Pizzeria da Lupo opens in Boulder

Boulder might be a college town, but we're still a little surprised at the influx of pizzerias there over the last year, especially because these aren't greasy slice joints -- they offer gourmet pies, pulled straight from the depths of a wood-fired oven.

Pizzeria Basta, 3601 Arapahoe Avenue, opened last January, and Pizzeria Locale, 1738 Pearl Street, the next restaurant by Frasca-owners Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan MacKinnon-Patterson, which has been in the works for months, is slated to open in January.

Now add to those Pizzeria da Lupo, 2525 Arapahoe Avenue, which opened on Saturday, December 18.

As we reported back in July, this spot -- which was then slated to be called Empire Pizza -- is an extension of Empire Lounge and Restaurant, an eatery at 816 Main Street in Louisville that's attracted plenty of accolades since it opened under the ownership of Jim Cohen. Ken Wolf came on later, and he partnered with Cohen again to open the Boulder restaurant.

Before cooking at the Empire Lounge, Cohen opened the Plum Tree Cafe and Tante Louise, two long-closed Denver restaurants that brought him to the attention of Julia Child and the James Beard Foundation.

Pizzeria da Lupo's opening menu features six basic pizzas, which run the gamut from a basic margherita to a pie topped with shrimp and red onions, as well as salads, panini and such antipasti as prosciutto on toast and castelvetrano olives. Daily entree specials will be added soon.

The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. For more information, dial 303-396-6366.