On Wednesday, July 10, Cozobi Fonda Fina opened its doors in Boulder. The debut arrived hot on the heels of that of its sister restaurant Alma Fonda Fina, which took over the former Truffle Table space early this year. Both serve upscale Mexican fare, though each one through a decidedly different lens.
“That was my biggest challenge, how to be different than Alma,” said chef Johnny Curiel.
Utilizing the revered kitchen initially constructed when the space was still Arcana, Curiel and his cohort have no problem implementing an array of dishes centered around a sturdy on-site nixtamalization program. Corn is flown in fresh from Mexico before being converted to the tortillas, flatbreads, flautas and tamals that underpin many of the dishes. With the help of the massive open kitchen the menu at Cozobi is a bit more dense than Alma’s, though both feature the unmissable frijoles puercos, an ode to Curiel’s mother that features mole negro, lamb neck barbacoa, escabeche de jalepeno and queso fresco. The dining area is also nearly quadruple the size, with designer Agatha Strompolis noting that Cozobi plays the masculine counterpart to Alma’s more feminine allure.
The food is divided into four sections — entradas, crudos, de nixtamal and los fuertes — and each part is chock full of absolute essentials. The guacamole with charred vegetables is a good place to start, as is the elote caesar salad, which opts for crumbled chicharrones instead of croutons. From there go ostiones a la lena — oysters drenched in salted butter, serrano ponzu, chive oil and fresh lime. The ceviche de coco tierno is the menu’s main wildcard, combining young coconut, salsa macha, charred avocado and shaved red onions for an astounding vegan-friendly treat. The health-conscious can also rejoice that the entire menu is inherently gluten-free.
The food is best enjoyed as a shared feast. Dishes like the flautas de birria are well portioned to split. Even the tacos are massive. Options like mole verde and barbacoa both hit the table piled high. The carne asada is strong, though the pollo a las brasas — wood-fired chicken with roasted potatoes — might be the best large plate in the house. Don’t be afraid of the chicatana mayonnaise, which gets its piquancy from a dollop of ground leaf-cutter ants.
It’s also best not to leave without getting one of the sweet corn margaritas, which combines Vago elote, Nixta corn liqueur, house-made corn syrup, lemon juice and a smoked-corn salt rim for what might be the summer’s most sophisticated and delightful porch pounder.
Cozobi Fonda Fina is located at 909 Walnut St., Boulder. It is open every day from 2 – 11 p.m.
All photography courtesy of Shawn Campbell.