Restaurant Rumblings

Replacing Laudisio’s
Remember the Italian/Mediterranean gem Laudisio? Well, we certainly have fond memories of it before it moved to the 29th Street Mall. Replacing the hole left in North Boulder at the Iris Avenue and 28th Street shopping plaza has been tough. Mista, a casual Italian restaurant, proved short-lived. But there’s hope on the horizon that another stellar eatery could live up to Laudisio’s North Boulder legacy. Arugula Bar e Ristorante is set to open next month, featuring healthy Italian fare that mixes traditional Italian meat-centric entrées with contemporary renovations of northern Italian staples. Chef Alec Shuler will be at the helm.

Great North Metro Beers!
Spain may have tapas and France wine, but we have beer. For those of you who didn’t make it to this year’s Great American Beer Festival, we’ve got some news: Our region did pretty well. Boulder’s Avery took home silver for its Fifteen Avery Anniversary Ale, The Flatirons CB & Potts grabbed gold for its Gold Java and silver for its Westy Export, Left Hand pulled a silver for its Milk Stout and a bronze for its Sawtooth, Twisted Pine’s Big Shot Expresso Stout, and Walnut Brewery won silver for its Old Elk Brown Ale. What does this all mean? Better start drinking up.

Lunch Time
Erie’s Briggs Street has a new option for lunch. El Paso Cantina & Grille has finally started offering lunch—okay, it hasn’t been that long since the Mexican eatery opened for dinner with promises of lunch service in the near future. But our office is directly across the street, and we’ve been anxiously awaiting another Old Town lunch offering. For info on El Paso, 605 Briggs St., call 303.828.9000.

Come Hungry
It’s easy to be a little jealous of Denver’s dining out week each winter—prix fixe menus for $52.80 a couple are a great excuse to try special occasion restaurants without breaking the bank. But you live in Louisville so it’s a real pain in the butt to drive to Denver for such an occasion. Never fear, First Bite Boulder is here. With 40 to-be-named Boulder restaurants signed up, we expect this year’s version to be the best yet. From Nov. 15-22, three-course meals will be just $26 a person. Click here for details.