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August 7-13, 2008
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• Veni, vidi, vendor
Enjoying the charms of street food
by Thomas Swick
• Careful slicing, perfect grilled veggies
by Erica Marcus
Fishing for seafood
Jax provides Boulder with a marine habitat
by Clay Fong
More than a decade had passed since I last saw my college friend Alvin, and his recent arrival in town required a celebratory dinner featuring expertly prepared, but certainly not precious, fare. Another desirable trait was an atmosphere a step above the cheap Chinese restaurant we frequented as undergrads. Lastly, we required a degree of informality where our reversion to base collegiate habits wouldn’t provoke the locals to assemble themselves as an angry, torch-bearing mob.
The intriguing seafood menu and apparent lack of pyrotechnically minded citizens made Jax Fish House an optimal venue for our reunion. As the hostess led us to our comfortable table in back, we took in the casual and welcoming brick interior. Our consistently attentive and efficient server patiently fielded our questions before taking our beverage and raw bar orders.
Starting the meal in grand style, Alvin and I requested a half dozen each of $15 Hama Hama and $18 Kumamoto oysters. These raw shellfish arrived on ice with the classic condiments of lemon, horseradish and cocktail sauce. I prefer my oysters unadorned, and I suspect these pungent seasonings sometimes do nothing more than camouflage off-flavors. Fortunately, both species were sparkling fresh in taste and appearance. The small and sweet Kumamotos took top honors over the larger Hama Hamas, which had a more pronounced mineral flavor and approached a size more suitable for barbecuing than raw consumption.
A $4 cup of the Damn Good Chowder lived up to its name with respect to flavor; it was a balanced blend of cream and onion enhanced by a marble-sized dill biscuit. However, the precise nature of this soup remained illusive. “Is it a corn chowder?” asked Southwesterner Alvin. “There’s corn in it,” I replied, “but there’s also seafood, although I wouldn’t call it a clam chowder.” Alvin derived less ambiguity and more satisfaction from his $6 wedge salad drizzled with ranch dressing, stating “Now that’s a big wedge.” Recalling the elevated banter of our university days, I noted, “Beats a wedge haircut.” Alvin responded, “Or a wedgie.” Neither of us dated much in college.
Alvin’s main course was the $22 Fijian tombo, a plate of Pacific Albacore tuna. Like most cooked tunas, tombo is best prepared rare, and this specimen came perfectly red in the center with a seared creamy white edge. Texture and taste were first-rate, although the initially novel accompaniment of blood orange sauce wore out its welcome as its citrusy aroma eventually overpowered the tuna’s delicate flavor. A foundation of ginger sticky rice and slivers of baby bok choi provided a balanced but unobtrusive backdrop to the fish.
A glaze resembling Chinese hoisin sauce on my $27 seared sea scallops underscored, rather than dominated, the understated vanilla tones of the velvety shellfish. Suave polenta and oyster mushrooms upped the sensuality quotient of this dish, and slices of Andouille sausage provided a spicy but welcome counterpoint. This entrée is a can’t miss choice for scallop lovers.
As we concluded our meal over a silky $7 vanilla panna cotta, a winning coda, I concluded Jax’s fulfilled the evening’s requirements. Unquestionably, this seafood house is an ideal location for a special occasion dinner where the food is memorable and the atmosphere comfortable and easygoing. Best of all, as we departed, I noted there were no angry villagers in hot pursuit.
Jax Fish House
928 Pearl St., Boulder,
303-444-1811.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
Clay’s obscurity corner
Oyster environmentalism
Disease, mismanagement and pollution have decimated many native oyster populations, causing several species to thrive in environments far from their place of origin. The Kunamoto oyster thrived in a Japanese bay of the same name, yet today this variety is extinct there. Currently most Kunamotos come from oyster beds ranging from Northern California to Washington. France’s famed Belon oysters have also experienced a precipitous population drop, and now most oysters consumed in Europe come from the Pacific. Invariably, a transplanted oyster will taste different compared to one from its original environment; differences in water temperature and available nutrients influence flavor.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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