Colorado Springs: A Foodies Delight

From a Fantastic Food Tour to Eclectic Eateries

Majestic mountain views and a plethora of activities welcome visitors to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  With over 23 million visitors a year to the Pikes Peak Region, visitors have choices of activities from thrilling to historical to more sedate.  Yes, there is something for everyone.  One thing all visitors have in common is “food.”  Whether seeking a fast food eatery or a more romantic dining, Colorado Springs has it all.  Yes, foodies will delight with the eclectic eateries of Colorado Springs.

The Rocky Mountain Classic 3-Hour Food Tour in Colorado Springs

We decide to do some real food sampling by taking a Rocky Mountain Food Tour.  Our Food Tour meeting location is Kinship Landing in downtown Colorado Springs.  With a warm welcome by Kathy, our guide, the group is soon seated and ready to begin a fun afternoon of a variety of eateries while learning some history of Colorado Springs.  Today, we visit five different dining venues each with its own specialty.  After a quick meet and greet with the other guests, we begin an enticing and delectable food tour.

Homa at Kinship Landing – A Unique Boutique Hotel and Cafe
Homa, a restaurant in the Kinship Landing, is begins with a tray of a Handpie and French Fries.  The hostess explains that Kinship Landing is a boutique hotel offering accommodations from suites to bunkrooms to pitching your tent on their rooftop.  It is very unique.  The tasty Handpie includes a combination of lemongrass, sweet potato, leeks, and chicken.  The string French Fries are a hit.  Everyone on the tour is very happy with the dish.  All plates are clean in a very short time.

The White Pie – Pizza!  Pizza!
Basically, just across the street, we walk over for our next stop at The White Pie.  Yes, in keeping with its name we are treated to their specialty, a tangy white pizza pie.  This unique pizza pie has Crème Fraiche, mozzarella cheese, garlic oil, Crimini, bacon, pecorino, and is topped with a sunny egg.  A bit different from the normal tomato sauce based pizzas.  The White Pie Pizza has a lot of flavors on a think crispy crust.

A side dish is a spicy Cauliflower consisting of oven roasted cauliflower with Calabrian chile romesco sauce. To our taste buds it is hot!  On the tour we paid to have alcoholic beverages included.  At The White Pizza, we have a choice of red or white wine to go with the pizza and cauliflower dish.  It’s fun watching the interactions of the tour members as they sample and taste the different dishes.  On our tour, a family of four has two young girls.  The youngest is a bit hesitant on a pizza with an egg on top.  Actually, it is very good.

The Carter Payne – Great Beer & Food!
Our third stop is a few blocks away and Kathy shares some fun stories and history along the walk.  Arriving at The Carter Payne she explains the history of this beautiful 127 year old church.  Today it is The Carter Payne that boasts being a destination community.  The Church now houses various vendors including Local Relic, Immerse Cuisine and The Cellar.  Stepping into The Carter Payne, we admire the features of this old church and the efforts made to maintain its historical beauty.

Hosts from Local Relic Brewery, featuring artisan ales, and Immerse Cuisine share the samplings of the beers and how they are paired to match with the foods on our trays.  The beers are an Aloe Vera Saison, Zappa Smash, Lovage Belgian, and an IPA.  We each have our own favorite beer as we sample and taste the foods.

Our sampling tray features the Sanctuary Salad, a meat slice, spicy Sloppy Joe sandwich and a refreshing Lavender Panna cotta.  We are encouraged to sample the beer with the appropriate food but to also feel free to mix and match.  Starting with the Sanctuary Salad, it is delicious and a favorite with its combination of baby arugula, spinach, kale, sliced apples, candied bird seed, feta, and a smoked tea vinaigrette.  A hearty Sloppy Joe on a fresh bun gives a spicy kick but it pairs well with the Lovage Belgium.  Personally, I savored the cool and refreshing Lavender Panna cotta with the IPA as a nice finishing touch.  Richard prefers a darker beer and his favorites are Irish or Scottish Ales.  He gets a sampling of their Peat Smoked Scottish Ale featuring copious amounts of peat smoked malt.  A big hit for him.  On a side note while researching details later on the beers at Local Relic, I found their menu details the Lovage Belgian:  as 7.9% Belgian-style saison fermented on local organic Lovage grown by RMFT Guide, Kathy.  Wow!  That’s our Rocky Mountain Food Tour Guide – Kathy.  She grows organic Lovage used in their Belgian beer.  All are very happy and satisfied with the beer and foods at The Carter Payne.

Lucky Dumpling – more than just a dumpling.
Continuing our walk, it is several blocks to our next stop.  It’s the Lucky Dumpling!  A casual eatery, it offers great flavors and uniqueness of their dumplings.  Our truly cool drink is a Snoop with gin, elderberry flower, lime, and agave.  On this hot day the Snoop is very refreshing.  As we savor their special dumpling and caramelized Brussel sprouts, Kathy shares some history of the owner Chef Brother Luck and how his love for dumplings eventually resulted in this restaurant. It is an intriguing story.

