When I first heard the name of Boulder’s new eatery Shine, I was hoping it would feature entertainment by a troubled pianist portrayed by actor Geoffrey Rush. Alas, Shine appears more to refer to notions of maximized self-actualization than David Helfgott, although music is on the menu. The latest venture from the Emich triplets, this gathering space, bar and restaurant is just a few doors down from their former establishment, Trilogy.

Lafayette’s 95a Bistro and Sushi, located on Arapahoe at the former site of the Magnolia Steakhouse is a contemporary and comfortable eatery that features affordable lunches, including $9 burgers with shoestring fries, $12 lamb shank tortellini and a $10 squash agnolotti pasta plate. Dinner choices include some of the light- Susan France er lunch choices as well as an affordable $16 aged ribeye steak and a $15 red snapper garnished with brown butter, caramelized onions and roasted peppers.

I thought Chef Radek Czerny’s L’Atelier, deeply influenced by classic French cuisine, would satisfy this hunger. The ambience here combines elements of the old and the new, melding retro Hummel figurines with an elegant yet modern palette of understated but not drab colors. As always, the service is among the most professionally rendered in town, and during a recent lunch visit, patrons were decidedly quieter than the livelier dinnertime clientele.

From an early age, Roundhouse Spirits’ Ted Palmer had distilling in his blood. At age 10, he was spending summer vacation at his grandfather’s house. His elder relative had mastered making wine and other spirits, and had decided to educate his young charge on the finer points of producing whiskey. This intrigued the young Palmer, but didn’t sit so well with his father. When his dad found out, Palmer recounts, “That was the end of summer vacation.”

Local stalwart Murphy’s retains its longstanding atmosphere of conviviality, being equally suitable for both families with children and the solitary diner seeking a simple brew and burger at the bar.

Arriving at Boulder’s Aloy Thai Cuisine, I wondered if this restaurant is the Ken to its predecessor restaurant, Chy Thai, aka the Mark of this labored analogy. The location is the same, and an exterior banner touts that the food and ownership are the same, although the name has changed. Inside, the most noticeable difference is disappearance of the counter apparatus which gave the former incarnation a down-market, cafeteria vibe.

As the holiday season draws to a close, some prefer to spend a quiet New Year’s at home instead of venturing out. Ideally, preparing for this celebration should require a minimum of time hovering over the stove and standing in line at the grocery store. Chris Clarke, resident chef at Door-to- Door Organics, a service providing weekly home food delivery, recognizes the need for an elegant New Year’s menu that’s easy to prepare.

Our student body president would have felt at home at Minglewood, a new eatery primarily catering to a lunchtime worker crowd near 55th and Arapahoe. Staff wearing Steal Your Face t-shirts, posters featuring Jerry, and a menu paying homage to Beats and bands ranging from Kerouac to Jefferson Airplane (how Grace Slick could go from “Somebody to Love” to “We Built This City” still confounds) give this spot distinctive character.

My friend Auden was visiting from the Western Slope, and it’s customary for us to visit an Asian eatery, since decent ones are mighty scarce in his neck of the woods. To be frank, things didn’t go so well the last go-around. Attempting to prove our foodie street cred to one another, we’d gone to a Vietnamese restaurant and ordered congealed blood cube soup. Each of us tried to be hospitable by insisting that the other polish off this delicacy, but ultimately, much of the bowl remained unfinished. This time, I decided to play it safe by suggesting a visit to Boulder’s Korea House, located on 28th Street and Glenwood Drive.

Standing atop Spillway, an intermediate groomer at Loveland Ski Area, I visualized my descent on the crowded ribbon of man-made hard pack tending towards icy. Sticking to a line was critical, and this task was daunting, as I had just strapped on my first new pair of alpine skis in 14 years. These were Folsom Custom Blue Note Carves, a semi-custom, all-mountain ski hand built in Boulder and optimized for quick turning. I inhaled, and pivoted down the fall line.