Go for the green but stay for the reds!

http://www.labsintheboulder.com/

I don't usually chat up food on my blog but I decided to say a little something about a great little place my friend and I stumbled across on Friday night. It's called L'Absinthe and it's at 18th and Broadway in Boulder. Originally, we were intrigued by the place because of the name. Being a former Lit. major with a serious passion for poets like Rimbaud and Baudelaire , anything concerning that little green liqueur piques my interest! So off we went to Boulder on a quest for all things absinthe.

I should start off by saying we weren't necessarily seeking French cuisine for the evening. We pretty much just wanted to try the modern (and unfortunately, non-deadly) version of absinthe, minus the wormwood. Immediately when you walk in you are submersed into this wonderful warm atmosphere. We were escorted to our table, our chairs were held out for us, and our coats taken by the very impressive general manager, Ricardo. Very nice touch.

Even after Mike, our helpful and ever attentive waiter, informed us that they were in fact OUT of absinthe that night and were not going to get more in for a few weeks, we still decided to stay on and see what the rest of L'Absinthe was like. Though, I'm pretty sure you could hear the heartbreak and disappointment seep from me the moment Mike said the absinthe was gone (but where did all the Rum go? Hee hee. Little Capt. Jack humor there). However, like I said, the staff had made such an impression on us that we stayed on anyway, and I am so glad we did.

We had amazing dinners (the gnocchi and the truffles were amazing – I quote the waiter: "So good you could roll in it!"). But the best part of L'Absinthe is definitely the wine. Don't just go for the green stuff, definitely definitely, DEFINITELY have some of their wines. Their wine list is extensive and quite impressive. I'm a picky wine drinker and I think I had the most amazing reds I've ever had there. I can't say enough about the Regusse Pinot Noir. Ricardo was kind enough to bring us complementary Cabernet's as well which were nearly as good as the Pinot (sorry Ricardo, I am a huge fan of the pinot!). Wish I had the name of the Cab, so I could recommend it. Sadly, I don't recall it. Our other wine for the night was the Ray Merlot. Mmmmm…. Not quite the caliber of the pinot, but still a great little red.

So, yes, I'd definitely recommend anyone try out L'Absinthe. It is quaint, has incredibly good food, even better wine, fantastic service (A+++) and wonderful conversation! Seriously, you feel almost like part of the family when you go there!