Restaurant Rumblings

Not Quite Kevin Taylor Yet
Kevin Cali is at it again. Less than a year after buying and revitalizing the Uptown Erie Café, he has taken over yet another Briggs Street restaurant in historic downtown. With an expected opening in mid-May, El Paso Cantina and Grill, 605 Briggs St., will take the spot vacated by the closure of Mina’s Latin Kitchen. El Paso will feature Southwestern flavors and a tequila bar boasting more than 100 selections. He plans on opening two more Erie restaurants in the next year or so—Cali appears set in trying to become the town’s casual dining version of Kevin Taylor.

Buy a Lamp and Eat Some Shortcake
History and antiques are fine and dandy. The two can keep you busy for hours at a show on the weekend. But when you throw in some strawberry shortcake served with thick, sweet homemade whipped cream, you have yourself a bonafide festival. The 39th annual Strawberry Festival Antique Show is back, complete with a wide variety of furniture, glassware and more. It’s also a St. Vrain Historical Society, and there’ll be plenty of strawberry shortcake tasty enough to have you donating in fistfuls. It runs all day May 17-18 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont. Call 303.776.1870 for info.

Insider Perspective
Here’s a little secret: Corey Buck, head chef and owner of John’s Restaurant, just spent a few weeks in Piedmont in northern Italy helping a friend open a quaint eatery there. Why is this important? Not so coincidentally, Buck’s May tasting menu features the food of Northern Italy. Needless to say, the cuisine of that region is fresh in Buck’s mind. The three-course dinner features Parma Prosciutto, Saffron Risotto with Scallops and a Roasted Pork. The monthly tasting menu costs $33 a person ($20 for a wine paring) and is available on Wednesday evenings. For info on John’s, 2328 Pearl St., Boulder, call 303.444.5232