Trout Almondine
Mateo, 1837 Pearl St., Boulder, mateorestaurant.com
Mateo’s a great spot to experience fine dining without busting your wallet. Most entrées come in under $30, with a bunch of sides to share around the table. But it would all fall apart if the cooking weren’t consistently spot-on and innovative. Take their rendition of the classic trout Almondine. It’s a hulking, skin-on filet cooked to perfection, served alongside a creamy butter and almond sauce, bright and acidic tomatoes, snap peas and kalamata olives. Mateo’s accessible wine list also includes several French whites to pair with the trout. Grilled asparagus on the side came charred just right and salted expertly to bring out its earthy flavor and kill its bitterness. $28.
Panino Gelato
Frasca Food and Wine, 1738 Pearl St., Boulder, frascafoodandwine.com
We can talk about the foam, which is probably the most useful culinary application of foam we’ve seen in a world that just likes to make foam to make foam. We can talk about the delightful strawberry and rhubarb compote-like filling, tart and sweet, but with, more than anything, abundant freshness. We can talk about the Tokaj, the sweet dessert wine that came recommended with the dish as a substitute for Sauternes, and tastes like the cross-breeding of Lillet and vin santo. But all of that would obscure the fact that Frasca made a foie gras ice cream sandwich, and it’s awesome. Buttery, salty, pops of fruit, earthy shiitake mushrooms. This is a great thing. $16.
Pork Adobado Burrito
Pica’s Mexican Taqueria, 901 Front St., Louisville; 5360 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder; picascolorado.com
People may flock to Pica’s for their fish tacos, and rightly so, but their take on pork adobado is worth a shot. The pork is tender and shredded, but the star is the spicy, chocolaty sauce, imbued with the flavor of roasted peppers. You’ll get the burrito and think you can’t finish it because it’s so big, and the next thing you know, it’s gone. So it goes with burritos. $11.
Chicken Quabili Palo
Caspian Deli & Grocery, 2607 Pearl St., Boulder
If you haven’t stopped off at Caspian Deli & Grocery yet, at least just to look inside, then drop this paper and go. The shop sells Middle Eastern spices, rice, drinks and other foodstuffs from the region, and it has a pretty formidable kitchen itself, with daily specials you really can’t get anywhere else. Their quabili palo will make you rethink rice. It’s pillowy, sweet and inviting tri-colored Basmati rice mixed in with juicy raisins and dry almonds. Served atop that, if you choose, is some dynamite chicken, marinated and grilled on a skewer. Topped with spices like sesame and sumac, and served alongside yogurt sauce and a greek salad, it’s a bargain for the price. $10.
