First Coffee and Pastry Tour

March 18, 2011

The first coffee and pastry tour was a lot of fun.  I learned so much about coffee- a favorite morning drink that I’ve been consuming ever since my first day living in Spain at age 21… 10 years ago.

I’m excited about my Coffee and Pastry tours because they are a great opportunity to learn about coffee from people who know coffee. It’s not just a tour where you taste a little coffee, walk to another coffee shop, taste a little more coffee, and repeat the process.  This is an educational event on the art of coffee. That’s right- the ART of coffee.  It turns out that everyone has a different way to brew this beautifully delicious bean.

Our first stop was The Cup, a local coffee shop/bakery/lunch spot/work-away-from-home office, owned by Wendy and Chris. The Cup features Conscious Coffee, and while Chris was talking to us about why The Cup serves this particular local coffee roaster’s coffee, he introduced us to Mark, the owner and socially/culturally/environmentally conscious coffee roaster himself.  Wendy’s baked goods (made from her personal recipes) graced the table, and we were completely absorbed in coffee, beans, roasts, grinds, brews, geography, seasonality of beans, and good company.

The Cup gave us a sample of the Bolivian roast we were drinking, and after a nice morning nibble and coffee tasting, we walked over to The Unseen Bean.

The Unseen Bean is aptly named.  Owner Gerry Leary is the blind master roaster and business owner who, with the assistance of London, his super obedient (and super nice!) guide dog, roasts coffee to perfection based on sound and smell.  He was open to sharing his coffee roasting experience with us as we tasted two coffees from his freshly roasted beans.

After a really nice chat with Gerry, some quality time with London, and some great coffee samples, we walked over to Tee & Cakes.

Brian Wood, owner and self-proclaimed coffee junkie, serves NOVO coffee at his shop.  He served us some of NOVO’s Amaro Sun Dried coffee along with a nice write up of the beans, including info on the origin: Ethiopia, and nuances: strawberry and spiced apple on the front, cocoa and unripe banana on the finish.  Let’s remember, folks- we’re talking about coffee, not wine.  You really need to try this particular NOVO coffee and I promise you’ll taste flavors that you don’t usually associate with coffee.

In the end, I’m really hopeful that as a guide I will start to learn a lot about coffee on these tours.  Listening to Wendy, Chris, Mark, Gerry, and Brian talk about the coffees featured on this tour really opened my eyes to the distinctly different flavor profiles of these distinctly different brews. So, register for a coffee tour and enjoy a caffeinated lesson. Fridays, 10 am.

Valentine Fizz

On a recent dining tour, Greg, the esteemed beverage manager at OAK at Fourteenth, made a unique new cocktail for us called a Valentine Fizz (it is February, after all).

You’re definitely going to have to get over to OAK for this cocktail because, even if you have all of these ingredients at home, it’s nice to have an expert do all of that shaking!

OAK’s just sweet enough and too complex to really describe Valentine Fizz has: Gin, Campari, Rose Water, Egg White, Lemon, Cream, and Peychaud’s Bitters, sweetly drawn in the shape of a heart.

And the sweetest detail of all- when we finished our cocktails, the heart shape remained at the bottom of the glass.

Chrysanthemum Honey Ginger Scotch Collins

The recipe is all in the name of this spontaneous cocktail, created for me by Evan Faber, one of downtown Boulder’s most creative mixologists.  As much as I enjoy mixing and matching with his popular Cocktail Element, it is always a pleasure to taste his creative concoctions.

This was a scotch collins with some chrysanthemum honey and Domaine de Canton (which just so happens to be one of my favorite spirits).

But, it is not on the menu at SALT. Not yet, anyway.

Oak at Fourteenth

One of my favorite restaurants in Boulder is Oak at Fourteenth.  I’m not just saying that because they are a featured stop on Local Table Tours.  I’m saying that because… well, because of a number of reasons.

First, the Fried Pickles.  I’m serious.  I could eat fried pickled from Oak every day for the rest of my life.  The panko battered pickles are perfectly fried, subtly crunchy, and paired with a Green Goddess Aioli that complements the pickled taste of pickles.

I recently enjoyed a number of small plates on their midday menu, which, by the way, is a great reason to love Oak- they are open for midday food, which is somewhat of a rarity among restaurants of their acclaim in Boulder.  I snacked on some pickles, Wood Oven Roasted Cauliflower, and my meat loving friends split the Meatballs (which were then talked about all afternoon as the “best” meatballs they’d ever eaten).

