Chef Eric Skokan

Hi all

Just wanted to make a quick note of the fact that Chef Skokan of the Black Cat one of our long time favorite restaurants here in Colorado has been invited to cook at the James Beard house! This is a huge honor and once again shows how his love of food shines in the kitchen as well as his use of food straight from the garden

Congratulations on this Chef Skokan!

For more info on this check out the Daily Camera article on 10-7 (www.dailycamera.com)

Jonathan and Barb

A few Questions and a recipe from Chef Monette of the Flagstaff House

Hi all,

This week we have a few questions and a recipe from Chef Monette of the Flagstaff House.

1. What attracted you to cooking? I grew up working in the restaurant as a busboy and later a server. Our family always went to great restaurants as a child. The older I became, the more interested I was in the culinary field. I moved to Napa Valley in the early 80`s just when food was really getting exciting in the US.

I worked at the Miramonte under a french chef that worked with Paul Bocuse. Thats when my eye`s opened big time to what cuisine really is.



2. What is the philosophy behind your cooking, or in your kitchen?

My philosophy has always been to utilize the the best freshest products available. (locally whenever possible.) That being said, I showcase the product and enhance the protein. Not cover it up.

3. What is the biggest influence on the way you cook? The biggest influence in my cooking goes back to my youth. Whether it was trying blood sausage for the first time with my father or stopping at the corn stand. All the way up to cooking with the best chefs of France. Ultimatly working with Thomas Keller in NY. He remains a good freind and inspiration.


4. Is there a chef living today you would like to work with? Many. I am always learning. From Robichon to Gordon Ramsey. I would also like to work with a Japanese master chef one day.


5. Is there a particular ingredient you like to cook with more than others? Depends on the season and my mood.



6. If stuck on a desert isle and could have one meal from then on out, what would it be? Can I be as broad as to say fish?



7. Is someone asked you for two Colorado restaurants to try other than your own what would you suggest?

Larkspur in Vail or Splendido in Beaver Creek

8. How about one restaurant any where in the world?

Of course French Laundry. However The Thai restaurant in the Oriental Hotel comes to mind.



9. Would you be willing to share a recipe with us? Yes I would be happy to.
(recipe is at the end)



10. For many years the Flagstaff House has been the "special occassion" place in Colorado. Is it hard continously living up to expectations and keeping the Flagstaff House one of the premiere restaurants in the state? The restaurant business is always changing and growing. The Flagstaff House is a very special place and I never take it for granted. I continue to make changes and look at how we can improve every day.





Warm Salad of Potato Crusted Alaskan Halibut and Arugula


Ingredients
4 halibut fillets, 6 to 8 oz each
1 cup potato chips, crushed
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 oz arugula (about 4 cups)
1 roasted red or yellow sweet peppers, diced
1 dried tomatoes
3 tbsp chopped nicoise olives
3 cloves roasted garlic per salad
4 tsp balsamic vinegar, reduced
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp white truffle oil (optional)
6 to 8 croutons per salad

Instructions
To prepare halibut: lightly flour halibut and place in egg wash then coat with crushed potato chips. Saute with a little oil in hot pan on both sides till all fish is white.

To make the balsamic reduction: In a saucepan, reduce ½ quart of balsamic vinegar over a low flame in a slow simmer, until it has a syrupy consistency, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and chill. (Store in the refrigerator. It will keep for one month.)

To prepare salad: mix roasted peppers, dried tomato, nicoise olives and roasted garlic together. Make vinaigrette by adding balsamic syrup, extra virgin olive oil and white truffle oil together. Drizzle dressing over arugula and toss. Add croutons. Place halibut on top.


As always thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions or comments please let us know at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com

Flagstaff House

Hi all

Well we are finally back after a bit of an hiatus and the first thing we want to bring you is our dinner at the Flagstaff house (http://www.flagstaffhouse.com/) where Chef Mark Monette presides over this great restaurant which has become one of the go to restaurants for a special occassion.

