Chef and Tell

Le Chantecler is serving the cuisine of distraction: food suffering pitiably from a lack of focus and attention to detail. The menus are full of noise and clamor, with dishes bouncing all over the culinary spectrum, but lacking the cohesion that can make a good restaurant's carte du jour seem less like a casual list of what the kitchen is cooking that night and more like the program for a good piece of theater -- laid out by player, act and scene, with an internal sense of building drama. But then, occasionally, I found true touches of artistry -- like the golden, whipped potatoes drowning in butter served piped into a scalloped shell that tasted like an excellent Indian pappadum -- which made me know in my bones that this kitchen could do better if it would only try.

Food knows when you no longer care. Every single thing you lay your hands on in the kitchen has a secret life of its own, and if you're tired, if you're angry, if you're bored or frenzied or burned out, and especially if you're in love, the food knows it and all of these emotions will come through in the things that you cook. True, with its comfortable dining rooms, polished silver, sparkling glassware and casual, rustic charm, Le Chantecler is a beautiful place to eat, but the tragedy is that right now, there aren't any beautiful meals being served there. I won't presume to guess at what might be going on in Le Chantecler's galley or in the lives of those working there (Dale Lamb, with whom Cerny worked at European Cafe, is the current chef de cuisine), and I won't grumble over what might really be behind Radek Cerny's recent moves. But I do know for sure that what's going on here can only be cured by a reinvestment of devotion to the little things, those trivialities and small touches that make all the difference in the world.

Anna Newell

Kitchen confidential: At the moment, Radek Cerny's restaurant empire consists of Le Chantecler.

Details

303-652-0777
Lunch hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday
Dinner: 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday
5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Ahi tuna carpaccio: $10
Haystack Mountain goat cheese: $8
Louisiana crab cake: $9
Pork Mirabelle: $16
Scampi with risotto Milanese: $17
Veal asparagus: $18
Crème brûlée: $6

210 Franklin Street, Niwot

Related Content

• Upslope Brewing adds new beer, will stay in Boulder as it grows
  April 18, 2012
• The Yuk Stops Here
  April 12, 2012
• Boulder vs. Highland West in the elite eight of our Street 16 tourney
  March 19, 2012
• Reader: Hipster neighborhoods will win Street 16 every time
  March 14, 2012
• Direct from the Boulder International Fringe Festival: The preliminary 2012 lineup
  February 28, 2012

More About

• Radek Cerny
• Sally Mohr
• Boulder (Colorado)
• Eating Out
• Food and Cooking

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Dining Newsletter: The week's top local food news and events, plus interviews with chefs and restaurant owners, dining tips, and a peek at our print review.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

How do I know that? The food told me, and the food never lies.