#Summit County, Colorado.
Thanksgiving can be a time of high anxiety if you aren’t a wiz in the kitchen. If baking the turkey, whipping the gravy, mastering a mountain of side dishes and trotting out pumpkin, pecan and chocolate pies (because the kids won’t eat pumpkin and your uncle refuses to acknowledge Thanksgiving without pecan pie) is the stuff of your worst nightmares, relax — Summit County restaurants have you covered. From traditional turkey dinner to surf and turf, leave the cooking to the experts and take advantage of one of these stress-free Thanksgiving feasts.
DILLON
• Pug Ryan’s Brewing Co. (104 Village Place) will be open for Thanksgiving, serving its regular menu, plus a special Thanksgiving dinner starting at 2 p.m. The all-inclusive Thanksgiving dinner includes roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans and yams, plus pumpkin pie, for $21.99 for adults and $9.99 for children. Reservations are suggested but not required; call (970) 468-2145.
BRECKENRIDGE
• Blue River Bistro (305 N. Main St.) will offer a traditional three-course Thanksgiving spread in addition to its regular menu. The first course is a pear and roasted chestnut bisque; main course is garlic and thyme-roasted turkey, roasted onion and Fontina mashed potatoes, apple and walnut stuffing, bourbon-brown sugar spiced yams and cinnamon-cider cranberry sauce; and the third course is pumpkin cheesecake with maple-chocolate sauce. The three-course dinner is $30 for adults, $12 for children. Reservations are strongly suggested and are quickly filling up; call (970) 453-6974.
• Hearthstone Restaurant (130 S. Ridge St.) will be serving a four-course plated Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the holiday. The meal starts with roasted carrot and red quinoa salad, with organic field greens, shaved Bartlett pears, Jumpin’ Good goat cheese and apple cider dressing; followed by Colorado butternut squash soup with ginger creme fraiche and sage. The main course is roasted breast of turkey with sherry gravy, cranberry-orange compote, pheasant-cognac sausage and hazelnut cornbread stuffing, Yukon gold potatoes gratin, roasted Colorado red beets with aged balsamic vinegar glaze and Colorado green beans with organic hazel dell mushroom duxelle. Finish it off with pumpkin crème brûlée, Colorado apple pecan crumble or sweet potato cake with caramel sauce. Dinner is $44 for adults and $14 for children younger than 12 and runs from 2 p.m. to about 10 p.m. The regular Hearthstone menu will not be available Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are required; call (970) 453-1148.
• Modis (113 S. Main St.) will be featuring its original menu, as well as a Thanksgiving Day turkey special, starting at 3 p.m. The special will include roasted, all-natural turkey with house-made gravy, steamed cauliflower with cheddar cheese sauce, sage and parsley stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, house-made biscuits and house-made cranberry coulis. The price is $28 for adults and $12 for children. Reservations are strongly suggested; call (970) 453-4330.
• The MotherLoaded Tavern (103 S. Main St.) will be serving a Thanksgiving dinner in its home-cooked style. The restaurant will feature its full menu — or get a roasted turkey breast Thanksgiving plate for $10.95 — from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids pay $5.95. The MotherLoaded will reopen Friday at 11:30 a.m. Call (970) 453-2572.
• Quandary Grille (Main Street Station, 505 S Main St., C1) is doing a variety of dinner deals for Thanksgiving. One option is a traditional turkey dinner, with white and dark meat, honey-cured ham, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, corn, corn bread, dinner rolls and cranberry sauce for $19 for adults and $12 for children. Another choice is prime rib, house seasoned and slow roasted for six hours and served with two sides, creamy horseradish sauce and au jus, 8 ounces for $19 or 12 ounces for $23. For the little ones, Quandary has mac and cheese, dino nuggets, corn dogs, hamburgers, penne pasta with butter or marinara and grilled cheese on sourdough. Reservations are recommended; call (970) 547-5969.
• Sevens (Grand Lodge on Peak 7, 1979 Ski Hill Road) will be serving special Thanksgiving-themed lunch items from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner for $35 from 5 to 9 p.m. The meal begins with roasted beet salad or roasted butternut squash stew, followed by a turkey dinner with gravy, thyme sweet potatoes, Italian sausage apple stuffing, corn casserole and cranberry-orange compote. Dessert is cinnamon-apple bread pudding served a la mode. Reservations are recommended but not required; call (970) 496-8910.
