Tennessee Pass Cookhouse

It's hard to believe that we've already spent 4 weeks here in the mountains. Overall, it's been great, but we missed several days of skiing due to bad weather. So, with just 5 days left, we plan to ski every day!

Today though was just gorgeous - high temps and sunny - so we drove again to the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse (commonly known as the Yurt) for lunch. The scenery from the deck of the Yurt is just breathtaking. As mentioned earlier in my BLOG, the food there is scrumptious.

What I loved about it today was that the food was just as good as the first time. It's hard for a restaurant to provide consistently good fare, but they met the challenge. There were 8 of us and everyone loved the food ranging from buffalo burgers to salmon croissants to Roxanne's famous cookies.

They also offer a experience a unique dining adventure for $75.00 which include a four-course gourmet dinner. There's only one seating daily starting with the group meeting at the Nordic Center (base of Ski Cooper in Leadville) at 5:30pm. All entrees must be ordered ahead of time. See their website for the menu: http://www.tennesseepass.com/cookhouse.htm

Owners Roxanne and Ty are multi-talented, very personable and make you feel welcome from the minute you check in. For a unique, memorable dining experience, you must try the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse!

Leadville CO

My sister, Paula and I spent Saturday in Leadville, Co. Sitting at 10,430 feet elevation, it's the highest incorporated city in North America's. In its hey-day, Leadville was the West's richest silver mining Boom Town.

The Main Street area is a quaint throw-back to frontier towns. The buildings there have been so authentically restored that the area has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District. Anyone who loves the outdoors will enjoy a visit to Leadville. Check out the many activities at http://www.leadville.com/leadville/

My friends, Mary and Terry live there. They suggested that we visit Tennessee Pass Nordic Center & lunch at the Cookhouse Restaurant which is located in a Yurt. You can either snowshoe to the Yurt or ride a snowmobile. I opted for the ride as I didn’t feel I’d be up to snowshoeing almost 3 miles round trip at that altitude.

The luncheon menu is priced very reasonably but the dinner menu is quite high at $75.00 per person.

I tried the grilled salmon croissant which was so delicious. It was an interesting combination with baked brie and strawberries on the sandwich and served with potatoes and vegetables. At $15.00 I thought it was quite reasonable. They also have some unusual fare such as their Buffalo Burger.

What a great way to spend an afternoon with friends! For more info on the Yurt dining experience, go to http://www.tennesseepass.com/index.htm