Oak At Fourteenth

Chef and co-owner Steven Redzikowski’s cooking is so skillful, so precise, and so joyful, I wish there were yet another offshoot of Boulder’s six-year-old Oak at Fourteenth, Redzikowski’s firstborn. (Little sister Acorn opened in Denver in 2013 and Brider followed in 2015.) Oak’s New American, farm-fresh, wood-grilled menu is still exciting, peppered with of-the-moment ingredients and bolstered by solid technique. Think delicately fried zucchini blossoms and ribbons of barely dressed summer squash atop slippery, salty Parmigiano-Reggiano panna cotta—crisp meets tender crunch, cool meets decadent. Or savor the satisfying chew of grilled octopus against risotto bright from mini quenelles of tomato jam and fresh with verdant oregano. Elements are plated with care, and most dishes, desserts included, are a riot of color. You’ll never tire of eating at Oak (or anywhere else Redzikowski is cooking). 1400 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-444-3622