedchicken.com
The Colorado Fried Chicken Co. food truck does a lot of things well, but we’d like to highlight two in particular: succulent, crispy chicken and smoky, flavor-packed, moist biscuits. The chicken you’d expect — it’s in the name, after all, which the well-spiced, thin-crusted and tender chicken lives up to. The biscuit, however, is a pleasant surprise if you’ve been burned before in the Centennial State. It’s not dry, it’s slightly creamy, and it’s got a crispy, billowy top. But what makes it exceptional is the irresistible flavor of meats cooked on cast-iron imbued into every bite. Check menu for latest prices.
