Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm — Restaurant in Boulder

For the hype, awards and prices at this restaurant, I was a bit underwhelmed. We were seated promptly at our reservation time and the service was very good, tho the bar was oddly slow to make cocktails (like 20 mins), but issue is the food is inconsistent.

The biscuits are fluffy and served with delicious sage butter and jam. For $6 we enjoyed these. Five stars.

The green chile meatballs were too dry. It was almost as if they’d been sitting under a warming lamp for too long - or were overcooked. They are a bit spicy and they had a nice flavor, but the dry texture ruined it. The cilantro sauce they sit on top of is delicious so I asked for more to make up for the dryness and that made them better. This dish tho is not James Beard award quality as it was served. Would only order this again with 3x the cilantro sauce.

The Jenchiladas (with beef) are amazing but the presentation and sides are strange. The corn crema in lieu of traditional enchilada sauce is fantastic. They were served with basmati rice with pumpkin seeds, which is a weird rice to serve with enchiladas but it was good. The mashed sweet potatoes also went perfectly, but there was only a tablespoon of them hiding under the cast iron dish holding the enchiladas themselves. On top of the rice was 3 strips of cooked cabbage and 2 broad beans. Despite these issues, we’d order these again.

The bison pot pie (a dinner special) wanted to be good but it just wasn’t. Huge chunks of bison and a nice flaky crust but it was too lean and needed salt. Bison is such a lean meat that the filling was missing that rich umami flavor that makes pot pie so delicious. An extra pat of salted butter in the filing would have made all the difference. The salad it came with on the other hand was one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten which is saying something for a salad that was just lettuces and a light dressing. But salad doesn’t make the dish so I wouldn’t order this again.

The dark magic gingerbread is heavenly - fluffy, warm, molasses, very strong spices - and served with vanilla ice cream. It’s a tad sweet with the caramel sauce on top (which you didn’t even really need) but wow what a dessert.

The chocolate chili cream pot was odd - almost savory and the cacao flavor was so strong it was overwhelming. It wasn’t sweet really at all. The texture was also very dense and even hard to get your spoon into, more like cement. It was like a 100% cacao bar was made into a ganache and then cooled in a small ramekin. Every bite was like a punch in the face. Tasted no chilies. Would not order this again.

We had a rose cosmo which was refreshing but didn’t taste like rose. As some one who cooks with rose water I was expecting more of a fragrant drink - instead it just tasted like a shaken cran vodka with crushed ice. The house finch tasted basically like an alcoholic raspberry lemonade with crushed ice (it allegedly has cherry and elderflower in it - couldn’t taste either). Lovely presentation with edible flowers but neither were impressive or worth $15.

We’d come back here but we’ve now learned that the menu is not consistently good. We’d probably avoid specials (which by definition the kitchen hasn’t had as much practice making) and order wine instead of cocktails.

As for the atmosphere, we found the political statement of the place to be a little bit too much in your face. This is irrelevant to the quality of a restaurant but it’s worth mentioning.

Also a shout out to their adorable resident kitty Cinnamon who came...

I came here on a Monday night with my partner and best friend as a birthday treat after hiking Lower Calf Creek. We’d heard so many wonderful things about Hell’s Backbone Grill - about their farm to table ingredients and divine food.

We were seated very quickly, which I appreciate since they were pretty busy. Everyone of the staff was super friendly and welcoming.

But I’ve got to be honest here - this place is listed as “casual upscale” but there was nothing casual about the prices. We paid $12 dollars for four (4) tiny stuffed mushrooms. The ground meat inside the mushrooms was pretty bland, but the bed of mashed potatoes was flavorful. We also paid $14 for the goat cheese fondue, which came with three (3) fig crackers, a quarter of an apple, and a quarter of a pear. The fondue was incredibly good, but again, such a small portion for the price asked. For our last appetizer, we bought the Blue Ribbon Biscuits with whipped sage butter - four for $4. These are definitely worth the price, and incredibly good, though maybe a bit over cooked in my partner’s opinion.

