© Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 26, 2015

Firkin Fridays offers unique beer optionsBy Heidi Kerr-SchlaeferThe Surveyor

Berthoud Brewing Company’s owner and brewer, Shawn Fitzgerald, loves a good firkin.

“I like to make them because it creates flexibility,” he said. So, what’s a “firkin”? A firkin is a small batch of cask-conditioned ale, sometime referred

to as “real ale.” The word “firkin” is derived from the Middle Dutch word “vierderkijn,” which means fourth, or one quarter of a full-sized barrel. And it gives brewers room to be cre-ative, which Fitzgerald enjoys.

“We can do really small batch beers and get some huge flavors,” Fitzgerald said. “We can also take existing rec-ipes and do dry-hop editions or we can add fruit or herbs, like mint — we can tweak and play around with the flavors. And there’s a real richness to a cask-conditioned ale.”

Fitzgerald isn’t the only craft brewer who enjoys play-ing with firkin beers. In fact, in January, the first annual Real Ale, Real Love Firkin Festival was held in Loveland, and nearly 30 breweries participated. There were many unique firkin fla-vors at the event, which was held at the Best Western, but perhaps none as unique as the Chicken & Waffles firkin made by Aaron Heaton of Grimm

Brothers Brewhouse.“Firkins have been

around for a long time, but I think the way we are utilizing them now, that’s what new. Craft brewers are realizing they can use them to experi-ment,” said Fitzger-ald.

Firkins are a big part of Berthoud Brewing’s tradition. After all, they tap a new firkin every Friday, an event they’ve dubbed, Firkin Fridays, and they’ve got quite a following. Fitzgerald’s firkins are also available at Ale House at Amato’s

in Denver.Fitzgerald loves to try out big flavors and interesting combinations.

Firkin Fridays have featured such cask-conditioned ales as Cherry Bomb Brown, Coconut Porter, Chocolate Stout and Pepper Peach. That last one has been a big favorite among Berthoud Brewing’s regulars.

This Friday at 5 p.m. Fitzgerald will tap a Pineapple Coconut firkin. But if you want to try it you’d better belly up quickly.

“It’s basically a pineapple, coconut amber,” said Fitzgerald. “We usually go through the entire firkin in one night and we do a new one each week.”

Page B2 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 26, 2015

Courtesy photosBerthoud Brewing Company hosts Firkin Fridays each week.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 26, 2015 Page B3

By Bob McDonnellThe Surveyor

Restaurants abound in Northern Colorado, with many specializing in food from foreign countries. Recently, my wife and I discovered one that focuses on food from Peru. This is Ro-sario’s Restaurant in Longmont.

Wanting a new culinary adventure, we traveled to Longmont to try this unique cuisine. Finding the small, 50-seat restaurant can be a challenge. Its location on a major street at 625 Ken Pratt Blvd., belies the fact that it is tucked in a strip mall. Situated on the northwest corner of Ken Pratt Boule-vard and Main Street, a larger eatery, Goodfella’s Restaurant and Bakery, hides Rosario’s from the street.

Entering Rosario’s we noticed the clean red, black and white upscale décor. Through a chat with the chef, Guillermo Lima, we learned some history of Rosario’s. The restaurant started in Dacono and moved to the larger populated area of Longmont about 14 months ago.

Since Peruvian food was new to us, I decided to be adventurous. Instead of my usual diet soft drink, I ordered Chicha Morada. This refreshing drink served over ice contains ground

Peruvian purple corn, pineapple, lime juice, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. One needs to try it before judging. I highly recommend it.

While sipping this newfound drink, our appetizer arrived in the form of

Papa Rellana. This is a large potato stuffed with minced beef, rice, eggs, carrots, peas and Peruvian spices.

The authentic Peruvian entrees range from tilapia, steak strips, shrimp, chicken and salmon. I nar-rowed my choice down to Lomo Saltado Mix. This entrée contained steak strips and shrimp stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and garlic over steak fries. A side of rice came with it.

My wife opted for seafood by trying the Grilled Salmon with a creamy ca-per sauce. She liked it, but half of the large portion traveled home with us in a to-go box.

