My husband and I recently took a trip to Estes Park, Colorado for the Strange Escapes "The Stanley" paranormal convention. We got our tickets early enough that we were able to stay in the hotel. We visited the Cascades Restaurant on two different occasions while we were staying there, once for a late night snack, drinks and dessert, and once for dinner. The service was pretty good, considering the entire dining room and bar area (and hotel in general) were packed the entire weekend and it was very chaotic. There was copper everywhere and it was beautiful; the light practically danced off of it. They also had signed pictures of actors, actresses, politicians, or any "famous" people that have been there.
While in Colorado, I HAD to order my favorite drink of all time, which is a "Colorado Bulldog". Here in Upper Michigan, about 95 percent of the bars I have attempted to order it from had never heard of it and I had to explain to them what the ingredients were. Well, I also try to tell them that if you mix them in the wrong order the entire drink curdles and so I normally don't order it at a bar and end up making them myself. I was expecting like many bars I have been to, that the drink would be over boozed and you wouldn't be able to taste anything else. That ended up being far from the case. I could even taste the splash of Coca Cola that is added. It was one of the best drinks I have had in a long time.
For an appetizer on the first night we dined there, we ordered the Montaditos. You were served three pieces of grilled baguette (which I thought was a very odd number, because usually two people split it), Manchego cheese, Prosciutto, and a tomato "confit" (which was more like baby greens and sliced grape tomatoes of various colors). Other than some odd terminology in the description, the dish was very good and refreshing. Even with the fact that it was bread, meat and cheese, it didn't feel heavy at all. And of course I always like to make my dish look amazing and play with my food, so that was also fun.
For dessert we ordered the Creme Brulee to split. I am not going to go into much detail because you can either make a creme brulee or you can't. The texture was on point, the caramelization on top was very crunchy and sounded perfect, but the flavor was lacking. Normally you would use fresh vanilla beans in the custard to bring out that vanilla flavor, but there was really no flavor at all. I don't know if the macaroon was made in house, but it was amazing. I would have ordered a whole plate of those.
The second night we ate there, we attended for dinner. I ordered the Buffalo Bolognese. It was pappardelle pasta mixed in with the buffalo bolognese sauce, and topped with truffle pecorino. They also have a "side" of carrot puree. The dish was not bad. It wasn't a very flavorful bolognese but the sharp cheese on top helped give the dish some of the salt it was lacking. My issue with the carrot puree, which was pretty good flavor wise, was that it looked like a skid mark on the edge of my bowl. That, and there was literally one "fork full" on the plate. I think they were trying to use it as more of a fancy decor aspect, but if you say in the menu that there is a carrot puree in or with the dish, you should use enough to make an impact.
My husband ordered a side of Mac and Cheese with his main dish. The sauce was made with a sharp cheddar and the dish was topped with applewood smoked bacon. Again, it was a good dish, but still nothing spectacular. The sauce was a little runny for my taste, but the flavors were there.
The best dish of the night, and it wasn't even mine, was the Macgregor Burger that came with truffle fries. I was not expecting a burger of all things to be the star of this restaurant, but it took center stage. The truffle fries were the best I have ever had, no ketchup needed. The burger was topped with melted sliced brie cheese, and came with a bacon marmalade that was to die for. Considering I only had one (very large) bite of it, and don't really like beef burgers, I would have switched dishes with him in a heartbeat. It was one of the best beef burgers I've ever had.
The overall experience here was great. All of the food was good, and some of the most different types of dishes from a restaurant in a hotel that I've had to date. If I lived near the Estes Park area, that burger is the one thing that would keep bringing me back. It is mouth watering. Also the fact that this restaurant is located in the famously haunted Stanley Hotel helps...
Stanley Hotel, Cascades Restaurant
Stanley Hotel, Facebook Page
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