VERONA
It isnt easy making an impression on people when half of what you were created to do isnt currently possible.
Thats been the caseor, maybe more accurately, the conundrumfor the Boulder Brewpub, the largish, A-framed bistro hidden away at the edge of a residential neighborhood in Verona. With most brewpubs, you walk in the door expecting to be able to wrap your lips around a pint from a list of brews crafted on-site. But Boulders been without a brewmaster since the pandemic started, and is only now in the serious process of filling the position.
Boulders vibe has been designed to evokewhat elsethe ski lodges of Colorado. Not sure what that has to do with the generic flats of Verona, but give em credit for nailing it: The main dining room is certainly spacious and airy, with lots of stone walls, pillars and crossed wooden ceiling beams, and the floors dotted with cozy booths and larger tables for those family reunions and postgame nosh-fests. The d矇cor is a little like the type of merchandise stock youd see at a main street shop in Door County (think kitschy signs celebrating nature and cabin living). The walls are festooned with a crowd of beer signs.
Burgers are usually the standard-bearer at a spot like thisand well get to them, presentlybut Id rather start with the ridiculous bowl of bacon carbonara ($16), one of several hearty pasta entrees on offer here. Boulders version fronts thick strands of tagliatelle, doused with equal measures of a creamy garlic sauce and teensy bits of uber-crispy bacon. The balance is unusually strong: The sauce isnt copious enough to be soupy, and the small size and large amount of bacon insures youll always have some in each bite you take but that it wont be laden with bacon grease. Pasta and Italian-themed items dot the entire menu, and theyre an unexpected strength.
As youd expect, pizzas another pillar of the menu, and its tricky in an interesting way. Advertised as a thin, crispy-crust concoction hand-rolled and baked in a brick oven, when a margarita pie ($17) arrives at the table, the edges of the crust are puffy and thick like the rolling hills of South Dakota. At first glance, it looks like its going to be much closer to stuffed-crust Chicago-style than the promised crisp crunch, but it delivers. You can build your own or jump on one of five specialty options, but if you want leftovers, you might have to order several12-inch is the only option.
What about those burgers, you say? Like the bowls of pasta, theyre sizable and tasty, 1/3 pounders stacked high with fun ingredients that bring out the flavor of the meat. The standard cheeseburger ($13) benefits tremendously from the garlic aioli slipped in under the brioche bun. Single, unexpected flashes seem to be a theme. The Chef Fredo Burger ($15) is like the burger and fried egg combo youve encountered in plenty of other placesuntil the taste of the brandy Granny Smith apple relish hits you. Little flourishes like this are evidence of a menu that is about a lot more than checking boxes.
We mentioned the lack of Boulders original craft beer. Thats an ongoing bummer, to be sure, but beer-lovers neednt despair, since the rotating tap and bottled beer list more than makes up for it. Curveball choices like Loon Juice Cider, a tasty brew from Minnesota are very worth the exploration.
Props to Boulders resilient and bare-bones staff, who survived a recent Saturday replete with visits from multiple youth basketball teams with only minor hiccups in service efficiency. If its true that you see a restaurants true character in its most challenging moments, Boulder Brewpubs in good hands. Eventually, Boulder will get back to fully doing what it was intended to do, but in the meantime, theres no reason to wait. The foods reason enough to track this place down.
