Welcome to Nibbles, Boulder’s weekly food newsletter. Look for Nibbles every Tuesday in your inbox for a smorgasbord of Boulder County food and restaurant news, dining tips and cooking hacks. Do you know a true foodie? Tell them they need to sign up for this free community culinary resource, too.
In this week’s Nibbles, I share how my home became a waffle house this summer.
Plus: a new brunch destination in Ward, Chef Penelope Wong’s James Beard Award win, a menu for very good dogs and two Colorado food festivals this weekend. Our market recipe infuses humble carrots with a blast of North African spice.
— John Lehndorff
Where are Boulder County’s roadside farm stands? I’m preparing a handy guide to all the farm stands dotting rural roadsides across the area. Let me know all the details about your favorite stands at nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
There are plenty of places to eat in Boulder. Only one brings it all together. Where morning adventures lead to patio lunches and spontaneous plans become meals worth savoring. Menus celebrate local flavors, seasonal ingredients and Boulder’s creative spirit. From casual favorites to memorable dining experiences, every block offers something delicious. Welcome to Downtown Boulder, where Boulder comes to life.
I am a pancake person. I don’t waffle, at least when I eat out. The few times I’ve visited Waffle House I’ve ordered well-done, scattered and covered hash browns … not waffles.
A waffle — Belgian or otherwise — seems too big, crunchy, sweet and over the top. It’s dessert.
However, when I recently spotted my waffle maker in my Museum of Forgotten and Sad Small Kitchen Appliances, I pulled it out of pantry obscurity to help beat the summer swelter. I’ve rediscovered how fun it can be to explore the wide waffle multiverse.
To start, I chose Bob’s Red Mill basic whole grain pancake and waffle mix, but King Arthur and other good brands are also available. You can find lots of waffle mix recipes online. Many include sugar, which can be reduced for savory waffles.
Next, I ignore my waffle iron’s “device recommendations” except the preheating part, which is essential. If you pull out a waffle after cooking the suggested three to six minutes you get a limp, pale, doughy rectangle that lacks flavor. Leave them in for eight to 10 minutes, and the waffles come out crisp and caramelized.
Almost any dough or batter can be waffled to produce a flat version of itself, leading to cornbread wuffins, yeasted wetzels, buttermilk wiscuits, fruit wobbler and everybody’s favorite: chocolate chip wookies. It takes some practice and experimentation to get these right but even the mistakes are tasty.
Waffle batter can be easily tweaked. Nonstick oil spray is recommended, but substituting butter, sesame seed oil, or bacon fat adds an additional level of flavor. The water or milk in the recipe can be partially replaced by applesauce, orange juice or coconut milk. Toppings can expand to include condiments like mango chutney, tahini and hoisin sauce.
If you end up with extra batter of one type or another, use it up and make extra waffles. They can be frozen and re-crisped in a waffle iron or an air fryer.
I was reminded that the waffle iron is a truly excellent way to reheat both tamales and slices of pizza – in fact, much better than an air fryer or a microwave. It also makes a fine sandwich press for crafting gooey grilled cheese on sourdough slices.
Waffle variations from Detroit-style to PB dark chocolate
The one key thing to remember about most waffle irons isn’t obvious: Typically, only the bottom half gets hot, not the top.
My first waffle echoed my love for Detroit-style pizza. I sprayed the cold iron with olive oil, sprinkled in grated Parmesan and then closed it to heat up. When it was “green,” I ladled batter over the bubbling cheese. I topped the batter with sliced Calabrese salami and some fresh mozzarella.
Honestly, it’s one of the coolest, easiest things I have concocted in my own kitchen. With its crunchy cheesy salty bottom, these waffles were ever so tasty dipped in hot spaghetti sauce. Next time I’ll use brick cheese, add some garlic to the batter, and top it with sauteed peppers and eggplant.
