The Kitchen American Bistro

When it opened its doors on the west end of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall in 2004, the Kitchen had ambitions. Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson envisioned creating a gathering place that would draw from local farms to give diners well-executed but simple dishes — comfort food, but lighter, healthier and better sourced. Musk and Matheson took their mission to the Boulder community, too, engaging with school gardens to teach kids where food comes from. The restaurant's upstairs cocktail lounge is more casual and beverage-focused than its downstairs counterpart, with customers sipping craft beers and martinis beneath dim lights and sexy beats.