Summit County restaurants offer alternatives to cooking for Christmas
kdriscoll@summitdaily.com
Did we miss you?
Did we miss your holiday dining special? If you have a dining special taking place through Tuesday, Dec. 30, and would like it to be added to the online version of this story, or if you would like to be part of an additional story that will be published next week detailing New Year’s Eve dining specials and parties, email the information to arts and entertainment editor Krista Driscoll at kdriscoll@summitdaily.com.
If you’re visiting Summit County or just want to avoid the hassle of cooking a holiday meal for your family or friends, let one of these restaurants do the work while you kick back and wait for Santa to bring you a powder day. Many restaurants around the county are closed for Christmas, so be sure to make reservations to secure your spot.
BRECKENRIDGE
• Blue River Bistro (305 N. Main St., (970) 453-6974) will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, serving the full regular menu and holiday dinner specials. The Bistro also features live music Sunday through Thursday nights for the winter season.
• Blue Stag Saloon (323 S. Main St., (970) 453-2221) will be open on Christmas Eve, serving its full menu including new wood-fired pizzas. On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, the restaurant will have a special Christmas dinner option, with choice of ham or turkey, stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes and all of the fixings that grandma would make. The dinner is $21 for adults and $14 for children.
• Czech It Out (500 S. Main St., (970) 423-6033) will be open Christmas Eve serving its regular menu and closed for lunch but open for dinner from 4 p.m. to close Christmas Day, serving it’s full menu along with baked Atlantic cod with herb-wine risotto and creamy leek sauce for $26 and traditional homemade Christmas cookies for $5.
• Ember (106 E. Adams Ave., (970) 547-9595) will be serving its full menu, along with a couple of holiday specials on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Visit http://emberbreck.com for more details.
• Quandary Grille in Main Street Station (505 S Main St., C1, (970) 547-5969) will be serving its full menu on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, plus specials including fresh elk medallions, crab legs, roasted prime rib, fresh fish from Hawaii and a bunch of different appetizer specials.
• Salt Creek Steakhouse (110 Lincoln Ave., (970) 453-4949) will be serving a traditional Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with choice of turkey or ham, sides including mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, green beans almondine and more, plus three different dessert choices for $32. An a la carte Christmas dinner menu is also available, with appetizers, entrees ranging from $21 to $35 and desserts. Find the complete menu at http://www.saltcreekbreck.com.
• Sevens at the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 (1979 Ski Hill Road, (970) 496-8910) will be serving special lunch and dinner menu options on Christmas Day. Lunch items, served from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., include a Brie and cranberry baguette for $13.75 or beet and red cabbage borscht, a cup for $7.25 or a bowl for $9.50. Dinner specials run from 5 to 9 p.m. and include choice of spinach and pomegranate soup or beet and red cabbage borscht, entrée choice of prime rib or airline chicken and a dessert of eggnog panna cotta or ginger-chocolate cake for $35 per person.
• Spencer’s at Beaver Run Resort (620 Village Road, (970) 453-8755) will host a Christmas buffet on Thursday, Dec. 25, seating from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with entrees and sides, platters and salads, a seafood display, carving stations, artisan bread and soup kettle, finished with a holiday pie and cake display. Adults are $46, children 5 to 12 are $19, and children 4 and younger eat free, plus tax, gratuity and resort fees.
• Twist (200 S. Ridge St., (970) 547-7100) will be open with seasonal specials on Christmas Eve. The restaurant is closed on Christmas Day. Visit http://twistbreck.com for more information.
• The Warming Hut (207 N. Main St., (970) 389-3104) is running two specials on Christmas Eve, a rib eye steak with crab and chipotle butter, mashed potatoes and a seasonal vegetable or a grilled mahi with Asian slaw and sweet chili and Sriracha rice noodles, each $26. The restaurant is closed on Christmas Day.
• Other restaurants around town, including Briar Rose Chophouse & Saloon (109 Lincoln Ave., (970) 453-9948), Mi Casa Mexican Cantina (600 S. Park Ave., (970) 453-2071), The MotherLoaded Tavern (103 S. Main St., (970) 453-2572), Hearthstone Restaurant (130 S. Ridge St., (970) 453-1148), The Dredge Restaurant (180 Jefferson Ave., (970) 453-4877), Relish (137 S. Main St., (970) 453-0989) and Traverse Bar & Restaurant in The Lodge at Breckenridge (112 Overlook Drive, (970) 453-9300) are open various hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, serving their regular menus.
For more details on Breckenridge restaurants open for the Christmas holiday, call the Breckenridge Welcome Center at (877) 864-0868.
FRISCO
• Backcountry Brewery (720 Main St., (970) 668-2337) will be serving an all-you-can-eat Christmas buffet from noon to 7 p.m., including clam chowder, salads, sliced hams, turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, maple roasted sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, corn bread stuffing, cranberry relish, cinnamon-apple crisp, rolls and butter, pumpkin pie, apple pie and assorted desserts. The price is $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 5 to 12.
• The Lost Cajun (204 Main St., Frisco, (970) 668-4352; and 411 S. Main St., Breckenridge, (970) 547-8330) is cooking up Cajun-infused, deep-fried turkeys for Christmas. The restaurant charges $60 for just the turkey (10 to 12 pounds) or $98 for a whole meal, which includes two quarts of your choice of gumbo, crawfish etoufee, lobster bisque or red beans and rice with potato salad or coleslaw and French bread. Pick-up times are available from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Both restaurants are closed on Christmas Day.
KEYSTONE
• Skip the cooking, cleaning and preparation needed for hosting a Christmas dinner and enjoy a delicious meal at one of Keystone’s signature restaurants. On Thursday, Dec. 25, the Alpenglow Stube, Der Fondue Chessel, Dinner Sleigh Ride, Keystone Ranch, Ski Tip Lodge and Bighorn Bistro & Bar all offer special Christmas menus. Reservations are required; call (800) 354-4386.
• Bighorn Bistro (Keystone Lodge and Spa, (800) 354-4386) will host its new family brunch on Sunday, Dec. 21, and Sunday, Dec. 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., providing kids and adults with their very own buffets. Children will enjoy games, entertainment and a fun atmosphere with free supervision provided, while next door, adults will enjoy a classic brunch including mimosas and a Bloody Mary bar.
SILVERTHORNE
• Cultivating Spirits is hosting an All Things Cannabis Christmas Experience from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, through Tuesday, Dec. 23, and Friday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 28, at the Cultivating Spirits Eatery, 252 Warren Ave. in Silverthorne. Tour High Country Healing’s state-of-the-art grow facility, learn about the methods and medical benefits of cooking with cannabis in a cannabis cooking class taught by Jessica Catalano, author of the “Ganja Kitchen Revolution,” and tuck into a three-course gourmet Christmas-themed dinner prepared by Catalano. The cost is $299 per couple. Visit http://cultivatingspirits.com or call (970) 368-2446 for more information or to register.
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