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Steamboat Springs and Northwest Colorado Restaurants
The usual chain restaurants ring Grand Junction, but they're joined by eclectic gourmet pizza joints and authentic Mexican restaurants. Look for made-from-scratch delicacies at mom-and-pop bakeries—especially worth seeking out during summer fruit harvests. In season, Palisade peaches, Olathe sweet corn, and Cedaredge apples find
The usual chain restaurants ring Grand Junction, but they're joined by eclectic gourmet pizza joints and authentic Mexican restaurants. Look for made-from-scratch delicacies at mom-and-pop bakeries—especially worth seeking out during summer fruit harvests. In season, Pa
The usual chain restaurants ring Grand Junction, but they're joined by eclectic gourmet pizza joints and authentic Mexic
The usual chain restaurants ring Grand Junction, but they're joined by eclectic gourmet pizza joints and authentic Mexican restaurants. Look for made-from-scratch delicacies at mom-and-pop bakeries—especially worth seeking out during summer fruit harvests. In season, Palisade peaches, Olathe sweet corn, and Cedaredge apples find their way onto menus, and they're sometimes paired with a multitude of local wines. For something traditional, it's hard to beat a great hand-battered chicken-fried steak smothered in creamy gravy—which is available in just about any town in the area.
The town of Steamboat Springs, in the heart of cattle country, has far more carnivorous delights—including elk, deer, and bison—than you're likely to find in the trendier resorts of Aspen, Telluride, and Vail. The Steamboat ski resort, separated geographically from town, is more eclectic, with small sushi bars and Mediterranean cafés hidden among the boutiques.
Situated along the Yampa River, with an expansive deck and couch seating that juts out over the water, Aurum serves seasonal modern American fare made from locally sourced ingredients. Inside, the pretty space features dark woods, lots of fresh flowers, and expansive windows to showcase the view. The connected bar and lounge offers comfy seating and happy hour drink and appetizer specials.
A pretty, egg-yolk-yellow but unfussy dining room is an ideal backdrop for fresh, locally sourced modern American dishes. The menu lists a significant number of vegan and gluten-free options that put some effort into their creation, such as quinoa risotto with butternut squash and mushroom jus. Meat eaters will be happy here, too, though: venison and beef tenderloins are lightly sauced (Cabernet veal demiglace, say) and treated to savory sides. The well-varied wine list starts off with a dozen by-the-glass options you won't see elsewhere, and the savvy staff is excited to share their picks as well as entice guests to try something new. It's easy to choose only from the small-plate selections and make a meal of it, but don't forget about the Mexican-spiced chocolate mousse and gingerbread ice cream sandwiches waiting at the end.
1855 Ski Time Sq. Dr., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
Steamboat's most intimate restaurant is in a building that once housed Harwig's Saddlery and Western Wear, but it's open only one night a week, for a Friday-night four-course prix-fixe menu with optional wine pairings. The classic French cuisine, with subtle Asian influences, is well crafted, and the menu changes monthly. There are two dining rooms, one that is more formal, and the other casual. The innovative duck and seafood dishes are highlights as are the fresh oysters on the half shell. But the menu takes a back seat to the admirable wine list: owner Jamie Jenny is a collector whose wine cellar contains more than 10,000 bottles, and you can order more than 40 wines by the glass.
911 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
Small plates are the way to go in this convivial, casual setting, which was indeed the Steamboat Laundry from 1910 to 1977 but now serves tasty modern American bites such as fried shoestring potatoes served with black pepper aioli and pork belly on cast-iron biscuits with blueberry-fig jam. The dining room is rustic and cozy—exposed brick and original wood—and the service is spot-on. House-cured meats and hand-crafted cocktails are also specialties. If you show up without reservations, the spacious bar is just as good, with its high-top tables and the roomy bar itself; the impeccable service spills over into this area, too.
127 11th St., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
Named after Karl Hovelsen, the Norwegian ski jumper who brought the sport to Colorado in the early 1900s and who also lent his name to Steamboat's Howelsen Hill, this modern tavern serves updated takes on comfort food, with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and as many items produced in-house as possible. Local favorites include buffalo meat loaf, three-cheese mac and cheese, and lemon icebox pie, but it's also tough to pass up the prime rib or the banana-chocolate bread pudding.
700 Yampa Ave., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
This café's hearty breakfasts and lunches, which are crafted to get folks through a day of skiing or biking, are served in a casual atmosphere that's family—and group—friendly. The most popular item on the menu, and for good reason, is the roster of four eggs Benedict choices, including the "Cowboy Downhill," with smoked beef brisket, chargrilled onions, and pickled jalapeños. On nice days, ask to sit on the patio next to pretty Soda Creek. In season the place is usually jam-packed. Everything on the great kids' menu is $9.
131 11th St., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
Between the appealing kids' menu and the memorabilia that suggests Elvis has not left the building, Johnny's is all about fun and family. Breakfast (until 2 pm), lunch, and dinner are served daily, and they are all budget minded and large portioned. The menu is mostly what you'd expect—comfort food like meat loaf and mashed potatoes, burgers, milkshakes, and biscuits and gravy—but they also do an above-average rib eye and some tasty Mexican, as well as a popular list of hot "dawgs." A pie happy hour happens from 3 to 5 pm daily, with $2 off slices.
738 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
This Southwestern and Tex-Mex establishment is among Steamboat's most popular restaurants, and with good reason. The kitchen incorporates indigenous specialties into the traditional menu. Among the standouts are sunflower seed–crusted tuna with a margarita beurre blanc, enchiladas layered with Monterey Jack and goat cheese and roasted peppers, and buffalo loin crusted with pecan nuts and bourbon cream sauce. Excellent (read; strong) margaritas, and the light, cinnamon-spicy Mexican twist on bananas Foster is a worthy finale.
2500 Village Dr., at Après Ski Way, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
In a dramatic industrial space, this Italian eatery evokes the Old Country with tapestries, murals, and landscape photos. The menu includes tasty pizzas (with toppings such as goat cheese and clams) and pasta dishes (the lobster and basil gnocchi with potatoes and artichokes is superb). Standards such as manicotti, chicken cacciatore, and saltimbocca are also well prepared, but one of the best dishes is the Capo, with sea scallops and prawns in tomato cream sauce over penne. Try the house salad with Gorgonzola vinaigrette.
1106 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 80487, USA
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