Things to do / Travel Guide
The Colorado Rockies region has an answer for all of your casual or classy cuisine cravings. The food is as tasty as the scenery is magnificent; so don't be surprised if, while you feast your eyes, you end up putting on a few extra pleasure pounds. The good eats start bright and early in the Colorado Rockies, as nearly every town has a specialty coffee house or bakery serving gourmet espressos, freshly baked goodies, organic and healthy morning meal options, and even all-you-could-ever-want bacon and eggs and pancake breakfasts. First-rate Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Southwestern cuisines are staple foods in the region, and you can expect to find some of the best this genre can offer in every community - from casual mom-and-pop eateries (where the tortillas and fajitas sizzle right before your eyes) to high-class gourmet, white-tablecloth sit-down spots. Starvin' Arvin's is a regional American diner-type chain good for inexpensive family-friendly meals; you can find them in many towns, including the Southwest Colorado communities of Delta and Montrose.
Northwest Colorado's Grand Junction offers plenty of fast-food places near all of the major exits off I-70, but you will also find health food and vegetarian options as well as Asian and Eastern cuisine along Main Street, North Avenue and along U.S. Highway 50. For an updated list of Aspen locales (also in Northwest Colorado), get a copy of the Aspen-area menu guide available free at hotels, lodges, and gift shops, or you can be spontaneous and walk up and down Main Street, Hyman Avenue, and Durant Avenue to choose from first-rate gourmet eateries and trendy bistros. Other famous eateries include Ouray's Western-style Outlaw Steakhouse featured by National Geographic Traveler magazine in the 1990s, and in Southwest Colorado Durango's Lady Falconburgh's Barley Exchange, which offers more than 125 microbrews and imported beers from all over the world. Durango also has two organic food market delis, offers Asian cuisine (including Nepalese and Thai), and has a wide range of restaurants concentrated along Main Street.
Ski Resort Dining
You won't have to stray far from the slopes to find just the cuisine your palate prefers. Top-notch chefs combine with breathtaking panoramic views of the Colorado Rockies to make for some of the most exquisite dining experiences in the region. In the Northwest Colorado ski resort town of Steamboat Springs, both downtown and on the mountain in Ski Time Square, you can find international food eateries, microbreweries, and a wide selection of top-notch fine dining restaurants. The popular ski resort town Vail, also in Northwest Colorado, is a fine dining hub offering a plethora of gourmet and ethnic eateries mainly clustered around the ski areas in Vail Village, Lionshead, and the Keystone Resort Area. Aspen Mountain (a.k.a., Ajax) in the Northwest Colorado ski resort town of Aspen, offers three on-mountain fine dining restaurants and two other options right at the base of the mountain. Adventure-seekers with adventurous appetites can try Krabloonik in Snowmass, another of Aspen's ski areas, featuring a wild game menu with moose, boar, and elk. Snowmass also has 12 on-mountain restaurants ranging from casual to gourmet. The dining scene in Breckenridge, also in Northwest Colorado, is clustered around the Historic District and Peak 9.
In Southwest Colorado, Telluride boasts more than 50 bars and restaurants clustered around Town of Mountain Village (at a mid-mountain altitude of 9,500 feet) and in downtown. If you're in the mood for a real Telluride treat, try Allred's Restaurant near Top of Sophia gondola. Located high up at 10,550 feet, Allred's has been featured by Wine Spectator, USA Today, Gourmet Magazine, Esquire, and Ski Magazine.
Sleigh Ride Dinners
Tuck yourself under a blanket as you take in a sparkling, whitewashed world. For a unique winter dining experience take a horse-drawn sleigh ride over snowdrifts to a posh restaurant featuring multi-course meals and haute cuisine. Select restaurants in the Northwest Colorado ski resort towns of Steamboat Springs, Aspen, and Breckenridge, and the Southwest Colorado town of Crested Butte, offer this option, with sleigh rides usually leaving from the ski gondolas at predetermined times. Dinner sleigh rides start at around $80 per person.
Enstrom Candies
Candy coveters from hundreds of foreign countries and from all 50 states place orders at Grand Junction's “World Famous” Enstrom Candies in Northwest Colorado. Specializing in almond toffee, Enstrom produces more than half a million pounds of this delectable dairy delight annually, and few tourists resist their toffee temptation.
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