Best New Restaurant

The barrio in Sevilla, Spain, called Triana is colorful and lively, the birthplace of famous bullfighters, a mecca for poets and folksingers, and quite possibly the original home of tapas. The restaurant in Boulder called Triana is colorful and lively, a mecca for foodies, the birthplace of Boulder's most well-rounded Latin scene and quite possibly the purveyor of the most authentic tapas this area has ever seen. Running the show at Colorado's Triana is James Mazzio, one of Food & Wine's top ten up-and-coming chefs in 1999 and a marvel at all things Mediterranean. Not only does his new restaurant offer an extensive roster of tapas -- crispy clam strips sprinkled with sugar and salt and served in a brown paper cone, a tequila-spiked salmon "margarita," almond-stuffed dates wrapped in smoked bacon -- but it also features a heavenly array of Spanish dishes that stimulate the senses and soothe the soul (try the Mallorcan vegetable curry with cinnamon-flavored, golden-raisin-studded rice). All of this goodness is served amid concrete-topped tables, bullfighting-inspired wall art and the colors of Spain: blood red, midnight-sky blue, harvest-sun yellow. Add interesting Spanish wines and live flamenco music on the weekends, and all we can say is Olé!