Fire When Ready: Carelli's Ristorante Italiano

Greg Carelli, the owner of Carelli's Ristorante Italiano, is an architectural artist as well as a restaurateur, and every few years he adds a new "wing" to his place in Boulder. And the most recent, dubbed the Osteria and unveiled this month, is a doozy: a bigger and better bar (complete with a giant, custom-made LED pendant suspended from the ceiling) and an intimate new outdoor patio area, with an outdoor fire pit and comfy seating on pillows and cushions.

Tonight, the Osteria will be the setting for a special, after-concert party following the regional premiere of Mark Grey's Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio, at the Colorado Music Festival. But whether you stop by Carelli's to toast that performance or just to enjoy another beautiful summer evening, this new patio is certain to be hot -- even before the fire is lit at 6 p.m.

Carelli's Ristorante Italiano
645 30th Street, Boulder
303-938-9300
www.carellis.com
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 4-10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday.