Dragonfly Noodle — Restaurant in Boulder

We were looking for a restaurant to eat at prior to a show at the Boulder Theatre and had our eye on a sushi place down the street when it started to rain and we ducked into Chimera to have a drink and wait it out. Sat at the bar, and immediately noticed a really nice selection of liquors and sakis and decided on a bottle of Hakutsuru sake. It may have been the lightest sake I'd ever had, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for me. We ordered up a couple of happy hour appetizers; the pork belly bao and duck dumplings. Excellent. As we drank our sake and pondered whether to run down the street to our chosen spot, the chef, Brodie, approached us and mentioned that the halibut special was spectacular that night and he had five servings left. A few minutes later, he brought us a taste of the broth for the halibut....it was amazing - light and delicate with just the right amount of heat, with some mushrooms. He also gave us a little taste of a light coconut beverage to "chase" the sauce with (can't remember the name), which was really a perfect pairing with the heat. That sealed the deal and we were staying at Chimera for dinner. Meanwhile, my friend wanted to try the vieux carre, a rye based cocktail that was also spectacular (I sampled). Brodie got to work on our halibut, and we sat back and watched the show. The finishing station is set at a perfect spot so you can sit at the bar and watch him complete each dish...he's an artist and an expert at what he does. The kitchen appeared to run perfectly smooth and everything was very clean and organized. Our food was delivered promptly and we got busy eating - the dish was a substantial portion. Really no need for anything else, especially after the appetizers. The halibut was perfectly cooked and laid on a bed of rice and that amazing sauce, with lemongrass and cilantro on top. Perfectly seasoned too...no need for salt or pepper or anything. Brodie brought us a small taste of a Riesling that really went well with the dish too. He wasn't the only star though as our server and really everyone who helped us were friendly, efficient and knowledgeable about the food and drinks. The overall vibe of the restaurant is upscale, but very family friendly too as we noticed many tables with kiddos. I really cannot think of any negatives...only wonderful positives, and my buddy picked up the bill so I ate for free, lol. We shall return for the ramen soon. ...

Ambiance: 9 Quality: 8.3 Taste: 9.3 Cleanliness: 9 Service: 6 Met Expectations: 8 Value: 9.5 Overall: 84.4 Price: $-$$ Dragonfly Noodle is a small, ramen and phở joint located just off of Pearl Street (parking can be a bit annoying for those driving). I'll start off by saying if I would have only ordered the ramen, my overall score would have been well into the 90s. I ordered the Black Tonkotsu Ramen, the Roast Duck Bao, and some hot oolong tea. Let's start with the not so good. The bao, while it had good flavor, was very soggy on the underside. I'm not sure why this was, but it was a let down. My picture isn't great, but you can see how moist it is in the photo. Additionally, my hot tea didn't come out until I was almost done with my meal. That was a disappointment as well. It seemed the main employee doing nearly everything didn't know how to do the tea, and needed trained. I can understand, but my score for service will have to stand. Noted, though, it was a quality oolong I was served when I eventually was.

Now onto the great. The ramen is fantastic. Good, rich flavor with all the fixings you want. The smoked pork belly (somewhere between chashu and char siu for the real ramen folks out there) is a gift from the heavens. For all that is holy, get extra. But, the ramen is the star at this restaurant. Stick to that and you'll go home very happy. The ambiance is nice; the aesthetic reminds me of my time in Japan and felt authentic. I'm sad to not be giving a better score, as I feel it was an off experience. I'll definitely be back for more of the ramen, though! And if it's better, I'll...

Diverse menu, fresh seafood, to-die-for dumplings, flavorful ramen broth, and upscale but comfortable ambiance.

We started with a duck bao, which was a bit of a let down. The bao bun was too spongey and cold, and the fillings were a bit sparse.

Luckily, this was followed by the Xiao Long Bao, which was absolutely amazing and the winner of the night. ORDER THIS! The XLB is a dumpling made with pork, crabmeat, and soup stock with a ginger soy sauce on the side. They are simultaneously a juicy explosion of rich, complex flavors with the heart-warming comfort of Mom's chicken soup. The dish comes with 3, but we asked for an extra so that we could each have 2.

We then got a Chimera Ramen (pork belly) and a Lobster Ramen, which we shared. Both were good - I personally enjoyed the pork belly slightly more, but the lobster was very fresh and perfectly cooked, which is a much more unique experience in Boulder. The egg was decent - a bit cold and a little over-done for my preference. The noodles were perfect and enjoyable, though not revolutionary. The broth, especially the lobster broth, was decadent. If you're reminiscing about your time in Japan, you probably won't scratch that itch here - there's definitely a fusion element to the flavor profile, but they WERE delicious, and this is easily the highest quality...