A few apologies in advance about this entry, one the flash drive where I had all our observations and course descriptions died and then it appears I lost our hand written menu and notes so this will just be pictures and as a bit of time has passed we will not be giving individual blow by blow on each course and just give an overall impression at the end.


Heading up to the Flagstaff house from Boulder you seem to head straight up for a long while before you reach the restaurant and it's incredible views over the Boulder area.



If you go, I highly suggest requesting a seat next to the window as on a clear night the light show down below is just mesmerizing.


We opted for the tasting menu and off we went! The first thing out was:




First Course



Second Course



Third Course


Fourth Course



Fifth Course



Sixth Course


Seventh Course


Eighth Course



Ninth Course



Dessert



Petit Fores


And a nice send off







We had a great evening even if none of us could eat for a few days afterword (and I am close to being serious about this it was A LOT of food) and the valet had our car waiting for us before we even got to the front door which was a very nice touch to end up the night.

Overall the food was good and with the view it made for a very nice evening that will be remembered. My only down side really is while as I said everything was good there was no single dish that sticks out in our memory so as Claire suggested we will not give this an overall rating at all.

Next week we will be back with a few questions and a recipe from Chef Monette!

Thanks again for stopping by our Colorado food and dining blog and as always if you have any questions feel free to write us at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com

Back to the Black Cat and a Recipe from Chef Skokan

Back to the Black Cat
A review of our return meal at Eric Skokans Boulder Restaurant.

Make sure to look at the end of the article for Chef Skokan's Duck Confit Recipe!


Barb and I went back to the Blact Cat about a week or so after our chat with Chef Skokan. We were given different seats this time and honestly both of us thought that the change of seating really made the entire experience better as the table we were in the first time was right near the door and just a little small. This time we were seated at was a booth like table against the left wall (these are the ones I would ask for when coming to the Black Cat) with a full view of the kitchen where you can watch the Chef perform his magic.

One thing that really struck me was how intense Eric looked while he was cooking, completely focused on the cooking, hardly ever even pausing to look up, just now and then speaking a few words to his sous chef or the patron or 2 that came up to the window to ask him a question. This was a large contrast to the easy going relaxed attitude we saw with Eric when we visited him at his gardens (see our previous posting -Going Green with Eric Skokan). This time around we chose to go with the 5 course tasting option with wine pairings as last time around, the 7 course ended up having us waiving the white flag well before it was all over).


Looking into the kitchen there are shelves lined with spices and cooking implements as well as a few cook books.





As we were waiting for the meal to begin we watched Chef Skokan working away in the kitchen.





First the amuse bouche.


Chilled Lemon Cucumber Soup with a little bit of olive oil on top.
Wine served was a non vintage Villa Sandi White Wine (this wine was a pairing for the first course - not the amuse bouche).

He says:
I am not a huge cucumber fan so this was kind of meh for me however it did taste just like a cucumber without the crunch. I can only rate on what I think regardless what someone who likes cucumber a lot more than I would. I give it a 6.

She says:
As you may remember, I am not a fan of the cold soups, but this one was head and shoulders above the rest that I've had. I'd give it an 8.


Our server was Jordan and she was very enthusiastic about the food and the chef of the Black Cat and seemed to know everything about any of the courses or the wine that we wanted to know. She told us if we come in again and want to up the adventure level of the food just let her know, we may just have to do that next time though I am not sure what this would entail.

The pacing was pretty well done and shortly after we finished the first item the second came out.



Himachi Crudo with Seafoam, a slice of lemon cucumber and garlic chive flowers and a bit of burnet. Served with the non vintage Villa Sandi White.

He says:
I am starting to like this kind of dish more and more. The fish had a nice almost buttery taste and the lemon cucumber gives it a little citrus kick that stays with you for a bit. The flowers and burnet were a nice little visual touch though I don’t remember them adding much in the way of taste. I will give this a 7.5.

