Corrida
There’s a new restaurant in town and they are making waves in the downtown Boulder scene. You guessed it, we're talking about Corrida. For those of you who haven't heard, it's a Spanish-style steakhouse that may very well have the best rooftop patio in town.
If you can take a break from eating the delicious tapas to look up, you will be rewarded with an unobstructed view of the flatirons. They even have a fire pit and lounge style seating on their patio. The interior was modern but had a super cozy vibe. We loved the decor in the bar, which had longhorn light fixtures and a window along one side of the bar that opened up to the patio's outdoor bar seating. The dining room was entirely surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, so the view is absolutely amazing from anywhere you sit. The light fixture in the dining room even mimicked a Picasso painting!
On top of the great ambiance, the food and service were excellent. We started our dining experience with a table side gin cart. A mixologist creates your gin and tonic in front of you, giving you five options for unique gins, tonics and various garnishes.
They also have an extensive wine list which consists solely of Spanish wines!
TAPAS
We tried the Morillas y Rampas, Calamare en su Tinta, Carpaccio de Waygu and Asparagos Asados.
The Morillas y Rampas was definitely one of our favorites right off the bat. We are going to be 100% honest here, we had NO idea what morels or ramps were, but they were delicious. After some investigating, it appears that morels are edible fungus and ramps are wild onions-- who knew! We actually thought the morel was a meat of some kind. Though it sounds a bit odd, this dish is a melt in your mouth kind, with superb flavor all on top of a crispy crostini. These chefs really know what they're doing in the flavor combination department.
The Calamare en su Tinta was definitely the most unique dish. This translates to "squid in squid ink." The sauce was creamy, and actually black in color from the squid ink! We had absolutely no idea what this would taste like, since neither of us had ever tried squid ink before! The sauce was slightly sweet, with a creamy texture and mild fish flavor. The squid itself had fabulous texture, so in combination with the sauce, it was a pleasant surprise!
The Carpaccio de Waygu had raw Japanese waygu beef, fennel oil, slightly sweet mustard seeds, and mahon cheese. Again, the combination of flavors and textures here was amazing. The meat is soft and complimented by the fennel oil, while the mustard seeds added a hint of sweet and crunch. We would always recommend adding this to your list of tapas!
The Asparagos Asados was a delicious tapa that could definitely be enjoyed as a side with any steak! It wasn't overly cooked, so it was still crisp and had an amazing creamy almond romesco sauce. Our favorite part, though, was the preserved lemon atop the asparagus that gave it a refreshing citrusy flavor.
MAIN
We shared the Tri-Tip steak for our main course, which was served with a traditional Spanish salad with a simple (but delicious) balsamic dressing. We both made the comment that the steak was one of the absolute best we had ever had. The meat was perfectly cooked, salty in a good way, and just had amazing natural flavor without any need for sauce or excess seasoning. Corrida definitely knows their meat, and it was very clear based upon the quality of this tri-tip.
Corrida is doing everything right - from their location and decor to their incredible service and unique dishes. They really have created something unique to bring to the Boulder foodie scene. We are so excited to see what is to come and we will most certainly be back. Stay tuned for happy hour specials!