In the new niche of the fast-casual trend, eateries, Lyfe Kitchen just opened in Boulder, boasting ingredients that are organic and, often, locally sourced.
All entrées are under 600 calories, with less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium. They use grass-fed beef, and the menu includes locally sourced bison, bison burgers and bison tacos that are unique to the two Colorado restaurants.
Lyfe Kitchen opened in Lone Tree earlier this year.
“People in Boulder and Denver are very passionate about quality of life, health, wellness and good food,” said executive chef Jeremy Bringardner, who visited Colorado for the Boulder opening. “It’s a good match.”
Lyfe Kitchen started in 2011 in California’s Silicon Valley and swiftly spread to states like Texas, Nevada and Illinois. It was recently named among the .
The trio of chefs include Bringardner, recent winner of the Food Network’s “Chopped,” Art Smith — formerly Oprah Winfrey’s chef — and Tal Ronnen, considered one of the top vegan chefs in the country.
Food expert and the tofu wrap “actually delicious.” But among diners, top favorites are the fish tacos and , which Smith first prepared for Oprah Winfrey.
There’s something for everyone: paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan.
“It’s good, clean, healthy food,” said Bringardner, who then quickly amended his words. “We’re not supposed to say the word ‘healthy,’ ” he said. “We’re afraid it will turn folks off.”
They’re even considering changing the word “vegan” on their menus to something like “plant-based,” because focus groups showed that many people are “scared that healthy food won’t taste good,” he said.
“They thought our menu sounded too pretentious and too sophisticated. That stopped us in our tracks, so we tweaked it. We’re trying to find a way to appeal to the masses, so we’re careful not to sound overly sophisticated or pretentious or any of that jazz.”
Prices range from about $9 for a grass-fed burger or grilled chicken and avocado sandwich to $13 for the unfried chicken entrée and $16 for grass-fed steak and potatoes.
Lyfe Kitchen is in Boulder at 1600 Pearl St., 303-245-0950.
In Lone Tree, Lyfe Kitchen is in the Park Meadows Mall, 8401 Park Meadows Center Drive, 303-706-9100. For more information, go to lyfekitchen.com
Portofino to Denver
Alessandro Polo loves talking about his home town of Portofino, on the Italian Riveria, and about his new restaurant Lo Stella that opens Oct. 24 in the Golden Triangle. But there’s one thing he keeps under wraps: details of his top-secret pesto sauce.
“There’s only one way to do pesto — the old way,” he said on a recent afternoon, as he worked on his laptop on the sunny sidewalk patio of Lo Stella, preparing for the opening.
“Pesto was born around Portofino, around its hills,” said Polo, the eighth generation of .
They know pesto.
Polo decided to bring his native cuisine — known for simple, flavorful ingredients like local fish, nuts, herbs and wild mushrooms — to the Mile High City because it evokes the European culture.
“I’ve always loved Denver,” he said. “It reminds me of Turin. Turin is just below the Alps, and Denver is just below the mountains.”
Happily, the American locavore trend dovetails with ancient Italian cooking: fresh ingredients, locally sourced.
“In Portofino, my father and I personally went every morning to the fish market,” he said.
But local is local.
“I’m not going to fly seafood in from the Mediterranean,” he said.
He’s finding things like Colorado-raised striped bass to use instead of branzino, often called Mediterranean sea bass.
Many of the recipes have been in his family for 70 years. They include “risotto stella,” risotto with seafood, and “pansotti in salsa di noci,” ravioli with walnut sauce.
All the pastas are made daily, and there are gluten-free and vegetarian options available. But for Polo, it’s not just about the food.
“In Portofino, for me and my father and mother, it was about the people, and building relationships,” he said. “That’s a very important focus.”
The grand opening party is Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Lo Stella, 1135 Bannock St. For more information, call 303-825-1995 or go to lostelladenver.com.
Loafing around
Grateful Bread, a wholesale boulangerie in Golden, kicks off the month of Thanksgiving by expressing gratitude with its public retail day, which gives the general public a chance to buy the same custom handmade artisan breads it makes for dozens of Denver’s top restaurants and hotels, from Acorn to Stoic & Genuine and The Brown Palace.
They use only natural and organic ingredients, including fresh honey from Colorado beekeepers, and milk, eggs and butter from a local dairy. Artisan bakers hand-shape each loaf and hand-roll every pastry.
Bread lovers can buy everything from French baguettes to cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, hamburger buns, hoagie rolls, focaccia and brioche.
The public day is Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 425 Violet St. in Golden. On-site sales are cash-only, but people who want to use credit cards can preorder by calling 303-681-5406. These orders must be made no later than Oct. 28 because many of the breads take several days to make. For more information, go to gratefulbread.com.
Day of the Dead delicious
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is . Sugar and chocolate skulls are part of the festivities, celebrated on Nov. 1.
They’re also popular as a Halloween treat.
Locally, the sweet cavaleras are available at Robin Chocolates in Longmont, created by award-winning chocolatier Robin Autorino, named by Dessert Professional as one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in North America in 2013.
The chocolate shop is also whipping up a variety of treats to tempt trick-or-treaters, including intricately crafted spider cupcakes, monster cupcakes and Halloween cake pops.
Robin Chocolates is located at 600 S. Airport Road, Building B Suite D, in Longmont. For more information, go to robinchocolates.com.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or twitter.com/coconnordp
