Highlands Neighborhood

St. Kilian's Cheese Shop

Spuntino Cafe

We had a nice lunch a couple of weekends ago at Spuntino Cafe in the Highlands neighborhood. We shared the Porchetta sandwich with shaved porchetta and spicy aioli, which was delicious. My husband also had a scoop of their perfect homemade gelato. Afterwards we visited the nearby bookstore and stationery shop, and then walked to St. Kilian's where we picked up a fresh baguette and a crock of truffle mousse chicken liver pate.

HONEY TASTING, MARKET VISIT, COCOA BITS

On Saturday afternoon, we visited Cured market in Boulder. They were having a honey and honeycomb tasting of local Grampa's Gourmet Honey. Our favorite variety was the Tamarisk honey, a rare honey named after the tree from which it comes, the Tamarisk, also called the Salt Cedar. With its dark amber and chestnut brown coloring and hints of hickory, pine, soy sauce, molasses, and dark beer it is a most unusual and perfect honey.

The market shares a space with Boxcar Coffee Roasters, and so we ordered coffees and sat at the marble counter and read for a while. The cool rain was nearly ending and the golden sun was peeking beyond the clouds as we left. We walked a block to the used bookstore and perused the dim and dusty shelves and stacks. Home again, we set to work on supper - chopped apples, a crock of pâté, fresh baguette, ham off the bone, and Tamarisk honey. Simple and satisfying.

Yesterday, I made Sprouted Kitchen's Cocoa Coconut Bits which are terribly good, especially warm from the oven. For supper, we had whole roasted Colorado trout stuffed with spinach and roasted veg. It was a lovely, restful weekend with a good balance of school and leisure time, and delicious food in between.

SMALL SCENES

THE FIRST SNOW

We had the first light snow of the season today. In the afternoon, we visited a nearby farm for pumpkins and local apples. Afterwards, we headed into town and stopped at a few of our favorite shops and lingered in a couple of bookstores. He bought a book, and I chose some lovely stationery. When we needed to warm ourselves, we walked to our favorite French restaurant Brasserie Ten Ten and had fish and chips and a couple of beers. It was the perfect meal for this beautiful, grey day.

TIME TO SLOW DOWN

It's that time of year again. Summer has ended and the semester has begun, and my husband is once again working and attending school full-time, which means we are having to put forth extra effort to steal away and make time for ourselves.

Last weekend we visited one of our favorite local eateries, Pizzeria Locale in Boulder. We sat outside while the sun was strong and golden and there was the slightest, most perfect breeze. It felt so nice to stop and sit for a long while, and to enjoy his good company and conversation. Afterwards we popped over to one of our favorite used bookstores across the street. An attempt to slow down time before life begins again.

If you visit Pizzeria Locale, I recommend sharing the Bianca; a delicious pizza crafted with pecorino, rapini, sausage, and garlic. Or perhaps their newest seasonal offering (one I can't wait to try myself), the Fichi Pizza with black mission figs, local Tender Belly bacon, medjool dates, Verde Capra cheese, shallots, and balsamic. For dessert, you simply must try the butterscotch budino. Order your own, you won't want to share. To taste a bit of everything, try their Aperitivo menu every day from 4:30 to 5:30 pm.

Pizzeria Locale 1730 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302

A NEW SEASON

With the changing of seasons comes a fresh start. I am finding my way once again in the world of blogging. I'm not sure what form this space will take, but for now I am simply glad to be here.

Earlier in the week, I stopped by an honesty farm stand on the way home from work. I had picked the perfect day to visit. There were bags of local apples and the last of the perfect Colorado peaches. Home again, I set to work on the first apple pie of the season. Autumn has come to stay. I'm convinced these beautiful, blue mountains relish the season as much as I do.

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