Although feeling full, we accepted the chef’s offer to try a couple of des-serts. We sampled the alfajores, a shortbread cookie sandwich with dulce de leche as the filling. Since flan is one of my favorite desserts, regard-less of the type of restaurant, I chose to try it Peruvian-style. I reluctantly shared a bite of the flan with my wife. After cleaning my dessert plate,

I declared this the best flan I ever had. Not only was it rich and creamy, the lightness of the caramel sauce made the dish.

The chef mentioned that Peruvian dishes use spices from all over South America, and a fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Italian flavors. Since this may not appeal to everyone, Rosa-rio’s Restaurant offers a variety of more traditional pasta dishes and a ribeye steak and a grilled pork-chop meal.

Rosario’s Restaurant serves breakfast (American-style), lunch and dinner. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.

A taste of South America not far from home

Photos by Bob McDonnellSeafood, in the form of a generous portion of salmon, proved to be more than a meal’s worth.

Photos by Bob McDonnellNot only were the shortbread cookies tasty, the strawberry sauce on the plate spelled out Peru.

Page B4 March 26, 2015 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

The renaissance of the hometown butcher shopBy Heidi Kerr-SchlaeferThe Surveyor

Butchers are no longer the stuff of nursery rhymes and old tales. The butcher shop is enjoying a renaissance across the country, including right here in Northern Colorado.

Miles Rollison and Austin Almquist opened the Boar & Bull in downtown Loveland in April of 2014. Their large shop occupies the east Fourth Street building that was the former home of Anthology Book Co.

Before establishing his own shop, Rollison worked as a butcher in spe-cialty grocery stores, but as a child he learned the craft of butchering from his grandfather.

At Almquist’s prompting, Rollison de-cided to take the leap, and the two long-time Loveland friends decided to open the Boar & Bull, and they aren’t alone. The country has seen butcher shops, the type that harken back to the days of our grandparents, open in Seattle, Chicago, New York, and everywhere in between. The Internet is ablaze with stories about the return of the butcher shop to our neighborhoods. Frontiere Natural Meats in Longmont is another choice. They are located at 476 17th Ave., and feature meats with no antibiotics, no added hormones and pesticide free.

Why the renaissance? Rollison believes it’s a convergence of various factors, but in general, he feels it has a lot to do with our culture’s current obsession with craft. Here in Colorado, the craft beer movement started about 20 years ago, but more recently craft cheese and other types of homegrown foods have become popular as well.

“People are also getting more and more mindful about what they are eating, where their food comes from, and how that food is grown or raised,” said Rol-lison.

The Boar & Bull sources its meat directly from local farms and ranches in Larimer and Weld counties, and Rollison sees his relationships with these farm-ers and ranchers as friendships rather than business partnerships.

“We like to work with guys that we are on a first name basis with,” he said. Rollison and Almquist also see their

store as a place where they not only sell meat, but make friends and become part of the local community. They often find their customers don’t just want to buy meat, they want to learn about it. In less than one year, hundreds of conver-sations have occurred across the meat cases at the Boar & Bull.

The community embraced the Boar & Bull from day one, and the shop already has regulars who come in weekly to order their favorite items for the grill or their favorite sandwich.

The Boar & Bull makes new fans dai-ly. During the course of our interview with Rollison and Almquist, a couple, new to the shop, came in for brisket sandwiches and eventually inquired as to whether the guys would be interested in catering their daughter’s wedding. Catering large events like weddings isn’t part of their established business, but Rollison and Almquist were flat-tered to be asked.

“I enjoy that people are not only interested in what we’re doing, but that they really care about eating good, ethi-

cal food,” said Rollison. “We’re very proud of what we’re offer-ing here and we’ve put a lot of effort into this.”

The immediate popular-ity of their brisket sandwich led to Rollison and Almquist adding more sandwiches to their menu, something that wasn’t necessarily part of their original business plan. Today, however, the Boar & Bull has crazed sandwich fanatics who are severely disappointed if their favorite one isn’t on the menu of the day.

