Bacon is one of those things that people say makes everything better. Wrap it around scallops or a filet or toss some on a sandwich and you have a very popular menu item. One local bartender even said bacon is the reason he stopped being a vegetarian. However, it is possible that the bacon craze has gone too far.

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is best known for its margaritas, while its food always seems to fall short of memorable. Changing a long-standing reputation is difficult, says Jason Barrett, Rio Grande’s CEO. However, the company is determined to change the public’s view of its food, and has taken many steps to try to improve its overall customer satisfaction.

Vajra Rich looks like a mad scientist, complete with messy hair, a glint in his eyes and beakers and circular heaters that look like they belong in a chemistry lab. He doesn’t work with obscure chemicals or create monsters though. He makes coffee.

Bradford Heap has a passion for quality food, and he says he will do what it takes to get it to you. Heap is owner of Pearl Street’s SALT bistro, Colterra Food & Wine in Niwot and his own catering company, Bradford Heap Catering. With each business, he says, he strives to incorporate the highest quality local and organic food he can find year round. As the winter freeze sets in and most restaurants finish the last of their local food supply, Heap continues to serve his customers fresh and local food.

Sometimes it can be fun to play with holiday traditions, especially those involving food. Altering an ingredient, making a new dish, or changing a presentation can create a fresh energy for the table and may help alleviate the stress of hosting your hard-to-please in-laws and extended family.

It’s clear that people in Boulder love pizza. Not just any kind of pizza, but authentic Italian pizza. And the city’s restaurant scene has seen an uptick in places that offer it. Boulder’s newest restaurant that serves Italian-style pizza is Tossa, which opened its doors on Oct. 26 to many waiting customers. Yet there are many other pizzerias blocks away that also have loyal customers, in part because each restaurant has its own unique style of Italian pizza.

The recent snow and impending closure of the 2011 Farmers’ Market have many asking where they will get local food for the next few months and what the farmers are doing in the off-season. Though some farm hands will use the time to travel, relax or get a job that is comfortably indoors, many local farms will continue to operate.

First Bite Boulder is coming back to Boulder County this year in full force, and it’s not too early to make reservations. The week of Nov. 11-19, more than 40 restaurants will participate in this special food event, and each restaurant has prepared a unique three-course menu for its guests. Every menu offered will have the fixed price of $26 a person.

The first annual National Food Day is Monday, Oct. 24, and, naturally, Boulder County has decided to engage in the effort with an Eat Local Challenge. Food Day is a national effort to promote healthy and sustainable food and start the process of creating a better food system in the country.

For David Segal, owner of Pie in the Sky Bakery, cooking has been a passion his entire life. Yet this past year he has ventured into the realm of baking, completely focused on his new business of selling gluten-free cheesecakes and key-lime pies.