Smokin' Dave's BBQ and Taphouse

While my husband and I were vacationing for a long weekend in Colorado a few week's ago, we both had a hankering for some good barbecue. I am that type of person who always looks up restaurants and things to do while on vacation before hand, usually on TripAdvisor. Smokin' Dave's was one of the top five restaurants that I wanted to visit while in Estes Park and had great reviews.

And pulling into a backdrop like that, how could you not gravitate towards this restaurant to eat there? Even with an overcast sky, it was still a breathtaking sight.

We chose to get an appetizer since we were both famished, and ordered the Pit Master Sliders. These freshly made buns are packed full of meat, two with Carolina pork and two with the Texas beef brisket. They also come with a container of coleslaw to top the sandwiches off, and I highly recommend, even if you don't care for coleslaw like myself, that you top those sandwiches off with coleslaw. At your table you also have a variety of BBQ sauces (homemade of course) to choose from, and I added the mustard BBQ sauce to my sliders.

For dinner I ordered the Dave's Double. Now, I obviously didn't plan that very well on the trying different things area, because the two meat's that I chose were the brisket and pulled pork again. The pulled pork was my favorite. The smokey flavor was very pronounced and the meat was still juicy. The brisket was also good. The smoke ring on the edges of the slices just reminded me of how much time they actually put into cooking their meats on the smoker. I tried the meat with all of the different kinds of BBQ sauce and I would have to say, although I liked all of them, that the mustard was still my favorite. For my two sides I ordered the Southern corn bake, which was my favorite thing other than the cornbread on my plate. And I also chose Grandma's tater salad. The tater salad wasn't bad, but I hate a large mayonnaise based sauce and that is all that I could taste.

For dessert, my husband ordered the apple cobbler. The apples were very tender and I highly suggest ordering a scoop of vanilla because the cobbler melts the ice cream making it into an amazing creamy vanilla sauce.

I ordered the creole bread pudding that is baked with bittersweet chocolate and pecans, and topped with a whiskey cream sauce. There was I think a little bit too much sauce for me. It isn't thick, more of a watery type sauce, but had really great flavor. And a bite of everything together, including some whipped cream was perfect.

I highly recommend stopping here if you are in Estes Park, or near their other location in Lyons for that matter. The proportions, depending on what you order, are more than enough. We ended up taking most of our desserts and part of dinner back to the hotel with us. And nothing against the Famous Dave's chain, because they also have amazing food, but Smokin' Dave's might have beat you this time as far as the meat is concerned... Delish!

Smokin' Dave's Facebook Page
Smokin' Dave's, Estes Menu

Cascades Restaurant of the Stanley

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

Wagener's Delicatessen and Cafe

A new German restaurant has opened up in Au Train that I have no doubt will be putting it's mark on the U.P. They are open from Tuesday through Saturday, and each week they have a weekly special that is featured. Although the menu is on the smaller side, everything that is offered looks amazing and from what my husband and I ordered, was cooked to perfection.

The restaurant is tiny, but inside are two large picnic tables to eat at. We went through at a pretty odd time of day so there weren't many people, but it is a great way to meet new people and have a dining experience that you normally wouldn't elsewhere. The tables are lined with ice water and various condiments. They also have different German deli items for sale, and have maps of the area for out-of-towners.

For lunch we both ordered the Pork Schnitzel. I've noticed that in German restaurants around the area I always end up ordering pork schnitzel so by now I should be an expert at it. The pork on the inside of the breading was juicy and tender. I had to slather the bun with mustard because between the breaded pork and bun, it was a slightly dry "sandwich". The potato salad was delicious and flavorful between the herbs and what looked like small bits of ham or some form of deli meat. The only thing I would change about this is that it came with more toppings, or if they served the schnitzel on top of some cooked cabbage just to add some moisture. Otherwise, it was good.

We ordered a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake to share. I believe, if I heard one of the owners correctly, that the pies and bars, etc are all homemade, and even some types of cake like carrot cake, but that they sometimes get different cakes from Huron Mountain Bakery in Marquette. I believe our cake slice was from Huron judging by the flavors but either way it was chocolatey and filled with caramel making it unbelievably moist.

This restaurant has amazing potential. I heard one of the owners saying that when they close down for the middle of March through the middle of April that they will be adding outdoor seating to maximize space and let people take in the view of Lake Superior off in the distance. If I lived in the Munising/Christmas area or Alger County in general, I wouldn't even eat in town that often and would rather drive the distance to eat here in Au Train, than at any close mediocre at best restaurant that so far are offered in the area. This is a must stop. They are also open for breakfast, which I've heard is also amazing so next time we head through the area, it will be a goal to stop here again.

Wagener's Delicatessen Website
Wagener's Facebook Page

Big Burger Grille

My husband and I went to the Big Burger Grille a week after it opened (beginning of March). I was expecting there to be mass chaos for some reason, especially with such a small building being shared with Main Street Pizza in Harvey. Let me tell you, not only did they have it together, but they are absolutely amazing burgers. There aren't very many options as of now in Harvey for places to eat, and not really any place so far that stands out as being different enough for people to come from other areas to stop there. Well everyone, you now have a reason.

For an appetizer we ordered the cheese curds. You get a very generous portion and they were fried to perfection.

I ordered a big single with cheese (Pepper-Jack), with pickle, lettuce and tomato. Make sure before ordering and going up to the register that you know what size you want, and exactly how you want it. The person at the register (may have been the owner?) wasn't rude about it, but kindly told us that if you don't tell him exactly what you want, it will come with just meat and the cheese choice (so include your ketchup and mustard too if you want it!). The burger comes to your table wrapped in a foil paper. We both unwrapped our burgers, using the foil for a plate and dug in. They were SO unbelievably juicy!

If you have a hankering for a great burger, skip McDonald's and all of the other chain restaurants (that will probably end up making your stomach hurt anyways) and drive out to Harvey to get a Big Burger! You will not be disappointed! I included a menu as the first picture because I found it extremely hard to find one online so far.

Big Burger Grille, Facebook Page