Restaurant /coloradan/ en Ode to 麻豆影院's World Famous Dark Horse /coloradan/2025/03/10/ode-boulders-world-famous-dark-horse <span>Ode to 麻豆影院's World Famous Dark Horse</span> <span><span>Anna Tolette</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-03-10T14:10:54-06:00" title="Monday, March 10, 2025 - 14:10">Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:10</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-03/world-famous-dark-horse.jpg?h=c12e0b96&amp;itok=uHZKCmMk" width="1200" height="800" alt="The World Famous Dark Horse"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/1443"> Column </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/168" hreflang="en">麻豆影院</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/916" hreflang="en">Restaurant</a> </div> <span>Anna Tolette</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-03/world-famous-dark-horse.jpg?itok=4gPoGRU8" width="750" height="422" alt="The World Famous Dark Horse"> </div> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Push through the doors of 麻豆影院鈥檚&nbsp;</span><a href="https://darkhorsebar.com/" rel="nofollow"><span>Dark Horse</span></a><span>, and you鈥檒l find yourself in a veritable labyrinth, crammed to the gills with old movie props and memorabilia from the past century 鈥 anything from a grammar school diploma from Bangor, Maine, to a mod-podge collage of magazine cut-outs. Located on the corner of Baseline Road and U.S. Highway 36, this longtime favorite townie bar and grill has been a stalwart go-to for both community members and CU 麻豆影院 students since 1975 鈥 but it also holds a special place in my heart.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>On weeknights, my friends and I often pack into an oversized corner booth to cash in on amazing happy hour deals (half-off wells!). 鈥淭he usual鈥 for my partner, Omar, and I means we鈥檙e splitting a burger and an order of the spicy dry-rub wings with blue cheese and a side of hot sauce. Over the five years we have called 麻豆影院 home, this ritual has become an anchor of mine. Many an evening has been spent in various nooks and crannies of the bar discussing our next grand adventure, celebrating birthdays and milestones and partaking in what we affectionately call 鈥渉orsing around.鈥 A quick text to our friend group chat simply asking, 鈥淗orse?鈥 rallies the troops in record time.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In early 2024, developers announced plans to reimagine the parcel of land where the Dark Horse has lived for more than five decades. Construction is slated to begin in 2026. According to the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/21/dark-horse-boulder-redevelopment-williams/" rel="nofollow"><em><span>Denver Post</span></em></a><span>, the proposed development, dubbed 鈥淲illiams Village II,鈥 would include 610 housing units, mostly dedicated to off-campus student housing and commercial space.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Long-time fans of the Dark Horse showed up in droves to the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://boulderreportinglab.org/2024/03/07/what-councilmembers-had-to-say-about-williams-village-ii-redevelopment-project-that-would-affect-dark-horse/" rel="nofollow"><span>City of 麻豆影院 planning board</span></a><span> meeting last March to express dismay about the proposal, citing their love for the quirky space and sharing concerns about how the plan would contribute to a lack of affordable housing in the 麻豆影院 area, among others.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The thought of losing the Dark Horse is unfathomable to me. The developers have promised to relocate the iconic bar nearby, but the sticky counters and years of names etched into the booths lend the bar its charm.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>For now, my friends and I have taken it upon ourselves to plaster the town with 鈥淪ave the Dark Horse鈥 stickers.&nbsp;</span></p><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-03/IMG_0666-preview.jpg?itok=pwapScCp" width="375" height="500" alt="Save the Dark Horse sticker"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-03/IMG_2154-preview.jpg?itok=WLiH8fhw" width="375" height="500" alt="Save the Dark Horse sticker"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-03/IMG_0914-preview.jpg?itok=IrwQ5_b0" width="375" height="500" alt="Save the Dark Horse sticker"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-03/IMG_1061-preview.jpg?itok=Tbu4ROtN" width="375" height="500" alt="Save the Dark Horse sticker"> </div> </div></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-regular" href="/coloradan/submit-your-feedback" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents"><i class="fa-solid fa-pencil">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;Submit feedback to the editor</span></a></p><hr><p class="small-text" dir="ltr"><span>Photos courtesy 麻豆影院麻豆影院.com and Anna Tolette</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The Dark Horse bar faces an uncertain future as redevelopment plans are formed.