Now Online - Breckenridge & Aspen Restaurant Guides

Between skiing, mountain biking, and eating out, we somehow manage to fit 12 hour work days into our schedules and get new restaurant guides up and running. Don't ask us how, it just happens! We've been so busy working on our new towns that we've forgotten to blog about all the exciting things we've been doing. Here's a breakdown . . .

Some New Ski Towns:

We are proud to announce that both the Breckenridge Restaurant Guide and Aspen Restaurant Guide are online and ready for you to browse! We have over 58 restaurants listed for Aspen and over 54 restaurants listed for Breckenridge. We are adding new restaurants to our database everyday and won't stop until we have them all (insert evil laugh here). We feel very strongly about listing 100% of the restaurants in every town so that our users have the most comprehensive ski town restaurant guide to date. If your favorite restaurant is not on our site, please contact us and we will make sure to include them.

In the meantime, feel free to browse the Breckenridge & Aspen restaurant guides and review your favorite, or not so favorite, restaurants. If you are heading to Colorado or are new to the area, use the "ask a local" feature, send us any questions you may have and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Our Newest Feature:

We've gone back and forth about how to easily present restaurant photos on each restaurants page and have finally come to a solution. Each restaurant page now has a slideshow that has multiple restaurant shots including interior, exterior, and when possible, food shots. You can now read and see what each restaurant looks like, what the atmosphere is like, and decide whether flip flops, ski boots, or stilettos are appropriate.

To Snow or Not to Snow?

Early November brought the Wasatch Range cold weather, tons of moisture, and a deep blanket of white fluff. As you can see from the previous post, Kevin got to enjoy the deepness before the high pressure curse kicked in. The last few weeks have been dry, unseasonably warm, and full of mountain biking! PCMR has canceled their opening date of Nov. 22nd and will await colder weather before deciding to run their lifts. But fret not. If this year is anything like last year, with a very late and warm start, then we are in for a very deep winter. Keep your fingers crossed!

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy browsing the Breckenridge and Aspen restaurant guides. Have a happy weekend, and pray for snow!

Stumble It!

Independence Pass

Yesterday, after we spoke with the last few restaurants in town, Casey and I took a drive up to Independence Pass, just East of Aspen on Highway 82. The change in scenery as you leave town is dramatic and very sudden. Just over a mile after leaving twenty million dollar homes and stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton, we were surrounded by national forest, huge mountain peaks, and unspoiled valleys. The top of Independence Pass is about 20 miles from the center of Aspen and is filled with spectacular vistas and harrowing corners overhanging large cliffs. The road narrows to one lane in many spots and oncoming RV’s tend to make things interesting.

Part way up to the pass, at 11,000 feet, is the historic mining town of Independence. The town was settled in 1879 after a large gold deposit was discovered. At one time over 1,500 people lived in the boom town that had 4 general stores, brothels, and many saloons. The town lasted less than 3 years, and quickly became a ghost town once the gold was gone. Many of the miners moved on to the newly formed town of Aspen for its milder weather and silver mining opportunities.

The top of Independence Pass is located at 12,095 feet, making it one of the highest paved roads in the United States. It crosses the Continental Divide, providing some incredible views of the surrounding mountains. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Later in the evening, Casey and I decided to check out a movie called “Bottle Shock” playing at the Wheeler Opera House. The Wheeler is a historic theater that has been restored multiple times since it was built in 1889, and it currently hosts many events in the Aspen area. The actual theater is on the third floor of the building, and is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen a movie. The screen was huge, the sound was amazing, and the atmosphere was something out of the early 1900’s. We were easily the youngest people in the theater by about 10 years, but we still had a great time. Bottle Shock is a movie about the popularization of Napa Valley wines in the 1970’s, and we both gave it great reviews.

Stumble It!

Aspen Restaurant Experiences

Over the past few days we talked with most every remaining restaurant in both Aspen and Snowmass. The great thing about the dining scene in Aspen is the shear variety of cuisines offered in every price range.

Some of the highest-end fine dining you will find anywhere can be found at restaurants like Montagna at The Little Nell and Cache Cache on Mill Street. Both of these restaurants offer the very best in world class food and service; just what you would expect in a town like Aspen. Matsuhisa is another notable restaurant tucked just off Main Street in a historic Victorian house. This is the sister restaurant to the world famous Nobu restaurant in New York City, opened by Nobu Matsuhisa himself. The vibe is chic, classy, and dark with some of the best Japanese and sushi found anywhere. It is so popular, reservations need to be made over a month in advance during the winter

In contrast to these high-end establishments are local favorites serving up great food at reasonable prices. Some of our personal favorites include Poppycock’s for breakfast, The Big Wrap for lunch at a great price within walking distance of the gondola, and Johnny McGuires for a quick sandwich and their “locals only” vibe.

