The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern

About

The building went up in 1937 as a sandwich shop and added a dance hall in 1943, and live music is still the main event. The Rock Inn sits out on Highway 66, about two miles from downtown. The room is warm and a little historic, with a full bar, and the music calendar is worth checking before you go.

Trout is the dish people order most, with the stroganoff, bison meatballs and elk sausage behind it, and bacon-wrapped dates to start. Filet mignon and a loaded potato soup fill in around them. The beef is Gold Canyon Angus, the chicken is natural Colorado, and the beer and wine lean local and sustainably made.

Two wood-burning stoves heat the room in winter, which makes it one of the better cold-night tables in the valley. It's dinner only, opening in the late afternoon, so plan the evening around it. Bar seats suit a solo night, there's a kids' menu, and dogs are allowed on the patio.