 |
|    |
Features
Gabby Gourmet: Elway's
John Elway enjoying Elway's.
Elway's Cherry Creek
2500 E. 1st Ave., Denver
303-399-5353; www.elways.com
Elway's Cherry Creek won the Out Front Colorado Readers' Choice award for OUTstanding Steakhouse - and for good reason. This place has it all.
Elway's has definitely made its mark in Cherry Creek. Located to the west of the shopping center, the restaurant's exterior is stunning. As you enter, a huge granite water-wall captures your eye. To the right is a beautiful bar for gathering or dining, with warm woods and burgundy upholstered bar stools to set the scene. The dining area is warm and inviting, with brown and burgundy tones throughout, stunning chairs and booths, and soft lighting. The room is large but sectioned into private dining areas for more intimate conversations.
Executive Chef Tyler Wiard is an amazing talent in the kitchen, creating the fabulous food that sets Elway's apart from any other steak house. Start with appetizers of fried calamari with bits of corn, jalapenos, zucchini and peppers, combined for a spicy flavor overall. The tuna tartar with avocado and three dipping sauces and the lamb fondue are fabulous in presentation and taste. The Caesar, wedge with bacon, and tomato and mozzarella make great salad choices. The Cobb, shrimp, and Asian chicken salads are perfect to share or enjoy as a main course. Be sure to try the Cherry Creek, full of chicken, dried fruit, cheese, nuts and greens.
Elway's bone-in filet.
Steaks, all the highest quality, prime-grade beef, are offered in two sizes for different appetites. Sirloin, porterhouse, filet, rib-eye and prime rib arrive cooked as ordered, full of flavor and tender to the bite. The best steak may be the bone-in filet. Several fish and shellfish options, such as lobster, salmon, and more, are pleasing. Don't miss the fabulous half-chicken or rack of lamb. Fun entrees include an awesome smash burger and a braised short rib. For sides, choose from marvelous au gratin potatoes, creamed corn, creamed spinach, crab fried rice, the best macaroni and cheese, to-die-for Brussels sprouts hash and out-of-this-world roasted cauliflower with truffle butter.
Desserts are totally decadent and divine. S'mores, warm chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies, gelato and tiramisu cones are all great, but the ding dong, brownie a la mode with chocolate and caramel sauces, chocolate pudding, and chocolate souffle are even better.
The extensive wine-by-the-glass list makes for delicious pairings with every course. Service is top-notch, with a well-trained, attentive staff to care for guests. The bar and patio rock at all times, and with live music, it is even more special. Lunch and weekend brunches continue in the same great style as dinner. And remember the summer concert series! This dining experience adds up to a Super Bowl win for Elway's.
Chef Tyler Wiard and John Elway.
The most fun:
Splurge on decadent meals, or stop by for a burger or salad. Come dressed up or as casual as you like. You will be treated royally any time you visit.
Don't miss:
The bone-in filet, the smash burger and the house-made spicy chips.
About the chef:
The talented and creative Tyler Wiard is the most charitable man, and the first to sign on for any cause. Elway's and Tyler generously donate their services and food to wonderful causes throughout the year.
Hours:
Open every day, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are accepted and recommended.
Pat Miller, the Gabby Gourmet, hosts the Gabby Gourmet Restaurant Show every Saturday from 1 - 3 p.m. on KHOW 630AM. She appears every Wednesday on the 7News at 11AM broadcast with a restaurant segment. The 2010 Gabby Gourmet Restaurant Guide is available everywhere. For more fun and information, go to www.gabbygourmet.com.
Features
Spring skiing in the Rockies
Aspen's Sky Hotel.
In the spring, everyone wants to find a beach.
March already? It is difficult to accept that this ski season's end is stumbling into town, whether I invite it or not. I even find myself reluctant to utilize my daytime hours doing anything but grabbing the last available turns on Colorado's mountains. Any other activity is almost certain to be accompanied by a side of guilt, as if I am being wasteful. But then I take a deep breath and remember there are plenty of lift days remaining in 2010. March, more often than not, brings with it the best snow of the season, and this spring is shaping up to offer just that.
Spring skiing and riding is actually some of the most fun to be had in Colorado. Imagine the ability to take A-Basin's "Beach Scene" party and spill it over the rest of the resorts, coating them in a festive goulash of music-saturated, beer-buzzed spontaneity. This is the transformation spring fever brings.
