First Bite Returns to Boulder With a Celebration of Culinary Excellence

The creators of First Bite and First Sip are set to host its 17th Annual First Bite Boulder dining event as a celebration of Boulders beaming restaurants and culinary expertise. The annual event comes after the first iteration of First Sip Boulder that occurred this past April.

Starting on September 30 and going through October 9, First Bite will offer an array of experiences for 10 full days of delicious tastings and explorations into the Boulder food scene. 

Photo Courtesy of First Bite

This fall First Bite is set to expand its exploration of menus and special dining experiences of restaurants in Boulder County. Participating locations will offer a wide variety of tastes from special breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menus.

Last spring First Sip took on Boulder’s beverage scene with a tour of the city’s best pours from over 30 businesses including Cocktail Caravan, R Gallery + Wine Bar, Precision Pours – Coffee and Bakes and Sanitas Brewing.

Read: First Bite Producers Launch First Sip, a Celebration of Boulder’s Beverage Scene

“We really captured the spring energy perfectly as people were eager to go out and explore,” said Jessica Benjamin, producer and owner of First Bite and First Sip. “Most people will try a new place with a small bite and a cocktail, dipping their toes in if you will, so the First Sip model of drink specials being the focus facilitated trying a few different places in one night”

Photo Courtesy of First Bite

With summer coming to an end, First Bite gives culinary adventurists a chance to traverse even more brunch menus, test out local lunch fare and perhaps even find new dining staples. This year’s celebration will serve up events such as a multi-course Farm Dinner co-hosted by Farow and First Bite, created by chefs and owners Patrick and Lisa Balcom. 

The best part of the culinary exploration? First Bite has introduced a new pricing structure that gives diners easier access throughout the restaurant week. 

This year, the restaurant week has chosen to forgo its three-tiered ticket system to instead take on a price guide with choices of different price point experiences. The format will take on a “$/$$/$$$/$$$$” structure with each “$” equating to a certain price range. This allows diners to have more variety in experiences of each price point while also allowing chefs the ability to design their menus accordingly. The change was spurned by the restaurant community experiencing difficulties with supply chain issues and food costs increasing and demand for improvement in the diversity of price points. With the implemented change, First Bite has been able to expand its list of participating restaurants. 

“This year we will have a wide spectrum of restaurants; ones that are more casual, taco bars, cafes, as well as the finer dining establishments. Nobody dines at just one type of restaurant, so we feel strongly that First Bite should be all-inclusive of the variety of cuisines and dining options available in our county. Great food comes in all shapes and sizes,” Benjamin said.

Reservations for First Bite will open on September 1.

Here is a list of restaurants participating in First Bite:

Boulder Social

The Sink

Busey Brews & Smoke House

Gemini

Spruce Farm & Fish

Franks Chophouse

OAK at Fourteenth

Corrida

Ash’Kara

Bohemian Biergarten

Cafe Aion

Dagabi Tapas Bar

Farow

Japango

First Bite takes place from September 30 through October 9. 

All photography courtesy of First Bite.