I love sesame seeds on baked goods. I coated the bottom of the hot iron with sesame seeds and then added a batch of batter spiked with dark cocoa, chai powder, peanut butter powder, chopped pecans and a little molasses. These grown-up power waffles made a nice change-of-pace breakfast with bananas and Greek yogurt.
That said, next time I might try chopped almonds on the bottom of a cocoa chocolate chip and dried cherry waffle with a scoop of gelato.
Because it was there, I combined a square of softened ramen noodles with a soy-accented batter plus chopped veggies and produced semi-healthy Asian-accented waffles with a distinctive chew.
These experiments, which did not heat up my kitchen, have me dreaming of other variations. How about grilled corn, peaches and green chilies? Not to mention avocado “tempura,” macaroni and cheese, and halloumi grillable cheese? Online friends suggested everything from falafel waffles to okonomiyaki Japanese waffles.
What NOT to waffle
A waffle iron is a versatile tool, but my experience suggests that some things should never be cooked in the device.
Raw eggs burn, stick to the iron and set off the smoke alarm. The cooking time is so short that some raw vegetables don’t work, but semi-cooked ones do. Steamed fingerling potatoes smashed in the iron are fantastic. Cooked proteins can be added to waffles but avoid raw meat and seafood. Popcorn sounds fun. It’s not.
As our nation prepares to celebrate 250 years, we recall that Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the first long-handled round waffle iron to the U.S. in about 1789. The founding father might not recognize some contemporary irons available which produce waffles in the shape of the USA, Hello Kitty, Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon and the poop emoji.
Pooch-centric menu features grilled chicken, steamed broccoli
Boulder is widely recognized as one of the most dog-friendly places in Colorado and many eateries and brewpubs welcome canines with water and free biscuits. The Lowdown takes feeding Fido to another level. The recently opened North Boulder grill offers a specific patio Dog Menu featuring a burger patty, grilled chicken breast, scrambled eggs, steamed broccoli or rice. For dessert: whipped cream with a banana biscuit.
Nude Foods Market will open a second Boulder location on June 27 at 4593 North Broadway, next door to Moxie Bread Co.
Nibbles recently offered an itinerary of nearby mountain road eats. A reader wrote to let me know that the rustic, restored Hotel Columbia has finally reopened in Ward. The tiny destination offers a limited brunch/lunch menu Friday through Sunday, featuring pumpkin pancakes, buckwheat porridge, hash browns, eggs Benedict, skillet quiche and a burrito bowl. Reservations are a must.
Chef Penelope Wong of Denver’s excellent Yuan Wonton took home the Best Chef: Mountain award at the 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards. Wong is the first Asian woman from Colorado to earn the honor.
The Cherry Blossom Festival June 27-28 in Denver’s Sakura Square showcases Colorado’s Asian cultures. The huge menu available includes onigarazu (sushi sandwiches), teriyaki chicken, SPAM musubi, mochi manju and inari sushi.
For something completely different, head west June 27-28 for the Keystone Bacon & Bourbon Festival.
Recipe: Harissa pumps up carrot salad
Tender, multi-hued carrots get tossed with honey and Moroccan spices in this week’s recipe from the Boulder County Farmers Markets. Besides a recipe for a Moroccan-inspired carrot salad, we tell you how to use the fresh carrot tops in a quick pesto.
Get the recipe here, and all Market Meals recipes here.
“In the best world, the government would finally fund school food the way it should. … A nonprofit should not have to do this work and raise money every day. We spend hundreds of billions on wars, yet breakfast and lunch for every child for a year costs a fraction of that.” — Ann Cooper, co-founder of Boulder’s Chef Ann Foundation. Read more.
Want more Boulder bites?
Boulder County farmers scale back crops, CSAs and staffing as drought reshapes the growing season
Recent rains brought some relief, but many Boulder County growers say severe drought had already forced difficult decisions about acreage, staffing and water-intensive crops. Continue reading…
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