She says:
I too am enjoying this dish more and more. At first, I wasn't a big fan, but the pairings have started to make a big difference. I would give this one a 8.
Third item out



Crispy Duck Confit with Plums and Greens from the Chef's Garden

Wine was a Selbach Riesling Cabernet '06

He says:
WOW- Yes I said WOW. I think WOW may trump Mmmmmm or even Yummmmmm. The combination of the Duck Confit and the plums was so darn good. The sweet taste of the plums and the rich slightly gamey flavor of duck just blew me away. The duck was sooo good… How good was it? It was so good I used the greens to try to mop up some of the juice after all the duck was gone. Yes That good. 10 for sure

She says:
OMG! From the first bite to the last, this dish was down right delicious. The mixture of the plums and the duck was so tasty together. I wish the next coureses were the duck confit over and over again. I give it a 10!


Next out:



Semolina Flour Gnocchi with Farmer Cheese and a Highland Beef Bolognese Crème Sauce and Rosemary, Tomatoes and Parmesan Cheese.
Was told the gnocchi is boiled in the whey from the house made mozzarella!

Wine Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais '06

He says:
Ok, yes, there is only one Gnocchi in that picture. I don’t know if it was the left over enthusiasm from the duck or the mouth watering description of this dish but I forgot to take a picture till it was almost gone. Needless to say it was good, very very good. The Gnocchi had a wonderful soft texture and a great cheesy taste and the sauce added a great meaty overall taste to it. I have been going back and forth on what to give this it meets the 9 rating criteria by making me go Mmmmm out loud, but I am not sure it’s the best I have ever had but Barb is pretty darn sure of it so another 10 here.

She says:
In the past, the Gnocchi I've tried, I have just not liked. Well, guess what: this Gnocchi was awesome. Maybe it's because it's made in the whey, I don't know. But this is the first time I've enjoyed it. It melted in your mouth, so delicate. I would give this a 10.


Next course:


Roasted Prawns with Pistachio Risotto and Red Bell Ppepper Puree and Purini on top

Wine: Clos Dula Coutal Loire Valley - 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot

He says:
The Prawns were very meaty and well cooked and the risotto was outstanding with a deep nutty flavor. The red bell pepper sauce had a rich flavor that just enhanced the taste of the shrimp without overpowering it. I will give this one a 8.

She says:
Again, a dish where I haven't liked it in the past: risotto. But the Chef was on this night. The red pepper sauce and the the risotto blended so nicely that I don't think I left any on my plate. I have to say that each dish that came out was just outstanding. I would give this one an 8.5.

Next course:


Lamb Two Ways: Roasted Loin with Fennel Puree and Braised Lamb Leg with Grilled Fennel and a Garlic Sauce with Fingerling Potatoes
Wine: Cotes du Rhone 2006 syrah Domaine de la Jardiniere

He says:

The lamb was very good and had a great flavor and I overall enjoyed this. The one turn off for me was the grilled fennel. I took a nibble of this and decided, no thank you. Leaving that aside it was a very good course. I will give it a 7.

She says:
The lamb was very good as Jonathan said, but after the previous dishes this did not hit me the way they did. I guess I was in a Duck Comfit coma still. I would give it a 7 as well.

Last main course:



Confit of Pork Shoulder with a Red Wine Gastrique with Summer Fruits, Creamy Polenta and Dandelion Greens

Wine - Magness Napa Valley cabernet '05

He says:
What can I say, the man does confit well and while this did not reach the heights of the duck, it did pretty darn well. Very tender with a great slightly sweet flavor. Strangely, the one thing that stood out for me was the polenta. The last time I had polenta my reaction was basicly yuck and I really was not happy to see the pork resting on it but to my big surprise I liked it in this setting and it seemed to pair very well with this course. Overall, I would give it a 8.

