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August 21-27, 2008
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• A celebration of food
Slow Food Nation converges on San Francisco
by Joan Obra
• Food Bites
Food happenings around town
Don’t worry, eat happy
Within posh new digs, Laudisio maintains its culinary confidence
by Clay Fong
Don’t worry,” said the stranger’s voice, “everything’s good here.” I had been scrutinizing the menu outside Boulder’s venerable Laudisio, and I was pleased to hear these reassuring words. Ever since this Italian eatery transplanted itself from its humble North Boulder strip mall location to posher digs at Twenty Ninth Street, word on the street has been mixed. Some said it wasn’t as good as it used to be, while others found the food as delectable as ever.
Certainly no one can fault Laudisio for lacking in choice and ambience. Wood-fired pizzas, pasta, risottos, entrées from land and sea, and a half-dozen salads are all available here. The décor is several steps up in sophistication from the homey Iris Avenue site, as it combines mid-century modern curves with Old-World flourishes, such as ornate metalwork that evokes leafy orchards. Al fresco dining provides a commanding Flatirons view.
My friend Catherine started with a $7 beet salad. Resembling a rectangular artists’ palette, this dish presented several slices of heirloom beets in tones ranging from traditional red to a seldom seen orange-yellow. A testament to the chef’s wisdom, these fresh-tasting vegetables weren’t unnecessarily adorned by excessive dressing or garnishes that would have detracted from this dish’s refreshing simplicity.
My $8 baby arugula and corn salad included crushed croutons, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, roasted pepper and fresh corn kernels that added a sweet counterpoint to the crisp arugula’s peppery bite. On the downside, the tomato vinaigrette dressing had a muddled flavor, and a straight-up dressing of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil could have vaulted this salad to the top-shelf.
Seeking a light dinner, Catherine took a bowl of $5 chicken minestrone as her entrée. At risk of flip-flopping like a candidate for public office, this soup’s brothy consistency helped me set aside my bias that favors thick minestrone. Given the summer heat, it made perfect sense that the kitchen moved away from the heavy, stew-like qualities of winter soups, and the balanced vegetable flavor was beyond reproach.
The $15 homemade fettucine funghi was my main course choice. A composition of wide noodles in a classic alfredo cream sauce paired with organic mushrooms, this selection went beyond tradition with accents of truffle butter and shallots. The fettucine had a perfect al dente texture, while an expertly chosen assortment of mushrooms provided earthy flavor and consistencies ranging from cotton-ball light to firm and meaty. The cream sauce suffered from a touch of oil separation, but the flavor was as full-bodied as any alfredo. There’s the rub — this dish’s richness was too much of a good thing. While I enjoy decadent food as much as the next person (well, maybe a bit more than the next person), I found I was only able to eat about a third of my portion.
To close things out, Catherine and I split a $7 slice of white chocolate key lime pie, on the recommendation of Wade, our low-key and professional server. While still rich, the pie’s citrusy tartness helped counter the pasta’s creaminess, and the sweetness level was just right. On balance, it had been a solid meal. While there might have been a few quibbles about details, Laudisio continues to live up to its established standards of value and care, giving both regulars and newcomers nothing to worry about.
Laudisio
1710 29th St.,
Suite 1076, Boulder
303-442-1300
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Clay’s obscurity corner
Homemade pasta
Homemade pasta is an inexpensive treat to make, although preparation can be time consuming. While some favor expensive electric pasta makers or mechanical hand-crank devices (my weapon of choice), first-class noodles can be made with nothing more than a knife and rolling pin. Simply roll out the pasta dough to the desired thickness, and cut it into thin strips. Cookbooks such as those by Italian authority Marcella Hazan provide exact recipes for the dough, but often the ingredients consist of nothing more than flour and egg. Adding spinach also helps keep the dough pliable in the dry Colorado air.
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