In addition to the amazing cuts of meat on display at the Boar & Bull, a customer favor-ite is the Fearless Youth brat-wursts, made using Grimm Brothers Brewhouse beer.

“We sell a lot of those every single day,” said Rollison.

The Boar & Bull owners will also cut steaks to order, a pro-cess that occurred during this interview as well. Two eager

customers watched as Almquist lugged a huge slab of beef from the cold room to the cutting table and cut two thick pieces of dark red steaks.

The Boar & Bull is located at 422 East Fourth St. in downtown Loveland. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Sunday. Visit them online at BoarandBull.com.

Miles Rollison is cutting up or “fabricating” a half of a pig.

Photo by Heidi Kerr-SchlaeferAustin and Miles waiting on a customer at the Boar & Bull in Loveland.

Special to the Surveyor

Easter is on the way, and practicing Christians across the globe have spent the Lenten season prepar-ing for the day when they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent is a season best spent in the company of close friends and family, and the following are a few ways for Christians to celebrate their faith in the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday.

• Give Easter eggs a different meaning. Easter eggs are popular among youngsters, and that popularity can be used to teach kids about their faith. Eggs are frequently viewed as a symbol of new life, so parents can use them to show their children how Christ died and was born anew. Eggs can be fi lled with small items that symbolize something related to Christ’s story. Or they can be left empty to represent the empty tomb after His resurrection.

• Eat food that conveys Biblical stories. For Easter dinner, enjoy foods that are mentioned in the Bible. A fi sh dinner can convey the story of how Jesus mul-tiplied fi sh to feed the crowds, or dine on lamb and share the story of Passover.

• Participate in church services. Throughout Lent, many parishes offer Easter vigils or specialized ser-vices that relate the account of Jesus’ life and subse-quent death on the cross. Some churches may recreate realistic stations of the Cross. Employing pageantry to bring biblical stories to life can help young children vi-sualize and better understand the meaning of Easter.

• Create a Christ-centered Easter basket. Parents can still fi ll kids’s Easter baskets with some of the familiar confectionary treats, but those parents who impart lessons about their faith to their kids also can

include books about the story of Easter, rosary beads, a crucifi x for a child’s room, and maybe a children’s Bible.

• Make time for volunteer work. Many families reserve volunteerism for the Christmas season, but Easter also marks a great time to volunteer. In a sea-son that focuses on the ultimate sacrifi ce, families can open their hearts to others. Invite someone over for Easter dinner who has nowhere to go. Share your holi-day celebrations with a person of another faith so that he or she may be able to see what makes this time of year special. Create a service jar fi lled with small, lov-ing tasks everyone in the family can do each day.

The Lenten season, including Easter, is the most celebrated time of the year for Christians. Families can enjoy the festivities by blending many different traditions together and by focusing on the spirituality of the season.

Create religious Easter traditions Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 26, 2015 Page B5

Special to the Surveyor

Families gather on Easter to participate in many different traditions that have been passed down through time. One such tradition is coloring Easter eggs.

Millions of eggs are harvested and sold this time of year to be included in Easter festivities. However, soon after egg hunts have been completed and family din-ners are brought to the table, those colored eggs may be relegated to the trash.

When colored with food-grade dyes, such as those manufactured and readily available around Easter, the eggs remain safe to eat. Colored eggs that are stored in a refrigerator can last up to a week if their shells re-main intact. Peeled eggs may last up to fi ve days, says the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Once eggs are boiled and dyed, they should be promptly put into the refrigerator to keep them fresh and edible.

It’s advisable to use plastic, wood or paper mache eggs for Easter egg hunts, as eggs made of such mate-rials will not spoil.

Otherwise, hide and refrigerate hard-boiled eggs if this task can be completed within two hours. After that time frame, the eggs have the potential to spoil.

By eating colored eggs, you can reduce waste and add a tasty appetizer to Easter meals.

Make Easter eggs last

By eating colored eggs, you can reduce waste and add a tasty appetizer to Easter meals.

