The first thing I thought when I sat down at Restaurant 4580 and took a first glance at the menu was, “Here we go again.” Another boutique Boulder restaurant serving an American take on Mediterranean food. Another antipasti plate, another bowl of mussels, another Niman Ranch pork shoulder.
Because let’s face it: Competition for this kind of tony little eatery serving olive-oil-drenched cuisine (my favorite kind) is stiff up in Boulder. Bácaro. Mateo. The Kitchen. And of course (dare we say it) Frasca.
How’s the new kid on the block supposed to stand out?
One way to stand apart is to literally stand apart. Restaurant 4580 bucked the Pearl Street trend by setting up shop across town in north Boulder, at (surprise, surprise) 4580 Broadway.
A risk? Yes. It’s almost always better for business to situate yourself among other successful restaurants.
But north Boulder is a fast-growing part of town in need of more neighborhood eateries, so the folks behind 4580 took the risk.
Will it pay off? It’s too early to tell how successful 4580 will be. It’s been open only a few months. But over three visits, it’s been plenty full with a textbook Boulder County clientele: tattooed bartenders on a night off, sharply suited DA look-alikes, weather researchers in button-down shirts, and squash-blossom- sporting ladies of a certain age.
The room is also textbook Boulder County (with echoes of Spain’s Costa Brava and California’s northern coast). Cozy- sexy saffron-colored walls with accents of sandstone. A busy (and loud) open kitchen. Low, flickering, (and not to be underestimated in importance) flattering light. You get the feeling that this would be a great place for a date.
A patio outside with a few tables scattered across a courtyard sits between 4580 and a Subway franchise. It would be a nice patio, except for three things: one, the incessant glare of the fluorescent-neon Subway sign; two, the napkin-stealing (and umbrella-toppling, in my case) gusts that sweep down the foothills to cool off your steak; and three, the extra time your meal will take because you’re that much farther from the kitchen.
I’m all for al fresco dining, but the case of 4580, I recommend sitting inside.
Besides, inside, you’ll get better attention. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the right server. My luck has been mixed at 4580, but it’s never been out-and-out bad (as I’ve encountered at some of the aforementioned Boulder County restaurants). Over three visits, the service has ranged from excellent to just fine. Timing has been spotty during some meals, but because the menu is divided into small plates and big plates, rather than starters and entrees, this somehow seems more forgivable.
(Tip: Sit at the bar for the best service.)
About 4580’s small plates: Don’t skip the Moroccan lamb meatballs in a tomato ragu with a dusting of Parmesan. This simple little bowl of savory jawbreaker-sized lamb pop-ems was like an unstoppable force – resisting it was impossible. I’ve ordered it twice, and twice I’ve wished afterwards that I’d had more.
Another high point on the small plates menu was the marinated Greek sardine fillets sprawled over a toss of fresh greens and a few slices of toasted Italian bread. I wasn’t sure how to eat it: Do I stack the lettuce and fish on the toast? Do I use a fork and knife for the salad bit and eat the toast separately?
But I managed, and the payoff was real: oily, sea-salty fish bites locked in beautiful concert with the fresh, green-crisp leaves. (Have this with a glass of the Greco di Tufo; there are several wines by the glass and quite a wide range of bottles to choose from.)
Less successful small plates: Bacon-wrapped, chorizo-
stuffed dates, a sticky-stale variation on the classic canapé Devils on Horseback. Spiced chickpea and zucchini fritters, oversalted to disguise the lack of inherent flavor. Mussels with pancetta and mint, gritty and tough.
Have the seasonal antipasti plate instead, a reliable assembly of cornichons, cheeses, and cured meats (in our case, speck).
4580 has two very intelligent salads: succulent duck confit with baby beets and mizuna drizzled in a pistachio-flecked vinaigrette, a creative combination that would have worked as a light meal in itself if I didn’t have a psychological problem with overordering; and bibb lettuce with pine nuts, red onion and Cabrales cheese. Both were unexpected but well-balanced combinations.
On the other hand, the assorted greens salad with goat cheese, fennel and truffle oil was overwhelming and appetite-deadening.
The large plates are also hit-and-miss. My favorite was the sweet pea ravioli with artichoke tapenade and pea tendrils, which, while out of season (the best peas hit for a only week or two early in the summer), still smacked of freshness and vigor. Rigatoni, tossed with spicy sausage, peas and cream was familiar and homey, in an “I want to try and make this myself” kind of way.
Also excellent, the well-selected and lovingly cooked bone-in beef ribeye with evocative late-summer mushrooms. (Choose this instead of the bland, dry lamb burger, even though the ribeye costs twice as much. It’s twice as good.)
Two of the big plates competed for my least favorite at 4580. Scallops, at once mealy and rubbery, atop tooth-catchingly tough pancetta, versus the veal chop, irresistibly offered as a special (being, as it was, on-the-bone and stuffed with pancetta), comically undercooked.
Pick from the fresh-fruit sorbets for dessert, especially if Colorado peach is available. Skip the triple-chocolate mousse dessert (a chocolate-
wrapped column of white, dark, and mocha mousses), a gummy, tough-to-eat construction topped with three sticks of fried spaghetti (if you can figure that one out, you’re way ahead of me) and tasted more like the refrigerator than anything else.
Note: This dessert, the second time around, was left all but uneaten, and in an appropriate (and appreciated) gesture, our waiter removed it from our table and our bill, no hassle. Nicely done.
Restaurant competition is stiff in Boulder, and it isn’t easy to stand out, even if you are all the way across town. Restaurant 4580 needs to continue aiming high and tweaking its point of view to make a lasting mark.
But hope shines bright, and as Restaurant 4580 refines its menu, defines its point of view, and deepens its roots in the neighborhood, it might just turn out to be a contender.
Dining critic Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-954-1958 or at dining@denverpost.com.
Restaurant 4580
Mediterranean
4580 Broadway, Boulder, 303-448-1500
** 1/2|Very Good,Great
Atmosphere: Casually-stylish bistro in a north Boulder retail/residential development.
Service: Thoughtful and efficient and swift, if not perfectly choreographed.
Wine: A serviceable wine list, with many fine by-the-glass choices. A few bargains, but most bottles priced in line with comparable restaurant lists.
Plates: Small plates, $4.50-$10. Entrees $13-$27.
Hours: 5 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Closed Monday.
Details: All major credit cards accepted. Reservations encouraged, but not needed. Parking lot. Excellent for dates.
Three visits.
Our star system:
****: Exceptional.
***: Great.
**: Very good.
*: Good.
No stars: Needs work.
