The Taste of Pearl food and beverage event returns Sunday, April 14, to welcome foodies from the region to sample delicious bites from 15 downtown Boulder restaurants and flavorful sips from 15 Colorado-based wine and spirit makers.
This curated experience is a unique and efficient way to try a wide variety of restaurants, including newcomers to the local food scene: Masas & Agaves, Maine Shack, My Neighbor Felix and Postino Wine Cafe. The full restaurant list also has longtime favorites for sushi, vegetarian dishes, casual and fine-dining options.
But this isn’t your typical restaurant experience. Tables are set up inside retail stores along Pearl from 9th Street to 18th Street, so guests have an opportunity to explore the downtown district business while enjoying their food and drinks.
All ticket holders get a green tote bag, a wine glass with a lanyard to wear around the neck, a 21+ ID bracelet and a list of tasting locations at check-in. The location of each restaurant is kept secret to add an element of surprise to their walkabout. There are multiple starting points to fan out the crowd. VIP tickets give people a one-hour head start, along with a food demo at Food Lab and a sweet treat at Suit & Co. There are 500 tickets available and prices are $85-$130. Day-of sales are for general admission only, if not sold out. The event is run by the Downtown Boulder Partnership, which represents the interest of businesses on Pearl Street and promotes downtown events.
I have unknowingly walked into this event in years past and wished I had a ticket to join the moving party. I met people on dates, old friends having mini-reunions, girlfriend groups who hike, bike or book club together, and tourists visiting for a food-intensive excursion.
The last Taste of Pearl event was in 2019, with closures for Covid and then to allow recovery time for the restaurants to stabilize their businesses. Anna Salim, vice president of operations and programming with the Downtown Boulder Partnership, explained that while the event provides a stipend to cover expenses for each participant, it is still an investment for the restaurants and beverage makers involved. Outreach to the community is among the reasons restaurants sign up. The Big Red F group of restaurants has been participating since the inception of the event, and returns this year with Centro, The Post and West End Tavern.
“We’ve been participating in this event since it started because we believe in its mission to honor the local food and beverage scene,” Dana Query, co-owner of Big Red F Restaurant Group, said. “We believe in giving back to the local communities that support us.”
Did you know that Taste of Pearl is actually a fundraiser? Proceeds go to the Downtown Boulder Community Initiative, the nonprofit arm of the partnership. This organization puts on free events for the public throughout the year, including Band on the Bricks and the holiday parade. According to Salim, a few hundred people wining and dining on a Sunday afternoon will raise money so that thousands can enjoy free music for eight Wednesdays this summer.
“I say it’s a shopping event masquerading as a food and wine festival,” said Salim. “And people have told me they’ll buy tickets because they see all these great restaurants that they wanted to try, and this is such a great way to get to try them all. But then they discover all of these retail stores they didn’t know existed. ‘I have never been in that gallery. I didn’t know this store was here,’” she added, “and then they find some shopping destinations that they love.”
She said that some of the host retailers have figured out what works to keep a crowd engaged, like offering coupons or in-store specials for the event. If attendees buy wine, spirits or goods from the retailers, there’s a tag and delivery system. Everything purchased will be delivered to the downtown Visitor Information Center by volunteers so guests can taste and drink with their hands free for the afternoon.
Among the 15 beverage participants, there are eight wineries, five distillers and spirit makers, and one each of a cidery and mead maker. Organizers have encouraged the chefs and beverage companies to offer pairings that highlight the flavor profiles of each taste. Pairings won’t be revealed in advance, so there’s potential for delight and discovery for newcomers and long-time attendees alike.
Behind the scenes, Salim said there will be 85 volunteers to help make sure everything runs smoothly. Volunteer positions are still open, with incentives that include gift cards, coffee and ice cream. Interested individuals can check the website for more details.
Taste of Pearl
Location: 13th & Pearl Streets, check-in at event booth on the bricks
Date & Time: Sunday, April 14, 2-6 p.m. (VIP begins at 1 p.m.)
Summary: 15 downtown restaurants and 15 Colorado-based wine and spirit makers serve bites & sips to 500 food and beverage lovers. Proceeds benefit no-cost community events, like Band on the Bricks. General Admission $85, VIP $130.
The Downtown business district on Pearl must not be serious about wanting to reach a large number of Boulder citizens to become aware of new businesses. With only 500 tickets that are so highly priced, this seems like it was designed as an exclusive event – eliminating most of the 100k Boulder citizens.
A four year hiatus due to an overplayed pandemic? Only in Colorado.
Too Expensive and only 500 tickets for a town that has a population of about 100,000. I’ve lived in Boulder since 1963. Until this recent decade, events were free and open to the public. Now, only the elite and wealthy get to have fun. Very sad — Boulder’s soul was sold down the river!