Each visit to Boulder reinforces what we all think about when we think of Boulder: progressive, innovative, free spirited, and lots of growth. It's amazing the speed at which housing, retail and light rail are being built. Finally, Trader Joe's has come to Boulder. My recent trip to Colorado was mostly about visiting family; Phil, Deborah, Lennon and Elsa were what I went for. Of course seeing the children and grandchildren was wonderful, but you know me, I had time to get in a few meals at some new restaurants. The one I will tell you about today is called Zeal.
Zeal is about whole, fresh ingredients, but in a way I have not experienced before. This restaurant will not fly in just any city. It works in Boulder, and might also work in places like Portland, San Francisco, parts of Los Angeles and Newport Beach, and maybe Hillcrest in San Diego where residents may love this type of menu. I started with a flight of cold pressed juices. A short pour of red (beet, apple, ginger and lime, my favorite), orange (carrot, orange, gold beet and parsley) and green (kale, cucumber, spinach, celery, apple, lemon and ginger)They also have smoothies, acai bowls, and some interesting items like Chia pudding and Zeal granola. Snacks like tamari almonds, edamame, sprouted lentils and hummus with veggies and crackers are all wonderful. Deborah had the beef braise, enough for two. Curry, potato, carrot seasonal greens, cashews on rice. Phil had the Thai salad, with cilantro, broccoli, shitake, mango, kelp noodles, napa cabbage, and sweet chili carrot ginger. It was delicious. Lots of interesting soups, stews and salads on the menu, in addition to sandwiches like Banh Mi Chicken sandwich, cobb chicken sandwich, and veggie burger.
At first I was thinking it was like Tender Greens, but it's not. Check out zealfood.com to view the complete menu, and if you enjoy eating food with no GMO's (ever), this is your restaurant. Right now they're just in Boulder, but after talking with the owner, I can see that expansion is in their future. As I said at the beginning, this restaurant is not for everyone, but you will feel oh so virtuous and healthy eating there, and the dishes I sampled were wonderful. I especially loved the beet juice. This is NOT a vegetarian restaurant. There are plenty of beef, pork and chicken items on the menu, but it does have a lot of items many of you may have never heard of or eaten before. It's for adventurous eaters as well as those looking for a healthy meal. Try it if you're in Boulder.
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