Blackbelly Market

Blackbelly Market Restaurant Review:

Hosea Rosenberg, the season five champion of Bravo's “Top Chef,” could have opened a restaurant just about anywhere, but he chose his home base of Boulder to unveil his first self-owned eatery: a farm-to-table concept that preaches --- and practices --- whole animal butchery. The menu, a passionate and sustainable ode to seasonality, nose-to-tail fabrication and local farms and ranches, trumpets charcuterie-and-cheese plates, oysters, beef tartare and organic corn soup festooned with blue crab and main dishes like prawns and pork belly with smoked cheddar grits and Alaskan halibut side-kicked with asparagus, peas, roasted cherry tomatoes and tarragon-scented butter. Desserts, most notably the carrot cake with candied pecans and ginger syrup, are equally delightful, as is the beverage program, which struts a selection of beautifully crafted cocktails complemented by a roster of intriguing wines and beers. For an intimate view into the kitchen, book seats at the chef's counter.