Chef Brother Luck not only starred on the Chopped television show he also was a finalist on the show.  Plus he also actually “beat” Bobby Flay on the Beat Bobby Flay show.  Awesome!  Who should step up as we dine and listen to the story of Chef Brother Luck?  It’s Chef Brother Luck!  Greeting the group, Chef Brother Luck shares insight into his food experience and ventures that eventually resulted in the Lucky Dumpling.  He explains his new concept based on his love for dumplings and how he added his own touches and creativity.  An exciting surprise to meet this famous Chef and hear his story as we dine on his creations.

Munchies – A Unique Sweet Treat
Our final stop is Munchies for a tasty sweet treat.  The finale on our Rocky Mountain Food Tour is a delightful Mexican Hot Chocolate Waffle – a deep fried waffle.  It has a crunchy taste from being deep friend and sweetness of the chocolate, the syrup and confection sugar.  A good ending to a very eclectic afternoon of a variety of foods and drinks.  From Munchies, the group can choose to return to Kinship Landing with Kathy or leave on their own to explore more of Colorado Springs.

We thoroughly enjoy the Rocky Mountain Food Tour.  Kathy entertains and educates us on each eatery, the foods, all while providing unique and special history of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and the leaders involved in the beginning and the future of Colorado Springs.  Each of the five different eateries we visit has its own specialty and uniqueness.  No dinner tonight!  We are full after all the tasty food and drink on our food tour.  Cheers and Bon Appetit to a tantalizing and fun A Rocky Mountain Food Tour!

A Sampling of Eateries in Old Colorado City

On our visit to Colorado Springs we stay just on the edge of Old Colorado City.  Strolling the streets we find a small town with a rich history, a variety of fine galleries, specialty shops, eclectic boutiques and local art galleries.  Yes, foodies will find a variety of awarding winning restaurants from Pubs to Barbeque joints to more relaxed dining in Old Colorado City.  Now to share the eateries we enjoyed in Old Colorado City.  

Paravicini’s Italian Bistro – A Taste of Italy
We are thrilled this local Italian restaurant, Paravicini’s, is open on the 4th of July.  Plus, it is close to our rental for our week in Colorado Springs.  Making reservations is important on this busy day.  A tantalizing Italian dinner is exactly what we are seeking after a long drive from Kansas to Colorado Springs.  Starting with their warm homemade bread we begin a cozy dinner.  Sipping our wine and beer, the house salad is very tasty.  The Italian dishes of Penne ala Vodka and Veal Porcini are eccellente!  Seated in the back dining room, it should be named The Sinatra Room.  Each wall is covered with framed pictures mainly of Frank Sinatra through the years but also with several other movie stars.  A thoroughly enjoyable dinner and good service, too.

Alchemy- Not Just a Pub (or is it?)
Seeking just an appetizer and drinks on a Tuesday night in Old Colorado City we find just a few eateries open.  Based on the reviews of TripAdvisor, we check out Alchemy, Not Just a Pub.  Though it has an outdoor patio, we enjoy sitting inside in their Irish Pub type setting with its dark decor, bar, and unique inside tables.  Impressive!  The bartenders are very friendly and welcoming.  The menu boasts that “The Reuben Rolls appetizer is back!”  Sounds like something we should try.  Richard orders an Irish favorite a Smithwick’s Red Ale while I enjoy the Chardonnay, Bota Box.  The Reuben Rolls are tangy and delicious.  Perfect for a light snack along with our beer and wine. The Alchemy menu offers a very good variety of sandwiches and some entrees.  Yes, Alchemy has a very wide selection of libations, too.

Chow down at the Front Range BBQ
On the recommendation of our driver (Prairie Dog) on the Adventure Out West Garden of the Gods Jeep Tour, we stop in Old Colorado City at Front Range BBQ.  With 100 degree temperatures, initially we step out to the outside dining area and quickly choose to dine inside.  Looking at the menu, we see their BBQ sandwich specialty is “The Sloppy Pig.”  Exciting, it was featured on the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives television show.  It includes smoked pork, grilled kielbasa, bacon, BBQ sauce, Cole slaw, pickles and onion straws on a sweet potato roll.  It’s HEARTY!  Richard orders the Sloppy Pig.  While Guy Fieri probably smashed it and open his jaws for a huge bite, Richard opts to eat it in layers.  I am very pleased with my Pulled Chicken Sandwich with spicy Cole slaw.  Plenty of food for two hungry tourists today.