As everything was so fantastic, we held on to the menu and placed some more orders.

I could have eaten the Crispy Rock Shrimp all day…

And I think the biggest mistake I made was sharing the Yellow Fin Tuna Tataki with friends.  I mean that!  This is worth trying.  It comes on a bed of cucumbers and is so light, fresh, and delicious.

But, what I find coolest about Oak at Fourteenth is that you can tell a man in a vest what type of spirits you prefer and he can create something unique with flavor profiles you enjoy.

I am a big fan of rye and like to taste new cocktail creations beyond the sazerac.  New cocktail creations is what you’ll get at Oak.  Besides their pre-prohibition-era cocktail menu, the beverage manager, Greg, is talented enough to ask you a few questions about your tastes and get to work creating something unique for you.  I have never had the same cocktail twice while at Oak.

Greg knows I enjoy rye, and though I can’t remember what he used to create my cocktail (there was port, I remember) he chose local Denver-based small batch Leopold Brothers Maryland Style Rye Whiskey.  I love supporting local restaurants when I dine as well as when I bring small groups on culinary walking tours, and I especially enjoy seeing the restaurants support other local businesses as well.

Oak at Fourteenth is very easy to find: 1400 Pearl Street, Boulder 303.444.3622

A Virtual Tour: Market to Table Tour

Last Wednesday was a another beautiful day for a tour through downtown Boulder!  When we met on Pearl Street, there were hundreds of people milling around, enjoying all the performers and the sights and sounds of a perfect Colorado afternoon.  We walked down Pearl Street to our first stop – Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant.

Leaf Dining Room

At Leaf, the group enjoyed 3 perfectly plated samples:  A Raw Wrap with swiss chard and basil almond pâté, Raw Ravioli with beet, and Buffalo Seitan with blue cheese, carrot and celery salad paired with a Spanish white wine from Catalunya.  All our tour groups have enjoyed the beautifully appointed dining room, as well as the samples of delicious creations by Chef Steve Dustin.

We continued on to SALT, where a brandy cocktail with a honey cardamom simple syrup was waiting for us.  We sat at the bar overlooking the impressive kitchen.  Evan, the Beverage Director at SALT, talked with us about mixing the perfect cocktail, and pairing wine with our food samples.  Executive Chef Kevin Kidd talked with us about sourcing local ingredients as we enjoyed crostini with butter, radish and arugula; followed by prosciutto wrapped asparagus, Hazel Dell Mushroom and Haystack goat cheese in filo; all paired with a California Gewurtztraminer.  The extra special treat at the end of our visit was a sample of SALT’s famous dark chocolate caramel salt tart.

Back Bar overlooking the kitchen at SALT

Before continuing to our next partner restaurant, we stopped at Savory Spice Shop to talk with Dan about the variety of spices and seasoning mixes he carries at his shop.  We sampled different kinds of cinnamon from around the world, freeze dried corn, and candied ginger.  The staff at Savory paired up with our tour guests and expertly helped us through seasonings to use with some of our favorite dishes.

As we walked up to the Boulderado Hotel, a bridal party was checking in to this beautiful, historic hotel. The dining room at Q’s is elegant, and we sat on the restaurant’s enclosed glass porch to enjoy the Chef’s garden greens with house smoked salmon and capers, paired with Q’s signature orange- cranberry spritzer.  Q’s manager talked with us about the variety of programs and initiatives they use to be as sustainable as possible, including using wind power and partnering with a local biodiesel company.

We ended our tour at the bustling Boulder Farmers’ Market. First, we took in the sites and sounds of the busy market, stopping to sample Sugar Snap peas from Munson Farms (one of the original farms to participate in the market over 20 years ago), and popcorn from Boulder Popcorn.  Then we met up with Antonio Laudisio, who cooked us pizza in his brick pizza oven using Hazel Dell mushrooms.  We topped off our tour with a small scoop of all-natural, vanilla ice cream from Boulder Ice Cream.

Boulder Farmers' Market

If you would like to experience Boulder’s culinary scene for yourself, please click here for a listing of upcoming tours.  We look forward to seeing you on a future tour.  Each tour varies slightly, and as different seasonal ingredients become available, our chefs will change up what they share with us.

Cheers!

Julie and Megan