Send Boulder County food event listings (classes, dinners, tastings and baking contests) to nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org. Catch up on past bites: You can read previous editions of Nibbles on BRL anytime.
If there was any doubt that the Michelin Guide had a culinary crush on Boulder restaurants and restaurateurs, the 2025 update from the prestigious rating organization sealed it with a big kiss.
In the Sept. 15 announcement of Colorado’s Michelin winners, chef Johnny Curiel added a Michelin Bib Gourmand honor for Boulder’s Cozobi Fonda Fina, his bastion of corn-based regional Mexican fare. According to the Michelin Guide, Bib Gourmand recognizes “great food at a great value.”
In Denver, Curiel earned a Michelin star for his recently opened Mezcaleria Alma to go with his other eatery, the Michelin one-star Alma Fonda Fina. The New York Times recently included Mezcaleria Alma on its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Any sort of Michelin recognition puts a restaurant on the dining bucket lists of American and international foodies. The concentration of Michelin oomph in Boulder says something about the city’s culinary community.
For 2025, The Wolf’s Tailor in Denver became the first Colorado restaurant with two Michelin stars, a rare distinction across the U.S. The Wolf’s Tailor is part of Boulder’s ID Est restaurant group, which also boasts the Michelin one-star Bruto in Denver, and BASTA (a Bib Gourmand selection) and Dry Storage in Boulder.
Only 50 Colorado restaurants are mentioned in the 2025 Michelin Guide and the edition is a who’s who of Boulder food notables.
Boulder’s celebrated Frasca Food and Wine retained Boulder’s only Michelin star, as well as a Bib Gourmand for its Tavernetta in Denver. Chef Hosea Rosenberg’s Blackbelly Market and Erik Skokan’s Bramble & Hare own Michelin Green Stars for their sustainability focus, along with Bruto and the Wolf’s Tailor.
In fact, every Colorado eatery given Michelin Green Star honors is in or connected to Boulder.
The 2025 Bib Gourmand selections include Natascha Hess’ Ginger Pig (in Boulder and Denver) launched locally as an Asian street food truck, and Denver’s Middle Eastern Ash’Kara owned by Boulder chef Daniel Asher.
Another Bib Gourmand, Denver-based Mister Oso, recently opened a location in Boulder’s Moxie Hotel.
The 2025 Michelin Guide also features a list of “Recommended” restaurants. Boulder eateries that made the grade include Blackbelly Market, Bramble & Hare, Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, Oak at Fourteenth, Santo, Stella’s Cucina and Zoe Ma Ma.
What’s John eating this week?
It’s a wonderful loaf
Boulder County foodies are lucky to have access to some seriously good retail and home-based bakeries producing satisfying, crusty sourdough loaves.
However, it has been ages since a loaf of bread made me sigh the moment my serrated knife cut through the crust. Several chefs insisted I taste the bread created by Ben Watson, a man they call “The Bread Guru.”
My first slice from one of his Kinship Bread country loaves revealed a bubble-dotted surface and an irresistible wheaty aroma. The first bite was incredibly moist with a distinctive sourdough tartness. With unsalted European butter, it was sheer bliss. Over the following days my loaf aged and made excellent toast, a sandwich and bruschetta. Kinship Bread is as good a sourdough loaf as I’ve tasted in Colorado, and I’ve sought them out.
Ben Watson’s tiny Kinship Bread bakery in Boulder crafts country loaves and baguettes using Colorado-grown organic and heirloom grains cold-fermented for 48 hours.
A limited number of loaves are delivered Wednesday through Sunday to Boxcar Coffee (1825 Pearl St.), Boxcar Mesa Cafe (637 S. Broadway) and Nude Foods Market (3233 Walnut St.).
Farm stands
Hit Boulder’s roadside farm stands for great late summer produce
Just when everyone is back to school, long pants and sighing about the short fall days, local farms are still harvesting big crops of fresh produce.
While farmers markets are a good way to access local vegetables, Boulder’s many roadside farmstands offer just-picked surprises that never make it to those markets in Boulder, Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette.
A great place to get a taste of the roadside bounty is the corner of 75th Street and Valmont Road.
Munson Farms is Boulder’s longest-running roadside stand. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Munson is a magnet for those craving freshly picked local sweet corn, Western Slope fruit and fall pumpkins.
Local cooks make a beeline, noon to 5 p.m. daily, to Cure Organic Farm, located just across Valmont Road. This charming shed is jammed with farm-grown greens, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, squashes, flowers and a wide range of chilies. The shelves are stocked with meats, honey, breads and other foods from local producers.
Other roadside farm stands in Boulder:
- Benevolence Orchard and Gardens, 6712 Jay Road. Open 10 a.m. to dusk daily.
- Growing Gardens, 1630 Hawthorn Ave. Open 3:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
- MASA Seed Foundation Farm, 1367 N. 75th St. Open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays; 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.
- Summerdog Farm, 8716 Arapahoe Road. Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
Local food news
Openings
- Call Your Mother, a national bagel bakery chain, has opened a location at Boulder’s 29th Street Mall.
- Khao Soi is serving regional Thai cuisine at 100 E. South Boulder Road in Lafayette.
- Snarf’s, the Boulder-born toasted sub chain, has opened on Concourse A at Denver International Airport.
Closings
- High Country closed Aug. 31 at 1117 Pearl St. The eatery was launched in April 2024 by the team behind Gemini, their next-door eatery, which continues to serve lunch and dinner.
- Bitty & Beau’s Coffee (1468 Pearl St.) is closing after only a year. A Customer Appreciation Day will be held Sept. 20, followed by the store’s closing on Sept. 21.
In a letter to customers, the Fetzer family of Boulder, owners of the shop, wrote:
“At Bitty & Beau’s you did more than enjoy a great cup of coffee; you championed meaningful employment for people with disabilities, proving that abilities shine brightest when given the chance.”
Culinary calendar
Discovering the bliss of tariff-free Colorado wines
Snooty wine influencers generally dis Colorado wines, often without actually sampling the state’s finest vintages. The top opportunity to open your palate to the possibilities is the Colorado Uncorked tasting Oct. 18 at the History Colorado Center in Denver. Winemakers will pour the winning 2025 Governor’s Cup Collection wines ranging from Blanchard Family Wines 2024 Zweigelt to Stone Cottage Cellars 2022 Petite Sirah.
Deep food thoughts
“To the person who affixed the word ‘coffee’ to the word ‘cake,’ thereby justifying the eating of cake for breakfast, I salute you, unnamed hero.” — Laurits Anderson Ring, 1898
I tried Khao Soi the other night and truly enjoyed the pumpkin curry. I asked them to leave out the carrots (a big allergic to me) and substitute red instead of green bell peppers. They gladly did this and my dish was delicious. Their rice was perfectly cooked Jasmine rice. I haven’t opened my Thom Ka soup yet, but looking forward to it. I like for my curries to have a lot of sauce, as this did. This is very highly elevated food compared to the Chinese restaurant that was there and the prices were quite reasonable.