Breckenridge's Beaver Run, Steamboat's Slopeside Grill, Aspen's two-weekend Bud Light Spring Jam extravaganza, Keystone's Disco Tubing, Copper's base of bars and Vail's Spring Back to Vail - these resort towns come alive with a feeling reminiscent of a college spring break. Filled with flowing beer and reggae music, spring season on the mountains is capable of evoking the visceral experiences of our youth. And when weighing my spring activity options, I think the following events will make my decisions no-brainers.
Despite the inclusion of reality-TV melodrama, Aspen is still one of the best locations on the planet for true, down-to-earth fun. Plus, I must give the Aspen locals props - they hate Secrets of Aspen as much as the rest of us. So let this provide you with a sense of camaraderie as you head to the 10th annual Bud Light Spring Jam from March 19-21 and March 26-28. Packed with competitions, concerts and parties, this two-weekend event comes with all the bells and whistles attached.
Another cool option is the terrain park Boot Camp, March 21-29, offering instruction on how to tackle the rails and jumps like the pros do. Also, here's something to check off your bucket list - the Schneetag. Pronounced sh-knee tog, this Red Bull-hosted event features teams of four brave (or stupid - the jury is still out) individuals who place their faith in their homemade vessel by sledding down Snowmass Mountain and, hopefully, across a 75x20-foot pond that waits for them at the bottom. Sometimes we just have to do things for no other reason than the hell of it - Schneetag. So give the Sky Hotel in Aspen a ring, and do not forget your promotional code - "LGBT" - which is good at all Kimpton Hotels. This will knock 20 percent off your bill and give you some food vouchers for the trip.
Beaver Run.
Whether you need a place to crash for the night or are just making a day trip, Breckenridge’s Beaver Run Resort can offer it all, For those making the day trip - do not sleep in! Parking typically costs 15$, but this lot fills quickly. The reason why - you do not have to catch the gondola just to wait at another lift line once you make it to the base of Peak 8. For those staying the night, the resort is within reasonable walking distance of everything in town and located directly on the bus route. It is also ski-in/ski-out. This is a direct stop for all levels of skiers/riders. If you are a first time skier/rider, the tow bar is waiting with only the slightest downhill incline for you to gain you snow legs. For the more experienced, two lifts wait to deliver you to your first turns - Beaver Run Super Chair and Quicksilver Super 6.
A little secret if you are ever in Breckenridge for an extended period of time. I often wait until about 2:30 p.m. I go to the Beaver Run parking lot where at this time in the afternoon the lot becomes free. I throw on my twin tips, hop on Quicksilver Super 6, connect to Falcon Super Chair and hit the bumps on Peak 10 for about 5 to 6 runs before sunset. Then I cruise down to The Maggie located right next to the Quicksilver chair for a beer with some local fiends. I get in as many runs as I would have waiting in the crowds earlier day and when all is said and done it cost me nothing more than a happy hour beer.
This gay friendly resort is actually the most fun the mountain has to offer as well as the most palatable food. Try the grilled jerk chicken sandwich being cooked up on their patio. It is flavorful and the guys cooking on this open fire grill are all smiles. This is likely a direct result of the acoustic celebration shouting from their outdoor speakers. Whether the beach you visit is made of sand or snow, Bob Marley always belongs and Beaver Run is no exception. This will keep the non skiers/riders entertained and also makes accessing them from the mountain convenient rather than difficult if you want to enjoy lunch together. Once done this area of the mountain is the best expression of a true apres gathering in Breckenridge. Often featuring live music upstairs with patrons singing along, they will also be happy to offer your table a ski shot. You know - the single ski that has four shots attached forcing the group to work in unison in order to consume the mind altering concoction, perfect for any spring break flash back.
And when the skiing is over, this area of the mountain offers the best true apres gathering in Breckenridge. Often featuring live music with patrons singing along, The Maggie will also be happy to offer your table a ski shot - a single ski that has four shots attached, forcing the group to work in unison to consume the mind-altering concoction. It's perfect for any spring-break flashback.
Then there's the incredible and incomparable Copper Mountain, offering off-the-hill entertainment that is often overlooked. The mountain is too frequently viewed only as an easy day-trip, due to its short distance from Denver and close proximity to I-70. But have you ever paused and looked around Copper Village? The whole thing is one large beach. As the sun surfaces, so do the added activities hosted by the resort - from DJs to trampolines, rock-climbing walls and half-pipe competitions. And don't forget - Copper Village is home to the only authentic absinthe bar in all of Colorado, The Green Fairy.
