Cured West opens today in Boulder, an offshoot of the popular Cured gourmet cafe and grocery on Pearl Street. They’re just about 10 blocks apart — but a world away.
“Boulder is an interesting town,” said Will Frischkorn, who owns the shop with his wife, Coral. “The east and west ends (of Pearl Street) have their local crews and their own little scenes.”
Cured West is a smaller version of , and the focus is on grab-and-go meals and grocery items. It has the same quality of cured meats and artisanal cheeses as Cured, but the selection will be smaller or, say, more intensely curated.
Where Cured may have a dozen , Cured West will have about five. Same with the charcuterie.
The emphasis is on speed and convenience, especially for the hand-crafted sandwiches that mirror the rotating selection on the daily menu at Cured.
But when it comes to gourmet chocolate, Cured West will stock twice the selection of Cured — with about 100 offerings, and a focus on Soma chocolates from the Toronto-based company that won Best in Show at the 2015 International Chocolate Awards in New York.
“We love chocolate,” said Frischkorn, who’s seen passion for artisanal chocolate grow rapidly over the past five years. “It’s an integral part of our day.”
2019 10th St., Boulder. 720-389-8096. curedboulder.com.
Wine and dine
Centennial is home to a fun new culinary adventure — Uncorked Kitchen, which blends cooking classes with dining experiences.
In other words, you gather for a class, learn to cook the recipes, and then share the meal together in a beautiful space with vast windows that overlook the Rocky Mountains.
It’s created by chef Eric Robbins and his wife, Katie, who are hosting events for the upcoming grand opening.
On Friday from 4 to 9 p.m., there will be sample bites from the menu of its wine bar and tours of the combination cook-in and dine-in kitchens. They host an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday with interactive cooking demonstrations. There will be beverage tastings in the wine bar from 2 to 4 p.m. Space is limited, so call to RSVP.
Upcoming classes, taught by professional chefs, include such topics as choices for Thanksgiving, croissants, Cuban cooking and game day entertaining.
8171 S. Chester St., Suite A, Centennial. 720-907-3838.
South Pearl Street happenings
Over on South Pearl Street, the , are now offering Sunday brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at their new venue, , which is across the street from Sushi Den and Izakaya Den.
The menu includes traditional Japanese small plates and lots of grilled proteins such as Yakitori chicken or Hokkaido scallops wrapped in bacon, along with grilled oyster and grilled pork belly. At the raw bar, options include fresh sashimi, oysters on the half shell, and yellow tail drizzled with ginger sesame garlic oil.
And for brunch, there’s the extra offering of sparkling sake mimosas.
It’s a good time to raise a toast to the Kizaki brothers, whose just won in the “Neighborhood Gem” category of the With the expertise of Roth Sheppard Architects, “Izakaya Den’s beautiful addition to an already thriving commercial district, nestled into a residential neighborhood, manages to stand out while fitting in,” the awards program stated.
Ototo, 1501 S. Pearl St. 303-733-2503. ototoden.com.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or @coconnordp
