After six years of dishing take-out grilled cheese and fries from a kiosk on the Pearl Street Mall, Ruthie’s Boardwalk Social is closing at the end of September. A social media post from Ruthie’s attributed the closing to “rising costs across the board, decreased foot traffic on Pearl Street and very few people back in their office since COVID.”
BOCO Cider has announced that it will close its North Boulder taproom on Nov. 24.
Now open: Love Ice Cream, 240 Second Ave., Niwot.
Culinary calendar: Oysters and spirits
Jax Fish House hosts the annual High West Oyster Fest on Sept. 19 at Boulder’s eTown Hall. Guests enjoy unlimited oysters, beverages, a caviar bar and shucking competitions. Proceeds benefit local nonprofit There with Care. Tickets: bit.ly/HighWestBW
Wheatstock Grain & Music Festival, on Sept. 28 at Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons, celebrates the heirloom, regenerative and organic grains in Colorado inspired by the late Andy Clark. The event includes music, pizza and complimentary shots of Barrel Fire 2.0, a local grain whiskey collaboration between Spirit Hound and Dry Land Distillers. Tickets: bit.ly/WheatstockBW
Taste of the week: Gochujang and tunes
The Velvet Elk Lounge has become a go-to spot in downtown Boulder for live music and cocktails. Because it is a Big Red F joint and shares a kitchen with The Post next door, the bar food here is spot on. The appetizer-focused menu includes corn fondue, burrata cheese with marinated peppers, and “devils on horseback” — blue cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates.
My go-to is the spicy gochujang chicken saam. Sweet, spicy, salty and fermented, gochujang sauce is an integral part of many Korean recipes.
This paleo treat features perfectly fried boneless chicken drenched in gochujang sauce wrapped in romaine lettuce. Adding to the flavor blitz is pickled onion, cilantro, mint and toasted sesame seeds.
Words to chew on: Tasting anticipation
“Although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” — From Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles weekly on KGNU. Comments: [email protected]. Read more local food news from Boulder Weekly