Those looking for a more paleolithic take on dinner might want to try out one of Boulder’s newest restaurants, the Blooming Beets Kitchen. The restaurant is the newest project of owner Iva Paleckova, who is already the author of a paleo cookbook (entitled, unsurprisingly, the Blooming Beets Kitchen Cookbook) and a paleo blog (www.paleoflip.com). Paleckova is attempting to offer a completely paleo-friendly dining option to the residents of North Boulder.
For those of you unfamiliar with the trend, the paleo diet attempts to mimic the eating habits of those who lived in the paleolithic era, removing almost all processed components of food and focusing much more heavily on meats and vegetables. The menu at the Blooming Beets Kitchen, for example, is 100 percent without gluten, grain, dairy, sugar or canola oil. The chefs at Blooming Beets also replace traditional sweeteners with more natural alternatives, such as maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar, and use avocado, coconut and butter in place of traditional cooking fats.
Though one might imagine these stipulations to limit the menu in terms of selection, it doesn’t seem to be the case. Blooming Beets offers everything from an herb-crusted wild salmon filet to a paleo burger that features a grainless bun made from almond and coconut flour.
The establishment has been of particular interest to Boulder’s fitness-crazed population, who feel that the paleolithic diet offers them a low-carb, high-protein recovery meal after a workout. Their enthusiasm seems to be matched, if not exceeded, by Paleckova’s, who expressed her happiness at being able to provide a fresh and tasteful option to a broadening demographic.
“I’m so excited about our food,” Paleckova said in an interview with 5280 The Denver Magazine. “[It’s] so clean and natural that you never have to worry about anything you order. This is where people can relax and be confident that their food is always good for them.”