The scene almost reminds me of an Embassy Suites Hotel. For those of you unfamiliar, let me explain. I attended boarding school in Washington, D.C. at a little place called Episcopal. For parents weekend, homecoming, and other major events, parents would flood in and remove their kids from the dorms for a party weekend at the hotel where everyone stayed - the Embassy Suites. I used to wonder why this was the hotel that won the hearts of these prep-school students and their parents. Then it became clear - the Embassy Suites is set up like a large cylinder. Everyone can see everyone else's room - including the comings and the going. You knew exactly who was hooking up, who had the most alcohol stashed away and where the stricter parents were staying. Copper is a bit the same way. This beach is open and vast, with views of all that is going on. No matter what your condition, you can still find the party here. You need only put your hands out in front of you, and surely you'll bump into a good time.
Even closer to Denver is Keystone. This resort is high-ranking favorite for some of my boarding pals, a group of skydivers with passionate, in-your-face opinions. Offering plenty of free parking and minus Breckenridge's gondola, Keystone is the only mountain in all of Colorado that makes sense to them. Now I would not go that far, but I will admit that the days I have spent with them there have been filled with good snow and good times. The only exception was the day I was removed from the mountain for skiing too fast. To the safety worker, if you are reading this - there is a difference between fast and out of control. Keystone also boasts very affordable, but also very memorable, food. Hit up Pizza on the Run at the main-base village for an unbelievably satisfying meal under $10. And don't forget the tubing. At night, they even have disco tubing, offering the same tubing hilarity, but accompanied by a soundtrack that comes from the guy who runs disco bowling.
And as long as there is still snow in Steamboat Springs, there's still time to celebrate "Champagne Thursday." Introduced in the movie Failure to Launch, this activity has become a strictly regulated family ritual for my brother and I. If one of us calls the other and declares "Champagne Thursday," the rule is that you have to drop everything. "Champagne Thursday" is only trumped by weddings and funerals.
Previously, the game involved quite a bit of actual champagne, but since neither of us drinks very much anymore, we made a switch to "Champagne (Powder) Thursday." Once declared, everything must be dropped, and it is off to Steamboat. We crash with our friend Patrick and ski first run to mountain sweep. The goal is to go hard! And now with the spring slam of snow, "Champagne Thursday" can often take place every day of the week. Now, I can't get you a night at Patrick's cabin, but I can tell you to give The Steamboat Grand (www.steamboatgrand.com) a call. They will give you a room with a fireplace and get your skis to the base of the hill. For the rest of the season, every Saturday will feature the Bud Light Rocks the Boat Free Concert Series.
Steamboat also plays host to the classic Colorado beach, the Slopeside Grill. The Web site offers coupons for this great eatery, one of which is for a free draft beer. As far as apres and the true pulse of Steamboat Springs, Slopeside Grill is the main attraction. With the sun now free to share its time with you, their patio is prime real estate, so end the day just a bit early and grab your Adirondack before there are no more available. Then grab some beers, sit back, and enjoy the music and sun - and don't forget to make some new friends.
Ohhhhh, Vail. What did I call it in an earlier article? A gluttonous monstrosity of skiing goodness? What else can be said? It is the largest ski resort in North America. And now that it has a few layers on it, days on this hill are as good as ever. I recently skied this mountain with Kipp, a skydiving buddy of mine and a blue-level rider. Kipp and I were actually able to ski the entire day together near Lionshead, each keeping to his or her preferred terrain. He kept to the blues while I peeled off on bumps, and we would wave as we passed each other on the crossing catwalks. By hitting up the singles lines, we never had to stand still in a lift line.
This is where you need to cap off the season. From April 12-18, Vail will host Spring Back to Vail. With free concerts (and these guys pull out the big guns), snow events (think Schneetag, but with men in bikinis) and street parties (think Fourth of July or Snow Daze), Vail provides us with its occasional bloom. A bit like a cactus that only shows its blossom every once in a while, Vail has the ability, every once and again, to present itself as a true ski town. The music moves outdoors, the people move outdoors - and we finally pour more beer than wine.
It's springtime. And in the spring, everyone wants to go to the beach. But unless you can skip the state for a week in Cabo, just pack the car. The mountains have the sun, the music, the beer - and the beach.