Wander with me, turn along Pennsylvania road, and find the mural of the children playing against the white wall beside the graffiti of the spilt milk. Look to the lit store front of Cafe Aion, and open the big wooden door, that leads to the staircase inviting you inside. Let the aroma and atmosphere invite you in. Walk into a place that feels foreign yet familiar and eat to your hearts content.

If you wish, order the crispy cauliflower with saffron yogurt, and don’t be surprised when chocolate brown colored vegetables arrive. Dip them into the yogurt, a taste that will remind you of a childhood lemon cake frosting. You may even wonder, as I did, if you’re still eating vegetables. Feel free to accompany it with the house made chorizo and chickpeas. Let the spice and flavor of the meat win you over abruptly and seductively. You may find you succumb to the romantic aura of the place. Bring ‘tu amante’ and sit against the exposed brick together, enjoy the crackles of the fireplace with the friend and together accompany the soft and slow conversations around the room, or feel free to grab a pillow while you write your graduate thesis with just your quiet thoughts. Cafe Aion is your familiar home amongst the foreign sounds and tastes.The large window encouraging you to look out on the streets of Boulder will remind you that you dine in Colorado while the Spanish music, food, and slower pace will transport your headspace to Spain.

You can simply sip a house made ginger limeade with fresh ingredients that are the perfect marriage of a limeade and a ginger beer, or choose a red Tempranillo wine to ease your tensions. You won’t ever feel like you are waiting too long for your food to arrive and yet every part of the Cafe’s energy encourages you to sit and unwind. When they bring out the pot roast, you will feel like you are at your grandma’s house. The antique plate and taste will remind you of good home cooking with a twist. The pot roast is sweet, with almost a cinnamon taste, the sweet potatoes are some of the best you will ever have, and the meat sleeps so tastefully atop a bed of mashed potatoes. If you gently scratch the meat, you will be surprised with the way it falls so effortlessly from the bone.

Learn from my mistake, and leave plenty of room for dessert. You can practically taste the heart and soul in the hand rolled truffles. The flan melts like butter once it hits your tongue. And if you’re daring try the uniquely flavored hot tea. Purchase some of the local art that hangs on the wall, or snap a photo of the iconically romantic combination of the exposed brick and rich dinner. Promise the sweet staff to return and when you wander out hours later, remind yourself that this taste of Spain is a drive up the road on Pennsylvania avenue, in Boulder Colorado.

Sierra Brown

Sierra is a recent graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She loves creative writing and gut wrenching stories of people and their lives. Sierra is a gluten free snacker with an attention to food allergies, and is a self professed super taster. Her current obsessions include social justice, photographing human subjects, and binge watching Netflix shows. Sierra has lived in Rifle, Gunnison, and Fort Collins. She currently divides her time between Boulder, Denver, and Loveland soaking up all that the Front Range has to offer.