Chef Bradford Heap to give it a go in Boulder

Chef Bradford Heap, owner of Colterra in Niwot, is venturing back to Boulder to try his luck in the heart of the city. He's planning to open an American-style bistro in the former Tom's Tavern at 11th and Pearl.

Heap has earned acclaim for his use of organic and local ingredients at Colterra, which even features its own gardens. His new concept will be similar in some ways, but differ in others.

"It's going to be be a farm-to-table concept, very casual. I'm going to have as much local product as I can on the plate," he says. "Any kind of vegetable product I can get my hands on will be on the menu."

While procurement standards will have a strong parallel to those at Colterra, there will be changes "because I don't want to price anyone out," Heap continues. "I'm trying to make farm-to-table food accessible to the masses."

That's a noble thought: to bring organic and local food into a reasonable price range for the people who want to eat green, but may not have enough green to do so.

And you'll be able to see Heap and his crew (including Colterra chef de cuisine Kevin Kidd) do their alchemy. "The kitchen will be 100 percent open," Heap explains, "and we will also have expansive patio seating. I'll be getting whole sides of beef to work with, and we'll doing fresh-ground burgers."

In addition to those burgers, the bistro's menu will feature pork chops alongside influences from France, Italy and the general Mediterranean basin.

Although Heap has yet to decide on a name for the restaurant, he has set a target opening date of May.  I can't wait.