With each passing month, Boulder's Pearl Street Mall seems to add to its already vibrant dining scene. A few months ago it was the Kitchen [Next Door] [2], several weeks ago it was Snooze [3], and now it's Riffs Urban Fare [4]. Here, chef John Platt (Q’s Restaurant [5] in the Hotel Boulderado) has teamed up with Phil Shull, the former owner of the Bookend Cafe, to offer a small-plates eatery with big, comforting flavors.

Platt turns out dishes such as the short rib ravioli with succulent, slow-cooked beef in a blanket of tender pasta and natural juices mingled with red wine and shallot butter; a tangle of seared organic greens is tucked underneath. Pair the ribs with a puckery trio of pickled veggies. Or, opt for the organic mixed greens salad with green apple, walnut, red grape, smoky blue cheese, and a light sherry vinaigrette. Either way, finish with apple pie à la mode drizzled with Leopold Bros. [6] applewood whiskey caramel.

1115 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-440-6699