Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Estes Park, Colorado
In late spring we visited Colorado and stayed in Estes Park, a mountain town located just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park. It is here we ate at The Egg of Estes, Notchtop Bakery and Café, Bird & Jim Colorado Cuisine, The Cascades at the Stanley Hotel, Rock Inn Mountain Tavern, and Claire's Restaurant & Bar. Estes Park is located 70 miles northwest of Denver, sits at over 7,500 feet in elevation, and is home to over 6,000 residents. It is filled with quaint shops and restaurants just like the ones we visited. We stayed at the Lofts of Estes, a modern living area just under a large rock structure and in close proximity to the downtown area. Additionally, Estes Park is abundant with wildlife. Although the moose, bears, mountain lion and fox are elusive, the mule deer and elk are common sights and make for an absolutely picturesque setting.

CONTENTS
00:00 Teaser Intro
00:33 Map and Overview
01:27 The Egg of Estes
02:36 Notchtop Bakery and Café
04:10 Bird & Jim Colorado Cuisine
07:36 The Cascades at The Stanley
10:57 The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern
13:41 Claire's Restaurant & Bar

The Egg of Estes is a “home away from home” eatery and a great place to fuel up before venturing out into the Colorado Rockies. It used to be one location in a national franchise, but have evolved into a fully independent breakfast and lunch destination. They have everything from healthy frittatas, oatmeal, yogurt, and avocado toast to a full range of egg sandwiches, breakfast burritos, omelettes, skillets, scrambles, pancakes and waffles. And their execution is spoton.

Notchtop Bakery and Café , named for the 12,129 foot mountain in the nearby national park, uses local and natural ingredients to create scrumptious madefromscratch breakfast and lunch dishes. Their menu emphasizes downhome favorites with portions that never leave you hungry. Their menu is extensive, ranging from hashes, breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, scrambles and benedicts to oatmeals, french toast, waffles and pancakes. And that’s just their breakfast menu. Lunch provides an equaled variety. Notchtop delivers top notch quality in early day dining.

Two pioneers of the region, Isabella Bird and Mountain Jim, became the inspiration for the founders of Bird & Jim. Today this ingredientdriven kitchen claims to provide modern mountain dining when they serve up Colorado cuisine. They pride themselves on the use of local, sustainable, and healthy foods and, as a result, have an ever evolving menu. Fresh takes on classics include tuna wontons, duck wings, and their own buffalo burger. Combine their outstanding food with an extensive drink selection and you have true fine dining in a casual atmosphere.

The Stanley is a grand hotel that opened its doors back in 1909 and is most famous for being the inspiration behind Stephen King’s novel The Shining. This historic structure has been renovated several times and offers unique room experiences, including a stay at one of the “spirited” rooms that are described as having high paranormal activity. Among the amenities at the Stanley is fine dining at the Cascades Restaurant, serving classic, fresh and innovative American dishes with a local flair. Some of the most popular items include the Colorado Game Meatloaf, Filet Mignon and Grilled Elk Loin. They also have an extensive whiskey bar with wines, cocktails, single malt scotches and the largest collection of whiskeys in Colorado. Among the guests who have visited the Cascades Restaurant are Bob Dylan, P!nk, Jim Carrey, Barbara Streisand, John McCain, and Stephen King.

The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern is a rustic local restaurant that serves up carefully sourced foods with occasional live music. The original structure was built in 1937 as a sandwich shop at the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance and a dance hall was added in 1943. Two woodburning fireplaces warm guests in the winter while views from the outdoor patio are ideal in the summer. Their menu is described as having a blend of handcrafted, hearty comfort food with a health and planet conscious twist.

Claire's Restaurant and Bar is a familyowned business that strives to use the fresh ingredients and locally sourced products whenever possible. This down home atmosphere was ideal for a late night dessert and coffee before closing out the evening.