Page B6 March 26, 2015 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Special to the Surveyor

Restaurants are thriving once again. Since 2014, restaurant-goers have re-newed interest in socializing away from home and more money to spend, a stark turnaround from preceding years when diners were living on tighter budgets, thanks to a recession that began in 2008.

As crowds waiting in line for their favorite eateries begin to grow anew, res-taurants have begun to implement new menus and dining styles in an attempt to attract a broader clientele. Many trends are catering to the younger, technology-driven customer.

• Photo-ready foods: Diners are utiliz-ing social media to share their menu choices with people all around the world. Scroll through anyone’s news feed and you’re likely to find photographs of last night’s entre’ or an impressive dessert enjoyed during a night out with friends. Many restauranteurs understand their latest culinary creation is likely to find its way onto social media, so a greater emphasis is being placed on plating — or making foods look better when first pre-sented to diners.

• Digital kiosks: Desire an appetizer or want to reorder another beverage? You may not have to flag down your server to do so. Several restaurants have implemented tablet-based service at their tables. In addition to playing games

or getting apprised on the latest spe-cials, guests can order some menu items through table-mounted tablets. And if you’re in a rush for the check, swipe your credit card and pay the bill without wait-ing for your waiter to bring it over.

• Healthier kids’ choices: For years the

standard fare for kids has been burgers, fries, and various recipes for mac-and-cheese. But a survey of professional chefs sponsored by the National Restaurant Association revealed many restaurants are now offering a greater variety of foods on kids’ menus. Soups, salads, leaner

meats, and more vegetables are some of the items kids can choose from. • Increase in craft foods: Greater empha-sis is being placed on creating meals that look and taste good and are produced in eco- and community-friendly ways. Craft foods are made in small batches from locally-sourced ingredients, helping to create a symbiotic relationship between eateries, farmers, food manufacturers and diners.

• Community tables: Make new friends while dining out by getting seated at community tables, which are no longer restricted to Japanese hibachi restau-rants. These larger tables pair different diners together.

• Neurogastronomy: Many restaurants are employing neurogastronomy, or the science of manipulating perception of how foods taste by external factors. Every-thing from the colors of dishes to the sounds of music being piped in can affect your perception of taste.

• Prepaid reservations: Today you can purchase just about anything in advance, from movie tickets to vacations. Soon you may be able to prepay for restaurant meals as well. Arrive at your reserved time and enjoy your meal. This trend is beneficial to restaurants because they are guaranteed revenue even if patrons do not show up.

Trends in dining out can make meal experiences more unique. Expect some new changes at your favorite restaurants.

Trends you may see when dining out

BERTHOUD DININGA & W Restaurant120 Bunyan Ave. 532-2272

Brick Oven, The269 Mountain Ave. 532-4747

Da Bean434 Mountain Ave. 532-1451

Derby Grille110 Bunyan Ave. 532-0986

Grandpa’s Cafe903 Mountain Ave. 532-2254

Mi Cocina400 Mountain Ave. 344-5022

Nonna Bella335 Mountain Ave. 532-0224

New China Chan Restaurant506 Welch Ave. 532-3895

Pizza Hut821 Mountain Ave. 532-1111

Subway307 Mountain Ave. 532-9818

Tito’s Mexican Grill405 Fifth St. 532-5500

Trailhead Cafe250 Mountain Ave. 532-9886

Whistle Stop Tavern, The535 S. Third St. 988-9257

Courtesy photoWhen dining out, expect to find more attractive plates, as restauranteurs un-derstand diners like to photograph and share their meals through social media.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor March 26, 2015 Page B7

H.L. Mencken observed that there are some who “ ... on noticing that roses smell better

than a cabbage, conclude that it would also make better soup.”

Most of us would like to see the winter weather left far behind. The recent spate

of 70 degree temperatures have fostered much “spring fever” within our offices.

But alas, this is Colorado, and since it is only the end of March, we realize heavy snows and colder temperatures may still lie ahead.

This is reason enough for a hearty soup reci-pe. We made this soup this past

weekend and found it to be just great. You can bet if more winter is headed our way any time in the future a spot on the

stove will be reserved for the recipe that follows. Besides, what else am I going to do with the other half head of cabbage left over from the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal?

