GET THE RECIPES

Bass with Herbed Rice and Coconut-Vegetable Chowder

Heirloom Squash Farrotto

Grilled Lamb Spiedini with Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, and Arugula Salad

Green Tea Pimm's

Fried Cauliflower with Saffron Yogurt and Lemon

Carrot Cake

Our criteria for the annual report on "America's Foodiest Town": Small (fewer than 250,000 people), quality farmers' markets, concerned farmers, dedicated food media, first-rate restaurants, talented food artisans, and a community of food lovers.

Boulder has won just about every shiny happy lifestyle award a city can: Healthiest, Most Educated, Most Bicycle-Friendly—the list goes on. And this year, it can add one more: Bon Appétit's Foodiest Town in America. It turns out that, along with having fit, smart, and eco-conscious citizens, Boulder is home to a number of innovative food companies (Celestial Seasonings, Izze Beverage Company, and Bhakti Chai), several top-tier restaurants, and one of the best farmers' markets in the country. This town of 103,000 about an hour's drive northwest of Denver is a bellwether of a changing food culture across our land. Nationwide, there's a new ethos, one based not on gluttony or excess but on moderation: Chef Jamie Oliver is trying to change school lunch programs, the "never trust a skinny chef" mantra is passé as top chefs slim down, and the first lady wants us to get fit. With all this in mind, I took my seldom-used running shoes and well-worn appetite to Boulder for a week's worth of pain (exercise) and pleasure (eating). I wanted to sample the place's much-lauded lifestyle and cuisine. And I wanted to road-test a rumor I'd heard from my fitter foodie friends: Does a burger really taste better after exercise?

DAY 1

Pain: one-hour bike ride around town; 35-minute run

Pleasure: speck, pâté, and Brie sandwich on baguette; prosciutto fritters; house-cured lomo*; three beers*

Something is wrong. Typically, the first thing I do when I arrive in a new town is make a beeline to my first meal. But instead I am astride a bike; rather than reading a menu I'm studying a map of more than 300 miles of bike lanes and multi-use paths. My self-imposed car ban—I'm opting to walk, run, and bicycle around town—suddenly seems doable. I pedal from my hotel to Dish Gourmet, a new-school deli that house-cures many of their meats. The Whittier sandwich (speck, pâté, Brie, apple chutney) makes a nice picnic along Boulder Creek Path, a seven-mile multi-use artery running from Valmont Reservoir westward to Boulder Canyon. It's the Broadway of Boulder. But instead of cars, you'll find joggers, cyclists, and other active folks. After letting my food digest, I join them for a jog.

You think a cold beer tastes good after mowing the lawn? Try chugging one after running at an altitude of 5,430 feet. A pint of Karma, a Belgian-style pale ale from Avery Brewing Company, goes down quick at The Kitchen, a bi-level restaurant known for its rustic, market-driven food.

DAY 2

Pain: two-mile hike; five-mile run

Pleasure: fava bean crostini, beet risotto cake, two pizzas; house-made mozzarella salad; pork bun, duck pancakes, fried brussels sprout leaves; three beers, two cocktails, one bottle of wine

When I wake, I'm not sure what hurts more: my calves from yesterday's run or my head from last night's beers. I blame the latter on the altitude. Less than hour later, I'm standing atop 6,863-foot Mt. Sanitas. In the distance I see the University of Colorado campus, and beyond, the skyscrapers of Denver. After a lunch of beer and a vegetable tasting plate that includes roasted asparagus and sugar snap peas at eco-bistro Salt, I'm feeling energized. This feeling lasts until a few hours later, about 15 minutes into a grueling trail run with marathon runner Bobby Stuckey, co-owner and head sommelier of Boulder's best restaurant, Frasca Food and Wine. Stuckey says that the main reason he and chef/co-owner Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson settled on Boulder for their restaurant, inspired by Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, was for the quality of life. "If we had chosen San Francisco or New York, both of us would probably be burned-out," says Stuckey. "Here we're able to do what we do at a higher level and for a longer time because we have a more balanced approach. If I skip one day of exercise, I can feel it and people can see it—just ask my staff." He talks about the supportive Boulder community and the availability of top-notch ingredients from local farms. I have more questions to ask him, but I have to stop and walk. Finally, a pint of Left Hand Brewing Company lager and a few pizzas (one with house-made sausage and mozzarella and another with seasonal local potatoes and goat cheese) from Pizzeria Basta come to the rescue. Some recoup with a massage, I prefer wood-fired pizza.