Challenging Elements

August 18, 2010 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

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…

Challenging Elements: Avocado

June 9, 2010 Like 1 Lacy Boggs

Believe it or not, avocados are a fruit. That was Asti d’Italia chef Greg Keesy’s first thought when Charlie Stanford, the owner of the Italian spot in The Orchard, told him his secret ingredient. “My first thought was for an…

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Artichokes

May 18, 2010 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

Chef Brett Smith was pretty confident about taking on our challenge. His wife asked him if he was nervous, and he told her he thought he had just about any ingredient covered, unless we gave him something that had to…

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Challenging Elements

April 14, 2010 Like 1 Lacy Boggs

Known best as a pie filling, often paired with strawberries for sweetness, this sweet-tart veggie can also be used in savory dishes, as Timothy Payne, chef and co-owner at Terroir in Longmont, so masterfully showed us. He was undaunted by…

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Magnolia Restaurant

March 24, 2010 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

Sometimes the results of our challenge are just so outstanding, I’m positively blown away. So it was with Magnolia Restaurant and Sushi Bar this month. The locale just earned a “Best Restaurant in Denver” nod from Metromix.com—which is doubly impressive,…

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Rosemary

January 6, 2010 Like 1 Lacy Boggs

Everyone knows that great things can come in small packages, and when it comes to the nuanced perfection of a really good piece of chocolate, the old adage couldn’t be more apt.

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Pomegranate

November 12, 2009 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

The pomegranate is an odd beast, unusual looking and challenging to eat. Cultivated by the ancients and woven into their religions and stories, the fruit is enjoying a renaissance due to a truly modern preoccupation with antioxidants. Traditional cuisines have…

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Cantina Laredo

October 19, 2009 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

A few months ago, Robbie Wright, the general manager of Cantina Laredo at the 29th Street Mall in Boulder asked us why we don’t have a challenge for bartenders. We didn’t have a good answer for him, so we decided…

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Chili Powder

September 10, 2009 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

Our favorite part of doing this column is that moment when we call the chef, tell them the ingredient and then listen to the pause immediately after, when you can practically hear the wheels turning with ideas.

Challenging Elements

Challenging Elements: Honey

August 17, 2009 Like 0 Lacy Boggs

Sun Rose Cafe is just the sort of place downtown Longmont needed: a classy gourmet soup, salad and sandwich place for those daytime shoppers or early evening commuters looking for a good, solid meal.