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In this week’s Nibbles, we talk to the authors of a new book that captures the flavors of Boulder’s epic dining culture, present and past. Plus: New Cajun Creole fare in Lafayette, gold-medal Boulder wines, dinner in the streets and an early 20th-century Boulder Fluffernutter recipe.
— John Lehndorff
Some of life’s most intense moments have played out around cafe tables in Boulder — dinner with parents, first dates, last dates, bagels with my kid and too many memorials. I can remember exactly what I ordered and can sometimes almost taste it now that the restaurant has closed. Frankly, what lingers is how kindly people treated me when I grabbed a bite — along with cell phone photos of family, friends and tacos.
Diners wanting something non-digital to remember the restaurants they love are often stumped. They can grab a paper menu or a pack of matches — which have made a comeback. There are restaurant cookbooks, but most are simply page after page of fancy recipes from chefs. These are not books you sit down and read with a chai latte. They do not connect me very well with those places.
A freshly published Boulder cookbook may be the tangible portal that Boulder diners have been needing.
In “A Bite of Boulder: Volume 2,” authors Rachael Caraluzzi and Jessica Benjamin gather 55 recipes from 29 independent restaurants, bakeries and bars in the city ranging from Efrain’s of Boulder and The Ginger Pig to Gemini and Tandoori Grill.
To be totally transparent, I wrote a chapter for “A Bite of Boulder: Volume 2” about the Boulder Eats! exhibit and my memories of several historic eateries. Caraluzzi and Benjamin helped curate the restaurant half of the recent Boulder Eats! Food Traditions Along the Front Range exhibit at the Museum of Boulder. As the exhibit historian, I helped write, research and lead tours of Boulder Eats, which explored the history of “America’s Foodiest Town.”
This hardbound volume is a sequel to the original “A Bite of Boulder” published five years ago, but the scope of this project is much wider.
“This book is a love letter to Boulder’s food culture. It’s a cookbook, a dining guide and a portal to learn about the community through what it loves to eat. We also felt it was important to preserve the story of the historic restaurants,” Jessica Benjamin says.
The cookbook features recipes from current Boulder independent restaurants, such as Filet of Branzino in San Valentine Sauce from Il Pastaio and an Espresso Martini from Siren Cocktail Bar.
“It was amazing to be welcomed into so many restaurants. We wanted more than just recipes. We wanted to hear their stories and watch them cook their food,” co-author Rachael Caraluzzi says.
“The process of rolling out the croissant dough at Maisonette was beautiful.”
Uniquely, “A Bite of Boulder: Volume 2” also includes recipes and touching family stories from much-loved closed destinations: Mataam Fez Moroccan Restaurant, Magdalena’s Holland Restaurant, John’s Restaurant and The Med.
Sometimes, recipes from chefs are not so easy to replicate.
“The Boulder restaurants found some recipes to share in the book that didn’t require expensive new tools or hard-to-find ingredients. The Med Greek Salad is so simple but so delicious,” Caraluzzi says. The recipes were all tested and tweaked by a crew of Boulder home cooks.
The collection features many approachable weekday dishes including Sweet Potato Curry Soup from Lindsey’s Boulder Deli, Colorado Lamb Burger from Boulder Social and Ray’s Lemon Cream Pie from the Walnut Cafe.
According to Benjamin, cooks who love tackling a more complicated dish as a weekend project can attempt Moxie’s farmhouse sourdough, Squid Ink Socarrat with Scallops from Café Aion, or Tortelli aux Carrottes from Brasserie Ten Ten.
With additional contributions from the Boulder County Farmers Market, Visit Boulder, Slow Food Boulder County and Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, this is the first recent cookbook that embraces Boulder’s whole, resilient, vibrant food culture.
The book cover image on “A Bite of Boulder: Volume 2” features a cotija taco with salsa fresca and guacamole on a freshly made corn tortilla from T/aco restaurant, according to Jessica Benjamin.
“The head chef, Arturo Bancalari, was talking about his family and the cooks he grew up with, and it brought him to tears. He credits the authenticity of the food at T/aco to his kitchen crew. He said: ‘It’s the women in the kitchens who did all this!’”
