use real butter

When Jeremy was short-listed with CU Boulder, I told him if he got an offer, we would go to the Flagstaff House for dinner. Right after I told him this, I realized I shouldn’t have said anything because if he didn’t get an offer, I wouldn’t feel we could ever go there for fear of any lingering guilt on his part. Good thing he got an offer!

the entrance to the restaurant high on the hill

from the patio overlooking the town of boulder

the wine tome with mountain view

We were seated at the best table in the house: the corner window. The views are stunning and the whole place has an airy feel to it - like a glorified tree house in the mountains. We were given the 160-page wine tome to peruse. The Flagstaff House has earned the distinction of being in the top ten wine lists In The World, every year for the past 23 years! I couldn’t decide on a wine until we knew what we were going to order.

who doesn’t love a good sancerre?

What we ordered was typical for our monthly reviews (did I mention I was reviewing for May?): two appetizers, two entrées, and two desserts. What we got was far more than that. They began with complimentary crab and shrimp salad profiteroles, and a sundried tomato and niçoise olive tapenade on crostini. That was followed by tiny individual servings of thai purple rice with pork and cashews - also complimentary. Then came the choice of three breads: sweet walnut roll, calamata olive bread, or sourdough rolls. We ordered ahi tuna tartar which they served split for us, and then enjoyed an AMAZING pancetta wrapped quail on chanterelle mushrooms and a white truffle infused polenta. After the appetizers they served mango sorbet with blueberries to clean our palates. Our entrées arrived: Jeremy ordered the Hawaiian big eye ahi tuna and I had the trout, salmon, and scallop. The portions were enormous. I could barely make a dent and we both had our meals wrapped up.

a cafecito-sized cinnamon panna cotta

For pre-dessert, we were served complimentary cinnamon panna cottas and then handed the dessert menu, which is as big as the regular menu! With Jeremy’s coffee (dark roast, smooth - fantastically excellent) came their famous sugar tray with literally 16+ varieties of sugar or candy or chocolate. We probably should have skipped dessert, but had to see what all the fuss was about. Jeremy ordered the golden egg: chocolate truffle brownie with cocoa sorbet and gold leaf on top dressed with berries, and I ordered the Infamous Chocolate Bag: a chocolate bag made of Callebaut dark chocolate, filled with almond spongecake drenched in liqueur and topped with berries, white chocolate mousse, and a caramelized sugar lattice. Oh but wait, there’s more… Another complimentary plate of petit fours including: a russian tea cake, an almond blueberry torte, a chocolate ganache brownie tower, a chocolate covered strawberry, and a profiterole.

the night view over boulder

I should say everything was prepared to perfection. Service was impeccable. And to top it off, when we received our check, we were given a loaf of breakfast bread from the pastry chef. Just in case you were still hungry the next day - here was a loaf of sweet bread to tie you over. I think my blood sugar has reached dangerous levels and I will soon slide under my desk until July. The review will go up soon.

Jeremy said this was a total treat and worth getting the faculty job for. Salud!

summer food
Artichokes remind me of summer. I picked up a couple of these beauties at the store yesterday and had one for lunch. The artichoke is a member of the thistle family although our cultivated versions have come a long way from their wild cousins. Typically you trim the base, remove outer leaves, lop the top off, and cut the pointed ends of the leaves off.

Boil or steam forever and then serve with lemon and/or olive oil. Actually, I prefer to eat them plain. Peel the outer leaves off and scrape your teeth on the inner base where the meat is. Peel them down to the heart, remove the choke, and enjoy the best part.



A good deal of this plant is fiber - lots and lots of fiber. Which might explain why I get gas when I eat them… Artichokes contain cynarin, a chemical which stimulates the sweet receptors on your tongue. Pairing wine with artichoke is a pain in the ass because it alters the taste of the wine.

Ewww, Kaweah is starting to smell like Summer Dog. We took away her water tonight at 9pm because she’s going in for minor surgery tomorrow to have that funny thing on her lip removed and biopsied. I’ll get her back after work since Jeremy heads south to Socorro for a couple of meetings tomorrow morning. It’s just the girls!

Tonight I prepared some sashimi (hamachi and maguro) for dinner since I know Jeremy loves it and I usually try to treat him to a special meal before he leaves on travel. It still amazes me that I can get Good sashimi-grade fish here in a land-locked state. Let’s here it for bourgeois, liberal, sushi-eatin’ Boulderites.

melt-in-your-mouth wild goodness from the sea

plus organic edamame - mmmmm

kaweah wanted in on the soy action