Bee’s Wrap. Better than Plastic Wrap.

I’ve been averse to plastic in my kitchen for a long time now and as a result haven’t bought plastic wrap in years. Living in a dry, high altitude town means your beautiful freshly baked baguettes will turn into crackers without being stored in plastic, so I’ve kept plastic bags in the kitchen for those moments when I can’t finish a loaf in a day. But, I came across a unique solution a few months ago on Food 52- Bee’s Wrap.

Bee’s Wrap is made with organic cotton covered in beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin. The warmth of your hands molds it to your baguette (or cheese, bowl, sandwich), and then it stiffens when it cools and maintains its shape.

You can wash it in cool water with mild dish detergent, let it air dry, and it lasts approximately one year. I haven’t had mine for a year yet, so I can’t testify to what starts to happen that you’d realize it was time to buy a new one. I also have only used mine for bread thus far.

I love the opportunity to not just keep plastic from my foods, but keep it out of landfills, and hopefully be part of a growing number of consumers voting with their dollars against our non-stop creation of thousands upon thousands of miles of plastic wrap each year.

If you live here in the Boulder area, you can pick up some Bee’s Wrap at Cured. Otherwise, check out their interesting website and at least consider it. If it’s not for you, then for your super environmentally-friendly friend.

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).

Taste 10: Port Wine and Cheese Pairing

After purchasing a bottle of W & J Graham’s 2007 Vintage Port, I knew I had to get over to Cured for the quintessential port pairing: Stilton.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask owner and cheese connoisseur Coral Frischkorn for a couple other cheeses to enjoy with this fine port wine.  She suggested Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Cremont in addition to a nice piece of Stilton.

There’s one thing I’ve come to believe about Cured: They know their cheese, how to pair it, and will not steer you wrong.  That’s why we also picked up some spiced nuts the sell there at Cured from the kitchen of Mateo,  which is located a few doors down.

This made a delicious pre-dinner indulgence with a thinly sliced baguette.  I also had Patti Miller’s port jelly and prosecco jelly , so we had fun “Spreading the Booze.”

So, for my 14 tastes of how much I care, tastes numbers nine and ten (Port and Cheese, respectively) were  fun, interactive taste sensations.  I do suggest you enjoy a wine and cheese pairing at home sometime soon.  It turns an average night into a festive occasion. I’m already planning my next one…

Blue Cheese and Pear on Rye

I’m a big fan of Rye bread, and I picked up a loaf of locally baked Breadworks Rye from Alfalfa’s, so I’ve been enjoying this flavor-packed “spicy” bread for a few days now.  Why did I describe this bread as “spicy?” Well, every bar tender in town describes rye whisky (one of my favorite spirits) as “spicy,” so I’m using that flavor descriptor for this bread. Do people call rye bread spicy? I have no idea…

Anyway, I made a sandwich with rye, blue cheese (from Cured) and pear. Yum. I could go for another right now…