There are a lot of Boulder restaurants that claim to be Paleo, and while they may steer clear of some grains and refined sugars, they still serve plenty of dishes that no Paleo eating person would touch.
Not so with Blooming Beets. Their food is free of all grains, industrial processed seed oils, dairy, soy, corn and processed sugar. You might find some grass-fed butter in a few dishes but there is so much conflicting information out there about whether or not butter is Paleo that I’m not going to be splitting hairs about it.
And besides, who wants deliciously seared herb-crusted salmon without the butter?
Having said that, Blooming Beets is so much more than a Paleo restaurant. In fact, if you eat a primarily plant-based diet, you’ll be just as happy sitting down to a meal there as will your meat loving friends.
I tried the beet ginger citrus bisque, veggie kale hempseed salad, chia pudding and chocolate lava cake. Yes, two desserts for lunch. It seemed like the right thing to do. It was. I’d bathe in that chia pudding if I could.
With its welcoming feel and rustic and warm design, Blooming Beets reminds me of a farmhouse kitchen I never want to leave. The tables and chairs were made out of reclaimed wood recovered from sunken ships and the painted wood boards on the wall give a pop of color without trying too hard.
But, maybe best of all, was the time I spent chatting with the owner Iva Paleckova. She’s utterly delightful and her passion for what she’s creating was infectious.
A long time endurance athlete, Iva had become frustrated with her health and performance. She was regularly running 80+ miles a week and eating what she was “supposed” to be eating, but her body was failing her.
Her frustration led her to a nutrition talk at a CrossFit gym in Austin. According to the speaker, everything she was doing was wrong and Paleo was the answer. She said, “I can’t eat any grains and I should eat bacon? Are you crazy?”
But since nothing she tried had worked, she decided she might as well do the opposite and give Paleo a go. Within one week she felt better.
Now, three years later, she’s still a believer that eating this way is best for her and she has hired two highly talented and experienced chefs, Brittany Kerr and Helena Engles, to create the kind of restaurant she’s been dreaming about – one that shows people how satisfying and scrumptious clean eating can be.
In fact, Iva is so committed to teaching people how to eat better and cook healthier foods that she has a box filled with all of the recipes she serves on her menu. She said, “I want people to try our food, fall in love with it, and then go home and make it for their families and friends.”
I’m not sure that’s the best approach from a business standpoint, but I’m pretty happy that I now have the recipe for that velvety chia pudding I devoured for lunch.
You should eat some too.
