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Top Chef Travel / Food Travel / Reality Television Travel / Restaurants / → All Tags

Top Chef Whips Up a Surprise, But Can He Break the Top Chef Curse?

For the most part, Top Chef's "surprises" got pretty weak in season five—cook with alligator! Cook with oatmeal! cook with Dr. Pepper! Cook with your eyes closed—but we have to say they got us in the finale.

After cocky Stefan dominated most of the season and spunky Carla took over late in the game, Padma and Co. went ahead and gave the crown to Hosea, who until now was mostly known for kissing Leah a couple of episodes back (and kissing Leah again in the closing scene of the finale! What's up with that?)

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World's Best Vegetarian Restaurants / World's-Best-Vegetarian-Restaurants / Food Travel / Restaurants / → All Tags

Green Is Good In Boulder

Are you ready to expand your palate? Put down that steak and look beyond the salad plate at the world's best vegetarian restaurants.

The city of Boulder, known for its primo skiing and its smug hippies, doesn't exactly lack for vegetarian options. But even among these Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant stands out for its drive to create a perfect place for meat-free fine dining.

Leaf pairs classic white-tablecloth accoutrements like prix-fixe dinners and a full bar with a tablecloth-free atmosphere decorated with living plants. And the food? Try white polenta risotto, BBQ seitan and jerk tempeh, as unselfconscious as it is delicious. As one Yelp commenter puts it, "Leaf is not imbued with a sense of macrobiotic-holistic, health-induced vegetarian dining. It's just yummy food presented in a lovely way."

Want to see your favorite joint featured? Tip us off.

Related Stories:
· Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant [Official Site]
· Go, Go to New York's Gobo [Jaunted]
· Eat Like a Buddhist in Shanghai [Jaunted]
· Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: gwenbell]

Crime / Drugs / Bridges / → All Tags

"Bridge Trolls" No Longer Menacing Boulder

A couple of hard-up potheads stood guard at a bridge in Boulder, Colorado, police say, charging joggers and bikers a $1 "toll" to cross. That is, until one passerby--an off-duty sheriff's deputy--refused to pay. In an attempt to shake down the officer, one of the modern-day trolls hit him with a golf club, which as you can imagine didn't end well.

Once in custody, the pair explained to police that they were having a bad acid trip. But why were they hustling money on the bridge? They didn't have enough cash to buy a lighter for the joint they planned to smoke.

While police don't find the antics very entertaining, one local biker loves the story:

I think that's hilarious.

Related Stories:
· "Bridge Troll" Arrested after Confrontation [KMGH]
· Crime coverage [Jaunted]

Missed Connections / Bars / Coffee / Coffee Shops / → All Tags

Missed Connections in Boulder: Off the Links Edition

We were tickled by this week's story of kids being accidentally exposed to strippers on a Colorado golf course. But with all due respect to the fundraising caddies at this event, maybe a charity tournament like this one isn't the best place to meet someone, caddy or player.

Instead, why not head to one of these hot spots in nearby Boulder? We've even given each locale a possibility-of-seeing-kids rating so you can avoid any gaffes!

Walnut Brewery :: Taste a uniquely named microbrew like "Devil's Thumb Stout" or brandish your cigarette case at the bar. Kids? Only if you're in the restaurant section. 1123 Walnut St.

Catacombs Bar :: Stake out a pool table at one of the first bars in the city to serve liquor. You might meet someone tattooed and long-haired. Kids? Doubtful, though it sounds like a fun dark place to explore. 2115 13th St.

The Laughing Goat :: Bring your laptop and your scruff or enjoy a live show at this Starbucks-free cafe. Kids? Probably, as the place has its own MySpace page. 1709 Pearl St.

Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]
· Boulder Hotels [HC]

[Photo: helloloveexperiment]

Events / Beer / → All Tags

International Mead Fest

Boulder, the land where everyone's sporty, natural, and brewing their own, will soon be hosting the International Mead Festival, held Feb. 10 and 11. There will be 80 different meads available from 28 different companies. Tickets are $29 in advance, $35 at the door. We're thirsty already.