Under the Sun Eatery: Boulder, Colorado’s Creative Spin on Brunch

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Chefs are all about putting their stamp on the menu, and I love tasting their creations, especially at restaurants in my Colorado backyard. At Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria, Executive Chef Nick Swanson sealed his with a creative spin on brunch.  I’m talking Captain Crunch French toast, wood-fired breakfast pizza, fried chicken, and waffles.

Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria
Table Mesa Shopping Center
627 South Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305
http://www.mountainsunpub.com/underTheSun/

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Weekend brunched served at Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria, in Boulder, Colorado.

Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria is part of the Mountain Sun Pubs & Breweries trio of locations in Boulder (30 miles northwest of Denver). It is located under its brew pub counterpart, the Southern Sun Pub & Brewery (clever name, right?).

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Brunch would not be complete without $1.50 Mimosas at Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria in Boulder.

You can certainly pair your breakfast with one of their brews.  But I’ll be honest — this Colorado eatery had me at $1.50 mimosas. Before heading out for Saturday brunch, I glanced at their online menu, scrolling directly to the second page of the  brunch menu’s Morning Libations, which also included Bloody Marys.

Because weekend brunch is best paired with cocktails, I ordered my version of champagne mimosa with cranberry juice. Now that I had my mimosa, how would the brunch pan out?

But let’s start with French Culinary Institute-trained Chef, Nick Swanson, who uses distinctive seasonal ingredients that add to Under the Sun’s year-round favorites.

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Under the Sun Executive Chef Nick Swanson dishes up his twist on classic dishes.

“It’s important that we stay true to Under the Sun’s goal of using local and seasonal ingredients,” says Under the Sun’s Executive Chef, Nick Swanson. “Our new brunch and dinner menus include seasonal produce like strawberries, asparagus, beets, garlic, carrots, and peas. Each dish is distinctive with a classic presentation.”

Chef Nick brings his exceptional credentials, beginning and ending with a Boulder restaurant; a stint at Michelin-starred Relais Villa D’Amelia in Italy; graduating with honors at French Culinary Institute;

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Zeppole drizzled with chocolate sauce served complimentary to brunch guests at Under the Sun Eatery, Boulder, Colorado

and a dash of rubbing elbows and cooking with big-name celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, and Calvin Klein. While all that is impressive, how is his execution of brunch comfort food at Under the Sun?  One word: wow.

While a group of food writers and journalists gathered around a few tables on a Saturday, we were family-style served a sample of many of the brunch items.

From the first taste of zeppole with chocolate sauce (an Italian donut complimentary to all brunch guests), our taste buds were consistently tantalized with a blend of comfort and creativity by Chef Nick, made from scratch.

The following photos will have you salivating for brunch at the Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria.

I’m a classic benedict girl, and when it’s on the brunch menu, I’m all in. For the traditionalist, the new brunch menu also features a Classic Benny made with two poached eggs, seared ham, spinach and lemon hollandaise on an English muffin. Surprisingly, this was not my favorite (although very good), and you’ll see why when scrolling through photos of the other tasty brunch menu items.

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Brunch wouldn’t be brunch without a Classic Benny at Under the Sun Eatery in Boulder, Colorado

The adventurous eater will get a crunch out of the Captain’s French Toast — and get a flashback of childhood boxes of CAP’N Crunch cereal with this very adult version and yummy for kids.

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French Toast brunch creation at Under the Sun: Captain Crunch-coated challah bread with Chantilly cream and fresh strawberries.

A self-professed fried chicken connoisseur, my husband couldn’t get enough of the Fried Chicken. Chef Nick brought brunch to the chicken by serving it with waffles, house-made sausage gravy, and sweet maple syrup.

TIP: To all Fried Chicken Lovers, every Wednesday, Under the Sun serves fried chicken special, prepping 200 pounds of fried chicken, often running out before closing time. Get their early; doors open at 4 p.m.

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Under the Sun’s most popular dish: Buttermilk battered fried chicken, and brunchified with waffles, house-made sausage gravy, and sweet maple syrup.

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Vegetarian option at Under the Sun Eatery, the skillet “Birdie.”

Chef Nick creatively spun the skillet breakfast and served this sizzling dish called “Birdie.” Vegetarian skillet layered with breakfast potatoes, local heirloom tomatoes, organic baby kale, mozzarella, Grana Padano, and topped with two poached eggs and drizzle of arugula walnut pesto pleases even those non-vegans.

And oh my, the breakfast pizzas, fresh out of the wood-fired pizza.  This was MY favorite brunch dish at Under the Sun.

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What’s better than pizza? Wood-fried breakfast pizza at the Under the Sun Eatery, Boulder, Colorado

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Tap into brews from Under the Sun’s sister brewpub, as well as guest craft beer options from local Colorado brewpubs.

Since Under the Sun is sister to a brew pub, feel free to pair an impressive lineup of award-winning beer with your brunch. Choose from 21 taps of Mountain Sun Ale and 8-10 rotating guest local craft brew options. And then there’s the sustainable wines on tap, as well as non-alcoholic drinsk.

But for me, I’ll stick with my cranberry mimosas, while a brunch at Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria will have you staggering out in a food coma.

Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria in Boulder, Colorado, is open daily for dinner from 4pm – midnight and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 2pm. Happy hour is offered every day from 4– 6pm and again from 9pm – close.

Disclaimer: Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria provided brunch and drinks for my review; opinions expressed are my own.  Photos courtesy of Diana Rowe and Under the Sun Eatery & Pizzeria.

Brunch at Under the Sun Eatery, Boulder, Colorado (1)

Diana Rowe

A farm girl from Iowa, I grew up farm-to-table before the concept was cool (or even invented). We raised or grew what we ate, and I developed a taste for fresh vegetables, fruit, and corn-feed beef. A few years later (okay maybe a lot of years), I am now a Denver-based freelance travel writer and self-professed foodie and wine lover. I’m lucky to live in the Mile High City, a young foodie town where the restaurants and its chefs are fearless. Where I can go casual and sip Prosecco on tap while dining on oysters on a half-shell at Cart-Driver, a restaurant ensconced in 640 square foot shipping container space in the heart of Denver's RiNo neighborhood. Where I can get all fancy dressed up for date night with high heels and expensive perfume, and slice into a medium rare, USDA Prime, hand-cut steak at Elway’s in Cherry Creek. And don’t even get me started on the fresh seafood at McCormick’s Fish House and Bar near Union Station in downtown Denver. Or the to-die-for Latin-Asian fusion dishes during brunch at Zengo Denver. Although Denver’s food scene is awesome, I am happiest when traveling and sipping Pinot Grigio, which I believe pairs well with all food. I love to experience new restaurants, almost as much as I love returning to my favorites. In my opinion, wine tastings are as near to heaven as I can get. When I am at home, my husband and I enjoy cooking, creating dishes on our own, often inspired by the chefs we have met along the way. I am a seasoned travel writer with hundreds of published articles and photos appearing in print and online. I am co-founder of WineLoversVillage.com. I blog about my travels (with and without my family) at TravelingInHeels.com and as the "Traveling Grandmom" at TravelingMom.com. Follow my foodie and travel experiences on any of my blogs and on Twitter @dianarowe, Instagram @dianalrowe

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