Celebrate Boulder flavors at cookbook party, panel discussion
The authors of “A Bite of Boulder: Volume 2” are hosting a big signing and tasting party Oct. 14, 6-9 p.m. at Rosetta Hall, with cocktails and tastes from cookbook contributors including Lindsay’s Deli, Moxie Bread Co., Rang Tang Craft Barbecue and Lucky’s Bakehouse. Tickets here.
On Nov. 12, I’ll host a nostalgic panel discussion and book signing at the Boulder Bookstore with Jessica Benjamin and Rachael Caraluzzi. This deep dive into Boulder’s epic dining history will feature a panel of people behind such memorable dining spots as Laudisio, Mataam Fez, The Med and John’s Restaurant. Tickets here.
Serious Cajun Creole flavors infuse Remi’s fare
The driving distance between Lafayette, Colorado, and New Orleans, Louisiana, is about 1,300 miles. I swear it seemed closer after tasting the gumbo served at Remi’s Cajun Creole Cafe. The soup was jammed with smoked andouille sausage and Gulf shrimp with fragrant filé powder for authenticity and white rice for balance.
The recently opened Lafayette eatery already had a devoted following when I visited for lunch recently. There were two large guys wearing Florida Gators T-shirts digging into po’boys and a mother and son from Louisiana who said they were on their third visit.
The lunch menu features half portions of the dinner menu items, including muffuletta and fried catfish po’ boy sandwiches, plus crab and crawfish cakes. I settled in with a sandwich loaded with perfectly fried slices of cornmeal-coated green tomato, bacon, lettuce and Remi’s remoulade sauce.
My friend dug into the spot-on New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp. The large Gulf shrimp were bathed in butter amped up with black pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and Creole spices. The best part was soaking up the sauce with toasted French bread. On the side were collards with smoked turkey that hit the spot for this greens fan.
I’ll be back at Remi’s to try the crawfish étouffée, popcorn grits and shrimp, smoked ribs and buttermilk- and pickle juice-brined fried chicken.
Gold medal wines, eager gleaners sought, and a Supper Club closing
Boulder’s Bookcliff Vineyards brought home gold medals for four wines from the 2026 Governor’s Cup competition: Bookcliff Cabernet Franc 2024, Mourvèdre 2025, Tectonic White 2025 and Tempranillo 2024. Those wines and the other 46 gold medal winners will be sampled at Colorado Uncorked Oct. 17 in Denver. Tickets here.
Uproot Colorado is seeking eager gleaners — volunteers who harvest edible crops left in the fields at Boulder County farms for food banks. Sign up here.
Openings
The bright yellow Fleishman’s Bagel truck has found a new North Boulder home at 4403 Broadway, just north of Violet Avenue.
Closings
After 10 years in business at 206 S. Public Road in Lafayette, Community Supper Club is closing on Oct. 17.
Boulder-born Great American Beer Festival moves outdoors
The nation’s premier craft brew gathering, the Great American Beer Festival, hosted by Boulder’s Brewers Association, moves outdoors for the first time Oct. 10-11 at Denver’s Levitt Pavilion. The first Great American Beer Festival, held at Boulder’s Harvest House Hotel in 1982, was a modest event featuring most of the then-open American craft breweries: 24.
The Longest Table, a nationwide effort to create community, stages its inaugural Boulder event Oct. 10 around a table running down Highland Avenue. The free event invites community members to bring and share food. Register here.
Stuffing turns baked winter squash into a main dish
The final Wednesday session of the season is Oct. 7 at the Boulder Farmers Market, but Saturday markets continue through Nov. 21. This week, the Boulder County Farmers Markets shares a main dish recipe for baked and stuffed local acorn squash. Get the recipe here.
“Marshmallow Sandwiches: Take small size crackers, spread with peanut butter, put marshmallow on top, brown in oven.” — This early Fluffernutter/s’mores mashup was included in “Dainty Dishes and How to Serve Them,” published in the early 1900s by the Ladies’ Aid Society of Boulder’s First Baptist Church. National Fluffernutter Day, Oct. 8, celebrates a childhood fave: peanut butter and marshmallow crème sandwiches.
Check out recent editions of Nibbles:
🍰 She started baking gluten-free cakes in Boulder. Now they’re sold nationwide.
🍪 A former Frasca cook is teaching kids how to make dinner
🥂 Michelin Guide adds Casa Juani to Boulder’s all-star restaurant roster
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