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <a href="/coloradan/spring-2025" hreflang="en">Spring 2025</a> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:10:54 +0000 Anna Tolette 12586 at /coloradan Cooking With Kindness: Bruce Bromberg's Unique Approach to Leading Blue Ribbon Restaurants /coloradan/2024/07/16/cooking-kindness-bruce-brombergs-unique-approach-leading-blue-ribbon-restaurants <span>Cooking With Kindness: Bruce Bromberg's Unique Approach to Leading Blue Ribbon Restaurants</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-16T00:00:00-06:00" title="Tuesday, July 16, 2024 - 00:00">Tue, 07/16/2024 - 00:00</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/chefs_eric_bruce_bromberg_at_blue_ribbon_brasserie_soho-transformed.jpeg?h=f41c868b&amp;itok=aJVlbC8N" width="1200" height="800" alt="Bruce and Eric Bromberg"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/78"> Profile </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/284" hreflang="en">Business</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/398" hreflang="en">Leadership</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/916" hreflang="en">Restaurant</a> </div> <span>Sarah Kuta</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/chefs_eric_bruce_bromberg_at_blue_ribbon_brasserie_soho-transformed.jpeg?itok=Jk0fnki1" width="1500" height="1260" alt="Bruce and Eric Bromberg"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p dir="ltr">Reality TV shows often depict chefs as cruel, heartless tyrants, willing to make their staff cry in pursuit of the perfect bite. But it doesn鈥檛 have to be this way. Just ask <strong>Bruce Bromberg</strong> (Anth鈥88). For the last three decades, he鈥檚 led a team of extraordinarily loyal staffers at Blue Ribbon Restaurants, the growing restaurant group he co-founded with his older brother Eric Bromberg in 1992.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Blue Ribbon started with one intimate eatery at the edge of New York City鈥檚 SoHo neighborhood. Since then, the company has expanded into different concepts 鈥 from sushi to bowling 鈥 and opened more than 20 locations nationwide.</p> <p dir="ltr">Through it all, intentional leadership has been paramount to the team鈥檚 success.</p> <p dir="ltr">鈥淲e wanted to create an environment where people flourished and wanted to come to work and wanted to learn, not just punch the clock,鈥 said Bromberg. 鈥淲e found that once we had that environment in place, everyone excelled.鈥</p> <p dir="ltr">The results speak for themselves. Diners keep coming back to Blue Ribbon night after night 鈥 and so do its employees. Eleven of the 14 staffers who worked the restaurant鈥檚 opening night are still with the company more than 30 years later. Now, they鈥檙e all part-owners, too.</p> <p dir="ltr">鈥淸Eric and I] both worked in France in very oppressive and abusive kitchens,鈥 said Bromberg. 鈥淭hey exist in America, they exist everywhere. But it was the last thing we wanted to have happen in our kitchens. There鈥檚 a better way.鈥</p> <p dir="ltr">Bromberg鈥檚 own culinary journey started in his hometown of Morristown, New Jersey, where he grew up in a 鈥渧ery food-centric household.鈥</p> <p dir="ltr">鈥淲hether it was my grandmother and her traditional cooking or my father鈥檚 obsession with everything French, food was a really strong element in our childhood,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y father had a home in the south of France, and we would travel there in the summer and he would take us on day trips to every restaurant he could think of.鈥</p> <p dir="ltr">Though many of his peers attended East Coast colleges and universities, Bromberg decided to head west. He enrolled at CU 麻豆影院 and majored in anthropology. When he graduated in 1988, he didn鈥檛 know exactly what he wanted to do next 鈥 only that he didn鈥檛 want a desk job 鈥 so he moved back to the East Coast. His brother, meanwhile, had studied at Le Cordon Bleu, the famed cooking school in Paris, and was running a restaurant in the Hamptons.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">One evening, a chef where his brother was working called in sick, so Bromberg offered to pitch in and help.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">鈥淭hat was really it,鈥 Bromberg said. 鈥淚 spent that first night in the kitchen with Eric and was instantly enamored by the whole process.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Bromberg followed his brother鈥檚 footsteps and headed to France to study at Le Cordon Bleu. When he returned, they went into business together and opened the first Blue Ribbon, a 48-seat 鈥渓ittle hole in the wall,鈥 he said. The name is a nod to their culinary training: Le Cordon Bleu means 鈥渢he blue ribbon鈥 in French.