Oak at Fourteenth

We rent our guestroom out on airbnb, and anytime we have out-of-towners come through and ask where to go for dinner, Oak at Fourteenth comes immediately to mind for me.

Boulder's food scene is tricky in the sense that, everything is great. It's gotten to a point where pretty much any restaurant (within reason) that you saunter in will leave you satisfied. On the down-side, if you try too many of them, you'll start to confuse them: industrial design, farm-to-table approach... BUT, that's a rant for a different day.

The point I'm trying to make is, Oak at Fourteenth (beside the awkwardness of spelling out the word "Fourteenth" in complete poo-pooing to any AP-Stylebook), is fantastic. It's about as perfect as the farm-to-table/industrial-style restaurants get.

If you don't know the backstory, it's some fun dinner trivia for your visit. Here's the full story, but I'll give a quick recap. Oak at Fourteenth (I'm really tempted to type 14th...) opened its doors in March 2011. The Boy and I went the first week it opened because we always geek out when a new restaurant opens. It was good. We left shrugging and saying, "meh - seems like every other restaurant around here." And we silently knew we were in agreement that we would go back there periodically, but wouldn't make a big point of it.

THEN, something wild happened. It literally burnt down months after opening. Crazy, right? In hindsight, it was seemingly the best marketing a restaurant could have done for itself - that little restaurant became more popular after it didn't exist than it was during its couple of months in service.

Our respect for the place shot up immediately when we found out that the owner, Bryan Dayton - who is so fantastically meant to be a restaurant owner with his amazing people skills, wasn't going to give up. I feel like if I opened a restaurant that burnt down right afterwards, I'd take it as a huge sign to stop.

But, he didn't. He instead seemingly took it as a sign to make the restaurant even better. And he did, in a big way.

I don't remember how hard it was to get reservations when it reopened, but I'm sure it was a popular re-opening dubbed as "The Phoenix Rising." We made our way there again, because how could we not? and we were floored. The attention to detail - from the hand-chipped ice cubes in the mixed drinks, to the mixed drinks themselves, to everything coming out on slabs of oak. It was awesome.

Definitely treat yourself to a mixed drink. Everything (including the "mocktails" I've tried) is phenomenal. The Boy even asked the bartender to mix me up something with pickle juice for my birthday, because I admittedly love drinking pickle juice straight out of the jar... don't judge. Even that was good!

The appetizers and shared plates are fantastic! Of course, I can only speak to the vegetarian side of things, but do not, I repeat - DO NOT miss ordering the kale salad. It's the best salad in Boulder, hands down. That's saying a lot - I'm a bit of a salad slut. And, of course now that you know my odd pickle obsession, I have to tip my hat to the fried pickles. I could drink the aioli straight from the bowl if someone would let me.

The thing I would discourage you from doing at Oak, however, is ordering a main course. I personally have never ordered from the main course menu because it just seems a little bland compared to the appetizers. I don't mind one bit because of how great the appetizers and drinks are. You could easily make a meal of that.

All in all, Oak at Fourteenth, you have my vote!

DragonTree Spa

YES!!! Thank you DragonTree Spa for deciding to land in Boulder. We've been in need of something just like you.

I always enjoyed going to Sensorielle, but they've sadly left - making that little courtyard even more of a ghost-town.

Anyway, the St Julien is always too prissy for my likes and every other place I've tried around town is, well, like going to somebody's office cubicle, getting naked and lying on a makeshift table in their crowded space. It makes me feel a bit cheap and a la 50s-secretary. Is that terrible?

YES it is. So, yesterday, when I was in desperate need of a quick massage, I knew my options would be limited. I hadn't even heard of the DragonTree spa, but was able to get a spot there.

I was thrilled to see that it was a true spa instead of a sketchy office with stinky carpet. I wasn't sure it would be, since I could picture the exact address but knew I'd never seen a spa there before. That's because they just opened in June (maybe July?)

The building was clean and beautiful. Exactly what I've been searching for; it feels like a real spa complete with steamer, bathrobes and the standard little slipper/flip-flops, tea and water, etc. etc.

Everyone I interacted with was insanely friendly. No snootiness at all. And for $90, I got a really decent prenantal massage. Awesome!

