high-end residential developers strive to install an onpremises destination restaurant as an inducement for buyers. Case in point is San Franciscos Millennium Tower, a pricey residential highrise that features the RN74 eatery, operated by Michelin-starred Chef Michael Mina.

While its helpful to use Streat Chef s website (or Twitter or Facebook) to pin down this operations ever-changing location, youll certainly recognize it when you see it. Its the shiny, if not full-bore iconic, Airstream trailer towed by a large displacement pickup with all the folks crowded around it.

Picas Mexican Taqueria is the latest local entry in the midpriced, fast-casual taco and burrito arena. Not a large chain or a strictly one-location operation, it nevertheless manages to dish out satisfying and surprisingly tastyfor-the-price Mexican specialties.

Downtown Boulders Brasserie Ten Ten appeared to be just the ticket. It possesses wood panels, a full bar and an overall ambience that isnt just typical modernist minimalism. Moreover, some of the crowd here shares the professional tie-andbutton-down wardrobe in evidence among the partners at Sterling Draper Cooper Pryce.

As part of my ongoing efforts to craft a taxonomy for Chinese restaurants, I recently realized there are two main angles to categorizing these eateries. The first is assessing the formality and pricing of the place, ranging from the come-one-come-all budget dive to the high-end banquet hall reserved for wedding festivities.

Its an unapologetically casual spot, with at-the-counter ordering and a selfservice condiment bar featuring fresh pico de gallo, red and green salsas, and slices of radish and lime. The menu encompasses such street food staples as tacos with freshly made corn tortillas, quesadillas, tamales with a multitude of stuffings, and torta sandwiches.

Other features include entr饠salads, chicken wings, mussels and mac and cheese with additions like green chiles and pancetta. A $5 kid’s menu features a choice of entr饠as well as beverage, vegetables and dessert. There’s also an impressive array of draft Belgian beers, and if Tin Tin or Poirot visited Boulder, they’d come here to knock back a few.

Much like Hart feels a strong degree of loyalty to the Parisian establishment where he spends his time, I have a deep allegiance to the Espressoria. Its considerable virtues include consistently friendly service with a smile and an endearingly ramshackle interior.

better of it and quickly return to dicing arugula for salad. But I wasn’t thinking about Farmer’s Market greens and severed anatomy. Nah, I had a big question that led me all the way down the Diagonal to Longmont. I asked Big Mike to tag along, because sometimes if you ask questions, you need muscle along for the ride.

Half a roast duck at $7.50 is a good deal, but this was the weakest course in the meal. It was heavily marinated with soy and five-spice, making for a darker bird than usual. The skin tended more towards soggy than crisp, and the flesh lacked the moist suppleness of the best examples.