Bramble & Hare, a Farmhouse Kitchen and Pub

A farmhouse kitchen and pub… I dig the sound of that and I loved the food I tried during the industry soft opening on July 1. New restaurants need to ease in to their rhythm, but for a first night of service, you’d be surprised to discover Bramble & Hare hadn’t been around for quite some time. Everything was on point, and our waiter- the esteemed Tyler Nemkov, former executive chef of Mateo Restaurant Provencal and part-time chef of Black Cat Bistro– delectably described all 14 items on the menu in a way that made me want one of everything.

 In good company, of course, we started out with the cocktail menu. I ordered A Welcomed Pause.

What’s in A Welcomed Pause? I can’t recall. Bourbon or Rye…  I didn’t snap a photo of the cocktail menu, but that’s OK for a couple reasons: 1. The cocktail program, overseen by Dev Ranjan (Sommelier of The Black Cat Bistro and Beverage Director for Black Cat and Bramble & Hare), is clearly one of the best in town. It’s so good, I’m excited to announce Bramble & Hare will be a new stop on my Boulder cocktail tours.

After clinking glasses and saying cheers, we moved on to food. Tyler recommended we order one of everything on the menu. But, we limited it to 5 plates and a dessert.

A quick note on the menu: It’s the coolest menu in town, and definitely one of the coolest I’ve ever seen. You get a mini pencil so you can write the quantity of each plate you desire to explore- it’s a sushi-style-menu.  Also, the top is hand perforated so you can tear it off and keep that “portion for your records.”

A plate of seared greens arrived first. I could eat these every day. I have three words that highlight this dish: crispy fried garlic.

Next came a beet stuffed steamed bun and a doughnut with duck liver mousse. I didn’t try the duck liver mousse… Not a big fan of liver… But the steamed bun is quite a unique vegetarian option. I’m hoping they play around with all kinds of steamed buns.

Since I was dining with Molly Browne, my Cheese Tasting Tour guide, we tried Bramble & Hare’s grilled cheese sandwich. Let me just say it was the best grilled cheese ever and I’d go there any day for a grilled cheese rather than make it on my own… It was THAT good. This particular night they used a cheese called Les Freres, a European style farmstead cheese.

We also shared the chilled roasted turnips with were served with broccoli florets.

Dessert was definitely in order, so we indulged in a sour cherry pie.

Chef/Owner/Farmer Eric Skokan has definitely introduced Boulder to a new style of restaurant and we’re very fortunate. On his Black Cat Farm, Eric raises the animals and grows many of the vegetables served at both of his restaurants, so this is definitely farm to table.  But, the price point for each plate is really reasonable (in some cases quite low), which encourages ordering multiple small plates and sharing- a style of dining I prefer.

I’m looking forward to returning to Bramble & Hare. Looks like I have a new favorite spot in town.

Bramble & Hare

1970 13th Street, Boulder CO

303-444-9110

Open 7 days a week. Lunch. Dinner. Late night (til 2 am).

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse- Not Just Great Food and Fine Tea… Fine Tea Cocktails, Too!

Boulder is so blessed to have the gorgeous and intricately carved Dushanbe Teahouse right along Boulder Creek in our downtown park. Locals and visitors flock to this majestic space to admire the craftsmanship of the building- it’s design, hand-carved cedar pillars, ornate art- and the history of this completely hand-made gift from our sister city, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

I’ve always loved the Teahouse and admire its beauty every time I pass by. The food, oversaw by Executive Chef Lenny Martinelli, is fantastic. Sara Stewart Martinelli’s tea program featuring a selection of over 100 premium loose teas makes the daily Traditional Afternoon Tea service an experience not to be missed. But now, I might be so inclined to visit a little more often for a cocktail.

Cocktails? What does a teahouse know about cocktails? Well, it seems they know quite a bit about crafting cocktails with tea.

Here’s one of my favorites: the Boulder Tangerine Bourbon Sour

Kasi Tenborg, the cocktail creator for the Teahouse, makes tea-simple-syrups to use in some unique libations. The Boulder Tangerine Bourbon Sour has a housemade tangerine and tea simple syrup, which is a concoction I had never heard of before. All I know is this cocktail was refreshing on a hot afternoon and I plan to return to sample more of these tea cocktails. Lucky for me, the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is now a featured stop on some of my cocktail tours with Local Table Tours, so I expect to sample them all… in good time, of course.

