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).

Tangerine Tea Simple Syrup

I’m so grateful to get this recipe from Kasi Tenborg, the manager at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House.  After tasting their Tangerine Bourbon Sour, I decided I MUST make this at home.

Here’s the simple syrup recipe:

• Steep 1 large pot of Boulder Tangerine Tea (available at the Dushanbe Teahouse) for approximately 5 minutes (and then REMOVE the basket of tea)
• Add 3/4 cup of white sugar to the teapot and stir until it dissolves
• Allow tea mixture to cool completely

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!

First Roasted Beets of the Season

I was thrilled last week to see beets for sale at the Black Cat Farm stand at the Boulder Farmer’s Market.  I drizzled them with olive oil, roasted them in a foil packet at 400 for 35 minutes or so, peeled them, and devoured them on their own.  Delish!