Catching up…

Jackson, Wyoming, June 8, 2014—

WE'VE BEEN SO BUSY socializing, eating, talking, walking, socializing, and yes eating, that I haven't had a chance to sit down at the laptop until just now — after a 500-mile drive and, yes, supper.

So let's take a quick look at what we've been eating. First of all, I should tell you that the Boulder Colorado area seems to be dominated by a family of restaurants, I suppose all owned by one company, all supplied by a single farm, Three Leaf Farm, whose principles seem to be in line with ours.

Whether by coincidence or because our granddaughter and her fellow are clever and discreet — and they certainly are — we sampled three different restaurants in belonging to this group.

June 4: We stopped in at a casual soup-salad-and-sandwich type place just a few blocks from Eve's house, in downtown old Louisville, and I was happy to order a Greek salad: greens, hummus, olives, feta, red onion, artichoke hearts, cucumber, pita, with a good red-wine vinaigrette.

Pinot grigio, Fat Cat, 2012

•The Huckleberry, 700 Main Street, Louisville, Colorado; 303-666-8020

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June 5: Into Boulder to take the car for a new headlight: why not kill time growing bookstores, and lunching at a tapas joint? Well, not really just tapas: this place serves tapa-sized servings of dishes that might come from any corner of the Mediterranean — Spain, Italy, Lebanon, Greece… I ordered "Pincho" Moruno de cordero: grilled lamb on a skewer, with onions, and peppers, and flatbread, and tzatziki; and "salami e finocchio": salami, fennel, provolone, radishes, onions, arugula with an oregano vinaigrette. Quite acceptable, though not one of the Three Leaf restaurants.

IPA, Avery (Boulder)

•Dagabi Cucina, 3970 N. Broadway, Boulder, Colorado; 303-786-9004

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June 6: Back into Boulder for a short trail hike, then lunch at quite a beautiful tea house, built entirely by hand in Tajikistan and sent to Boulder as a gesture of friendship. Here I had a fine merguez sandwich on pita — really beautifully spiced lamb sausage, with a delicious orange-and-onion salad. But the real stunner was the orange-flower cake you see photographed above, served with orange and apricot marmalades. Unbelievably good.

Rosé, I suppose…

•The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, 1770 13th Street, Boulder; 303-442-4993

THEN DINNER back in Louisville at the third of our Three Leaf trifecta in a comfortable Italian restaurant, where I was happy with a small Caesar salad followed by Cinghiale brasato: braised boar with charred grape tomatoes, garlic confit, favas, and fior di sardo served on perfectly cooked house-made pappardelle.

Vermentino, Sella and Mosca La Cala (Sardegna), 2011, very nice;
Barbera d'Asti, Icardi "Tabarin," 2011, fruity and forward

•Zucca Italian Ristorante, 808 Main Street, Louisville, Colorado; 303-666-6499

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June 7: out to the Saturday farmer's market in town, where we bought fabulous rib-eye steaks to celebrate Lindsey's birthday. Shawn grilled them perfectly, throwing a couple of pounds of thin local asparagus on the grill as well, along with some sliced zucchini. And for dessert, cherry pie from Huckleberry (see above), with vanilla ice cream from the creamery down the street — whose ice cream is about as good as it gets.

Cabernet sauvignon, Jordan (Alexander Valley), 2003: mature, rounded, generous but subtle, long finish. Thanks, Shawn!

•Sweet Cow, 637 Front Street
Louisville; 303.666.4269

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Tonight, June 8, after a long drive, we dined in a pleasant little place in Jackson Hole. I was content with a small house salad involving greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers, in a restrained balsamic vinaigrette, and afterward a small plate of elk carpaccio, with a scatter of red-onion slices, watercress, aïoli, flavored with smoked sea salt, with marvelous little crostini.

Dessert — how refuse strawberry-rhubarb pie? True, it was served with a spoon instead of a fork — as Lindsey said, we are after all in the middle west.

Rosé, Quinta de Gamariz Espadeiro (Portugal)

•Café Genevieve, 135 East Broadway, Jackson, Wyoming; 307-732-1910

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