Tag Archives: beans

Daddy Bruce’s Bar-B-Que

While in Boulder, Colorado, I had an inexplicable craving for barbecue. I think it was the universe trying to tell me something, because a few days later, I found myself sitting in a parking lot, eating the best barbecue I’ve ever had.

Daddy Bruce’s Bar-B-Que is an unassuming building on a corner lot. It’s the kind of place that you know must be good, because there’s no other way it would be in business. Although, I suppose if you were going for an ambiance of barbecue-scented sauna, you’d find it here.

A “triple meat” cost $16 and featured barbecued ribs, brisket and chicken, along with baked beans and coleslaw. And five slices of white bread that I ended up tossing frisbee-style off my friend’s balcony. The “triple meat” ended up being more than enough for four meals.

The barbecue sauce is exquisite. It’s on the tangier side of sweet, but it’s also rich and meaty. The ribs were beefy and delicious (if a little tough at the edges), the chicken smoky and moist, and the brisket tender and flavourful.

We ate at the picnic tables outside the shop, with stacks of maple wood (for the wood-fired grill) behind us. We watched as a steady stream of people went in and out of the shop with take out, and chatted with the other barbecue lovers at the tables: two BMX bikers, two engineers, and a man in a suit.

Food this beautiful always has a story behind it, and this was no exception. When I spoke to him after the meal, he mentioned that someone had made a documentary about him. Well, it turns out the Daddy Bruce is the subject of not one, but two documentaries, as well as countless print articles. The documentaries are both great pieces, suffused with the love and spirit that Daddy Bruce inspires in people.

Daddy Bruce’s Bar-B-Que
2000 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO
(303) 449-8890
Daddy Bruce's Bar-B-Que on Urbanspoon

Hitting the road

I’m hitting the road, folks. I’ll be in Denver from March 31 – April 5 for the 31st  annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). This year’s theme is “Pioneering a Sustainable World” and I’m looking forward to, among other things, a talk on biodynamic wine, a panel discussion about farm-to-table systems (featuring Dan Barber!), and sessions about native grains and beans. I’m also taking part in a master class that will visit a small-scale chocolate factory and artisan chocolatier.

After Denver, I’ll be lazing around Boulder and Toronto for a well-deserved vacation.

But don’t you fret! I’ve queued some lovely posts so you don’t get lonely, and I’ll have lots to talk about when I get back. You won’t even notice that I’m gone.

Luxury, how I have missed you

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of fine dining, and I realize now how spoiled I was to work in a high-end restaurant. Foie gras? Meh. Truffles? Well, sure. Valrhona chocolate everything? Sigh, if you must.

I know that it must seem like I live a semi-charmed life.  Fine dining, art auctions, and what I’m about to tell you – that yesterday, I attended a luncheon that cost $150-$500 a ticket – must make it seem like I’m living it up.  In reality, I’m one of the volunteers in the background who’s trading her time for food.  Actually, aside from the food, I really enjoy people-watching.  People-watching is always interesting, but people-watching the fabulous wealthy is such a treat. 

So.  Yesterday’s World AIDS Day luncheon at Cioppino’s was a lot of fun.  I’ve never been to Cioppino’s, but it’s well-known in Vancouver for having the best spaghetti a la vongole (that’s spaghetti with clams in white wine) in the city, and is perpetually voted “Best Formal Italian” in Vancouver.  Top it off with Pino Posteraro’s recent cookbook release, his winning the Gold Medal Plates in 2007, and his being voted Best Chef by Vancouver Magazine in 2008, and I hope you understand why I was so excited to attend this event.

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Tuscan bean soup

It has been kind of cold and drizzly lately, which makes me want to hibernate and make soup.  My first soup of the rainy season was a Tuscan white bean soup.  It’s lovely and comforting, and really easy to make. 

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