I first met Kelly Whitaker at The Bruery where he and Peter Reinhart were developing a pizza to be paired with Bruery beer in a competition. It was a lovely afternoon. When I finally made it to Kelly’s first restaurant, Basta in Boulder, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that he is far more than a talented pizzaiolo, but a wonderful chef. Kelly has opened a second restaurant in Denver, The Wolf’s Tailor, and a bakery/breakfast/sandwich shop, Dry Storage, in Boulder. I highly recommend all three establishments. Basta and The Wolf’s Tailor both offer a tasting menu for $55 a person with optional beverage pairings for an additional $20. During my last visit (my daughter is at CU Boulder) I tried both and was very impressed. First Basta:
We began with hamachi atop a delicately flavored wasabi panne cotta,
This was followed by a quartet of Piada bread, house pickles, marinated olives, and chicken liver mousse crostinis.
Sorry about the next photo which is of roasted squash served atop an excellent sauce.
Next was a wonderful heirloom tomato, watermelon salad adorned with burrata and roasted tomatoes with greens.
The pasta course was so very good…both pasta and sausage made in house.
The mains were perfectly crisp skinned wood roasted mackeral and the “Summer Pizza” a seasonal creation featuring a textbook crust delicately topped with mortadella, corn, zucchini, and fresh mozzarella. Exquisite!
Dessert was crisp meringue veiling a chocolate, caramel and cream delight.
I didn’t take photos of the beverage pairings, but they were perfect. One that really stood out was a bone dry Lambrusco offered with the vegetable course. It was one those wines where one sniff and you are transported to a hot, lazy, summer day. So very good. As this has gone on for quite some time I will post The Wolf’s Tailor pictures tomorrow.
