Food/Drink: Food news and what to try this week in Boulder County

CRISPY DUCK AT CHEZ THUY, $11.50. 2655 28th St., Boulder, chezthuy.com.

Try this week: Crispy Duck @Chez Thuy

CHEZ THUY is a prolific purveyor of unique Vietnamese plates, and one marvels at the kitchen’s efficiency and utility while perusing the expansive menu and seeing waiters deliver plates of seafood-stuffed tofu, game hen in black pepper sauce, shoft-shell crab, curries, stir-fries, noodle dishes and more throughout the dining room. Chez Thuy is surely no longer a local secret, but for all the folks moving into the units rapidly spawning in East Boulder… make this restaurant your first dining stop. We stopped in for crispy duck recently — caramelized tender duck leg, thigh and wing is plated with brown rice, sweet chili sauce and a punchy, and surprisingly irresistible, cabbage slaw. The balance of texture and flavor on the plate is Chez Thuy’s hallmark.

1

n OPEN AND CLOSED Chef Daniel Asher of Boulder’s River and Woods will open Ash’Kara serving modern Israeli fare this spring at 1043 Pearl St., formerly Pepper the Noshery, Wild Standard and Juanita’s Mexican Food. … Larkburger will move down the strip mall into a spot vacated by Tokyo Joe’s with $3 burgers, door prizes and raffles on Feb. 8 from 4 p.m. to close. … Sweet Green will open in the former Aji site at 1601 Pearl St. in Boulder. … Oskar Blues is closing CHUBurger restuarants in Longmont and Denver. —John Lehndorff

2

n LUCKY’S IN NORTH BOULDER REMAINS Niwot-based Lucky’s Market has downsized dramatically with significant layoffs and store closures, but the original Lucky’s owners, Bo and Trish Sharon, have purchased seven of the markets. Lucky’s Market on North Broadway plus Lucky’s Cafe and Lucky’s Bakehouse will remain open. Wrote baker Jen Bush on Facebook: “We couldn’t be more grateful for our community, and how you all have shown up for us. It literally brings tears to my eyes.” —JL

3

n LIBRARY SUPPER CLUB RETURNS Chef Matt Collier and the Seeds Library Cafe have brought back their library dining series, the Library Supper Club, at the main branch of the Boulder Library. Its most recent dinner in January included local greens with pickled turnips, flowers and nasturtium vinaigrette; chili-rubbed lamb shoulder; and a plum and basil granita with chocolate streusel. Seeds works with local producers and the Boulder County Farmers Market to serve local, in-season food. Upcoming dates: Feb 28, March 20 and April 24. Email community@seedsboulder.com for reservations. —Matt Cortina

20 years on, Dale’s Pale Ale stays strong by Michael J. Casey S tepping into Lyons’ Oskar Blues Grill & Brew is like stepping into the past. Wood dominates; the décor is cluttered, cozy and a little dusty. Stickers from other breweries cover surfaces like reward decals on a college football player’s helmet.

Even the tap list is a tribute to the glory of yesteryear: One column of core beers, the other of seasonals and guest brews. And, should you visit during happy hour — or Rad Hour, as they call it — you can enjoy one of those core beers for $3.50. That’s a hard price to beat in this day and age.

But when Oskar Blues first opened in 1997, all of its beers were guests. It wasn’t until brewmaster Brian Lutz formulated Dale’s Pale Ale in ’98 that the restaurant got its signature ale.

Twenty-plus years later, Dale’s is still a “voluminously hopped mutha” of a pale: Crystal clear with a pile of foam, sweet, full-bodied malt with snappy, citrusy hops. The beer is bitter (65 international bittering units) and cuts through just about anything you have on the table. Dale’s is still OB’s flagship beer, but, as of January 2020, Dale’s has a new look. Gone are the Rocky Mountains and busy labels. Now, it’s a simple red, white and blue, the name of the beer and the brewery that makes it.

Dale’s has been, and probably always will be, the beer most drinkers associate Oskar Blues with. It was the first Colorado craft beer packaged in cans, and it was the first craft beer served on an airline (Frontier). And as Dale’s traveled the country, the ale became more recognizable than the brewery. According to owner Dale Katechis, restaurants on the East Coast often listed other OB offerings, like Mama’s Little Yella Pils, as Dale’s Mama’s Little Yella Pils

Mama’s Little Yella Pils also got a new can design, as did OB’s other core brands (Old Chub Scotch Ale, G’Knight Imperial Red IPA). It’s a way to keep up with the myriad breweries out there regularly serving up something new, as are OB’s three new labels: Can-OBliss (juicy IPAs), Slow Chill (malty lagers) and Death By... (adjunct-laden pastry beers for drinkers with a sweet tooth).

But the whole notion of flagships has changed in the past decade. Breweries that were once defined by a signature beer (Arrogant Bastard, Boston Lager, Fat Tire, etc.) are pushing new brands and new beers. Newer breweries aren’t even touting one particular style, choosing to stay flexible over recognizable. Greeley’s WeldWerks Brewing Co. (established 2015) was first known for its Hefeweizen before Juicy Bits (a hazy/juicy IPA) came along. Now even that award winner gets overlooked for Medianoche (an imperial stout) and a constant rotation of brews — over 150 new beers a year.

