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June 19-26, 2008
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• Is fresh produce in the bag?
Green Bags are put to the test
by Patricia Rodriguez
 Almost old school
Dolan’s seeks a retro vibe
by Clay Fong
Throw a Frisbee in Boulder, and you’ll likely hit a sushi restaurant. Kick a hacky sack down the street, and you’ll invariably pass a bistro proffering a smorgasbord of incongruous small plates ranging from Thai escargot to truffled fluffernutter. But what’s harder to find is a particular breed of clubby eatery where the rooms are smoke-filled, the politicians corrupt and the portions of steak and seafood ample.
Smoking bans and good government laws notwithstanding, Dolan’s Restaurant in Boulder captures this retro vibe. The mix of dark wood paneling, understated service and old-school menu gives Dolan’s the air of a private club, albeit without the attendant snootiness. Unsurprisingly, the lunch clientele tends more towards retirees and business types than starving students. Having been a CU Business School instructor, my friend Lisa noted this was her favored spot for entertaining CEOs who would come speak to her classes. I asked if she ever hosted a particular CEO with a penchant for ventriloquism, musing that his company’s stock price might have plummeted had shareholders learned of his unusual hobby. “Yes,” she replied, “and he even brought his dummies to his presentation.” She didn’t say what impact this performance had on stock prices or if the dummies had joined them for dinner.
Featuring a nautical orientation, the starters menu includes shrimp gazpacho and New England clam chowder. Lisa and I ordered a $7.95 plate of crispy calamari. This selection consisted of generously sized chunks and ringlets of squid, although sadly lacking in my favored tentacles. Unfortunately, the soft batter didn’t live up the crispy appellation and it was difficult to discern the namesake flavors in the accompanying chili mango dipping sauce. On the other hand, the seafood itself possessed a clean taste and excellent texture as it hadn’t lapsed into the rubber-band like consistency encountered in overcooked versions.
Both Lisa and I sought out something substantial but not quite as filling as the half-pound burgers, prime-rib sandwiches or entrées such as chicken piccata or sole parmesan. I selected the $16.50 Dungeness Crab Louis salad, an old-school choice if there ever was one. The foundation of a traditional Louis dressing is chili sauce and mayonnaise, a formula that dates back to the early 20th century. Besides Pacific crabmeat, the other ingredients are straightforward, simply consisting of lettuce, tomato, avocado and hard-boiled egg.
Unfortunately, the mixed greens were a tad tired, and the crab lacked the full-flavor profile and meaty texture found with more recently harvested specimens. Lastly, this salad would have benefitted from more dressing — at one point, I wasn’t sure if it had been dressed. While Lisa’s lettuce suffered a similar fate, the other elements of her $9.50 shrimp and avocado salad were fine. The beautifully butterflied shrimp were large, tasty, pleasing to the eye and played off nicely against the creaminess of the avocado.
Conceptually, there’s much to like about Dolan’s. It has a comfortable-yet-elegant atmosphere, a menu readily embraced by devotees of old-school dining and prices that reflect decent value. What would improve the experience is more attention to such details as the freshness of greens, the texture of the calamari and the application of Louis dressing. With these changes, Dolan’s can elevate its offerings to a level consistent with its big-city antecedents.
Dolan’s Restaurant
2319 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder, 303-444-8758
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
Clay’s obscurity corner
Crab Louis
Like many American regional classics, the precise origins of the Crab Louis are ambiguous, with San Francisco, Portland and Seattle all claiming to be the birthplace of this salad. What isn’t in dispute is that the original centerpiece of this King of Salads is West Coast Dungeness crab, and that later versions containing shrimp are the likely result of chefs adopting cost-cutting measures. Some may argue that Louis and Thousand Island salad dressings are essentially the same thing. However, the Louis version is typically spicier, and it’s common to find such zippy ingredients as peppers and horseradish in this dressing.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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