New Flavors, Old West
These three quintessential high-country properties serve up fresh dining experiences with a side of local history.
Photo courtesy Restaurant 1858
RESTAURANT 1858
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Tucked deep inside South Cheyenne Canyon, the Broadmoor’s Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls sits at the base of a 181-foot waterfall whose seven distinct drops tease visitors to the top. A steep 224-step jaunt serves as a scenic—and calorie-burning—preamble to this comfortably elegant tribute to the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1858. An outdoor patio opens to the waterfall as it splashes down.
Photo courtesy Restaurant 1858
When the Broadmoor, just five minutes away, bought Seven Falls in 2014, it was with the intention of creating a destination eatery. The renowned resort hired Englewood-based Johnson David Interiors to showcase a portion of its sizeable Western art collection, complemented by locally sourced décor elements: a foundation formed in hand-hewn stone; walls lined with reclaimed barnwood; bar seats backed by cowhide.
Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls, 2850 S. Cheyenne Canyon Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 844-843-1858, Broadmoor.com. Entry fee to Seven Falls required: $14 adults, $8 ages 2-12
Photo by Kimberly Gavin
THE FITZ BAR & RESTAURANT
Vail, Colorado
The menu at the Fitz Bar & Restaurant at Manor Vail Lodge, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is likewise Colorado-influenced. Recently revamped in conjunction with 360 Design Interiors, the Fitz features what executive chef Kenneth Butler calls “comfort food elevated,” with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients appealingly combined, as in a salad of foraged mushrooms and watercress drizzled with melon vinaigrette, and buttermilk fried chicken with jalapeño slaw.
Photo by Kimberly Gavin
Photo by Kimberly Gavin
The retro-style dishes echo the mountain-modern feel of the expansive dining area, which includes an inviting après-friendly bar and floor-to-ceiling windows with enviable views of Golden Peak. Formerly known as the Lord Gore restaurant, the second-floor space—part rustic cabin, part hipster bar—has bold lime-colored, quilted-leather booths and chandeliers made from antique bottles turned upside-down.
The Fitz Bar & Restaurant at Manor Vail Lodge, 595 E. Vail Valley Drive, Vail, Colorado, 970-476-5000, manorvail.com
Photo courtesy Wort Hotel
SILVER DOLLAR BAR
Jackson, Wyoming
Music fans and history buffs alike will welcome the renovated bar at the 75-year-old Wort Hotel in Jackson. The remodeled bar is now 40 percent larger, and the bandstand and dance floor (dubbed the Showroom) have been moved to the new space. The Silver Dollar’s revamped open floor plan has improved the venue’s acoustics, a priority for a place where bands play four nights a week.
Photo courtesy Wort Hotel
The original bar was duplicated in the new space using a process that Wort general manager Jim Waldrop calls “detailed and specific” to insure historic accuracy. The original bar top was reproduced with thousands of 1921 Morgan silver dollars—the only Morgans minted in Denver. Intricate leatherwork above the bar was handcrafted by one of the many regional artisans involved in the project.
Silver Dollar Bar & Grill at the Wort Hotel, 50 N. Glenwood Street, Jackson, Wyoming, 800-322-2727, worthotel.com
SEE ALSO:
5 Gorgeous Hotel Redesigns in the Mountains
The Lark Hotel: A Fresh Eye on Big Sky Country
Tahoe's Hip New Hideaway
The Luxurious New Lodging Options in Sun Valley