For our entrees, my partner got the Dinner “Jenchiladas” - two enchiladas served with creamy corn sauce, flavor-blasted green rice and fresh garden veggies with a yummy purée. I will add that there were crusts from the rice on his plate - as in when rice hardens on the edge of the pot. The dish did offer a nice little punch of heat and was very filling - well worth the $27. He also got the Silver Reef Mexican Lager for $6 - it was light and yummy, perfect for post hiking. Though it was a little strange to see sunflower seeds on the lime of his beer - seems like someone didn’t wash their hands before dipping into the lime bucket.

Our friend ordered the Farm Veggie Delight for $25. She seriously enjoyed her meal and ended up taking most of it home. It came with two mushrooms, a few wildly delicious strips of tofu, and the same flavorful rice and side veggies.

I had the Trout and Herbs for $31. The piece of trout I had was pretty small, I gotta say, and was a bit on the dryer side, though still delicious. It came with the same side veggies and purée - which I devoured immediately, seriously so fresh and flavorful - and some simple white rice with parsley.

Lastly, we got the Chocolate Almond Bread Pudding for $12. We would’ve ordered more dessert had we been convinced by the appetizers and entrees. But the bread pudding ended being the best thing we had that night and felt that the price was worth it.

Now, as for the serving staff. The place was busy, but it wasn’t packed, nor where they cycling through patrons or had a line of folks waiting. We watched five serve staff on the floor and yet we went about 20 minutes without being checked on after we’d finished our meals. The server also gave us a couple grimy looking appetizer plates and I unfortunately overheard the staff saying, “These customers are f*ing stupid,” when I passed by the employee entrance near the restrooms. And, hey, I get it - I’m in the food service industry myself and it’s a frustrating career for sure. But to hear that after being neglected by our server and paying entirely too much for such small portions is absolutely ridiculous.

I’m pretty disappointed by our experience at Hell’s Backbone Grill and can’t honestly say I’ll be returning or recommending it to any of my own patrons or friends. It feels like they’ve gotten a little too much attention that’s gone to...

Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm. This Farm to Table, James Beard Foundation nominated restaurant in Boulder Utah was simply amazing. Known for utilizing local, seasonal, organic, ingredients including edible flowers you could taste the freshness, the chef even came out to get cut fresh herbs from the nearby plants while we ate. The restaurant is surrounded by trees and wild flowers galore. We opted to reserve a spot outside under the marquee which allowed us to feel a gentle breeze and be a part of nature. The service was attentive, and professional, courses and drinks came at a good pace. Questions were answered easily, suggestions were shared, and the explanations were educational which added to the enjoyment of the meal. We started with beverages. Boulder Well Water with local mint leaves hydrated us throughout the meal. The water was tasty and refreshing and as the server suggested “tastes like snow” fresh and clean. We also had a lovely Dark and Stormy cocktail made with Rum and Ginger Beer and a Hell’s Rosemary Margarita. Both drinks were very tasty and fun accompaniment to the meal. First course included Blue Ribbon Black-Powder Biscuits with whipped sage butter. Seconds included a Tea Cup of Jalapeño Avocado Soup, which was luscious and creamy, and the most spectacular Juniper Caesar Salad that had lovely, smoky, grilled Romaine, sweet Sultanas, Salty Capers, native edible flowers Indian Paint Brush, and a dressing that I would happily drown in. Mains were a Local NY Strip steak cooked medium rare, you could tell came from a nearby farm, and the most tender, tasty, transcendent, Grilled Pork Tenderloin Chop. The Steak had a lovely Salsa Verde sauce and the pork a sweet local stonefruit BBQ sauce, both sauces served the meat beautifully. The Vegetables that accompanied the mains were local, farm fresh carrots, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and beets. Both mains were served with creamy, lemony, Mashed Potatoes that included lemon zest and prompted my Husband to purchase their cookbook which was personally signed by the Chef/Owners. We ended the evening with a Chocolate Chile Cream Pot a rich, creamy, and thick #PotDeChocolat and a house blend English Breakfast tea. Everyone was friendly, and caring which definitely made for a memorable, warm, fun, experience. We plan to return to experience the food, and service again and thus experience a different season and its accompanying dishes. Hell’s Backbone Grill and Farm was absolutely worth the time, money, and return 3.5 hour drive home. #HellsBackboneGrillandFarm #BoulderUtah #FarmToTable #JamesBeard...