Boulder has been burgerfied. Later today, at 4 p.m., H Burger Co, which already pimps a location in downtown Denver, along with a smaller sibling named Little H Burger Co, in southeast Denver, will introduce Boulderites to its first foray into the collegiate city. And it's been a long time coming says Josh Dinar, a partner in H Burger's growing kingdom.
"We've been looking for a space in Boulder ever since H Burger took off in Denver," he says. "Most of us who are involved live in Boulder, and we've always wanted to do an H Burger here, but the whole thing was space-dependent, so it took us a while."
Dinar and Co took over the former Pinyon space at 1710 Pearl Street, on the east end of Pearl Street, a swatch of pavement, he insists, that's a perfect location to unleash the meat. "There's a need for upscale comfort food -- for better burger places -- and there's no one really specializing in burgers in Boulder, and the east end of Pearl Street is booming," says Dinar, adding that while restaurants like Frasca Food & Wine, L'Atelier and Oak at Fourteenth "have really high-end food that's done incredibly well, casual concepts like us and Snooze are coming into their own."
The quarters, which mimic those in Denver in terms of color scheme and design, have retained largely the same layout as its days as the Pinyon, but there's a curious wall of random cassette tapes -- everything from self-help to Anne of Green Gables to a mix of sad songs -- that you won't find anywhere else. "Our designer thought that would be cool, and so far it's been a big conversation piece," notes Dinar. But the wall is more than just decoration: Cassette collectors who brings in fourteen of their own get to knock back a free shot.
The Boulder menu doesn't stray far from the its Denver counterparts, either, but Dinar notes that because Boulder is, well, Boulder, the kitchen is offering grass-fed-and-finished beef. "People are more conscious of their food in Boulder -- and it's important to us, too -- so any beef patty can be upgraded to an all grass-fed, all grass-finished patty for a dollar more," he says, admitting that the Denver H Burger attempted to do the same thing..but no one bit.
But it's probable that Boulderites will -- and they'll likely bite on this, too: Within the next few weeks, the Boulder H Burger will hold a contest, whereby guests can submit topping ideas for the "Local Boulder" burger, which will be added to the menu once Dinar and his crew choose a winner. And there will be a prize, too, although Dinar hasn't yet determined what it will be.
I stopped by H Burger earlier this week to feast on some meat (and more) and tour the new space, the photos of which are on the following page.
The H Burger: Angus beef, Hatch chile, smoked cheddar, sweet 'n' spicy bacon, bibb lettuce, tomato and onion, served with truffled Parmesan fries. The kitchen crew fries a lot of bacon...everything is just better with bacon. The wall of cassette taps. Glazed chicken wings with Asian spices and sesame seeds. The Eden burger: Squash, egg and bean patty grilled on the flat top, and topped with sweet and spicy bok choy, red peppers and greens. The dining room. Liquid nitrogen Nutella and marshmallow shake.H Burger is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, call 720-465-9863.
