Dining in secret (or almost secret) is so so delicious

by Lacy Boggs

There’s something about a secret that just makes everything more exciting. Surprise parties, secret rendezvous and private dinners all take on a special, surreal quality above and beyond their well-publicized counterparts.

August 2010 Issue

by John Lehndorff

Maybe it’s a sign of our growing interest in locally sourced, handmade fare or simply a result of our growing culinary sophistication, but there’s an amazing artisanal pizzeria boom arising in Boulder and the North Metro area.

August 2010 Issue

If there’s a restaurant concept better than a mozzarella bar, I haven’t met it yet

by Lacy Boggs / photo by Andrea Burolla

To say that I like cheese would be akin to saying that Twilight is a popular franchise; it would be correct, but entirely missing the scope of the thing. I’ve often thought of becoming a vegetarian and could probably make the transition relatively painlessly, but I had to give up on Mark Bittman’s vegan-til-six diet after only a day or two because I couldn’t stand to be without cheese.

August 2010 Issue

by Lacy Boggs / photo by Jennifer Harrington

At Black Pepper Pho, the focus is very much on the traditional. “The spring rolls don’t even come with peanut sauce because it’s not traditional,” owner Huong Dang said. “We use tamarind sauce.” But they were game when we told them their secret ingredient for the challenge would be beets, which are not a huge component in Vietnamese food.

August 2010 Issue

Beer fest gets dregs of convention center dates

by James Burrus

Beer enthusiasts are a cheap bunch. At least that’s the general impression and a big part of why the annual Great American Beer Festival can’t lock down a consistent weekend for its massive event year after year.

August 2010 Issue

By Ajay Dandavati

They say that old dogs can’t learn new tricks. While that may be true, it’s not to say that those dogs don’t already have some damn good tricks up their sleeve.

This is the case with Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder. Established in 1971, Flagstaff House has won the coveted Wine Spectator “Grand Award” for every year since 1983 after being the first Colorado restaurant to do so. The 2010 award was announced this week.

12:27 pm July 23, 2010

The eco-revolution has changed the way we dine out

by Ajay Dandaviti

You think that the green food movement is new. You think it’s a progression forward. You think you can only see it at farmers markets and Whole Foods.

Think again.

July 2010 Issue

The edible (and not-so-edible) plants of the Rockies

by Lacy Boggs

My husband and I bought our first house last year, and with it came a large and beautiful back yard—that was almost completely overrun with weeds. I spent many a summer afternoon of 2009 pulling said weeds, many of which looked like giant, mutant white carrots. “I wonder if these are edible?” I said to my husband, as we tossed each armload onto the compost pile.

June 2010 Issue

by John Lehndorff

Your mouth is talking to you. It’s saying: “When do I get a vacation? You’ve got summer plans to revive your brain and the rest of your body. What about your palate, buddy?” I’m as guilty as the next eater of falling into a culinary rut. Eventually, I listen to that inner voice and seek out fare that’s hotter, spicier and more exotic than my usual.

June 2010 Issue

Richard’s On 3rd is True New Mexican Cuisine

by Lacy Boggs / photo by Ed Corcoran

When my aunt and uncle came to visit me in Santa Fe while I was a college student there, my uncle had only one stipulation for where we should go for dinner: He wanted a real local’s spot, a hole-in-the-wall.

June 2010 Issue