I not-so-slyly stuffed all their promotional materials into my purse on the way out and geeked out over it with The Boy when I got home. I will definitely be going back for...umm....probably every spa service they offer. Pretty sure.

Nice work, guys!

World's Best Cook Book

I found it. The world's best cook book (or at least the best one on my bookshelf):

Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits IN SEASON by Sarah Raven

The book takes you through the seasons by month, highlighting which fruits and veggies are at their prime when. Um - brilliant. I guess the downside is, if your recipe doesn't turn out, you can't blame it on your veggies being bad... another thing some people might view as a downside is, the author is clearly a dump and pour cook and writes her directions that way, so if you're looking for step by step and very specific instructions, you might be a little frustrated. But, as a fellow dump and pour cook, I'd like to focus on why this book rocks: 

- Beautiful pictures! Which, come on, everyone knows a cook book is really all about the pictures anyway. Daydreaming about what your meal COULD look like. It's like flipping through Glamour magazine - you can read all the articles you want, but really you're just looking at the models in the ads thinking, "this is what I COULD be if I read this article." I don't think anyone every really believes this, but I guess it's just our instinct that says we have to imagine it's true. I digress

- Awesomely unique recipes. I just tried one out on my brave husband and it turned out really good:

Orange Pasta (I know, right?)

8 Ounces Tagliatelle (aka linguine - I used bowtie pasta)

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (how can anything not be good with this?)

1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled but left whole

Juice and grated zest of 1 orange

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbsp Brandy (I left this out)

3 Tbsp Butter

5 Ounces Parmesan cheese, grated plus a little extra for garnishing

- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just al dente

- When it is cooking, heat the cream with the garlic and bring to a boil for a minute. Remove the garlic and add the orange and lemon zest, some salt and plenty of pepper, then remove the pan from the heat to allow the cream to steep in these flavors for about 10 minutes 

- Add the orange juice, brandy, butter, and Parmesan, and toss with the drained hot pasta

- Garnish with a little more Parmesan cheese and add salt and plenty of pepper. 

It was tasty and really really easy! Next time, I'm going to add some greens in there - maybe some asparagus and peas or something. mmm

I made a rhubarb tart from the book too, but we haven't tried it yet and I'd be lying if I said I was a great baker (refer to "dump and pour" title... doesn't work with baking so much), so we'll see how it works out!

The Salt Lake Roasting Company

Every time I'm in Salt Lake, I make it a point to stop at the Salt Lake Roasting Company because it is the epitome of what a locally owned shop could be.

Here's the skinny:
The owners travel all over the world in search of the perfect cup of joe and then bring their findings back to stick up on their menu. From third world countries, to renowned coffee meccas. Meaning, if you're into the order-a-cup-of-"specialty"-coffee-but-it-still-tastes-like-all-the-other-available-coffees-on-the-menu type of experience, you might not be keen on the SLRC. BUT, if you are looking for a caffeine experience, this is your place.

I say "experience" because it's a little bit of a crapshoot when you go in. At a place like Starbucks, you know exactly what the coffee's going to taste like. Here, you choose from a menu that's not neccessarily the most user-friendly thing (this is my favorite thing about local stores...they don't quite have it all figured out the way chains do. and it's wonderful). Feel free to ask the staff questions, but I have heard them say "I don't know" more than is comforting... So, you kind-of choose blindly. Which is fun. If you're not afraid to end up with a cup of coffee that's so strong it stains the cup (and your teeth) black immediately. I mean, with a slogan like "coffee without compromise," you're kind-of sacrificing yourself to the bean gods when you go in.

And now, the atmosphere:
My next favorite thing about locally owned stores is that they don't have much conformity. The dishes don't match, the chairs and tables don't match, the food menu's written on a blackboard that could change at the drop of a hat (p.s. you don't go to the SLRC for food. Just a heads-up. Eat beforehand. Or bring a granola bar). The building is incredible. An old warehouse type of place with a great main level, an awesome staircase right in the middle that every girl wishes she had in her house during high school when she walked downstairs in her prom dress to make her dates knees buckle, and the perfect amount of loft space above. I'd bet money that anyone who has ever walked in there for the first (or hundreth) time has thought, "wow, I've never wanted to be a writer before, but suddenly I have this urge to start a novel just so I can come in here every morning, nest up, and let this java aura help me create a masterpiece." That's the type of atmosphere it is.