Another one of our favorites, Gusto, offers a great lunch special that is available only at the bar. For $15 you get your choice of two courses off their surprisingly large menu, plus a soft drink. The first course features a couple salads, along with a few soups. Casey and I both opted for different soups, which were both incredibly fresh and large portions. For the second course we had the choice of many salads, a variety of paninis, or a selection of about ten kinds of pasta. Casey had an ahi tuna steak salad with a lemon vinaigrette, and I went with the house lasagna. Again, the portions were large and everything was flavorful and fresh. If you are looking for a classier lunch option that won’t blow your budget, Gusto delivers.

I also wanted to mention the incredible pizza we had at Tasters in Snowmass on Sunday. Park City has its share of pizza places, but they all seem to offer the same flat, dense crust that is synonymous with high-altitude cooking. While a thin crust pizza can be incredibly tasty, sometimes you yearn for the light, airy, fluffy, and crispy crust you find at sea level all over this country. Well, at Tasters, we finally found a pizza place that delivers this light, airy, and thick crust at altitude. I’m not sure how they do it, but it’s one of the best pizzas I’ve had above 7,000 feet.

Stumble It!

The Beginning of the Off-Season

According to most of the locals in town, this was the last weekend of the season. Like most ski towns across the country, things generally get very quite between September through mid-December; when the snow hits and the tourists flock back. We spent Friday and Saturday celebrating the last busy weekend, and enjoyed everything from Mexican food to a scenic and chilly gondola ride.

On Friday, we woke up and headed to the bus stop in front of the Snowmass Village Mall. We had 20 minutes to spare before the Aspen bus came, so we decided to check out the coffee shop next door, appropriately named Fuel. I ordered a regular coffee and a bagel sandwich, and Kevin got a breakfast burrito. Our total for breakfast and drinks was under $12.00, which is hands-down the cheapest breakfast we've found so far! We enjoyed our breakfast while riding into town, and then spent some time working.

For lunch, we were craving some Mexican food, and decided to try La Cantina. I asked the server which fish dish she liked, and ordered the Mahi Tacos upon her recommendation. I thought they could have had a bit more flavor, but was satisfied none-the-less. Kevin had the Chimichanga Carnitas, which he said was fabulous, and we sipped on some margaritas while overlooking main street on their outdoor patio.


After lunch, we cruised around the stores and did some serious window shopping. Everything from last season is still on sale and it's a great time of year to purchase anything you are missing for winter. After browsing the sale items, we checked out a few locals bars, and called it a night.

On Saturday, we ate some breakfast at the condo and then took the bus into town. One of Kevin's friend, Kim, works for Aspen and was kind enough to get us some gondola tickets. The gondola ride was beautiful and gave me a pretty good idea about the terrain that Aspen has to offer. The views from the top of the mountain are incredible, and everything this time of year is so green! We ate lunch on the Sun Deck while Kevin made a friend with a little terrier who was very interested in his sandwich.




After our gondola trip, we headed back into town. We checked out a few more ski shops where I got an incredible deal on some new ski pants, and then caught the bus back to Snowmass to get some work done.

Stumble It!

Hitting the Streets of Aspen

Our second day in Aspen we decided to take the bus from Snowmass, to avoid the parking nightmare downtown. Due to a grant of some kind, the bus from Snowmass to Aspen is now completely free. Last time I was here it was something like $2 each way to ride the bus into town. Definitely a good improvement, and hopefully someday all the buses in Aspen will be free, like they are in Park City.

The bus ride was probably quicker than driving into town because buses bypass all of the traffic in their own HOV lane. Once in town, we hit the streets, talking to as many restaurants as possible. One of our immediate favorites is a place called Explore Bistro. This little organic vegetarian bistro is tucked inside the top level of a quaint book store, inside an old Victorian house. You would never know a restaurant was there if it wasn't for the sign outside. We asked around and everyone seems pretty fond of this place. We plan on eating there sometime in the next week, so keep an eye out for our review.

