Dining at Salt Bistro, the Restaurant Next Door

Jillian's Joints: Week Two: Salt Bistro, 1047 Pearl Street

This week, I decided to write about a brand new restaurant that has opened up right across the street from the Boulder Book Store. Many locals are familiar with Tom’s Tavern, a restaurant that thrived in Boulder for years and had one of the best burgers in town. However, the restaurant closed about a year ago, and Salt has recently taken over its location. A contemporary and delightfully simple bistro, Salt uses organic and local farmers to bring you the best of what’s around. Every dish on their menu references which farm it came from, which is quite thoughtful as it allows customers to know exactly where their meal is coming from, and it recognizes the farms, giving them due credit.

Since Tom’s Taverns was famous for their delicious burgers, I thought it only fair that I try Salt’s version. Their grassfed burger from Lasater Ranch was a generous size, came with delicious fries, and simply put, was scrumptious. They are most certainly a contender for one of the best burgers in town. Furthermore, the service was very friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable. Surrounding tables seemed to devour their meals just as quickly as I did.
Overall, I believe Salt will be one of the most popular restaurants on Pearl Street. With an unbeatable combination of great food, friendly staff, and decent range of prices, this restaurant can hold their own as well as any other restaurant in Boulder. If your curiosity gets the best of you, check out their website at http://saltboulderbistro.com/, or try it for yourself. They are located at 1047 Pearl Street, Boulder CO 80310.

Jillian's Joints is a new weekly column devoted to highlighting some of the great shops and restaurants on Boulder's beautiful Pearl Street Mall. Jillian is a CU student and is interning with Boulder Book Store's Marketing Department this fall.

Looking for a place to shop this weekend?

Jillian's Joints is a new weekly column devoted to highlighting some of the great shops and restaurants on Boulder's beautiful Pearl Street Mall. Jillian is a CU student and is interning with Boulder Book Store's Marketing Department this fall.

Jillian's Joints: Week One: Common Era, 1500 Pearl Street

After living in Boulder for two years now, I have found that my knowledge of Boulder and its infamous Pearl Street has grown incredibly vast. I’m always on the lookout for new shops or restaurants as well as rediscovering some of the businesses that have been here for a while.

The store I’m currently crazy about is one that I’ve been familiar with for some time now, but I’ve just reignited the flame for this old love. Common Era, located on 1500 Pearl Street, is known for selling contemporary clothes, shoes and accessories and for carrying some of the cutest and most fashion forward trends. They also do their own sewing work, updating old styles and giving them a new life. With their remodel in May, Common Era is revamped and even has a cool blog that keeps fans in the know with events, fashion trends and more. To check them out online, go to http://www.mycommonera.com.

New Bookclub for Independent Businesses

Boulder is a hub for independent businesses, and the Pearl Street Mall is a great example of how independent businesses can work together and thrive, thanks to their community. We're starting a new bookclub this fall, specially designed for independent businesses. Our new Independent Business Bookclub seeks employees from other independent businesses, as well as any others who are interested, in joining to discuss books that address the concerns, challenges and needs of independent businesses.

This unique bookclub's first pick is Bo Burlingham's book, Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, which discusses how maverick companies have passed up the growth treadmill—and focused on greatness instead.

Some entrepreneurs have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do, creating a great place to work, providing great customer service, making great contributions to their communities, and finding great ways to lead their lives. In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside fourteen remarkable privately held companies, in widely varying industries across the country, that have chosen to march to their own drummer. He searches for the magic ingredients that give these companies their unique "mojo" and the lessons we can learn from them.

The Independent Business Bookclub will meet to discuss Small Giants by Bo Burlingham on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at noon in the Upper North Room of Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO. Bring your lunch and join us!