Arguably more sophisticated than a certain house serving up similar featured items, The Waffle Lab, 1155 13th St., opened its doors earlier this month on Boulder’s University Hill.
A spinoff of the original Fort Collins venue, this specialty eatery spotlights Belgian-style Liège waffles and coffee. From Thursday through Friday, the Lab’s hours extend until the wee small hours of the morning, namely 3 a.m.
Menu offerings include both sweet and savory versions of the Belgian specialty. One signature item is the chicken and waffles, consisting of fried tenders topped with a rosemary sage and sausage gravy, with a side of Vermont maple syrup. This particular number sounds exactly like the kind of thing one would want to eat at 3 a.m.. But if your tastes run to the sweet, there’s such options as the European, featuring Nutella, strawberries, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It’s also worth noting that gluten-free or vegan waffles are available here for a $2 up charge.
Fall produce aplenty
While summer is certainly drawing the a close, the folks at the Boulder County Farmers Market remind us that there’s still plenty of fall produce to enjoy.
The Boulder, Longmont and Lafayette markets will continue to feature more than just the expected autumnal apples.
Morton’s Orchards will be featuring Charentais melons, Juan Canary melons and raspberries, while First Fruits Organic Farms will offer up plums, pears and more.
The BCFM website (bcfm.org) features seasonal recipes from local restaurants — including Flagstaff House Chef Chris Royster’s Bourbon fried apples and Black Cat Chef Eric Skokan’s grilled Japanese turnips.
Twisted rewards
Boulder’s Twisted Pine Brewing Company, 3201 Walnut St., Suite A, has launched a new customer loyalty initiative, the cleverly named Executive Branch Rewards Program.
After signing up with a bartender, participants will receive one point for each penny spent. After accumulating a set amount of points, patrons can redeem them for pints and growlers, as well as such food menu items as chips and salsa and pizzas. This promotion also provides an incentive to check out Twisted Pine’s brews, which include the newly released Rock Me Amadeus, an amber lager with origins in 19th century Vienna, and an excellent pairing choice with classic Bavarian pretzels.
Longmont harvest
For the remaining two Saturdays in September, Longmont’s Ollin Farms, 8627 North 95th St., will be carting its fresh wares to the Niwot Market, 7980 Niwot Road, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Ollin’s recent harvests include several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, a selection of peppers, eggplant and a multitude of greens.
The Niwot Market also provides a fine excuse to enjoy some top-notch breakfast offerings that are available until noon. A recent one-time special of green chile and chorizo biscuits and gravy was particularly impressive, but other satisfying breakfasts, such as French toast, are always available. Sachi Sushi, housed in the Market, is also a worthwhile stop for Japanese cuisine, including chirashi and black cod.
Restaurant Weeks
Both Longmont and Boulder celebrating their culinary treasures with prix-fix menus at participating spots Oct. 8-17.
Longmont
Participating spots will feature two menus at $18.71 and $28.71.
- 300 Suns Brewery
- Abbott & Wallace Distilling
- Beau Jo’s
- Blackjack Pizza
- Blue Agave
- Caprese Trattoria
- Copper Sky Distillery
- Cyclhops
- Dickens 300 Prime
- Dickey’s
- Dry Land Distillers
- Everest
- Flavor of India
- Georgia Boys
- Gondolier
- Jefes
- Left Hand Brewery
- Longmont Public House
- Mama Mead’s Pizza
- Marco’s
- Martinis
- Mike O’Shay’s
- Outworld Brewing
- The Post
- Proto’s
- Pump House
- Quarters
- The Roost
- Rosalee’s Pizza
- St. Vrain Cidery
- Smokin Bowls
- Smokin’ Daves
- Summit Tacos
- Sumo
- Tacos Don Joses
- Wing Shack
longmontrestaurantweek.com
Boulder
Participating spots will feature menus at $29, $39 and $49.
- Ash’Kara
- Avery
- Bohemian Biergarten
- Boulder Cork
- Dushanbe Teahouse
- Brasserie Boulder
- Café Aion
- Centro
- Chautauqua Dining Hall
- Chimera Ramen
- Corrida
- Dagabi Tapas
- Dry Storage
- Empire
- Fringe
- Greenbriar Inn
- Jill’s Restaurant
- OAK at Fourteenth
- The Post
- River and Woods
- Salt
- Sforno Trattoria
- Ska Street Brewstillery
- Sugarbeet
- T/ACO
- Waffle Lab
- West End Tavern
- Zucca Italian Ristorante
firstbiteboulder.com