She says:
As Jonathan mentioned the man can do confit, but agree that the duck was the winner of the night. So much so, that I don't ever remember this dish, so I don't feel right in giving it a score.



Dessert


Back to Front Flourless Chocolate Cake with Cream and a Malt Crumble, Peach Cobbler with a Maple Sauce and Berry Consommé with Lavender Custard

Wine Kopke Non Vintage Port

He says:
The surprising thing about the dessert course is that the chocolate cake was actually the weakest of the lot, which totally shatters a comment I made a few weeks back about it being hard to impress with a non chocolate dessert. The cake was nice and rich and had a great chocolate taste but nothing really special. The Peach Cobbler was fantastic the peach flavor just bursting out and the maple taste added in very well without over powering the peach flavor. The Berry consommé was the winner for me here. The berryies just exploded with flavor and the lavender custard was something I have never tasted before and it was very pleasing and the only way to describe it I can think of is that it tasted as good as lavender smells. I will give the desserts a 8.

She says:
The Berry Comsomme was my favorite as well. The lavendar custard was light and airy and the mixture with the berries was delightful. The Peach Cobbler was also very tasty. And I do love my chocolate, but this cake was just ok. We started with the chocolate and ended up with the berries and the berries were my winner (which suprised me). I would give the desserts a 9.

Numbers and such: The overall score including the .75 bump for a 5 or more course meal was a 9.09, which is our current best score we have given in Colorado it was just a outstanding meal. The cost for the Black Cat 5 course tasting is $62 per person if you add the outstanding wine pairings it brings it up to $99 per person.

Thanks again for stopping by and if you have any questions, comments or ideas where we should go next; we would love to hear from you. Make sure to look below for Chef Skokans Duck Confit recipe!

Jonathan and Barb



Chef Skokan was nice enough to give us his recipe for duck confit!

Recipe: Duck Confit with Ginger Gastrique


Serves 4

4 duck legs
1 ½ T salt
3 cups rendered duck fat
1 stick cinnamon
1 orange, halved
1 T whole black pepper

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine duck legs and salt. Mix to ensure that legs are evenly coated with salt. Let duck legs stand for 10 minutes.

2. In a casserole dish combine duck, duck fat, spices and orange. Bake at 400 degrees until fat temperature has reached 170 degrees when read on a thermometer (about 20 minutes). Decrease oven temperature to 170 and cook until drumstick bone begins to show, about 6 hours.

3. Remove and drain legs from fat. Duck fat mat be reused multiple times. Serve legs hot with a drizzle of ginger gastrique.


Ginger Gastrique

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger sliced thinly on a mandeline

1. In a stainless small steel pot over high heat, combine vinegar, sugar and ginger. Boil and reduce until it becomes a syrup, about 25 minutes.

Fabulous Frasca

Hi all,

Barb and I went out to Frasca last month (www.frascafoodandwine.com) which is headed up by Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and sommelier Bobby Stuckey it is considered to be one of Colorado's finest restaurants. The menu has a price fix 4 course menu for $62.00 or if you aren’t feeling as hungry, you can order a la carte. We of course went with the 4 course. We do love a good tasting menu.



When we entered we were greeted very warmly even though the place was very busy and were given a table right next to co-owner Bobby Stuckey's parents. During the meal we had a nice little conversation with them. We had a lot of expectations for this meal, as the chef had picked up a James Beard award this year. Over all it did not disappoint.



To start out with we decided to add on a little something we saw these Fiore di Zucca


These were Fried Squash Blossoms fresh from a local farm stuffed with goat cheese, parmesan and prosciutto.
Yum - they were cooked perfectly and the flavors of the cheeses and the blossom were wonderful. I really wanted some more. Luckily a mistake was made and 2 extra were sent out and luckily for us, they let us keep them :).
We both give these little bites of bliss an 8.

Barbara's Anti-Pasta

Marinated Rabbit Conserva ( jam), Green Beans, Frisee, Western Slope Cherries and Mustard Crema.

