As friend Lisa and I drove on Hwy. 36 north of Boulder, we couldn’t help but notice the landscape’s arid harshness. Even though the sun was shining, we couldn’t shake a feeling of wintry desolation.

Prices here are quite reasonable, as lunch or dinner should be well below 10 dollars a person. At-the-counter ordering and service help keep things inexpensive, as does the simple but colorful d%u98EFr, reminiscent of a high-end nursery school.

Thunderbird Burgers & BBQ faces the formidable challenge of being a locally owned business in direct competition with big multinational chains. To effectively compete, it needs to be at least comparable in price and, ideally, superior in quality. For the most part, this eatery succeeds in rising to the occasion, although there are a few small areas for culinary improvement.

Stepping off the Pearl Street Mall into Boulder’s Antica Roma, one immediately notices the pains taken to recreate a Roman Holiday-worthy street facade. Exposed brick and other architectural details rendered in earthy reds and browns give this interior a retro, back alley feel. However, a few contemporary Italian real estate signs and a lingering scent of cleaning fluids undermined the desired effect during a recent lunch visit with friend Lisa.

Less familiar Asian cuisines sometimes come off as lessthan-satisfactory knockoffs of their Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai or Indian counterparts. With this thought in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect at Boulder’s Tibet Kitchen, and I feared the experience was going to consist of poorly interpreted Northern Indian fare. Fortunately, my phobia was unfounded, as this compact restaurant features unique Tibetan items such as momo dumplings and a full range of meatless dishes prepared in a manner that’s both tasty and healthy.

While Louisville’s Huckleberry serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as afternoon tea, arguably its most popular meal is weekend brunch. At least that was my impression after waiting 45 minutes for a table on a recent late Sunday morning. Friend Tertia and I used the time to catch up before being ushered to a sunny window-side two-top in a room that’s a more contemporary take on the country kitchen. Think a little less Holly Hobbie and a little more David Hockney, and you’ll get the picture.

Settings into a venerable locale such as the Boulder Cork restaurant, one can’t but help wonder if the dapper sports coat-clad gentleman at the next table might be a regular who’s come here for decades. Perhaps a younger version of him showed up here in the ’70s, decked out in a turtleneck, bell-bottoms and a sweet Mark Spitz-style ’stache. He’s aged reasonably well, but what about his favored restaurant?

A Spartan dining space with cinder block walls and minimal artwork, Boulder’s Korea House is one of the few local spots where one can enjoy this seldom-seen Asian cuisine.

My frame of reference for Italian-American food differs from most, coming from San Francisco’s North Beach eateries rather than the classic red sauce emporiums of the East Coast. North Beach fare differs from that of the Eastern Seaboard in that it tends more towards including more meat and seafood. Another point of difference is that most North Beach meals were all-inclusive, featuring everything from sourdough bread to spumoni ice cream. According to my friend, New York-reared Keith, East Coast menus are typically set up in an a la carte fashion.

"I’ m guessing you were a big Miami Vice fan,” said colleague Carin over lunch at Boulder’s Rincon Del Sol. “You’re absolutely right,” I replied, recalling that series’ mix of dynamic visuals, dramatic spice, and a bit of cheese, courtesy of Don Johnson’s formidable thespian talents. A certain degree of predictability also contributed to my enjoyment of this show; you could always count on the shoot-out before the percussive title credits, the obligatory rock star cameo, and a Ferrari chase thrown in for good measure.