For Marla’s birthday we drove to Boulder to celebrate. Experiencing a false spring day, we took a little hike at Chautauqua Park west of town. Hiking is way up toward the very top of Marla’s favorite activities list!

The iconic “Flatiron”mountains looked majestic in the afternoon sun.

There are many beautiful hiking trails at the park, but most were still covered in snow.

Looking north we spotted the rock formations at Mount Sanitas, another nice hiking area in Boulder Sunshine Canyon.

Looking northeast you can easily spot the red roofs of the University of Colorado Boulder Campus.

We stayed over night at the St Julien Hotel.

The hotel has a great location, with a very nice staff and amenities.

We made arrangements for the hotel’s shuttle to drive us to our dinner at Flagstaff House, high on top of Flagstaff Mountain overlooking the city of Boulder. We hadn’t dined here in over 20 years!

What a wonderful table to celebrate Marla’s birthday!

A great tasting wine set the tone for a beautiful culinary evening.

They brought one very delicious amuse-bouche after another! Marla started the 4 course dinner with a Venison pate de Campagne

I had the artistically plated braised baby beets.

I splurged a little on my next course, Maine lobster with pecorino romano risotto, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and white balsamic. It was amazing! Sadly, Mar is allergic to seafood. 

We both had the Filet Mignon. The staff was very sensitive to Marla’s need for low-salt preparation and made a special version to meet her needs. Mine had a twice baked potato, cauliflower, bacon, and a mushroom bordelaise. It was FABULOUS!

Lovely desserts! We both felt the dinner was the BEST in years!

This is the table to reserve in the future. It’s in a corner with windows all around for spectacular views.

They have a stellar wine list! With some work I found one bottle for $58 from Sardinia, but most of wines are quite expensive. There are many Premier Grand Cru Classe wines in the $2000, $3000, $5000 range and way, way higher! The 2017 bottle of Chateau Petrus pictured above on the right is priced at $16,200. I found a 1948 Chateau Mouton Rothschild for…$29,820 a bottle! Pass!

We have dined at numerous 1, 2, & 3 star Michelin restaurants around the world (Including what was once listed as the Number 1 restaurant in the world one year in Menton, France)…but our dinner at the Flagstaff House was the tastiest in recent memory and truly memorable! The staff and the kitchen were so considerate regarding Marla’s low-salt due to heart issues. We felt everyone was amazing in every way!

And…what does Marla desire to do the next morning before breakfast? She wants to workout in the hotel’s fitness center!

She is psyched for a workout!

I’m in the hot tub after working out.

I asked her where she wanted to go for breakfast. She said Lucile’s Creole Cafe on 14th street. It’s in an old house and is very quaint.

We both love to begin breakfast with their famous…beignets! So good!!!

What a beautiful birthday weekend!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.