I think rabbit has become Barb's favorite food. I thought this was pretty darn good but could of used a larger rabbit to lettuce ratio. But then again I always like a larger meat to green ratio! I would give this dish an 8 as well. Barb's rating...8.5

Jonathan's Anti-Pasta


Red Wagon Farm Squash Custard, Grilled Pancetta and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.

Ok, this one scared me a bit. It was a bright, glowing green custard made of squash. Hmmm, but there is fried Prosciutto. Ok, let’s take a little bite, oh wait a minute, this is good. A bit more. Oh I like this and the taste changes from the top to bottom. With the Prosciutto added in with a bite. Oh my, what is this taste? Maybe take a few more bites. Wait a minute - where did it go? It’s all gone - sigh.

This dish had a very rich taste and a velvety texture that exploded with flavor. If you took a bite from the bottom it had a completely different flavor than the top, where the herbs and lemon were prominent. Once again I would go with an 8. This is starting to be a trend. Barb was not as much of a fan and went with a 7.


Barb's Primi


Lamb Tortelloni

Was tasty with a nice sauce but did not leave a big impression. I would go with a 7 here. Barb's rating - 6. I wasn't prepared for the al dente-ness of the noodles.


Jonathan's Primi



House made Russet Potato Gnocchi, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Munson Farm Sweet Corn and Thyme

Gnocchi with fresh corn. I had high expectations of this as I am starting to really like gnocchi. You know what? It delivered and the sweet slightly crisp corn fresh from the farm was mouth watering. We bounce back to an 8 here. Barb gave it a 7.

Barb's Secondi



Pan Roasted Atlantic Striped Bass, Sun Choke Puree, Root Vegetables and Butter Salsa

Very good. Perfectly cooked with a nice non-fishy flavor that just left you happy to of eaten it. A 7 for me here. Barb gives it an 8. It was very delicate and flaky. Melted in your mouth.

Jonathan's Secondi


Grilled Boneless Beef Short Rib, Roasted Toohey Farm Beets, Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese and Pickled Horseradish.

Not sure if I have done this yet on this meal but here we go, YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! The short ribs were cooked so well it just melted away in your mouth and the taste was just out of this world. Pulled a Mmmmm right out of my mouth and the nice chunk of goat cheese didn’t hurt either. And unlike some horseradish this didn’t burn out your tongue but added a nice tang to the dish. The veggies were beets which had a great earthy flavor. A 9 for this since it pulled that yum right out of my mouth. Barb rated this one an 8.

Barb's Dessert


Valrhona Chocolate Torte with Sour Cherry Compote and Vanilla Bean Gelato

Chocolate pie with cherries. Don't think I need to add much more other than to say this was so rich and tasty that you were almost on overload after the first bite. We give it an 8.


Jonathan's Dessert


Palisade Peach Pasta Sfogliate (flaky pastry)

Very good and you could taste the freshness of the peaches. A great way to end the meal. We give this a 7.






Overall, I think Frasca earns its reputation. The food was very well prepared and conceived with some fantastic tastes and a very friendly staff. On the downside the tables are very close to each other and you will hear everything that your neighbors are talking about, be it good, bad or ugly. The restaurant was completely packed on the evening we went and the service did suffer a bit, but not so bad that it was a huge issue. But I am going to dock .1 from the over all score for it and another .2 for how close the tables are. I know this is needed to get a maximum use out of the space but does not mean I have to like it. We added our standard .75 for it being a 4 course or greater menu.

Numbers and such: Our overall rating was an 8.09. The cost for the meal was $ 166.80. I am sorry alot of the pictures were blurry it was not my best picture night.

As always, thanks for coming by and as always if you have questions or comments or if you happen to see a new restaurant in your area, let us know.

