Daily Archives: November 12, 2009

Winter Park Colorado | Five Best Places to Have a Beer

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Have a beer in Winter Park ColoradoBest Places to Have a Beer in Winter Park, Colorado

There was a time when there wasn’t even five places to have a beer here in Winter Park.  But growth is the name of the game and Winter Park has done some growing and we have lotsa lotsa places you can belly on up and have a cold one.  I thought I would share my five favorite locals were I can have a frosty and relish that we live here in the grandest of  places Grand County, Colorado.

Cheeky Monk: Less than a year old and located in the Winter Park Village the Monk serves up some of the finest beers known to man.  An all Belgium beer draft menu and a whole lot of bottles to choose from, this is where you go to savor the beer.  Great place after skiing and really good people/tourist watching.

The Winter Park Pub: An old favorite that has what you are looking for -  live music, Guinness on draft and the NFL Sunday ticket.  Smells a bit like stale beer when you walk in but that is what makes a local bar a local bar.

Tabernash Tavern: They call themselves a wine bar but I do see most men drinking beer here.  A bit of a stretch as Tabernash Tavern is in Tabernash but they have a great bar and a good selection of beer, I don’t think they serve Schlitz though.  Also, I could conceivably walk home from here if I had a few too many.

Hernando’s Pizza Pub: They have a great selection of beers on tap and their bartenders do a great job,  maybe the best in all of WP.  Can be crazy busy around traditional dinner time but great fun if you can wedge yourself into a seat at the bar.  Best pizza in Winter Park so get some to go or have a pie at the bar.

Heck’s Tavern at Devils Thumb Ranch: The architecture and the atmosphere make it worth the drive out to Devils Thumb Ranch.  If you are a cross country skier it couldn’t be more convenient. Ski Grand County’s best cross country trails and stop in to see a spectacular room.

So there are my favorite places to have a beer in Winter Park or maybe in Grand County.  Feel like sharing, leave your faves in the comments below.

Lime at Winter Park Village

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Lime Winter Park Colorado

Lime in Winter Park Will Open for Ski Season

Lime in Winter Park will open back up for this coming 2009/10 ski season.  After having liens from Intrawest on their front door for non-payment of rent for the last year they have now negotiated some kind of settlement and will open back up sometime next week.  This we hear from an unnamed Intrawest employee.  Could we have a Grand County version of the AIG bailout? Too big to fail in in Winter Park Village?  I guess if you are 50% of the market, as Lime was last year in Winter Park Village, that is pretty darn big. Well, kudos to Lime.  I would have missed their Taco Tuesday and they have very good margaritas.

We will now have four restaurants in the Village this year:  Cheeky Monk, Lime, Goody’s and The Back Bowl Soup Company.  Oh yes, lets not forget Doc’s, Intrawest’s eatery in the Zephyr Mountain Lodge building.  So that gives us five eateries or bars,  almost New York like.  All kidding aside, it should be a much more happening base now we are getting some fill in of the new village space.

As a former restaurant person I have some suggestions for Lime for the coming year and take it or leave it as it’s only my humble opinion.  First and foremost, make sure your employees want to be in Winter Park.  When your bartender tells you he hates Winter Park and can’t wait to leave, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, especially for those of us that get to live in this paradise.  Hire a manager that will stick around for more than two months.  Figure out how to keep the cold air from freezing the patrons when the front door opens.  Winter Park/Fraser has been known as the ice box of the nation for years, I hope that somehow went into construction planning.  Lastly, if you have an open display kitchen make it worthy of being on display.  If not, build a wall and hide the mess.  Again, just the restaurant side of my brain wanting to help.

So, I guess a welcome back is warranted to Lime.  Glad you are back in the village and you will see me after a day of skiing at the bar with a beer and a shot of Patron.