A95RP installment 1: Lunada Eatery & Cantina (MOVED)

Update January 2022: Moved to Longmont.

Lunada's theme is "delicious southwest cuisine with a Colorado twist." We had dined here once last winter, and I had once been to the old location on South Boulder Road, but that was a while ago. Our server, Angelica, recognized us and told us she follows the RP reports. Thanks, Angelica! That was so nice to hear, and a first for me! It was quiet on a Sunday night, possibly because of the holiday season. We sat in a back corner by the windows and enjoyed the colorful interior and pleasant lighting.

We asked Angelica, who has worked at Lunada for four years, what she recommended, and we each picked one of her favorites: the smothered burrito for G and the enchiladas de camaron for me. I could tell that the corn tortillas were made in house, which Angelica confirmed, and she said the flour tortillas are house-made too. The smothered burrito was larger than even G's head, and he said it was "de-LISH--and you can quote me on that!" I liked the shrimp enchiladas very much; the rich, creamy sauce was moderately spicy , decadent, and a little salty (I like salt, so no worries for me), and everything on the plate tasted lovely. It was a little pricier than most of the other menu items but worth it.

We also had a side of scrumptious plantains that came to the table piping hot from the fryer, and we finished with a churro that was cut into sections and served with chocolate dipping sauce. Angelica said the dessert menu varies depending on what the chef was able to make that day. We'll definitely be back!

House margarita: tasty!

Original smothered burrito: pork, ranchero beans, achiote rice, salsa verde, flour tortilla, pork green chili, cheese, lettuce, queso fresco, crema, and pico de gallo
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Enchiladas de camaron: corn tortillas, shrimp, spicy cream sauce, cheese, black beans, achiote rice, queso fresco, crema, and pico de gallo

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The side of fried plantains was a highlight!

Churro with chocolate dipping sauce

The decor. That's Angelica coming out of the kitchen at lower left.

SBRRP installment 9: Front Range Brewing Company (CLOSED)

Update 2024: Permanently closed.

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This is the last installment of the SBRRP, as I could not find any other restaurants that were not fast-food chains. I will post the summary separately. After this, we will be moving on to the Arapahoe and 95th Street Restaurant Project (A95RP).

When I was compiling the SBRRP list, I wondered, "Does Front Range Brewing have a kitchen?" I went to look at their website, and one of the top links is labeled "We Have a Kitchen," so the answer is yes! Apparently I am not the first one to ask that question. The menu is limited to the nicer kinds of bar food: appetizers, a few salads, wraps, quesadillas, flatbreads, and two "brewhouse favs" (brat and grilled cheese). There are also a couple of kids' options (grilled cheese and grilled PB&J).

This brewery has been around for a while, but we had never been there. We thought it had a pleasant interior, with nice lighting, colors, and decorations. It was very quiet when we arrived about 5:45, but they have limited Sunday hours (2 to 7 p.m.). Other nights, they're open until 10. The nice bartender answered a lot of questions and helped me sort out a flight of five beers, and I tried a mix of the small-batch, core, and seasonal beers. I liked them all, but my favorites were the Helles and the Märzen because I tend to favor light, crisp beers. For our food order, we shared a small spinach salad, G had the bbq pork quesadilla, which came with a side of chips, and I had the CAM flatbread (marinara sauce, mozzarella, salami, grilled chicken, and beer-brat sausage). The beer flatbread is house-made, and this meat-heavy version was delicious. I especially liked the slightly sweet marinara sauce and the sausage. G devoured his quesadilla and said the fusion of flavors was tasty. We'll definitely be back!

Quiet on a Sunday evening

My flight, left to right: Prairie Fire Helles, the November-fest Märzen, the Ma Belle Peche saison, the Hogback Double IPA, and the Waneka Lake Session Chocolate Stout. I especially liked the Helles and the Märzen. These were all 5.5% ABV except the IPA (8.5%).