</p> <p dir="ltr">The eatery was an overnight success, partly because it was open until 4 a.m. each day, attracting musicians, chefs, servers and other people who worked in hospitality and entertainment. The food, of course, was also a big draw.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">Over 30 years later, Blue Ribbon鈥檚 sweeping success has only bolstered the brothers鈥 commitment to their people-first leadership approach.&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">鈥淎s a chef, I am a teacher. I鈥檓 constantly teaching. You have to be patient and respect every single individual in your environment until the last moment.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>For more information on Blue Ribbon Restaurants visit <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blueribbonrestaurants.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cchristine.henry%40colorado.edu%7C2a6252ace30a4ffaae7208dc58127b9f%7C3ded8b1b070d462982e4c0b019f46057%7C1%7C0%7C638482083612134405%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wBYXpnO3PxXev%2B8%2BPkqc8VdUj42%2FS8axP5jB2qsIMS4%3D&amp;reserved=0" rel="nofollow">BlueRibbonRestaurants.com</a>.</em></p> <hr> <p><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-regular" href="/coloradan/submit-your-feedback" rel="nofollow"> <span class="ucb-link-button-contents"> <i class="fa-solid fa-pencil">&nbsp;</i> Submit feedback to the editor </span> </a> </p> <hr> <p>Photos Courtesy Blue Ribbon Restaurants</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Bruce Bromberg (Anth鈥88) and his brother Eric founded Blue Ribbon Restaurants in 1992, and prioritized leading their employees in a productive and welcoming environment. Some staff members remain with them more than 30 years later. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 16 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0000 Anonymous 12316 at /coloradan Ramen King /coloradan/2017/12/01/ramen-king <span>Ramen King </span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-12-01T11:56:00-07:00" title="Friday, December 1, 2017 - 11:56">Fri, 12/01/2017 - 11:56</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/ivan-headshot-bw-dk.jpg?h=f4c9e2a3&amp;itok=BbGKTRH9" width="1200" height="800" alt="ivan orkin"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/1046"> Arts &amp; Culture </a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/78"> Profile </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/556" hreflang="en">Food</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/912" hreflang="en">Japan</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/914" hreflang="en">New York</a> <a href="/coloradan/taxonomy/term/916" hreflang="en">Restaurant</a> </div> <a href="/coloradan/christie-sounart">Christie Sounart</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/coloradan/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/ivan-headshot-bw-dk.jpg?itok=kITKrR8v" width="1500" height="998" alt="ivan orkin"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p></p> <p>Ramen wasn鈥檛 Ivan Orkin鈥檚 calling. At first.</p> <p>In 2006, <strong>Orkin </strong>(Jpn'87) was living in Tokyo with his family, jobless and restless. The U.S.-trained chef tried for three years to fit in with the Japanese culture he adored, but struggled to find his place in Japan as a Jewish Long Islander.</p> <p>鈥淚 felt quite hopeless,鈥 said Orkin, who had worked at top New York restaurants, including Lut猫ce. 鈥淚 felt like I was never going to find my way.鈥</p> <p>His wife, Mari, a native Japanese, suggested he open a ramen shop.</p> <p>鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a clue how ramen was made,鈥 said Orkin.</p> <p>But ignorance was no obstacle.</p> <p>Orkin developed a unique twist on traditional ramen 鈥 thin noodles served in a piping-hot meat or seafood broth, sometimes with other toppings 鈥 a hugely popular dish in Japanese cuisine. Tokyo alone has thousands of ramen shops.</p> <p>Located in Tokyo鈥檚 western suburbs, Orkin鈥檚 10-seat restaurant, Ivan Ramen, drew media and locals who were curious to sample an American chef鈥檚 take on ramen. Orkin offered homemade noodles (rare in Japanese ramen), aromatic flavors, few (but choice) toppings and light double-broth bases made with chicken and pork. Obscure-to-Japan ingredients like roasted tomatoes and rye flour added to the soup鈥檚 appeal.</p> <p>In a glowing 2009 review titled 鈥淚van Ramen: Artisan ramen with NY accent,鈥&nbsp;<em>The Japan Times</em> wrote: 鈥淵ou will not taste anything like this anywhere else in Japan.鈥</p> <p>Acclaimed Japanese ramen critic Hiroshi Osaki 鈥 who claims to have eaten more than 23,000 bowls of ramen 鈥 called Orkin鈥檚 ramen 鈥渁mazing鈥 and 鈥渄elicious.