NIBBLES
CHEWING THE FAUX FAT Boulder’s Meati delivers a new mushroom-based steak that tastes and chews like the real thing BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
I
t’s like a scene from The Matrix films set in the produce aisle at Sprouts: A woman offers a sample of a new local meat alternative. My mind knows it isn’t steak, even though it smells like steak. I’m told it isn’t meat. But once I hear the sizzling and start chewing it no longer matters. My mouth says: “Mmmm, flank steak.” I expect to be underwhelmed by the “Classic Steak” from Boulder’s Meati Foods. As green apple Jolly Ranchers are to real Granny Smith apples, so are most plant-based burgers compared to fresh ground beef. I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I’ve tasted generations of pulled jackfruit
Credit: Meati Foods
barbecue and plant-based burgers in the line of duty. Most of them taste like good-faith imitations, simulations of the flavor and texture of meat meant to remind you of flesh. But the nose and taste buds know faux. Meati’s steaks and chicken-like cutlets are different. They don’t crumble but tear into chewable muscle-like fibers, minus the fat and bone. They also lack the blast of fermented flavor that make
WHERE TO DINE LIKE THE JOKER Colorado is still basking in the glow of the Denver Nuggets’ recent crowning as NBA Champions. The triumph spotlighted the team’s down-to-earth MVP, Serbian-born Nikola “The Joker” Jokić. A reader wonders:
Belgrade, Serbia
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JULY 20, 2023
“Where can I taste the Serbian cuisine The Joker loves?” The simple answer is that no Boulder or Denver eateries specialize in Serbian cuisine. However, it’s complicated once you realize how close
meatless burgers decidedly not taste like ground beef. “Everyone wants to eat a clean, healthy diet, but at the end of the day, flavor wins,” says Christina Ra, vice president of marketing communications at Meati Foods.
FLESHY FUNGI
Meati’s co-founders, Tyler Huggins and Justin Whitely, met while pursuing
Serbia is to Eastern European countries such as Greece and Turkey. For instance, Serbia is only about 600 miles from Ukraine. By comparison, cities 600 or less miles from Boulder include Phoenix, Las Vegas and Oklahoma City. Serbia’s crossroads cuisine ranges from schnitzels, sarma (meat and rice filled cabbage rolls), and gibanica (egg and cheese filo pie), to paprika chile-spiced stews and grilled meats. There are plenty of local spots where you can taste dishes similar to those served in Serbia. In Boulder, you can sample the Mediterranean aspects of the cuisine at Kalita Greek Cafe (2426 Arapahoe Ave.) and the Mediterranean Market (2690 28th St.). Afghani flavors are on the menu at Silk Road Grill and Market (2607 Pearl St., Boulder).
Ph.D.s at the University of Colorado Boulder. “They realized they both had a profound interest in creating a more sustainable future,” Ra says. The duo decided to focus on meat alternatives. “They went through thousands of species and strains of mycelium to find the one fungi that grows fast, is naturally super nutritious and incapable of producing toxins. Flavorwise, the one they
Westminster is home to Cracovia Restaurant (8121 W. 94th Ave.), which dishes Polish favorites like cabbage rolls. Closely related Russian fare is available in Denver at Masha and the Bear (12101 E. Iliff Ave.), and at Molotov Kitschen (3333 E. Colfax Ave.). Hard-to-find Armenian goodies are a delight at Denver’s family-owned House of Bread (2020 S. Parker Road). Denver and Aurora also offer many Middle Eastern spots such as the delightful Istanbul Cafe & Bakery (850 S. Monaco Parkway, Unit 9) and its dozen baklava variations. To taste a wider variety of foods from the region, check out the blood sausages and beer at the Polish Food Festival, Aug. 26-27 in Denver, and the diverse fare at the Taste of The Middle East Festival, Sept. 9 in Aurora.
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