Good Eats: modmarket

Before I get to modmarket, first I have to say – wow! Wasn’t yesterday’s Boston Marathon just insanely inspirational? While it must have been an incredibly disappointing day for Shalane Flanagan, who said in a post-race interview “I just love Boston so much… I just wanted my love for Boston to be portrayed through my race today.” Well, Shalane, it did. It was obvious from the start that she was going to give it all she had and the look of determination on her face as she crossed the finish line showed that she had. Unfortunately it wasn’t her day to win, but the streets were still hers. I’m also feeling for Desiree Linden (ne Davila) who quickly fell back from the lead pack but she too, ran an awesome race – a PR for her – 20 seconds under her second place finish time last year. That just tells you how fast Shalane pushed the lead group through the first 19 miles. Crazy. And of course, big props have to be given to Rita Jeptoo who ran an incredible race. “She’s faster than the T!” On the opposite end of the spectrum Meb Keflezighi absolutely rocked the day! He is doing amazing things for distance running in the U.S. and on top of that – he’s nearly 39 years old!!

One last thing…. I have to say a big CONGRATS to all the Oiselle Team women who ran Boston on Monday! There are some seriously fast birds on the team! I hope they celebrate all week long, cause they deserve it!

And now to the regularly scheduled post…

There’s a local restaurant chain that I’m getting hooked on: modmarket. Based in Boulder with 7 locations in the Boulder/Denver area, with more on the way, the chain goes by the tagline: farm fresh eateries.

I’ve enjoyed modmarket three times, the first last September during a late night at work when a colleague ordered in from the Boulder location, and once in March with Woody not long after this latest location opened on the 16th Street Mall and again for dinner on my own the other week while Woody was out of town. The chain is known for fresh, local, and healthy foods. Which is right up my alley.

Their values and beliefs seem to be a driving force behind the company:

• We care about people
• We spread health & happiness
• Every ingredient matters to us
• We embrace transparency
• Healthy is our lifestyle

You can see these values and beliefs come to life – whole, natural ingredients that can be traced back to the source; they really pay attention to all the details, the design of the restaurants, marketing, and how dishes are plated; and one thing that’s incredibly important to me is that they tell you what you’re getting, in that you can see the nutritional values for each dish and what exactly is in it to the point that the online menu provides details on each ingredient.

While the menu lists all the nutrition facts, they’re all printed out on the receipt too. Okay, so we know the beer and bread aren’t calorie free – unfortunately – like this looks, but it was great to see what was on our plates.

The modern and clean design is a perfect fit with the brand and makes the space bright, cheery, and welcoming. A place where you’ll want to hang out, enjoy the food on your plate and the company you’re with. I love the little details like the bag hooks at the end of the tables – any restaurant with bag hooks gets bonus points from me! At modmarket you’ll find a well thought out, high-quality, fast casual restaurant.

The Thai Coconut Salad – mixed greens, roasted chicken, grated coconut, cucumber, roasted sweet potato and peanut mango dressing. It was insanely delicious and a pretty generous size, which was perfect because there was enough to take home and enjoy the next night.

Of note, they serve local beer and a few wines (not local) – with a few options as low as $3 per glass! Can’t beat that.

So far my only unfortunate thing I’ve found about this place is that breakfast is only served till 10:30am, even on weekends. Woody and I were hoping to eat there after bootcamp the other week but we were denied having arrived at 10:49am. Major bummer.

Last but not least… this Saturday is the big day. Moving day. We’ll see how this whole house ownership thing goes. I’ve been living in apartments for a decade so it’s going to be a big adjustment.

Have any favorite Boston Marathon moments? * Are you a marathon runner or have you been inspired by this year’s race? * What makes a restaurant a favorite for you?