Epicurean Encounters: Wild Standard, Boulder, CO

In a landlocked state such as Colorado, I welcome good seafood when I can get it. Wild Standard, a sustainable seafood restaurant, recently opened on Pearl Street in Boulder. It currently has dinner service only, although it will soon be adding lunch and brunch. Usually, I prefer to let neophyte restaurants work out the kinks for a few months, but I was hankering for some good seafood after getting spoiled in Iceland, so I made reservations soon after its opening.
The place was hopping on a Friday night. The gorgeous space is decked out with abundant sconces and ornate chandeliers. In addition to a drink bar, there is a seafood bar where lots of oyster shucking was in progress. The open kitchen in the back is large and bustling. There is also a more casual bar area downstairs called the Pearl Dive. The owner, Chef Bradford Heap of Salt (Boulder) and Colterra (Niwot), was in his pristine white chef coat meeting and greeting. I got to talk to him briefly and was glad to hear his garden has recovered nicely since the flood two years ago.
If you are an adventurous foodie, you will appreciate Wild Standard's original concepts. First things first, the cocktails are plentiful and interesting. They offer something novel to traditional libations and allow you to choose a region of the world for the drink's flavor profile. For instance, India includes spices such as saffron, cumin, and cardamom. Then you pick how strong you want the drink and the spirit you desire, or you can let the mixologist recommend the liquor. Interesting concept, but not sure how adventurous folks want to be with their drinks.
Also new and exciting are chef's small plates or tastings that circulate the room in addition to the set menu. Apparently, these creations may not be seen again, so the point is for you to seize what tempts you. Cheerful servers come around with trays of small plates along with the cost which run from $6-12. It's similar to Chinese dim sum without the carts and much pricier. We chose four plates, half were very good and the other two only mediocre. The manila clams with house sausage was smoky and rich. The sword fish was cooked to perfection with a buttery sauce, mashed potatoes, and greens, all well seasoned. I found the octopus and tuna poke salad to be under seasoned but the taro chips were a nice variation to the ubiquitous corn.
From the set menu, we ordered The Fish Hold which comes in two different sizes and prices. We were sharing, so we got the large at $65. This is a smorgasbord of fresh seafood on a bed of ice which includes oysters, lobster tails, crab legs, shrimp, and a trio of condiments. The lobster tails came with warm clarified butter; a nice touch. The crab legs were sweet and salty and worth the effort. The Chimu oysters were small but creamy and great with the melon mignonette (vinegar with shallots and lemon). The poached Key West shrimp were delicious with the lemon aioli (garlic mayo). This should fix my seafood cravings for a while.
Our friends ordered the Roasted Eggplant Risotto and the Colorado trout. The creamy risotto came with seasonal veggies from the Colterra garden and garnished with parmesan. The sea bass arrived on a wood plank with crispy skin side up and a foamy buerre blanc (butter sauce). Both were very good according to our foodie companions.
We ended the night sharing two desserts. The Pistachio was a financier (French sponge cake) garnished with mascarpone, blood orange gel and carrot puree. The cake had a nice crumb and was not too sweet, but I didn't taste any pistachio initially. We determined it was in the brittle. The more satisfying Chocolate Fondant, which is gluten free, was rich and dense. The lemon curd provided a tart counterpoint.
If you come, expect warm welcome and cheerful service, but also bring your reading glasses. The place is so dim, several tables whipped out their I Phone flashlights. Also, the din is so loud that it makes for difficult conversation. We had a hard time even hearing the servers. Hopefully, the restaurant will address these two oversights.