Susan France
Italian
CARELLI’S OF BOULDER 645 30th St., 303-938-9300 Second Place: Pasta Jay’s Third Place: Pizzeria Locale Fourth Place: Frasca Food and Wine Fifth Place: Il Pastaio
F
or the past 12 years, Carelli’s has been serving both traditional and contemporary cuisines of Northern and Southern Italy. The food by itself could easily account for why Carelli’s was chosen as our reader’s favorite Italian restaurant. But when you serve that food in a space with a 360-degree fireplace that has been cited for “Best Design” by the American Institute of Architects and then add an impressive wine list and great service, it’s just piling on.
Fine Dining
FLAGSTAFF HOUSE RESTAURANT 1138 Flagstaff Road, 303-442-4640 Second Place: Frasca Food and Wine Third Place: The Kitchen Fourth Place: Oak at fourteenth Fifth Place: Black Cat Farm-Table-Bistro
W
hen you’re sick of lounging on the couch washing down that bag of stale chips with a lukewarm soda, it’s time to treat yourself.You deserve a night out on the town full of magic down to the last detail. Flagstaff House has a reputation that precedes it, and it does not disappoint. Sitting at a 6,000 feet elevation, Flagstaff offers an unparalleled view of Boulder alongside an impressive menu filled with delicious plates, fancy cheeses and tasty wines. You can’t go wrong with any selection on the menu, and after you’ve stuffed yourself with fancy treats you’ll want to break up with your couch permanently.
Pizza Slice
ABO’S PIZZA
2761 Iris Ave., 303-443-1921 637 S. Broadway, Unit S, 303-494-1274; (and other locations in Boulder County) Second Place: Cosmo’s Pizza Third Place: Pizza Colore Fourth Place: Beau Jo’s Fifth Place: Backcountry Pizza & Tap House
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he slice of pizza is an American institution. It stands for everything that is wonderful about this country: ingenuity, earnestness, character, honor and bravery. It is at once so simple and yet so nuanced. It is born out of tradition and passion. It takes a bold person to open up shop and sell pizza by the slice because the slice is something for which we all have different expectations. To put yourself out there, at the mercy of a subjective public, takes guts. And yet, millions of slices are served every day because there is simply nothing better in the entire world than going to a fantastic pizzeria, picking up a crispy, thin slice on a paper plate, folding it up and walking down the street. It is a snack, a meal and a lifestyle. According to Boulder County voters, Abo’s lives up to those ideals.
30 April 23, 2015
Samir Aniba, executive chef of Carelli’s of Boulder
Thai
KHOW THAI CAFE
1600 Broadway St., 303-447-0273 Second Place: Chez Thuy Third Place: Buddha Thai Cuisine Fourth Place: Aloy Thai Fifth Place: Thai Kitchen
W
hen Toi Newman opened the doors of Khow Thai more than a decade ago, the odds were stacked against her and the obstacles were numerous, but the little Thai café that could quickly earned a reputation as home for some of the best Thai food in town.The restaurant has been bringing awards through the doors, along with many customers, and sending out many bellies filled with satay, papaya salad, Thai soups spiced with lemon grass, noodle dishes and curries. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure when it comes to spice — only the bravest daring the regions of “Thai hot” — and an all-you-can-eat when it comes time for lunch buffets. Best of Boulder County ’15 Boulder Weekly