Boulder Tangerine Bourbon Sour

• 1.5 oz Maker’s Mark
• 1 oz sour mix
• 1 oz Tangerine Tea Simple Syrup

Cheers!

Taste 14: Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey

It turns out that he prefers bourbon, so we get along well. Before I was introduced to rye whiskey, I considered myself a bourbon gal.  Now, depending on my mood, my spirit of choice is often either bourbon or rye. Whatever form of whiskey (or whisky) it may be, I really enjoy craft-distilled oak-aged libations.

Last year I became familiar with Tuthilltown Spirits, a craft distillery in Gardiner, New York, and producer of Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey.  I attended back-to-back tastings by Gable Erenzo, chief distiller.  Gable talked to us about each spirit as we sampled their New York Corn Whiskey, Husdon Baby Bourbon, Four Grain Bourbon, and Manhattan Rye. The guided whiskey tasting by Tuthilltown Spirits was a great way to taste a number of their products in progression from un-aged (white whiskey) to the spicy rye.  I enjoyed each one individually and gained a great appreciation for this small, up-state NY distiller.

Ever since launching cocktail tours in Boulder in 2011, I have an unquenchable thirst for information about spirits, distillers, and cocktails. I like details, like the following: Tuthilltown Spirits distills whiskey from 100% corn grown in New York State ~which might mean we can discuss its terrior. Hudson Baby Bourbon was the first legal pot-distilled bourbon made in NY since prohibition. It is aged in smaller barrels than many bourbons out there, which means the Baby Bourbon benefits from a greater surface area of wood to bourbon (meaning it’s smooth and flavorful…think of vanilla and caramel notes).

When I decided to give him 14 tastes of how much I care, I knew that one taste had to be bourbon. I immediately thought of the Baby Bourbon, wrote an email, and asked for a bottle.  I’m telling you this to be completely honest since I did not go and buy this bottle, yet I sit here praising it as one of my favorite bourbons ever. Am I truthful? Absolutely. And of the 14 tastes this month, I think I saved the best for last.

One thing I find particularly cool is that this afternoon we opened – year 11, batch 13, bottle 1171- and I know this because it’s hand written on the label.  He cut through the hand-dipped wax cap (which we discussed as a meaningful detail by the distiller) and sipped on this smooth, amber libation. On the second sip he emphatically said it was the best bourbon he’d ever had. That comment brought a smile to my face, as I realized he genuinely appreciated this finely crafted whiskey. I’m looking forward to sharing the bottle with him.

Taste 9: Graham’s 2007 Vintage Port

Port has been a libation in my life lately because it’s one of his favorite after dinner drinks.  The word also seems to come up frequently in conversations, like when my dad told me I’m a sailor who’s been out to sea and is now in port…enjoying myself, of course, before heading back out to sea. Or, an esteemed sommelier friend who compared love to a “port” during a storm… I suppose it turned out to be an opportune time to add a bottle of Port to my bottle collection, or home bar.

I asked him if he preferred a Ruby or Tawny Port, and he said Tawny.  Easy enough… right? I rode over to The Boulder Wine Merchant because that is the place to go in town if you have serious wine questions. After a 30 minute discussion/lesson on Port wine, I decided to buy a Graham’s 2007 Vintage Port.  Here’s why: If it’s a remarkably noteworthy year, they bottle a “Vintage.” Otherwise, it becomes a Tawny or Ruby.  The W & J Graham’s website says “2007 will be remembered particularly for its cool, damp summer. Nice long periods of sunshine in September and October allowed ripening to proceed normally, and although a bit later than usual, the vintage took place under perfect conditions, the fruit being beautifully balanced.”

I also decided it was appropriate to enjoy this fine port in proper port glasses, so I bought a couple beautiful Riedel port wine glasses from The Peppercorn.  And, of course, we headed right over to Cured for the tenth taste of how much I care…