If you were to open a brewery in 2020, chances are you wouldn’t settle on a flagship beer, but a never-ending rotation of experimentation and trend spotting. That makes the Dale’s of the market all the more valuable. May they never fade away. Then and now: Flagship beers MICHAEL J. CASEY

n DRINK OF THE WEEK

MOUNTAIN SUN’S BOURBON BARREL-AGED CHOCOLATE THUNDER IMPERIAL MILK STOUT

There are barrelaged beers, and then there’s Mountain Sun’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged Chocolate Thunder Imperial Stout: brewed with over nine malts, two hops, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and lactose, and aged for three to six months in Four Roses bourbon barrels.

“This beer has found its home in Four Roses,” explains John Fiorilli, Mountain Sun’s director of brewing operations. “It lives in Four Roses barrels, and the only way we won’t put it in Four Roses barrels is if they stop making Four Roses bourbon.”

And with good reason: One whiff of the opaque brew tickles the nose with high-octane bourbon and then softens the tongue with the first sip. Then comes a cascade of sweet chocolate amid a sea of rich dark malt. There’s a touch of bitterness on the finish to clean things up and get you ready for another. It’s a soft and velvety digestif, drink with or for dessert, and you’ll go home happy. —MJC MICHAEL J. CASEY

A MODERN SHRINE TO REGIONAL MEXICAN CUISINE

Our kitchen is 100% Gluten Free

#EatMoreTacos

SUN l THURS 11am - 9pm l FRI l SAT 11am - 10pm

TeocalliCocina.com l 103 N Public Road, Lafayette l 303.284.6597

V a l e n t i n e ’ s D a y

2020

Stem Cider Paired 5-Course Dinner

February 14, 2020 6:30 pm

Celebrate ANY Wednesday with bottomless house wine 4-8p for $8

MORNINGGLORYCAFE | 1377 FOREST PARK CIRCLE, LAFAYETTE | 303.604.6351

Fresh Authentic New York Pizza

We Deliver in Boulder Now Delivering (Hungry Buffs) 15% OFF ANY PIZZA PICK UP ORDER

1647 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder, CO • 720-328-2324

www.BrooklynPizzaBoulder.com

Andy Clark, the two-time James Beard Award semifinalist and head baker and owner of Moxie Bread Co., is scraping and molding a viscous, bespeckled dough on his work station one Thursday morning. On top of the flattened, wet heirloom wheat dough, Clark layers reddish-purple Bloody Butcher corn polenta made with garlic, cumin and butter. He sprinkles over hominy that has been nixtamilized (an Aztec technique of soaking and cooking food in an alkaline solution), and then adds a final layer of sage, toasted pine nuts and white cheddar.

As he combines the dough, he admits he doesn’t know exactly what the concoction will turn into, but that he was inspired to fiddle with the ingredients after a recent trip to the Grain School at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, at which the conversation between the participants (bakers, farmers, grain enthusiasts, historians and more) turned toward the future: How can food producers make using more sustainably grown food realistic for people? The answer to solving the problems of the future: Look to the past.

“Here we are in the Southwest with all of these cultures, whether it’s indigenous, Hopi or Mexican or whatever,” Clark says. “And so we did some baking down there with some corn. We taught people that this year’s crop versus last year’s crop could be quite a bit different and maybe you add a ton more water, maybe a little less, maybe you bake it longer or shorter, but you pay attention to it. You don’t just throw it together and walk away. And we also worked with a bunch of corn and perennial wheat to demonstrate that in the future, maybe it doesn’t have to be all [conventional] wheats, maybe Aspen Moon Farm is growing corn and lentil beans… well, let’s make that into food, let’s include all of that.”

In order to help be the change Clark wants to see in the grain economy, he’s opening The Mill Site in North Boulder this Spring. In the back, there will be a nonprofit wholesale granary for local farmers to process their crops — one traditional obstacle in the grain revival is the high cost and specialized equipment in milling heritage grains, beans, corn and other crops. In the front, there will be what Clark calls “the sweetest bulk department you’ve ever seen,” with locally grown and milled grains available by the scoop and a well-curated selection of responsibly grown culinary knickknacks from Utah pink salt to molassasey Costa Rican sugar that Moxie uses in its cookies.

There will be a library of recipe and reference books, and Clark envisions everyone from restaurant owners and chefs to home cooks coming in to pick the staff’s brain, try out recipes and fill in the gap between wanting to switch to local grain and actually making the investment to do it.

And Clark believes the time is right to encourage people to make the switch. Clark helped launch a “quasi-national” campaign to get more organic heirloom grain in Whole Foods 10 year ago, but the effort flopped. Since, awareness about the health, social and environmental benefits of local grain has risen. Clark is hoping The Mill Site removes every obstacle to those interested in implementing local grains.

