Arugula's shattering encounter with a BMW

Arugula restaurant, which opened at 2785 Iris Street in Boulder in February,  had a BMW get a little too close for comfort last week.

On March 24, an X5 parked facing the restaurant began to pull out. But instead of doing the, you know, logical thing, like reversing, the driver pressed the gas pedal a few times and careened forward into the restaurant's front windows.

Those front windows were no submarine-esque port holes. No, they were floor-to-ceiling windows and when they came shattering down, it was on a group of diners sitting at a nearby table.

The BMW actually moved one of the diners forward -- but miraculously, no one was injured.

Manager James Bucci told me that chef Alec Schuler was in the dining room with his children when the car came within ten feet of them -- and crashed right into his lunch rush.

Arugula was closed from Tuesday afternoon to Friday afternoon while the wall was rebuilt and plexiglass was installed (just in case the 66-year-old driver strikes again); the real windows will be put in next Monday (when Arugula will close -- briefly -- for lunch).

But the place is indeed up and running, ready for customers.