Colterra – Niwot, CO

4forks

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303-652-0777
www.colterra.com
210 Franklin St.
Niwot, CO

Neighborhood: Northwest Metro
Cuisine: Italian.“Fresh, Local, Lively” The menu is inspired by the classics of southern France and northern Italy.
Cost: $$$ (average entree $16-$25)
Four Forks = Defines excellence in local dining.  Worth the investment

Hours:
LUNCH Monday – Friday 11 to 2
DINNER Monday – Thursday 5 to 9; Friday – Saturday 5 to 10; Sunday 5 to 8
BRUNCH Saturday and Sunday 10 to 2

HAPPY HOUR: Monday – Sunday 4 to 6:30

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Handicap accessible: Yes
Free parking: Yes
Vegetarian options: Yes
Kid friendly: No
Liquor served: Yes
Wine List: “Interesting” The offerings are not well known by Bill. There is a variety of wines offered that are local; some from Italy, France, Spain, Oregon, CA, Washington area, and more. They do have a “Captains” or “Reserve” list.
Outdoor seating: Yes
Reservations: accepted & online
Splitting fee: $3

Unique: Offering Reservation only Wine Dinners and Cooking and Cocktail Courses.

Colterra welcomes you with an authentic simple charm that evokes relaxation.I’m always thrilled when restaurants make it a high priority to source their food from local farms and ranches.Their website reads: “In the kitchen we work together with local farmers to harvest and use the freshest produce, in season and in full flavor.”

It’s a homey place housed in a vintage residence. We were greeted by a friendly gal who was also our server.She was very efficient.She asked right away if we had any issues with Gluten, which is apparently a big deal around there.Our dinners were considered small plates from the menu, but were plenty! Other servers stopped by our table to greet us and make sure all of our needs were met.

Complimentary: Fresh warm bread and butter.Replenished.

We started off with:

I ordered the Colterra Beet Salad – roasted local organic beets, shaved fennel, buttered walnuts, local chèvre, sweet herbs, cider vinaigrette ($12)

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This was a simple and delicious salad. The slight hint of licorice from the shaved fennel complimented the earthiness of the beets, but I wished I had a bit more greens. The portion was reasonable, but the price for the salads seemed a bit steep.

Bill chose the Warm Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad – local organic greens, radiccio, local squash, balsamic vinaigrette ($13)

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It was a decent salad, but neither Bill or I would likely order it again. I wasn’t sure it was an almond coating on the goat cheese, because there simply wasn’t a lot of added flavor. Perhaps if they had toasted them before crushing them, it might have helped. The radishes were mild and the peas a sweetness on top of the bitter and spicy radiccio. The balsamic vinaigrette was on spot.

Entree:
Ahi Tuna Steak – garlic & olive oil crushed potatoes, organic spinach, balsamic brown butter ($18)

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This was a perfectly prepared tuna. The steak melted in your mouth and the potatoes were delightful. We were alright with the fact that they served Asparagus instead of the spinach listed on the menu, but there was no mention of the substitute from our server. The crispy potato strings added a cute crunch, but weren’t necessary and although we truly enjoyed the flavor of the reduced balsamic, there was way too much of it over powering the dish. We were glad it was on the bottom so that we could eat around it.

Duck Confit Gnocchi – hazel dell mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella, organic chard, truffle madiera emulsion, parmigiano ($17)

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This dish was rich and delicious! I am a huge fan of Gnocchi and though this was a very filling type, the shredded duck was very flavorful. The cool bites of the mozzarella were tasty, but took a little getting used to the contrast.

We were glad to have shared our meals, because one person completing that entire portion would have been “stuffed”.

Dessert:

Dark Chocolate Caramel SALT Tart – coffee cocoa nib ice cream ($8)

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We enjoyed the ice cream at the restaurant while settling our stomachs, but we were so full from our meal that we had to take our tart to go. We split the tart the next day at room temperature and it was honestly one of the tastiest deserts that I’ve enjoyed! The crust had just the right firmness with the center rich and creamy. The salt worked perfectly with the rich, dark chocolate!

Bon appetit!
~Chris

 

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