“I think now we’re in a really great spot to add the educational base, so it’s not just like, ‘Oh here’s some grain, good luck.’ It’s like, ‘OK, you’re opening up a taco truck and you’re wanting to know what the best native corn is. Well, geez, we know a nixtamilizer, we know a grower, we’ll invite him over, we’ll have a meeting and then you can actually talk to them about how to make your tortillas.’ We’ll grind the grain, but On using heirloom grains… with Moxie Bread Co.’s Andy Clark by Matt Cortina

there’ll be so much more added to that process and I think that will be the game-changing part.”

Switching from conventional all-purpose flour to local heirloom wheat is not difficult. Clark recommends making a one-for-one switch in pancakes, waffles and quick breads, and if you’re a savvy home cook or baker, you’ll easily be able to tell if any adjustments need to be made to your recipe. You’ll also notice a robust, pleasant fragrance emanate from your doughs that translates into flavor.

In fact, Clark likens the difference between heirloom and conventional flour to bison and beef: If you’re making burgers at a cookout and someone brings the former instead of the latter, you might cook it less because it’s leaner, but in the end, you still have a burger — and a healthier and tastier one at that — with little additional effort.

“In talking to really skilled food-makers, they say, ‘Gosh, I’m interested in using some of these local grains or doing more whole or heritage grain, but it just sounds really hard. What do you do?’ And I look at these people who are otherwise dialed in, I’m like, ‘Believe it or not, it’s a very minor adjustment.’”

Follow @MoxieBreadCo on Instagram for The Mill Site updates. USE CLARK’S SOURDOUGH STARTER to boost flavor and nutrition in heirloom grain baked goods.

High end quality meats Catering also available

RECIPE Sourdough Starter (Fred) From Moxie Bread Co.’s Andy Clark

n DAY 1 Mix all ingredients in a one-quart mason jar and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

60 grams (about 1/4 cup) water (80 degrees Fahrenheit) 1 heaping tbsp heirloom whole wheat flour 1 heaping tbsp heirloom white flour 11 raisins

n DAY 2 Add these ingredients to yesterday’s mixture and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

60 g water 1 heaping tbps heirloom wheat flour 1 heaping tbsp heirloom white flour

n DAY 3 Add these ingredients to yesterday’s mixture and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

120 g water 2 heaping tbsp heirloom wheat flour 2 heaping tbps heirloom white flour

n DAY 4 Strain out the raisins and discard them. Discard all the existing starter except 100 grams. At this point, we only need a small amount of this starter, which should be bubbling by now.

100 g water 100 g of our newly created starter 50 g heirloom wheat flour 50 g heirloom white flour

n DAY 5 Mix together these ingredients and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

100 g water 100 g yesterday’s starter (discard the rest of the starter) 50 g heirloom wheat flour 50 g heirloom white flour

n DAY 6 Mix together these ingredients and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

100 g water 100 g yesterday’s starter (discard the rest of the starter) 50 g heirloom wheat flour 50 g heirloom white flour

n DAY 7 (Final recipe): This is the recipe you will use from here on out. Mix this on the morning of your bake day, and use water at a temperature sufficient to achieve a 75-degree end temperature. Likely you’ll use 80-degree water.

78 g water 90 g yesterday’s starter (discard the rest of the starter). 50 g heirloom wheat flour 50 g heirloom white flour

Let this ferment at room temperature for 4-6 hours before using in your favorite bread recipe.

Use your favorite bread book (we like the Tartine book), or email us for a recipe at moxielox@gmail.com.

fresh, authentic, tasty japanese food LUNCH Tue-Fri, 11:30am – 2pm DINNER Sun, Tue-Thu 5pm–9pm Fri-Sat 5pm – 10pm. Closed Monday Follow us on instagram: Sushiyoshilouisville AUTHENTIC JAPANESE CUISINE ][

YOU SHOULD NOW have a bubbling and pleasantly acidic-smelling active sourdough culture. Lots of people like to name their new babies. Let’s call ours Fred. You must promise to keep Fred alive and protect him from harm. He is fine to take long naps in the refrigerator when you don’t plan on making bread, just put him away in his mason jar with a well-sealed lid. On the morning that you wish to make bread with Fred, just take him out of the fridge and feed him using the final recipe. You’ll have to use very warm water with Fred since he’ll be so cold from the refrigerator in order to end up with a 75-degree end temperature. — Andy Clark

Your place for wings

From fresh, never frozen, chicken to over 20 different hand-crafted sauces, and a large selection of deep fried sides and desserts, you can always find something to satisfy your hunger at Peckish.

1320 COLLEGE AVE, BOULDER | 720.475.1561 Check out our menu: www.peckishco.com

V-DAY SPECIALS

$65 (Regular Price: $168) Half ounce Cherry Mender $49 (Regular Price: $65)

Eat Your Heart Out bundle Coda Truffles (6-Pack) 1906 High Love Beans 1906 Chocolate Hearts $59 (Regular Price: $84)

You're The Bomb bundle Foria Pleasure Oil Coda Bath Bomb Apothecanna Massage Oil $89 (Regular Price: $130)

Daily Dabber's Delight B-Grade Live Resin Sale $15-25/ Gram

All Offers Valid 11/19/15 - 11/25/15 All oers while supplies last. Additional restrictions may apply. Prices do not include tax. Adults 21+ recreational only.