use real butter

If you know me even a little bit, you know that I love sushi. Going to college in southern California sealed my fate in so many ways including sushi and Jeremy. My litmus test for my first dinner date with Jeremy was at a popular sushi bar in Pasadena. If he couldn’t handle the fish – out the airlock! But he loved it. Good thing too! When we first moved to Colorado, we were stunned at the number of sushi restaurants in Boulder. There are several – at least ten off the top of my head. But not all sushi restaurants in Boulder, Colorado are created equal. It didn’t take long before I zeroed in on my favorite.

sushi tora in spring

Sushi in Boulder is not inexpensive if your reference point is a major city on a coast. Once you get over the initial sticker shock, you come to learn that there is bad expensive sushi and good expensive sushi. Sushi Tora obviously boasts the Good Sushi. I’m no expert. I just know what I like. Their fish is consistently the freshest, best-prepared, and highest quality. I should note that I’m more of a sashimi and maki girl than a nigiri girl. It’s where I take out-of-town guests who have a hankering for sushi. It’s where I take my parents. They LOVED Tora and my folks are the first to wrinkle their noses and point out when a restaurant doesn’t serve satisfactory food (that’s where I get it from). I had to forgo sushi during my chemotherapy in 2008. Can you guess the first place we went for dinner when I got the all-clear from my oncologist? Tora, of course!

kampachi (amber jack) crudo with tobiko, orange oil, garlic, pepper

There have been some changes since I started going to Sushi Tora in 2006. Change in ownership for one. Change in head sushi chef too. For the past few years, my dining schedule has been pretty busy with so many places to choose from. I try to keep the variety alive and well. I’d go to sushi for more lunch meetings than anything else and that was always easier at the tables than at the bar. Sitting at the bar is the finger on the pulse of a sushi joint – sitting at a table is neither here nor there, but my white friends tend to prefer it. I saw the changes, but they didn’t register in my head until I was invited to come in and meet the new chefs last December. I’m slow on the uptake, okay.

beef short rib and cabbage fried wontons with sweet soy sauce and spicy mustard

pork and ginger gyoza with ponzu

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Right before a meeting Friday morning, I got a text from my lovely friend, Denise asking if I wanted to grab lunch at Frasca’s new pizzeria. I already had lunch plans and sadly had to decline. But the following day I was back in town for PodCamp Boulder 3 with my pal, Kathya. When the conference broke for lunch, most of the folks planned to cross the street and grab a bite. Kathya and I are food bloggers – every meal is an opportunity, right? So we high-tailed it in the snow to Pearl Street and managed to get a table for two at a very busy Pizzeria Locale.

pizzeria locale

The restaurant had only been open a week or so when we walked in. Frasca is the parent restaurant of Pizzeria Locale. Frasca is also an absolute gem of a dining establishment in Boulder – their food, wine, and service is phenomenal. I had high expectations for Pizzeria Locale. The tables were packed, the bar was packed, and the bar around the gorgeous pizza oven (the first Stefano Ferrara oven in the state of Colorado) was packed.

the menu

The service is good. It’s not at the level of Frasca which I don’t really expect from a pizzeria anyway, but the hostess, servers, and the general manager (Chris – a stand up fellow) were all attentive, friendly, and warm. The interior has a jovial, modern feel to it and the place is loud because diners are happy and enjoying themselves. As staff walked plates of freshly baked pizzas out to the tables, more than a few sets of eyes followed the plates with longing. I’m guilty of ogling the pizzas too.

hydrate with some still water

Kat and I opted for a table (had better natural light than the pizza bar) and began to scan the menu. Pizzeria Locale offers up a tempting selection of salads, side dishes, pizzas (and calzone), and dessert. They also offer gluten-free dough for their pizza. The lunch special (which Denise had mentioned) was a small arugula salad, a marinara pizza, and a coke for $9. As good as that sounded, we wanted to sample a little more of the menu and opted for two salads and a pizza.

the amalfi: fennel, citrus, dill ($7)

the antica: arugula, parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar ($7)

kat digs into the lovely greens

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Long-time readers and basically anyone who has been around me for more than five minutes know how I have bemoaned the utter lack of decent Chinese food in Boulder, Colorado. That is part of the reason you find so many Chinese recipes on this blog – because I can’t get the real stuff where I live unless I make it myself. But hold on there, pilgrim! Ma Ma has come to the rescue.

and you can find her on pearl street

Zoe Ma Ma is a newish Chinese restaurant that opened in 2010 on 10th and Pearl Streets in downtown Boulder. I first noticed it on my way to my favorite sushi bar, which is right next door (Sushi Tora). I looked at the menu with anticipation and suspicion. I’ve had my hopes dashed to the ground countless times in Boulder before. I wondered if this would be any different. When my parents were visiting and we walked past Zoe Ma Ma, my mother looked up at the Chinese characters and said, “Oh! Zoe Ma Ma. Looks interesting.” So right, it’s not Zoe as in zo-ee, but Zoe as in zoh. But everyone calls her Ma Ma. When customers enter, they say “Hi, Ma Ma!” and when they leave they wave “Bye, Ma Ma!” or “Thank you, Ma Ma!” Sometimes you’ll even hear it spoken in Chinese. Yes, the Chinese people in Boulder (all three of them… I’m JOKING!) dine here. That’s a good sign.

this is ma ma

It’s a small restaurant with seating for about 25 people inside and another 8-10 at the bar outside when the weather is nice. I know for a fact if you go right at noon, it can be quite busy. I’ve seen the bar lined with diners happily slurping their noodles as the steam dances up into the sunlight. Walk up to the counter to place your order. Depending on the day of the week, you can also choose the special. On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday you can get a big bowl of Sichuan braised beef noodle soup. On Wednesday and Thursday they serve savory pork belly zong zi (think of it as a Chinese tamale made with pearl rice). Friday and Saturday’s special is roast duck and wonton soup.

ma ma serves homemade organic noodles

I was curious. Very curious. The menu items looked more like the homestyle food I grew up eating and loving rather than the deep-fried, day glo sauce-drowned abominations of the typical Chinese restaurants around town. When I introduced myself to Ma Ma, we spoke in Mandarin and shared our paths. That’s what all Chinese people do when they meet. “Where are you from?” And that, for me, means “Where are your parents from?” because when I say I was born in the U.S. they (they = any Chinese person, especially immigrants) immediately ask if my parents came from China or Taiwan.

jason and i sampled the menu for lunch one day

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