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Back in the saddle: The Geiger Counter’s weekend picks

Outer Range Brewing Co.’s Blocks of Light is an India pale ale bursting with flavor. The tropical notes make it a fan favorite when on tap.
Photo from Outer Range Brewing Co.

Don’t know what to do this weekend? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Pull up a seat to the counter, and I’ll tell you about everything that’s hot and happening.

Hello, Summit County! I am back. Did you miss me? In October, Summit Daily News Assistant Editor Steven Josephson and I sort of switched roles, with him covering the arts and entertainment beat while I took a behind-the-scenes position of copy editing and page design. Now, the time has come to switch again, and I’m your new/old arts and entertainment editor.

It mainly will be a return to form, but I am also doing some work with our seasonal magazines in addition to covering local nonprofits. As always, if there’s something I should know about, you can reach me at jgeiger@summitdaily.com or 970-668-4612.



Though I never really left, it feels good to be on the front end again, getting out in the community and reconnecting with the county’s culture. I’m not traveling much because of the pandemic, but whenever I’m gone for a while, there are always a couple of things I yearn for that I want as soon as I’m home. Here are some of my Summit County comforts:

Chicken-fried chicken from Dillon Dam Brewery

Even if I was hypothetically just on vacation in the South and enjoying local fried chicken, chances are high that one of my first meals back in Summit County would be a plate of chicken-fried chicken from Dillon Dam Brewery.



It wasn’t the first dish I fell in love with — that would be the discontinued Zurich burger — but after one bite, it became a standby. The crispy breading and the creamy mashed potatoes complement each other extremely well to make a great pick-me-up.

Blocks of Light from Outer Range Brewing Co.

Sure, the Dam has plenty of fine beers to wash down their hearty food, yet a New England-style India pale ale from Frisco’s Outer Range Brewing Co. is difficult to beat. I’ll nab a juicy Blocks of Light IPA whenever I can because the brewery’s menu changes so frequently. The juicy Mosaic and Galaxy hops turn the beer into a refreshing thirst-quencher of tropical fruit flavors.

Eggs Butterhorn from Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe

I’m a sucker for eggs Benedict. The yolks from poached eggs, along with the hollandaise sauce, elevate dry English muffins and potatoes to something wonderful. If a restaurant puts a spin on a classic, you can bet I’ll try it. Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe’s signature dish adds avocado, swaps the muffins for a buttery croissant and uses a roasted red pepper sauce instead of hollandaise. I’ve been a fan for years.

Any flavor from Higgles Ice Cream

Another establishment that knows how to add unique flair is Breckenridge’s Higgles Ice Cream. Flavors like banana bread, maple bacon, rum raisin, key lime pie, and fig and honey are added to the menu daily. Cold weather is no reason to shun one’s sweet tooth, so get out there and grab a scoop.

A Breckenridge Distillery cocktail

Rotating options make it challenging to highlight a specific item when recommending the Breckenridge Distillery to friends and family. Thankfully, the restaurant’s cocktail list keeps a few standards on deck, supplemented by newer craft concoctions. A personal favorite that stands the test of time is the Obi-Wan Old Fashioned. It’s simultaneously recognizable and different with the whiskey finished in port casks as a base and a brandied cherry garnish.

Jefferson Geiger
What I’m Watching

‘Ted Lasso’

A fantastic show that combines the familiar with the foreign is Apple TV+’s wholesome “Ted Lasso.” Starring Jason Sudeikis as the titular sports coach, Lasso goes from heading an American college football team to an English Premiere League football team, that is, soccer. It’s a heartwarming comedy that’s more than a simple fish-out-of-water tale.

Akin to the popular “Schitt’s Creek,” the good-natured humor comes from the naive Lasso bearing his soul and being a respectful, optimistic coach to his players rather than caring about wins. The smart and silly pep talks are something I wish I heard when I played soccer as a kid.

It doesn’t just make you laugh; it makes you genuinely happy and hopeful.

Jefferson Geiger is the arts and entertainment editor for the Summit Daily News.


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