Local resident compiles a history of Niwot restaurants

Remember when Niwot Tavern used to be Flanagan's Pub? Or when Pinnochio's used to be Treppeda's? Or when 1914 House used to be Reverend Taylors? Though some may not realize it, Niwot has always been home to a large number of high-quality, diverse restaurants. Recently, local resident Laura Bloom has started to document the progression of one establishment to another beginning as far back as the 19th century.

Bloom is keeping her history on a website, Serving Boulder, which she created in 2010. Once she moved to Niwot and appreciated everything that was here, Bloom realized that the area deserved its own section on the larger site.

When compiling her history of the restaurants, Bloom noticed some differences between what's in Niwot and what's in neighboring Boulder."In Niwot, people refer to old restaurants by the name of the people who used to own them. (Because it’s a small town and they all know each other.) In Boulder, people refer to the older restaurants that used to be in the same spot."

As part of the area's restaurant history, there were specific restaurants that are notable in burnishing the town's reputation as a great place to eat. One of these, Colterra, was run by well-known chef and restaurant owner Bradford Heap who bought the 2nd Avenue site for his restaurant just as he was finishing up his time cooking at Chautauqua in 2006. At the time of purchase, it was a high quality restaurant known as Le Chantecler, owned by chef Radek Cerny.

"I really wanted to find a restaurant where I could buy the building," said Heap. "I negotiated on it for about a year. It was a stretch financially but we did it. Then we put in the patio, which was a great decision."

Heap fondly remembers his time cooking in Niwot, particularly because it was one of his earliest efforts to create a menu with food that turned away from items produced by factory farms and poor agricultural practices. "I'm proud that I followed my moral compass. Did what I thought was right. My kids would come out and visit and we planted everything together. It was my intention to show them where good food comes from. I was probably just as excited as they were to see sprouts come up."

When Colterra was named one of the top 10 restaurants in 5280, according to Heap, it blew the doors off and increased their customer base. Diners started coming to Colterra, and by extension, Niwot, from throughout the Front Range.

It's fascinating to look at some of the details of each restaurant. One of the most dramatic changes in building use happened at grocery/restaurant combo Niwot Market. The location didn't always have a grocery store or a restaurant; previously it was a recreation center known as Cottonwood Health and Racquet Club, with two pools which are still located underneath the current building.

A host of other fun facts are also available on the website. It shows that one of Niwot's newest restaurants, Farow, formerly the location of Lucky Pie, was once the site of Cottonwood Cottage located in the original farmhouse, which featured a harp player on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The farmhouse later became the site of a Chinese restaurant, which suffered a fire in 1986.

In addition, the Raza Fresa site was a French restaurant in the 1980s before it became home to the first Mexican restaurant at the location, El Castillo, which had moved from a small space on Second Avenue. Another Second Avenue restaurant, 1914 House, was the site of both a grocery store owned by Reverend William Taylor in the early 20th century, as well as a restaurant known as Rev Taylor's which opened in the 1980s and was well-known for many years.

After compiling a list of what is currently on each site, Bloom was gracious enough, when pressed, to answer a question about which currently standing restaurant has been here the longest. Her best guess gives this honor to either Lefty's Pizzeria or The Niwot Tavern.

Bloom's website is located at http://www.servingboulderlist.com/home. To see the Niwot section of the site, visitors should click on the tab at the top, "Menu of Restaurants" and then click on "Niwot Restaurants" in the drop-down menu.

The website includes a listing for each restaurant currently operating in town. Accompanying information includes as much as Bloom knows about the history of what was formerly located at each restaurant's address. Bloom didn't do her work alone. "I got a lot of help from others," she said. She's eager for more community input. Anyone interested in helping her further can email what they know to bouldergourmet@aol.com.