Demand for Boulder County homes was strong throughout October, with a few realtor friends expressing they had their busiest October ever. Inventory continued its seasonal squeeze, with 6% fewer houses on the market year on year and 13% fewer than September, but the percentage of available homes that were under contract was up 12% from a year ago. October 2013 was a weak month due to the flood, but overall the market is showing that even though buyers have fewer choices, they are snapping up more of what’s available than in recent years. Overall this is considered a strong sign for the market. Boulder County has yet to see any of the seasonal price depreciation now in the news in Denver for example. State of Colorado home prices hit a new peak in September, with a 7.5% increase over last year.
Motomaki Restaurant Review
The best thing about Motomaki, recently opened next to Modmarket in Boulder’s 29th street mall, is the creativity that permeates every aspect of the experience. On your first visit you will likely have something delectable you have never tried, and the vastly customizable maki menu ensures you could keep doing that for weeks. Your dish will also arrive fast and feature ingredients only found in more expensive eateries. Those qualities alone should spur regular visits from the dining public, but Motomaki adds culinary influences from Japan, Hawaii, and Korea, tossed with great design and topped with panoramic street scenes of Tokyo. The tuna poke (pronounced poh keh) rewired my synapses so that I couldn’t order anything else the first few times, the chunks of raw tuna and onions, a bit sweet, a little salty, a tad spicy, are not to be missed. The shrimp tempura roll, nearly the size of a burrito with satisfying crunch, tuna, asparagus, and sriracha aoli is a crazy mix that just works. Down to the chopsticks, Motomaki is so well thought out and executed by Hapa Sushi owners Lori Hon and Mark Van Grack that it just feels cool to be there, like you stumbled upon some hip new place walking the side streets of London with great food for $8 - $12.
Salmon Poke (and Strawberry Pocky) at Motomaki
Another reason to love Motomaki - both strawberry and chocolate Pocky are available for dessert. Ubiquitous throughout Asia and first popularized by Japanese schoolgirls, Pocky may be the world’s most prolific dessert snack. Pick up a box to finish your lunch but consider yourself warned- they’re addictive.
Motomaki - 1710 29th Street (303) 444-0722 menu at motomaki.com/