Long before an expansive culinary career, including Michelin recognition, Christopher Teigland, chef and owner of Boulder’s newest food venture, Odd Rabbit, began a long and loving history with food as a young Chicago kid. His mother worked as a pastry chef, spending long hours in professional kitchens before returning home exhausted. Family dinners frequently arrived in white takeout containers rather than casserole dishes. Chinese food, neighborhood Asian restaurants, or whatever sounded exciting and good after a long shift became the formative experience that nurtured Christopher’s passion and excitement for food.
Odd Rabbit, part sushi bar, part classic American comfort food, part love letter to the culinary influences that shaped its owners, is bringing that personal story of a love and curiosity of food to Boulder, plate by plate.
For Christopher and Ariana Teigland, the husband-and-wife team behind Denver's Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Glo Noodle House, Odd Rabbit represents a return to the city where their own story began. The pair met while working at Blackbelly, just blocks from their new East Boulder restaurant, before launching Glo in Denver and earning acclaim for their inventive approach to ramen and Asian-inspired cuisine. When the opportunity presented itself to return to Boulder, the pair's passion for home made it exactly the perfect next step.
"Food has always been how I make sense of the world," Christopher shared in advance of the restaurant's opening. That philosophy is evident throughout Odd Rabbit, where curiosity is treated as an ingredient in its own right.
Christopher’s past experience is evident in the menu at Odd Rabbit. Those early meals introduced him to flavors that would stay with him for decades: savory broths, bright sauces, contrasting textures, and the sense of finding nourishment and comfort in every plate.
The result is a menu that brings its guests the beloved American classic, the chicken wing, with an asian twist of fish sauce caramel, Fresno pepper, lime, peanuts, and cilantro; and a double cheeseburger layered with miso mayo, pepper jelly, house pickles, and American cheese. Now put those menu items alongside the Negitoro Gunkan nigiri with caviar, hand rolls, sashimi, and ramen. The sushi and chef-driven specialties are overseen by sushi chef Stephen Nguyen, whose résumé includes acclaimed Denver restaurants Temaki Den and Uncle.
The team tapped into something special with the diverse menu by capturing the beloved ways many of us eat today, through experience, memory, and curiosity. Traditional Japanese techniques provide a foundation, and creativity the rest. The result is sophisticated without feeling formal and ambitious without taking itself too seriously.
From launching at Blackbelly to years spent building their reputation in Denver, Christopher and Ariana have finally returned to the community where they first met, bringing with them the lessons, influences, and flavors they've gathered since those childhood take-out days. I’ll say, we’re all better off for it.
Odd-Rabbit.com