Flight labels

Small spinach salad (very good, with cheese, walnuts, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette). I especially liked that the nuts were not candied! Plus bbq pork quesadilla with chips and CAM flatbread.

A rare photo of G, featuring his bbq pork quesadilla

The bartop has a collection of 2,700 beer-bottle caps. The bartender was showing me that they had an original Avery beer cap.

 As a side note, we used to frequent this mall when it had a whole different set of restaurants and the FRBC site was a bingo parlor. Obviously, this was a long time ago! We hadn't seen it yet in its newest incarnation and under its new name ("The District"). We liked the new arrangement of the interior mall space with couches, armchairs, and tables, and a few people were hanging out in this area. There is a coffee shop (OTIS) that was closed when we arrived, but the open area would be a nice space to relax with a cup of coffee.

The inner area of the District mall

SBRRP installment 8: Tacos Aya Yay

Many of you already know and love this place, as is evidenced by its appearance in fifth place on this list of "the best Mexican restaurants in the US, according to Yelp" (based on a Yelp algorithm that ranks user reviews). We had not been there before, but we knew it would get very busy around dinnertime, so we went at 5 p.m. on Sunday night and happened to hit a relatively quiet moment (though as we arrived, someone was leaving with a huge takeout order). There isn't a lot of seating inside, and it is all counter seating along the walls and front windows. We managed to find two chairs next to Freddy and Tyler (whom we were meeting for the first time) and had a nice chat with them about the food here as well as the general Lafayette/Boulder County restaurant scene. Freddy, who works in the restaurant business himself, said Tacos Aya Yay is his local favorite and noted that the line is sometimes out the door.

Although I initially thought that I should order tacos, I ended up trying the taco torta with chicken instead--this is a torta with the addition of beans and possibly some other ingredients. It was delicious, with tender shredded chicken, cheese, and very nice flavors. G had a burrito with asada and chorizo and liked it very much too. We washed the food down with horchata and considered ordering more after we finished, but we were too full, so we will have to go back. I'm sorry I didn't photograph the menu because the online versions I found (on sites that post menu photos) are out-of-date, and I don't think there is an official online menu--but it has all the standard taqueria options plus some. Freddy and Tyler both said the barbacoa is one of their favorites, so that is on my list for next time.

It was hard to photograph the food, as all the good stuff was inside the bun.

I couldn't really show all the deliciousness inside the burrito either. But G said it was excellent. 

I took away half so I could show the inside of the torta.

The inside space, with counter seating along the walls. There are a few more seats around the corner to the left and along the front window.

From the outside

SBRRP installment 7: The Simple Greek

The SBRRP has been on a brief hiatus while I was away on a European adventure, but I am picking it up promptly upon my return. This time, we visited the Simple Greek! Originally, I was going to omit franchises, but some friends who are fond of this place argued that I should include it because it is the only one in Colorado, and I decided it wouldn't hurt to check it out. There is a fine line between this kind of place and a fast-food chain, but the distinction is more or less clear in my own mind, so here it is!

You order at the counter, and you select a "base" (pita or rice), a protein (traditional [lamb/beef] gyro, chicken gyro, grilled steak, grilled chicken, and a couple of other possibly vegetarian options that I failed to note), and various sauces and toppings. There is also a selection of sides and a few dessert options. G had a pita with traditional gyro and topped it with the "salad" (a mix of cucumber, tomato, and red onion), some garbanzo beans, and tzatziki sauce. He also had a side of Greek fries, meaning French fries topped with crumbled feta. I had a rice bowl with traditional gyro and topped it with the salad, the Lemonis potatoes and green beans, some additional cucumber, a few kalamata olives, and tzatziki. I also added a couple of dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice), which are served cold. 

When I first posted this on Facebook, I avoided expressing an opinion, but I will add here that I thought the food was just OK. It wasn't very warm, and the gyro was a bit dry.

When we first arrived on this chilly Tuesday evening, we were the only customers, but several others came in while we were eating. The Simple Greek is on South Boulder Road across from Sprouts.