Is there anything better than walking outside, picking a warm tomato off the vine in your garden and biting into it, right then and there?
Likely not, though OAK at Fourteenth‘s annual tomato dinner is a very close second. The beloved downtown Boulder restaurant is back with this end-of-summer tradition, which celebrates the delicious flavors and textures of the humble tomato. This year’s tomato dinner is scheduled for August 22, and reservations are now available by calling the restaurant.
The eatery has hosted this celebration since 2017. This year, they’re working in partnership with Speedwell Farms and Red Wagon Farm. The partnership between OAK and local farms is so rock-solid that, at the 2018 tomato dinner, Red Wagon Farm surprised OAK’s founder and partner Steve Redzikowski by naming one of their tomato varieties the “Steverino” in his honor.
“Red Wagon and Speedwell are two of our most beloved local farms — gems of Boulder County,” says Redzikowski. “For the past few years, we’ve taken a big staff trip up to Red Wagon so our team can see first-hand these gorgeous heirloom varieties and all that goes into harvesting these beauties.”
As part of this year’s event, diners will get to feast on a decadent five-course meal for $75 (with an optional drink pairing for an additional $50). Each dish has been developed by a different chef at OAK and showcases their individual style and creativity. Even dessert features tomatoes — and, quite frankly, it sounds delicious.
“Tomatoes are incredibly versatile, which allows us to pair tomatoes with quail, halibut, gazpacho — even custardy bavaoris,” he says.
The menu includes:
- Tomato watermelon gazpacho
- Gorgonzola Cheese Bavarois featuring tomato three ways with basil
- Caramelized Fennel Ricotta Cheese Fagottini with tomato broth, confit cherry tomato
- Tomato rubbed halibut, balcalao a la vizcaina style, with tomato tamales
- Grilled Quail with tomato zucchini panzanella, dukkah spice quail, tomato honey
- Tomato ricotta cheese tart with peach ice cream
If you can’t make it to the tomato dinner specifically, you can still indulge in the fresh Boulder County summer bounty by visiting OAK at other times. For example, around harvest season in the fall, OAK uses Colorado-grown honeycrisp apples in its iconic apple and kale salad. Other dishes on the menu right now include roasted Alaskan halibut, grilled wagyu tri-tip, grilled pork chop and rotisserie half chicken, all served with delicious sides and accompaniments like Speedwell Farm vegetable coleslaw.
Happy eating!