This recipe is adapted from one which appears in the spring edition of Acres Magazine.

Hamburger Cabbage Soup3 lbs. ground beef1 qt. tomato juice1 pint tomatoes2 C chopped celery1 C sliced carrots or whole “baby” car-

rots4 C chopped cabbage3 C water3 bouillon cubes1 bay leaf1 Tbsp. garlic powder2 tsp. basil2 tsp. oregano2 packages dry onion/mushroom soup

mixSalt and pepper to tasteBrown meat. Combine other ingredi-

ents in a large kettle.Add meat and bring to a boil. Reduce

heat and simmer for an hour. Stir often.

Remove bay leaf before serving.Notes: Making the above recipe, as

written, will make enough soup to feed

several. Luckily the ingredients are in proportions which may easily be halved.

Enjoy.

Special to the Surveyor

Fruits and vegetables are the building blocks of a healthy diet. But many people do not eat the rec-ommended number of servings of produce.That’s especially true among growing children, who can benefit greatly from the vitamins and nutrients fruits and vegetables provide.

According to the latest data from the NPD Group, a market research firm, Americans eat a little more than half a cup of fruit and a cup of vegetables per day. This is less than half of what the government recommends. The data is similar in Canada, where researchers at Concordia Uni-versity found that Canadian adults ages 30 to 60, especially those from lower socioeconomic back-grounds, aren’t consuming the daily recommended levels of fruits and vegetables.

Anyone who eats roughly 2,000 calories per day should strive to consume between two to three cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit per day. Produce helps to fight disease because it contains healthy antioxidants, fiber, minerals and vita-mins. Eating four cups per day may seem difficult, but there are many ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into everyday recipes.

• Substitute pureed fruit, like figs, pears and apples, for oil in recipes for cakes and cookies. This will ensure the baked goods are moist but with a lot less fat.

• Add fresh berries or raisins to breakfast cere-als and oatmeal.

• Add cauliflower or squash to boiled potatoes before mashing them to increase the nutritional punch and flavor of mashed potatoes.

• Blend fruits and vegetables to cre-ate smoothies for breakfast or lunch on the go.

• Bake hearty muffins or breads with sweet potato or carrots in the batter.

• Mix stewed tomatoes in with your broth soup base to make a vegetable or chicken soup even more nutritious.

• Opt for vegetables piled high atop a slice of pizza in lieu of meats or extra cheese.

• Divide your dinner plate into quadrants, filling half of the plate with vegetables, one quarter with meat and the remainder with a whole grain.

• Replace lettuce on a sandwich or burger with a fresh leaf of spinach. While you’re dressing your sandwich, add a slice of tomato, too.

• Substitute fresh vegetables and fruit slices for chips when serving dips and salsas. Kale chips are

growing in popularity.• Give children a cup of sliced grapes with their

lunches as a refreshing and healthy snack.• Shred vegetables into a hearty “slaw” and top it with a vinaigrette or a typical mayon-

naise-based dressing.• Blend other vegetables into your pasta sauce.

• Use vegetables instead of pasta in traditional dishes. Layer eggplant slices to make a lasagna. Or use a spiral slicer to slice zucchini or carrots when making homemade noodles.

• Fruit salad is often a refreshing snack or dessert. Having fruit already diced in a large bowl makes it more

convenient to eat and possibly more enticing

to children.• Make a

vegetable roll-up, filling pizza dough with broccoli or

spinach and shred-ded cheese.• Mix together an

avocado, 1/4 cup of cocoa pow-der and 1/4 cup honey to create a

healthy alternative to chocolate pud-ding.

• Use pureed vegetables to thicken cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese recipes.

• Shred vegetables and add them to beaten eggs for omelets or scrambles.

Surveyor Columnist

RudyHemmann

Hamburger and cabbage soup

Photos by Becky Justice-HemmannHamburger and cabbage soup served with sugar snap peas, peppers and garlic toast. The daffodils are the first to bloom in our garden.

How to sneak fruits and vegetables into any recipe