Fat Man/Fit Town

I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. My wife, after 25 years of marriage and 30 years together with me, has mostly accepted my desire not to make too big a fuss over the holiday. I do try to be extra-nice on February 14–I shaved today, for instance–but we usually don’t go out or exchange much in the way of presents (she did send me an absolutely appalling email with a Valentine’s-themed Transformers pun).

So it was just by chance that we needed to go the Boulder Bookstore tonight to get a couple of school books for the kids, and so used it as an occasion to have dinner at Riffs, which is located in the space formerly occupied by the Boulder Bookstore Cafe. It’s the second time we’ve been there, and I think we’ll probably be putting it on the rotation of favorite casual date-night restaurants in town.

I don’t see so well, as y’all know, so I can’t tell you much (anything) about the decor, but I can tell you that the noise level was pretty reasonable for a Pearl Street joint, and the service was professional, polite, and no bullshit.

I don’t remember what we had the last time we were there, though it must have been in August, since I do remember something with grilled or roasted peaches. Tonight’s menu was similarly seasonal, with lots of winter squashes and root vegetables. We started with a plate of bread with white bean spread, heavy with garlic and a bit of crunchy finishing salt (that Bonnie and I did remember from last time, which is why we ordered it).

For the meal, we shared three dishes: a plate of salmon-potato croquettes, nice and crispy, finished with lemon and a variant of tartar sauce ; a winter salad with shredded squash, nuts, kale, and parmesan; and hanger steak with roasted parsnips, sautéed greens, horseradish, and a stout reduction. Everything was good, the steak was outstanding. I am not usually a fan of parsnips, but these were as sweet as carrots with the texture of a firm roasted potato. Really, really good.

We didn’t order dessert–too full–but they brought us a couple of half-strawberries dipped in dark chocolate for Valentine’s Day, so that was very nice.

Prices about what you’d expect for a Pearl Street restaurant. Not cheap, but not The Boulder Cork, either.