Jonathan and Barb

A "hidden gem" The Gold Hill Inn

Hi all,

First of all would like to say we are trying a new thing starting with this entry going to do a more of a "he said, she said" approach with both of us talking a little about each dish as we often see things a bit different.
Barb and I made it up to the Gold Hill Inn (www.goldhillinn.com) on the 3rd of August having heard good things about it from several people. Gold Hill is about 10 miles above Boulder and you get there by a mostly dirt road that winds it's curvy way up to this little town of 118 souls. We came from a different direction - coming in as we had just spent some time in Blackhawk before we headed over. Both ways you come in it is very pretty with beautiful views and it seems like there is not much of anything around till you pop into Gold Hill itself (and then still there's not much around). The Gold Hill Inn and Bluebird lodge are 2 of the main business’s here so you can’t miss it and there is parking street side or on the side of the Blue bird Lodge.





When you enter the Gold Hill you first enter a bar area where when we entered a nice jazz group was warming up and we were able to enjoy them throughout our meal. Before you are seated you are pointed to a chalk board that has the evenings menu choices on it so you can get an idea of what you want before you are taken to your table. The inn has a very rustic feel to it and for me at least I immediately loved the place and probably told Barb 4 times that “this place is pretty cool “. You are seated and given the wine list which seemed to be pretty decent from my un-trained eye. The servers here all work each table so you don’t have a certain server per se and I was afraid this would really impact service but they did a great job and never once did my drink glass go empty which is a big thing for me. ( Please see note at end)

To start you out they bring out a loaf of homemade bread with homemade jam and butter.



He says:
The bread was good and the jam which had strawberry, rhubarb, and peach in it just blew me away and I picked at it all night.

She says:
I love bread, and homemade bread the better. The jam was very good and I also picked at it during the entire meal. It was so sweet and tasty.

Next came the appetizer. This was a set item and we both got the same thing. Now all the food here is very simply presented so if you’re looking for pretty plating you will be disappointed and to be honest when I saw this come out was a bit worried, but the doubts went away when I tasted it.




This was a slice of apple and herb cheese wrapped inside a slice of ham. Now as I said all the presentation is fairly simple but as with the rest of my meal everything was good.

He says:
This had a nice flavor with definite garlic over tone and the apple gave it a nice crisp texture to the overall effect. The rating I gave this was a 6.

She says:
The appetizer was nice. I wasn't sure about the mixture of ingredients at first, but they came together nicely. I would give this a 5.

The next item out were our soups. The choices that evening were a Fish Chowder and a Cold Strawberry Melon.




He says:
I had the Fish Chowder and found it to be very good. It had large chunks of fish and vegetables in it and had a creamy texture and the fish taste and smell was not overly strong like I have run into in some of my past fish based soups. I would give the soup a 7. Barbara had the Strawberry Melon and to me it tasted and had the texture of a smoothie which is good for a smoothie but seemed a bit much for a cold soup. I would give that soup a 5.



She says:
I picked the cold soup, because the hot soup sounded very fishy. :) I'm not a fan of cold soups, but this was very good. It was like a strawberry smootie. The fish soup was very good as well, it was very strong with fish flavor. I would have liked a little less fishiness to it. I would give my soup a 6 and Jonathan's a 7.


The next out were our salads.


He says:
I had Raspberry vinaigrette and Barb had the house dressing which was like a Caesar. The salads themself were fresh with lots of chunky vegetables including onions, beets, cucumber, and tomato. I liked my salad and enjoyed the dressing and just because of the amount of vegetables and the great dressing I will give it a 6.



She says:
My salad and dressing was very good. Nice array of onions, cucumber and croutons. I'm not a vinaigrette fan, so didn't try Jonathan's. Overall, I was very happy with mine. I would give it a 7.


Next out was our main course. When they brought out the courses you were given a choice of 3 sides Yams, Ratatouille, and Spaghetti Squash.