Other Eateries in the Colorado Springs

Cerberus Brewing Company – Offers Hearty Unique Foods and Great Beer
Arriving in Colorado Springs on the 4th of July brings challenges of finding eateries open.  Seeing that Cerberus Brewing Company is a recommended eatery in our rental unit, we’re off to check it out.  Crowded!  Thankfully, the restaurant has a Waitlist System and their Beer Garten has outside space to sit, sip drinks and snack on appetizers while waiting for a table.  Finally, seated inside we are glad to be in the cool air conditioning and ready for some good food.  The wait staff are terrific.  Here we see quick, efficient and good team work.  Enjoying our drinks, as we cool off, we share the fresh Caesar Salad, which is large for a side salad.  Glad we share it.  The Smoked Brisket, Beer-infused Mac & Cheese with Bread Crumbs, Fire on the Mountain Sauce, and BeerBQ Sauce sure sounds like a very hearty dish.  We decide to share it, too.  Wow!  Lots of tender brisket tops the creamy cheesy macaroni with the tanginess of the sauces.  Delicious!  Such a large serving, we take home the leftovers for a warmup.  Overall a very good dining experience.

The Steakhouse at Flying Horse -Terrific Happy Hour & Impressive Restaurant
After golfing The Club at Flying Horse, we visit The Steakhouse at Flying Horse.  A very nice upscale restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for The Lodge at Flying Horse guests, as well as, non-club members.  Sitting at the bar, we are pleased it is Happy Hour.  The bar area has great views of the golf course, which creates a special atmosphere as we sip our beer and the house wine.  After 28 holes of golf we are hungry but not ready for a full dinner.

Checking the appetizer menu, we order the Hummus Tray.  Yes, appetizers are on Happy Hour, too.  The Hummus Tray is impressive.  In addition to the tasty hummus with warm pita bread, it also includes an array of crispy fresh veggies and delectable olives.  DELICIOUS!  Additionally, the Steakhouse offers upscale dining from its full menu.  Anyone seeking a special dining experience whether for just a really nice dinner or special celebration will be very satisfied with the offerings at the Steakhouse.  Plus it has awesome views of the golf course and the Rockies.  Outside dining is also available.  We highly recommend the Steakhouse to golfers before or after golf and anyone seeking a very nice dining experience.

It’s fun to get stung at the Broadmoor’s Golden Bee!
What’s all the buzz?  Celebrating 60 years at the Broadmoor, the Golden Bee is a true 19^th-century Irish Pub – loud, noisy and fun.  We visited The Broadmoor several years ago so we wanted to check out its many changes.  We highly recommend visitors to Colorado Springs at least visit the Broadmoor, even if it is just to walk the beautiful and scenic property.  Plus, The Broadmoor offers a wide variety of eateries from snacks to their AAA 5 Diamond Restaurant, the Penrose.  After strolling the grounds, the public areas of the buildings and shops, we are ready for a respite.  A fun eatery is the Golden Bee.  Having visited the Golden Bee before, we know it offers energy, warmth, and friendliness.  Sitting at the bar in the original section of the Golden Bee bar, we enjoy drinks and the excitement of this fun bar.  Get Stung!  The waitress “stings” us by tossing a bumble bee sticker.  Amazing the bees “sticks” to our shirts.  Guests save their bees for years!  Today, we enjoy sitting at the beautiful bar, sipping our drinks and chatting with the bartender.  They have a great menu with a variety of foods.  The Golden Bee is a fun atmosphere.

Colorado Mountain Brewing – Fun times in the Former Train Roundhouse
Our final dining experience is at Colorado Mountain Brewing.  On our way to various venues and activities while in Colorado Springs, we pass by this brewery.  On our Adventures Out West Jeep Tour, our driver recommends it for good beer and good food.  After golf and just finishing as the rains came, we are ready for some tasty food and libations.  Despite the rainy skies on this Sunday afternoon there is a long line waiting to be seated.  Hurrah, two seats are open at the bar.  I like sitting at the bar and looking out the huge arched window.  The restaurant is located in the former Roundhouse where trains would be serviced.  The windows are huge.  In the past the train engine would go through it into the Roundhouse for repair.  We thoroughly enjoy the setting along with their beers and wine.  Richard has half-pours of a couple of beers.  Very good!  Our meals of Fish & Chips and their Salmon Salad with mango salsa are terrific.  Good Food, Good Wine, Good Beers and a wonderful finish to our week in Colorado Springs.

Yes, foodies will delight in the eclectic eateries in Colorado Springs.  On our week visit, we just barely sampled the variety of eateries this amazing city offers.  Sometimes we preplan to visit a restaurant while most of the time we are spontaneous on where we dine.  Usually, it fits in with what activity we have done or where we have been.  In any case it is easy to find great good, good service, and a wide variety of welcoming eateries in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Cheers!  Now we are off to more adventures in Durango, Colorado.