Weekend In Boulder

The weekend after christmas, ryan and I packed a bag and headed to boulder for an overnight getaway. We started this tradition 4 years ago and it has quickly become something I look forward to every year. We always make a point to relax and unwind after all the holiday festivities wrap up and have some time for ourselves. This year my brother and sister-in-laws joined us for our trip and the weekend turned out to be one of our best getaways yet.

(clockwise from top left: the view of the flatirons from our hotel  /  pizza fresh from the oven  /  ryan + I in the elevator  /  oysters ready to be slurped up  /  cucumber vodka cocktail at jax)

As we do every year, we stayed at the st. julien; the hotel has a fabulous spa, wonderful service and a prime location in the heart of boulder. We had an incredible lunch at pizzeria locale which set the tone for the weekend. We lazily stuffed ourselves with arancino (saffron risotto balls filled with melted mozerella cheese), an extremely fresh frutti di mare salad, a briny and savory tuna-arugula salad and then of course hot-out-of-the-oven pizzas that tasted like we were transported to italy upon the first bite. After a bit of walking around in the frigid temps on boulder's pearl street, we headed back to the hotel's spa to soak our frozen bodies in the hot tub and enjoy the sauna and steam rooms. 

I feel like boulder is such a foodie-destination so, it only seemed fitting to sample our way through some of ryan and I's favorite places before dinner. We had dim sum at zo ma ma, followed by cocktails and fresh-shucked oysters at jax fish house. Dinner was at the newly opened blackbelly market which is all about locally-sourced, seasonal food. The standout dishes of the evening were by-far the offerings from the charcuterie and small plates menus (order the posole and house-made sausage, you can thank me later) while the main courses were all a little less memorable. While we were overall happy with the entrees we had, they each had their own missteps which sadly effected the overall taste of the dishes. It was a wonderful evening and meal but I want to be honest about my experience so I feel like it is only appropriate to mention this.

(clockwise from top left:  blackbelly's neon sign  /  grilled colorado-cut steak with chimichurri  /  ryan + krista  /  stained glass fish at jax  /  grilled bread with lox and scrambled eggs)

Sunday morning ryan and I took some time for ourselves and bundled up to go get coffee and take a walk in the crisp morning air. As we walked around we talked about our previous getaways to boulder and how much we just love the area. Luke and krista joined us a bit later for an extremely flavorful brunch at the kitchen before we headed back to denver. As we sipped bloody marys and ate our tasty breakfasts, I wished we could stay a bit longer to savor boulder for another day. However, all good things come to an end and this trip had to do the same. 

(clockwise: all of us  /  boozy brunch drinks  /  more of boulder's flatirons  /  ricotta pancakes from the kitchen)

I look forward to heading back to boulder soon and hopefully we will be able to get my inlaws to join us again as the four of us do get along so well. To see our previous trips, click here, here and here.