While exploring Aspen, we stumbled across a gourmet pizza place called Brunelleschi's. The bartender was quick to chat us up when we walked in, and informed us that September is now officially bourbon month. He proceeded to pour out two shots, even though it was only about three in the afternoon. Casey was stoked when he gave her a fresh rose from a vase nearby, along with the shot. Nothing like a free shot 2 minutes after you walk into someplace. Definitely a good first impression, and a good way to earn favorable reviews in the future. Nice job Brunelleschi's.

We also ran into a couple very friendly locals at New York Pizza, just a few blocks over. What is it with pizza places staffed by the coolest people in town? They offered us a couple free slices of their HUGE New York style pizzas, and we went for the veggie with feta and artichokes. The crust was perfectly thin in the New York tradition, and the toppings were fresh. The best thing about New York Pizza is they are open until 2:30am, so you can grab a slice before you head home for the evening on a night out.


Later that night we were back in Snowmass and looking for some dinner. It was about 9pm, which is a horrible hour to find food in the off-season. The only place still serving was a bar on the top level of the Snowmass Mall called Zane's Tavern. The place was pretty crowded, and there was only one bartender taking care of everyone. He was doing a great job though, despite the fact he was in a mortorcycle accident just a few hours before. Zane's has a large bar menu with traditional pub sandwiches and burgers, along with a unique Mexican menu. Casey ordered the enchiladas and I went for the house special, flautas. The food blew us away. We were expecting bland bar food, but what came out was flavorful and fresh. Definitely check out Zane's if you are in Snowmass looking for some late night Mexican along with some local beer.

Stumble It!

Exploring Aspen - Day One

Kevin and I rolled into Aspen at about 9:30pm on Tuesday after a pretty quick and painless drive from Park City. The drive from Utah to Colorado is a beautiful one, full of vast desert landscapes and uniquely molded mountains, and with an awe inspiring sunset backdrop.

We are staying at a cute and quaint studio in the Snowmass Village, just outside of Aspen. The owner of the local liquor store, the Daly Bottle Shop, was kind enough to let us rent one of his vacant studios. The Daly Bottle Shop is an adorable small store located inside of the Snowmass Village Mall and offers a large variety of wine, imported and local beer, spirits, and all natural snacks, cheeses, and gourmets delights. A highly recommended first stop to get your vacation started on the right foot.

Our First Day - Exploring Aspen

We drove from Snowmass into Aspen and spent a few hours collecting travel guides, maps, and walking the streets to get acquainted with the area. We realized that driving into town was a bad idea, and quickly discovered how difficult parking was. We made a quick mental note of the free shuttle that runs to and from Snowmass, and went on with our day.

Aspen is absolutely breathtaking, and I can definitely understand why everyone wants to move here. The center of town is very posh and very hip, yet with a warm and welcoming touch. I instantly felt at home after chatting up the manager at the Tourist Center and picking her brain about the 90+ restaurants located within a few square miles. Our first stop in town was at Boogies, where we ate lunch on the outdoor patio overlooking Aspen Mountain. The service was very quick, and was exactly what we were looking for in a lunch spot that is both funky and fun. After lunch, we had to move the car from 2 hour parking, so we took a drive around the city and searched for the best spot to take some pictures.

After our photo session, we came back into town, grabbed some ice-cream at the Ben and Jerry's in the center courtyard, and met with a few restaurant managers to collect some detailed information.

On our way back to Snowmass Village, we made a quick trip up to the Maroon Bells. The air was incredibly cool for early September, and the crisp smell made me think it was already October. The Maroon Bells are truly worth seeing! They sit nestled in a valley of their own, and appropriately, placed in front of their very own lake. Measured at 14,000+ feet in altitude, their magnitude and sheer splendor can't be described in photos or words. Regardless, we managed to get a few good shots.




We watched the sunset turn the Maroon Bells into a bright red, a deep maroon, and then finally, a navy blue as the dark sky quickly overtook the daylight. On our drive back to our condo, we met a couple of deer who didn't seem phased with our human presence, and posed for the camera.


All in all, our first day in Aspen was wonderful, and we are very happy to be able to travel, work hard, and enjoy all that earth has to offer us. Our next 3 - 4 days will be packed with meetings and restaurant introductions, so we will have plenty to tell you in the way of food, dining, and perhaps a scenic Gondola trip.

It's now time to open up a bottle of local Cabernet, eat some pasta, and say goodnight . . . buenas noches.

Stumble It!