Dine and Wine in Keystone, CO

Written by Carol Cain on 19 December 2010

During our visit to Keystone, CO, not only did we have fun checking out the slopes, but we spent our few evenings there enjoying the food.

In the various places we tried, we were pleasantly surprised not only by the level of quality of service we received, but also by the amazing culinary scene.

It is our recommendation that when you visit Keystone, and really you should, that you try (at least one) the following restaurants:

Bighorn Steakhouse Located in the Lakeside Village in Keystone Lodge & Spa, the Bighorn Steakhouse is known for its wonderful selection of corn-fed American beef, as well as their sustainable seafood, chicken, and other dishes. Our table overlooked the beautiful Keystone Lake, which was frozen on the evening of our visit and looked festive as the holiday lights shimmered off of its icy surface.

We had a few dishes, starting with a goat cheese appetizer, followed by a flavorful and tender rib eye steak, and finished off with an amazing pastry dish topped with ice cream. Our meal was complimented with a wonderful wine selection, choices which come from a list recognized by Wine Spectator.

For us it was a great way to end a day of travels and connect with new friends. You’ll most enjoy the tranquil feel of the location, as well as the views. But most of all you will enjoy the food, wine, and amazing hospitality.

Ski Tip Lodge Before we made our way to this restaurant we were warned, “Prepare yourself for a feast.” Little did I imagine it was truly just that. A meal at the Ski Tip Lodge consists of four generous courses, all delicious. The smart approach would be to simply taste, but leave room for the next dish. However, when the tasting is good, and you are like me, this is a difficult approach to follow.

Here I had a rich and creamy broccoli bisque as an appetizer, while my husband ordered the Ski Tip french onion soup. Both were amazing, and really helped warm us up for the rest of the meal.

This was followed by a baby spinach salad for my husband, and a coriander grilled Tahitian yellowfish and fired calamari dish with coconut scented basmati rice with cilantro and lime sauce mole and avocado puree.

Now, my husband ordered the salad simply because we wanted to try different dishes, but he wasn’t too excited about it until it was served. The salad wasn’t just “a salad” it was a beautiful presentation of baby spinach with dried cherries, candied cashews, and boursin sprinkled with orange brandy vinaigrette. It was not only delicious, it was also beautiful.

Now, you would think that by this point we would have started to feel full, however there was no time to worry about such things for following came my blue crab stuffed dover sole with house-made saffron pasta and parmesan reggiano cream. The sole on its own might not be the most exciting seafood dish, however, the way it wrapped the crab meat and created a dance of flavors in my mouth really created a divine first taste.

We ended our meals with dessert, mine a pumpkin cheesecake, my husband’s a apple crisp. But what makes the dessert experience truly special at Ski Tip Lodge on cold wintery nights, is that it is served in front of one of their two fireplaces. Here guests are welcomed to lounge, order more wine, or coffee, and mingle with other guests, or as was our case, just have a peaceful, romantic moment as we embraced the overall experience.

Wolf Rock Steakhouse On the menu they still call themselves a brewery, but they no longer brew their own beers. However, they have a great selection of beers to choose from and when we visited, on our last night at Keystone, we chose to sit by the fireplace and throw back a few before heading back to the real life of the big city.

I ordered a nice glazed salmon, while my husband ordered the buffalo bangers and mash, both incredibly delicious. Before that though, we both ordered the green chili soup, which I have to say was the best green chili soup I have ever had. It had a nice kick to eat, was a mouthful of potatoes, chicken, and vegetables. So flavorful, I would’ve made it a larger order had I known it was going to be so good.

We ended our night pleased and full at Wolf Rock, but not before indulging in some chocolate mousse!

These restaurants touch only the surface of what is the culinary scene in Keystone. There are so many other options that I was told I should check out, but wasn’t able to due to time constraints. One of the things I have most lamented in missing out was the Chocolate Village currently on display there, and every holiday! It is now on my calendar to NOT miss it again next year!

However, my hope is to make it back to Keystone soon and check more of what they have to serve and report back with all the good eats I find!

Disclosure: Individual travel and accommodations were provided courtesy of Keystone Resort for the purpose of this review. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. For more information please refer to the disclosure page.