Located on the west side of Boulder, Colorado's Pearl Street Mall, The Kitchen is a classic bistro styled restaurant that serves up superb food. Matt Collier is the head chef and the emphasis here is on local purveyors, and they offer a tasting menu as well as a la carte. While the wine list in the past was absurdly priced, it seems much better these days, and the selection is solid, with an array of both local and import bottlings. In addition to top notch lunch and dinner services, they do the best Sunday brunch in town.

I had family in town and this was a superb early dinner. We ordered a la carte, but served the entrees family style. To go with the meal, a bottle of Jean-Michel Stephan's 2011 Côte Rôtie, worked beautifully with all of the dishes. Giving up classic cracked pepper, bacon fat, spring flowers and bright berry fruits, it's a medium-bodied, juicy and easy drinking Syrah to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years or so.

This a classy, yet casual restaurant that's well worth checking out!