And finally, the people:
I don't get the impression that the SLRC is meant for large social gatherings... I might be wrong. I've noticed it more as a place where the SLC introverts can all get together to be alone. So, if you're looking for a place to cozy up to your neighbor, you might want to skip this one. But, if you're looking for a place to write that masterpiece, you might want to take a few writing classes first, but then maybe try your luck at the SLRC.

Kaki King

I have not been able to pull away from my radio since Saturday because of this little discovery (thanks for the intro, Terry!). If you haven't heard Kaki King - stop EVERYTHING you're doing and turn it up. 

This woman is incredible! I've always been partial to the using-a-guitar-for-percussion, but I'm pretty sure I only dreamt about how cool that could really be. 

Her playing and style is highlighted in the movie "August Rush," which I remember totally digging when I saw that flick (even though the story line was ridiculously hokey). 

I can't even write anymore because every word I type is distracting me from squeezing every drop of good listening out of this ear nectar. You're doing yourself a serious disservice by still reading this. Stop it and go listen!

Tasty Little Rimini

After a long journey snowshoeing in Beaver Creek, we stumbled upon this confectionary heaven: Rimini Chocolate. If the fresh, untouched snow on the mountains does it for you, just wait till you see the fresh mounds of gelato displayed to artistic perfection in this little shop. 

I love love love the creativity they use to strut their stuff - I mean hello? Why wouldn't you want to see an entire pineapple cascading down it, or a cute little mug full of pistachios nestled amongst it staring at you saying "you see that glorious gelato right here? I'm a feature in it!" It definitely helps make your decision easy to get gelato (not necessarily which flavor to get though..)

 

Of course you immediately get distracted when the staff brings out a fresh batch of their handmade chocolates, each handled like they were little diamonds right off the smoothing belt. I needed one of each of them, and I don't even like chocolate that much! Thank goodness for the boy, who insisted that I only needed one flavor. 

Now maybe it is because I don't love chocolate, but I do have to admit, it looked way too good for how it tasted. Don't get me wrong, it tasted fine, but when you see the classiest lady you've ever seen before in your life, and then she burps just like everybody else... you just can't help but be a little bit disappointed. I expected/hoped this chocolate to be universes above any other chocolate out there. I mean, it had glitter on it for Pete's sake! 

But don't even get me started on their hot chocolate. If your goal is to sing The Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man" with every sip of your choc, this is for you. I couldn't get past the first verse it was so creamy. 

So, even with a slight chocolate deceit, you get a thumbs up, Rimini

My Epiphany

I went out to sushi with a girlfriend the other day. She was recently laid off due to her company "scaling down" (who isn't scared of that these days?) and was up in Boulder for an interview. 

Allow me to set the stage: This girl is the most on-top-of-her-game planner I've ever known. I'm guessing that she had her 10-year plan calculated out by the time she was 8 and could rattle off her list of experiences and qualifications at the same time she learned to rattle off her alphabet. 

I've known her while she was at this past company - during which time she got married and started getting excited to have kids. She stopped herself from being excited though because the company didn't have a great maternity plan or great insurance overall for the first several years of hire, plus she wanted to save up more money, etc. before starting a family so her kids could live more comfortably. So she looked forward to the day when she could truly do what she wanted to do and trudged through the daily mud this company brought into her life in the meantime. 

But here's the shocker - She was a completely different person when I had lunch with her this past week. I've never seen somebody in such a potentially depressing situation look so bright. She explained to me how it all of a sudden hit her when she was forced to quit that job that her priorities were off. That job was holding her back from doing what she truly wanted to do in life. She realized that things can change in a heartbeat and that 10-year plans never turn out how we intend them to. (that's what I call "God's sense of humor") 

So what if she didn't have the money to buy the Lexus of baby cribs? So what if her next job wasn't going to make her the queen of everything? She was ready to enjoy day to day, which she hadn't experienced once at this past company. 

It was inspirational to hear - how many things in our own lives are we doing because we feel like we should be doing them? and how many of those things are actually holding us back from doing what we really want to be doing? And what will it take to get us to re-prioritize? It shouldn't have to be as drastic as losing a job, right? 

Anyway, the real moral is: it's amazing what you can learn over sushi.