Dozens of new places to stay, eat and play in Colorados ski towns this winter – The Denver Post

New to Colorados ski towns this winter: Revamped hotel rooms, on-mountain dining upgrades and restaurants that will transport you right to the Alps from your table in the Rockies.

From Steamboat to Telluride, and all along the I-70 corridor, were tracking dozens of new dining, drinking and overnight stops. Many of these destinations have been waiting to open their doors since the start of the pandemic. Here are nearly 40 hotels, restaurants, bars and lounges that have opened since last ski season.

Provided by Limelight Hotel

Limelight Aspen reopened at the end of November after undergoing an eight-month renovation that spruced up the lounge, lobby and bar areas, as well as all of the 126 guest rooms. Members can check out the re-opened Aspen Mountain Clubthis season. Its pandemic redesign was a first for the 21-year-old members club. New York-based Felix Roasting Co. designed a postcard-worthy cafe that opened in September at the Hotel Jerome.

Chicafrom celebrity chef Lorena Garcia debuts in December at the Residences at the Little Nell. Catch Steak, another NYC transplant, this season unveils its sprawling rooftop at the corner of Galena Street and Hopkins Avenue. Casa DAngelo, an Italian restaurant from chef-owner Angelo Elia, came to Mill Street in July. Dante, also from New York, returns this season serving cocktails and coastal Italian food from the Chefs Club at the St. Regis. And the iconic Woody Creek Tavern reopened over the summer under new, local owners. Look for a revamped food menu in the same funky setting.

Provided by Vail Resorts

The newest restaurant in Beaver Creek Village opened alongside the ice rink at the end of November. Citrea features upscale dining with a village-center patio and an intimate bar inside. Menu items range from fresh-baked pita bread and muhammara to prawn tagine and whole-roasted striped bass.

The Breckenridge Distillerys new Founders Lab takes drinkers behind the scenes, teaching them the tricks of a master whiskey blender for a few hours. The experience ends by hand-bottling and custom-labeling your own whiskey. Tin Plate pizza and Dynamite Cookies nearby pair local brews with sourdough pizza and homemade desserts. The two sister businesses are located in a historic building where Toms Baby, Colorados largest gold nugget, was once stashed. And at the reopened Gravity Haus Breck hotel, guests, members and visitors can dine in winterized snow cabanas throughout ski season.

Montanya Distillers debuts its Elk Avenue cocktail bar and tasting room later this month. The new space is part of a larger transition for the award-winning Colorado rum brand, which is expanding distilling operations and will re-start distillery tours for visitors in early 2022. The Elk Avenue space will be led by general manager and head chef Nontobeko Mbokwana-Tilton.

Element 29 hotel opened in the spring with 127 guest rooms in Copper Mountains Center Village. Expect panoramic views of Copper Mountain and the Sky Chutes, a hotel bar and an outdoor patio with fire pits and two hot tubs.

Summit Countys first food hall, Bluebird Market, should open the week of Dec. 13. Its 10 food stalls serve burgers, salads, pizza, tacos, fried chicken, crepes, baked goods, ice cream, coffee and more. The Pad is a hotel/hostel option, new this ski season in the Silverthorne downtown corridor. Its constructed from 18 shipping containers and features 36 rooms ranging from private higher-end suites to dorm-style bunks. See also: an onsite restaurant, Graze and Torreys, a rooftop bar and event space, co-working, riverside patios and a hot tub.

Mountain Home Photo, Provided by Viewline Resort

The Westin closed in April for a multimillion-dollar renovation and reopens this month as Viewline Resort, featuring an ayurvedic Lupine Spa and a new restaurant, Starks Alpine Grill, serving American fare. Its more casual sister hotel, Wildwood, also reopens this season, with 60s-era furnishings and a new restaurant, Last Chair.

Ski town favorite Aurum will unveil its third location in Snowmass Base Village on Dec. 17. Find menu items like Parker House rolls, crispy curried cauliflower, housemade pasta and warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Kenichi, an Aspen standby, comes to Snowmass on Dec. 11, serving sushi and Pan-Asian cuisine. On the mountain, Alpin Room serves food inspired by the French, Swiss, and Austrian Alps warm popovers, tartiflette, choucroute garnie, and Black Forest tart are some of the options.

LTB Meatbar is the latest restaurant opening from local celebrity Laura the Butcher. It serves imported Spanish jamn, specialty cheeses and more charcuterie on Lincoln Avenue. Storm Peak Brewing Co. has an expanded rooftop patio coming this season, as well as a new tasting room right by the ski resort. Steamboat Lake Outpost (formerly Hahns Peak Roadhouse) reopens under new ownership on Dec. 11 with lodging, guided outdoor adventures and a full-service restaurant and bar. And by the end of 2021, Mad Creek BBQ & Saloon will open in the former Tap House location, serving smoked brisket, whole and half chickens, ribs and side dishes.

The Madeline Hotel & Residencesthis season has some swanky new common areas check out its lobby, library and the lodge-lux Timber Room serving apps like Devilish Eggs with shaved black truffle, and baked potatoes topped with crme frache and Russian osetra caviar.

Provided by The Hythe

The Hythes $40 million renovation in Lionshead Village just debuted, complete with a heated pool and hut tub, plus a Well & Being Spa complete with a salt therapy lounge. The hotels new restaurant, Margie Haas, serves up contemporary alpine-American food (look for tableside raclette with all the fixings), while a collaboration bar with 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company prepares warming local drinks in the lobby.

Provided by Gravity Haus

On the heels of Breckenridge and Vail hotel openings from the same company comes Gravity Haus Winter Park. The 38-room hotel and members club replaced the Sundowner before it and added its adventure-seekers touch, plus a new cafe, fitness area and snow cabanas. A-Frame Club, a brand new resort with midcentury-inspired structures, will open by February. And on-mountain dining option Ember at Snoasis servesa wood-fired menu overlooking Winter Park, while Bradleys at the Base will bring tasty, scratch-made chicken dishes later in the season.

Courtesy of Zeppelin Development

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Dozens of new places to stay, eat and play in Colorados ski towns this winter - The Denver Post