Hospitality is number one at a smart and intimate bistro
Whoever chose the name for Black Cat Bistro knew what they were doing. With catlike poise, this clever bistro knows how to make a person feel like the only customer in the dining room as chefs and servers together compose an artsy, soulful meal.
While standing near the restaurant on the corner of 13th and Pearl Street, it’s entirely possible to overlook Black Cat Bistro. Wooden cutouts of black felines are the only decoration adorning its shadowy, tucked-away exterior, and even these are somewhat understated. Perhaps it is the mysterious-looking entrance that lures customers in.
“We like to create intimacy for our customers while still having a feeling of togetherness,” said Tabitha Gargan, wine buyer and front-of-house director for Black Cat Bistro.
After stepping inside, the pampering begins. A friendly hostess waits patiently at the door, ready to greet, seat and hang up a guest’s coat. People can even choose where to sit, which is a rarity in today’s world of strict server rotation. If the restaurant isn’t busy, visitors have the luxury of choosing one of the lush, pillow-covered couches. According to Gargan, the décor strives to evoke a “small-town Europe” vibe.
Luckily for me, my guest and I were able to enjoy our evening on one of these couches. Gargan was our server for the night, and she explained the menu to us with the passion as though she had invented the dishes herself.
“Our head chef Eric Skokan has many years of experience. He layers the flavors in each dish so that each dish is complex,” Gargan said.
Black Cat Bistro’s menu has everything one wouldn’t find anywhere else. This is not a restaurant with burgers and fries; there isn’t a dish in the restaurant that isn’t creative, innovative or new.
To begin our dinner, we selected from the section of the menu titled “Little Bites.” According to Gargan, these are like appetizers before appetizers. We decided on the Potato Latke ($7), which Gargan highly recommended.
It was after this first order when we realized that our evening would take a while. It took nearly 20 minutes for our potato latke to arrive. Gargan said the chefs take their time to perfect each dish that comes from the kitchen, which means this is not a restaurant to go to during a quick lunch break.
The latke proved worthy of the wait; it was wonderful. It packed a lot of flavor for only being about three inches across, and it was topped with smoked trout, a hard-boiled quail egg and horseradish sauce.
Soon after our plates were whisked away, Gargan returned with an amuse-bouche – a tiny bite-sized sampler that upscale restaurants sometimes bring customers before the first course of a meal.
My guest received a small pile of duck confit over brown rice while I was treated to a sliver of Camembert cheese. Since I had ordered a vegetarian entrée, Gargan brought me cheese because she had assumed I was a vegetarian. This, she said, is one of the aspects of Black Cat Bistro that sets it apart.
“We have a strong handle on customer service,” she said. “We recognize people by face, and spend a lot of time getting to know you. If we find out a customer is vegan, we remember that the next time they come.”
Indeed, Gargan as well as other staff tended to us regularly and acted professional and knowledgeable.
After almost half an hour of waiting, our entrées arrived in front of us. My Roasted Garlic-Polenta Gratin ($16) was served in a hot ramekin next to a salad of warm carrots and asparagus and a tapenade. Immediately after placing the dish on the table, Gargan broke the gratin’s surface open with a spoon and poured creamy garlic sauce over it.
After watching Gargan become involved in the composition of our meal, it was clear that every employee in the restaurant took part in all responsibilities.
“Everyone in the restaurant wears a different hat,” Gargan said. “We all do a little of everything.”
The gratin tasted creamy and garlicky, and was filled with slices of mushrooms, asparagus and other vegetables. The crisp vegetables on the side complemented the creaminess well, but the tapenade was bitter and otherwise flavorless.
Meanwhile, my guest was eating the Juxtaposition of Duck ($24). With such an official-sounding title, the dish was surprisingly light. On one side of the plate rested three crispy rolls of herb-infused duck leg, and on the other side were a handful of duck breast slices drizzled with a delicate sauce. Braised leeks were a barrier in the center of the plate. Gargan described this dish as one of the best items on the menu, but it left both of us feeling slightly unsatisfied.
Perhaps the most significant downside of Black Cat Bistro its tiny portion sizes. A multi-course meal is a necessity to fulfill any real appetite. Also, fulfilling an appetite is not cheap since entrées alone range from $16 (for the one vegetarian option) to $24.
Yet there is a reason for the steep fares. According to Gargan, the majority of the ingredients come from small local producers.
“There are 50 local farmers we get things from, and we have 80 acres to ourselves at Boulder’s Munson Farm,” Gargan said. “Eric also has his own nursery.”
According to head chef Eric Skokan, they will be able to get more local ingredients as the Boulder Farmers Market begins to flourish in the coming months. For example, beets for the beet salad come from California right now, but soon they’ll come from a local Boulder farm.
Next, we perused the dessert menu. There were four selections in addition to a long list of dessert wines and after-dinner drinks. We chose the Bittersweet Chocolate Pot de Cr