He says:
My course was Tournedos. This was a filet mignon wrapped in bacon and with a rich brown stew sauce. The steak was perfectly cooked and tender and the sauce had great flavor. The steak came with rice and it was ok but really it was just rice. I had some of the Ratatouille and the Spaghetti Squash. The ratatouille was a bit blah to me and only had a few bites but the squash OH MY I will start out saying I am not normally a huge cooked veggie person (well outside of potatoes) but this was just fantastic had a delicate flavor that just made me happy and not a bit of this was left on the plate though half the steak came home with me. I would give this dish an 8 and lol if I was just rating the squash it would have gotten a 10 hehe.



Barb had the Pork Tenderloin with Apricots. The pork was thinly sliced and the apricots added a nice flavor to it and with the garlic mashed potatoes and the yams she picked for her side was a very good overall dish. I would give it a 7.

She says: I tried the Pork Tenderloin with Apricots. I had a similar dish at Terroir a few weeks back, but nothing else was saying "eat me" on the menu. The pork was sliced very thinly, which I liked and the apricots was a nice contrast to the meat. On Sunday, they only have mashed potatos, and that was fine by me. Nothing special about them though. Just like you make at home! The yams were good as well, again nothing special. I would give this dish a 6. Jonathan's I would give a 7.


Next out were the desserts.



He says:
I had a chocolate torte and it was rich and very cholatey and was very much enjoyed. I would give it 8. Barb had the Orange Rhubarb Pie with Walnuts which was something neither of us had had before and it was a very interesting and tasty combination. I enjoyed it but feel the torte was the stronger of the 2 desserts and give hers a 7.

She says:
I love rhubarb, so was intrigued by the thought of Orange Rhubarb pie. It was very good and sweet. I would have liked it warmed though (didn't think to ask for it that way). Jonathan's dessert was very sweet and delicious. I almost didn't give him his plate back after my taste. I would give my pie a 7 and Jon's an 8.

Last course was the cheese course. They bring out a huge plate with red and green grapes, lettuce, Melba toast, sliced apples, and 3 cheeses: Gouda, Blue, and a sharp Cheddar




He says:
Between us we had the Gouda and the Cheddar. They were both very good and this was a great way to finish off the meal. I would give them a 6.

She says:
The cheese course was a nice surprise at the end of the meal. The Gouda was very nice with the Melba Toast and the Cheddar was sharp and good as well. I didn't try the Blue Cheese as I'm not a fan. Cheese course: 7

Overall, we had a great time and the live music playing in the room beyond just increased the enjoyment of it all. It is a very rustic place but such a fantastic feel and value. If I stick to my normal rating system I would have to take off points for plating and such, but really folks just come here expecting plainly served great food with a wonderful atmosphere. The hardwood floors and exposed beams just gave it a wonderful rustic appeal.


A side note I would like to add before I go on with numbers and such. The Bluebird Inn which is right next door and is also on the website for the Gold Hill does a murder mystery several times a year that includes a champagne reception, dinner, the murder mystery, the hotel room, and breakfast the next morning for $215 a couple. While Barb and I haven’t made it out for it yet we are definantely going to and for the price can’t imagine anyone not thinking that would be a fun thing to do.

Numbers and such.

The 6 course meal is only $31.00 per person which is an incredible value. Oue over all rating ended up a 6.7 The Gold Hill Inn number is 303-443-6461. It has been mentioned in Gourmet magazine and Fortune magazine and I see why. Make a reservation soon as they close in January and come October they are only open weekends!



Thanks for stopping by and as always if have questions or comments please let us know.

Jonathan and Barbara

Post note by Jonathan. Though the over all score of the food etc ended up being lower than most of the others we have rated in this blog due to the great value and the overall feel of the restaurant I personally look forward to returning here soon probably before the end of the season if we can manage it. It was just one of those over all experiences that left me feeling good about it.


AFTER THE CAMERA

We went back here with some friends not to long ago and the service was fairly poor that night very long intervals between items and litterly had to stand up and wave to get any attention twice. The food was still very good and I am sure this was just a bad night but wanted to note it.