鈥</p> <p>Success in Japan has since led to two other ramen restaurants and a pizza restaurant in New York, a Netflix documentary and a new life back in the United States.</p> <p>As <em>The New York Times</em> put it in 2013, 鈥淚van Orkin appears to have pulled off a chain of unprecedented feats.鈥</p> <p></p> <h3>A Love for Japan</h3> <p>Orkin鈥檚 infatuation with Japan began when he was 15 years old and worked as a dishwasher in a sushi bar in Syosset, New York. He reveled in trying new dishes, which were radically different from the frozen meals he ate, and hated, at home.</p> <p>When it came time for college, he chose CU 麻豆影院, which offered both a dramatic mountain escape from New York and a Japanese studies program.</p> <p>At CU, academics weren鈥檛 really Orkin鈥檚 thing 鈥 鈥淚 would make breakfast for my friends and they would do my homework,鈥 he said 鈥 but he enjoyed the Japanese program.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 one of my great memories of college,鈥 said Orkin. 鈥淚 learned just enough about Japanese grammar.鈥</p> <p>After graduating, he moved to Japan and taught English for three years, a job he found unoriginal and uninspiring. He met his soon-to-be first wife, Tamie, and the couple moved back to the U.S., where Orkin studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. There he met his eventual business partner, David Poran.</p> <p>鈥淗e was like Woody Allen on 12 cups of coffee,鈥 Poran said of the young Orkin.</p> <div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"> <div class="ucb-callout-content"> <p></p> </div> </div> <p>Afterward, Orkin worked under Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill and at Lut猫ce in New York. When Tamie became pregnant with their son <strong>Isaac Orkin</strong>&nbsp;(Jpn鈥19), he accepted a more stable, higher-paying job with Restaurant Associates, a New York-based hospitality company.</p> <p>In 1998, when Isaac was two and Tamie was pregnant with the couple鈥檚 second child, she died of a sudden illness. Devastated and eager for his son to remain rooted in his mother鈥檚 Japanese culture, Orkin began taking him on annual trips&nbsp; to Tokyo. On one of these trips, in 2002, he met Mari over a bowl of ramen, and married her three months later. The couple settled in Tokyo, and Orkin began feeling his way into the future.</p> <p>After Ivan Ramen took off in 2007, Orkin added a second restaurant in Japan and created a popular line of instant ramen.</p> <p>鈥淚van鈥檚 very analytical, he鈥檚 extremely intelligent and he鈥檚 slightly OCD,鈥 partner Poran said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a combination for success.鈥</p> <p>By 2012, ready to return to the U.S., Orkin and Mari moved their three sons to New York. He opened Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop in the Hell鈥檚 Kitchen neighborhood and his flagship restaurant Ivan Ramen in the Lower East Side. They, too, were instant hits. <em>The New York Times</em> refers to him as 鈥渁n American ramen master.鈥</p> <p>These days, he stays out of the kitchen. Mostly.</p> <p>鈥淚 still work on recipes, I still train people, but I don鈥檛 have a spot in my restaurant,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut when there is something for me to do, I鈥檓 there all day and all night.鈥</p> <h3>A Call from <em>Chef鈥檚 Table</em></h3> <p>Last year, the crew behind Netflix鈥檚 <em>Chef鈥檚 Table</em>, a documentary series profiling renowned chefs, came calling.</p> <p>鈥淣etflix was the first time I ever really allowed a television camera to see my life that closely,鈥 he said, adding he filmed five days in New York and five days in Tokyo. 鈥淚t was hard telling everybody your innermost secrets.鈥</p> <p>After the episode aired in February 2017, Orkin鈥檚 name, and food, grew more famous still.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 completely been one of the most wonderful things that鈥檚 ever happened to me,鈥 he said.</p> <p>These days, Orkin, who lives in the Hudson River Valley north of New York, is exploring potential new ramen restaurant locations elsewhere in the U.S. Meanwhile, he鈥檚 also dabbling in the pizza world. He and Poran opened Corner Slice inside the Gotham West Market to rave reviews.</p> <p>鈥淭he pizza business is a big deal for us,鈥 said Poran. 鈥淲e have big expansion plans.鈥</p> <p>There鈥檚 never really any telling what鈥檚 next for Orkin.</p> <p>鈥淚f there鈥檚 anything I鈥檝e learned in this life," he said, "it's when I get tired of doing something, I鈥檒l just do something else.鈥<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Photos by Daniel Krieger</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Japan went crazy for Ivan Orkin's ramen. Now America has the fever. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:56:00 +0000 Anonymous 7784 at /coloradan