• Spencer’s (Beaver Run Resort, 620 Village Road) will set out a gourmet buffet featuring chef-attended pasta and meat-carving stations, soups and breads, cheese and crudité platters and salads, a seafood display with snow crab and peel-and-eat shrimp and all the traditional foods that accompany a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. The buffet will be available Thanksgiving Day, with seatings from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adults dine for $46 and kids younger than 12 for $16, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are recommended but not required; call (970) 453-8755.
FRISCO
• Backcountry Brewery (720 Main St.) will be serving an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., including clam chowder, salads, smoked turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, corn bread stuffing, cranberry relish, cinnamon-apple crisp, rolls and butter, pumpkin pie and apple pie. The price is $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 5 to 12. Reservations are recommended; call (970) 668-2337.
• Bagalis Restaurant (320 Main St.) will be serving a three-course Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the holiday, along with the restaurant’s full menu, for both lunch and dinner. The special includes a choice of butternut squash soup or field green salad with pears, grapes, almonds, mozzarella cheese and roasted pear vinaigrette; a main course option of Colorado “Red Bird” turkey prepared two ways and served with mashed potatoes, maple and brown sugar sweet potatoes, French-style green beans and a Grand Marnier orange-cranberry compote or braised rabbit fettuccini, with house-made pasta, butternut squash and beet greens; and a third course of either pumpkin-chevre cheesecake with maple cream and fruit compote or dark and white chocolate mouse with raspberry compote served in a martini glass. The price is $35 for adults, with an optional wine pairing for an additional cost, and $13 for children ages 13 and younger. Reservations are highly recommended; call (970) 668-0601.
• The Lost Cajun (204 Main St., Frisco, and 411 S. Main St., Breckenridge) is cooking up Cajun-infused, deep-fried turkeys for Thanksgiving. The restaurant charges $55 for just the turkey (10 to 12 pounds) or $99 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 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Call (970) 547-8330 for Breckenridge or (970) 668-4352 for the Frisco location.
KEYSTONE
• Bighorn Bistro & Bar at Keystone Lodge & Spa (22101 U.S. Highway 6) will host a Thanksgiving Day buffet from 3 to 8 p.m. Buffet items include soups, salads, antipasti with cured meats, cheeses and marinated and pickled vegetables, poached shrimp, cured salmon and smoked trout with artisan breads, spreads and preserves, entrees ranging from herb-roasted turkey with cornbread dressing and candied yams to pork loin medallions with caramelized apples and onions to Scottish salmon with lemon-thyme sauce. Top it all off with a chocolate fountain with assorted dipping items, pumpkin pie, crème brulee and more. The price is $49.95 for adults, $25 for children ages 6 to 12, and children 5 and younger are free. Reservations are recommended; call (970) 496-4386.
• The Ski Tip Lodge (764 Montezuma Road) is offering a four-course Thanksgiving menu for $75 for adults and a three-course menu for children 12 and younger for $45, with three seatings at 4, 5:30 and 7:45 p.m. Sample menu items range from duck or butternut squash soup to salads and appetizers, with entrees from bacon-wrapped turkey to flat-iron steak to venison short loin, finished with a chef’s choice of desserts. Reservations are recommended; call (970) 496-4386 for more details.
• Keystone Ranch Restaurant (1239 Keystone Ranch Road) is bringing out a four-course, holiday-inspired menu for Thanksgiving, which includes soup, salad, entrée and dessert. The meal is $65 for adults, or get a three-course children’s option for $18. Reservations are recommended; call (970) 496-4187 for more details.
• The Black Bear Grill in the Inn at Keystone (23044 U.S. Highway 6) is serving a three-course Thanksgiving meal, starting with a choice of house salad or Southwest corn chowder. Entrée options include traditional roasted tom turkey with sage dressing, mashed potatoes, natural gravy, orange cranberry relish and green beans; certified Angus beef prime rib au jus with mashed potatoes, horseradish cream and green beans; or sesame-grilled salmon with soy ginger glaze, steamed jasmine rice and zucchini ribbons. Dessert is pumpkin pie with whipped cream or apple pie a la mode. The price is $29 for adults or $12 for children, and reservations are recommended; call (970) 496-4386.
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
