The Road Rash
Rueben’s Burger Bistro, 1800 Broadway, Boulder, ruebensburgerbistro.com
The best stories are like the best burgers,” said journalist A.D. Posey, “big, juicy and messy.” We couldn’t agree more, so we recently took a break from following big, juicy stories and stopped by Rueben’s Burger Bistro to see if we could find a sufficiently messy burger to sink our teeth into. We hit the jackpot with a thick, grass-fed beef patty topped with tangy pickled jalepenos, spicy pepper jack cheese, chewy applewood-smoked bacon and zesty chipotle aioli, aptly named the Road Rash. Served on Rueben’s signature pretzel bun with crisp, hot French fries, this was just the sloppy mess we were looking for. Our craving for a juicy burger sufficiently sated, we can now get back to writing those juicy stories. $16.
Black-and-White Cookie
Button Rock Bakery, 1377 Forest Circle, Unit 102, Lafayette, buttonrockbakery.com
The black-and-white cookie is iconic. Some equate it with New York City, some with the classic Seinfeld episode in which Jerry called it a symbol of racial harmony, and some just see it in bakeries and can’t resist the urge to order and devour it. But get a black-and-white cookie from Lafayette’s Button Rock Bakery and you won’t really sweat the details. It’s a classic rendition — a sweet, cakey, oversized, puffy cookie topped with half chocolate and half vanilla frosting. We were partial to the chocolate side on Button Rock’s version, but that’s the beauty of the cookie: buy one and try both flavors. $4.50.
Nachos
Oskar Blues Boulder Taproom, 921 Pearl St., Boulder, oskarblues.com/location/boulder-co-oskar-blues-taproom
It’s time for basking in the sun on restaurant patios all along the Front Range. In Boulder, that means stopping by the Oskar Blues Taproom on Pearl Street to sip on some of their classic brews and chow down on some scrumptious appetizers. The nachos are perfect for this. A large basket of corn chips is covered in juicy chunks of chicken, black beans, tomatoes, onions and olives, sprinkled with fresh slices of jalapeños. The entire dish is then drizzled with roasted red pepper white queso, with an ample dollop of guacamole and salsa on the side. With plenty of flavor in each bite, and plenty to go around, the nachos are hard to resist. Happy patio season to all. $12.
Hoppy Lager
Sanitas Brewing Company, 3550 Frontier Ave., Unit A, Boulder, sanitasbrewing.com
Sanitas’ Hoppy Lager is hitting shelves across the county just in time for summer. It’s the perfect warm-weather brew, with a light, crispy lager feel and a full serving of refreshing Citra hops. It’s got a remarkably smooth finish and low ABV, so it won’t feel like an IPA. Providing backbone for the brew is the classic maltiness found in the best lagers. Prices vary.
