First Bite Announces 2021 Boulder County Restaurant Week List of Participants

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First Bite Releases Restaurant Week Participant List & Highlights a Variety of Ways for Diners to Enjoy Unique Dining Experiences

BOULDER, CO. (August 10, 2021) – As summer blazes on, First Bite prepares a week of exciting dining to kick off Fall in Boulder. The 16th Annual Restaurant Week is back this October 8 -17, 2021 with a variety of exciting dining experiences at Boulder’s top restaurants. Diners will flock to participating restaurants with the renewed energy restaurants have been feeling all summer. The desire to enjoy creative and unique dining experiences is higher than ever after a year of cooking at home – and the chefs share this eagerness to unleash their pent up culinary innovations.

First Bite continues to evolve by giving restaurants the opportunity to be more creative in their menu offering if they are so inclined. This deviation has allowed restaurants who would not fit the past three course requirement to shine. One enticing example is urban taqueria T/aco, who will be welcoming diners to enjoy as many tacos and margaritas one can eat in a 90 minute period.

Owner Peter Waters states, “Working with First Bite will give us a very unique opportunity to offer up our favorite guests a new and original way to enjoy dinner at T/aco. We are incredibly excited to invite Boulder to join us this Fall for the return of First Bite. We will be waiting with open arms and tacos for days.”

In addition to T/aco, 2021 has garnered a roster of restaurants brimming with talent and outside-the-box ideas. Featuring newcomers Ash’Kara, Corrida, Dry Storage, Fringe, A Well-Tapped Brewery, Bohemian Biergarten, Ska Street Brewstillery, Brasserie Boulder, The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and Chimera joining ranks with seasoned participants like Japango, OAK at Fourteenth, Dagabi Tapas Bar, and Cafe Aion. Diners are encouraged to take the week to explore new restaurants and revisit favorite eateries.

The full list of 2021 First Bite Boulder: Boulder Restaurant Week participants reads:

Ash’Kara
Avery Brewing Co.
Bohemian Biergarten
Boulder Cork
Brasserie Boulder
Cafe Aion
Centro Mexican Kitchen
Chautauqua Dining Hall
Chimera
Corrida
Dagabi Tapas Bar
Dry Storage
Fringe, A Well-Tapped Eatery
Japango
Leaf
OAK at Fourteenth
River & Woods
SALT
Sforno Trattoria Romana
Ska Street Brewstillery
T|aco
The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
The Empire Lounge & Restaurant
The Greenbriar Inn
The Post Brewing Co.
West End Tavern
Zucca

Menus and reservations for these restaurants will be available in early September.

Producer Jessica Benjamin shares “This year’s First Bite is really the final progression for our team in terms of realigning this event with our values. My original goal in 2019 was to evolve First Bite into a deeper community of like-minded diners; patrons who cared more about the people making the food or the stories behind each restaurant more than the price of their dinner. Writing A Bite of Boulder really showed us that the community’s enthusiasm for our local restaurants is unwavering, and their appetite for getting to know them more intimately is stronger than ever. So that’s what First Bite is this year: we have the most engaged, and most enthusiastic restaurants ready to welcome our deeply engaged foodie community. I am so proud of the 27 restaurants that are joining First Bite to celebrate what we’ve all been through these past 18 months. Diners are eager, Chefs are excited – it’s going to be a fabulous week.”

Leading up to the event, diners will have an opportunity to attend First Bite Preview Tours with partner Local Table Tours. Taking place on September 25th and October 2nd, intimate groups will taste their way through select participating restaurants in Boulder, catching a sneak peek of what will be seen on plates during restaurant week. Tickets for the tour are $95 and are available online on the Local Table Tours calendar

This year, First Bite celebrates their 16th anniversary in the sweetest of ways with a dessert competition. Featuring First Bite partner Table Mountain Farms, a family-run Longmont goat farm producing a gourmet line of caramel sauces, participating chefs will be challenged with creating a dessert using these specialty caramels in their First Bite menus.

First Bite continues to strengthen the Boulder community as well as the restaurant scene by partnering up with Nosh Boulder for Dine Out to Give Back. “When Nosh Boulder started their Give Back Mondays I knew we had to partner with them for First Bite. They are owned and operated by local independent restaurants and they truly work to support the larger Boulder community” shared Jessica Benjamin.

Between October 8-17th, 10% of all orders placed through Nosh Boulder will go directly to The Emergency Family Assistance Association, a Boulder County non-profit working to support families in the community by offering emergency assistance through their food bank, programs, advocacy, and services. With 10% going to EFAA all week, having a takeout night is an easy way to bring First Bite home while simultaneously supporting a vital organization in our community fighting food insecurity.

October is still two months away but the anticipation is building with fervor for First Bite’s return to dining rooms. The celebration of our food community and the long-anticipated return to hosting unique experiences will be welcomed by Boulder’s favorite restaurants is an event not to miss.

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Additional information on First Bite:

Boulder County Restaurant Week can be found on their website firstbiteboulder.com or Instagram @firstbiteboco. Sponsorships are available.

About First Bite: Boulder County Restaurant Week

First Bite: Boulder County Restaurant Week works throughout the year to connect restaurants and their stories to diners. The 16th Annual First Bite will take place October 8-17, 2021 and feature brunch, a dessert competition, three different price levels for dinner, $29, $39 and $49 plus a nonprofit partnership program, Dine Out to Give Back.

For media information or interviews with First Bite Producer Jessica Benjamin, contact Rachael Caraluzzi, 303.579.3003 or Rachael@firstbiteboulder.com