Well folks, this post might not be as exciting as other food posts. The simple truth is, we found ourselves gravitating toward the same two spots in Ouray, and our other culinary excursions were a bit of a mixed bag.
Ouray Dinners: The Outlaw & Ouray Brewery
Ouray Brewery was a highlight, largely due to the great conversations we had there. A serious-looking man outside manages the flow, and once it was our turn, we headed up to the third-floor outdoor deck. Just as we were deciding where to sit, a sudden downpour hit. We asked a friendly older couple if we could share their covered table, and they graciously agreed. The beers went down easy, and we soon struck up a conversation with them. After they left we chatted with another couple who asked to share our table. The evening was so light and happy that after about 90 minutes and seeing everyone else’s delicious-looking burgers, we decided to get dinner. My friend got the hamburger and fries, while I opted for the Thai Coconut Quinoa Salad (Thai style salad mix with napa cabbage and snap peas. Topped with fresh mango, cucumber, carrot, red onion, cilantro, coconut quinoa, toasted peanuts and crispy wonton strips. Served with our Thai Vinaigrette on the side.) My biggest complaint is the cucumbers were big and I couldn’t cut them because there were no knives out. The vinaigrette had an addictive taste, I ate the whole thing, minus some cucumber, even though I wasn’t very hungry.
We ate at The Outlaw for dinner twice, which tells you how much we enjoyed it. The first night, our young waitress, Courtney, was lovely. As a steakhouse, my vegetarian options were limited, so I chose the salmon. We paired it with a bottle of Federalist Red Zinfandel, which was delicious. They brought over a basket of extremely hot bread, and I appreciated that the butter on the table was already soft. The bread and wine were heavenly. My salmon entree, with its delightful lemon butter cream sauce, was fantastic and paired beautifully with the mashed potatoes. My only complaint? The side vegetables were a stingy, barely-there portion. My friend’s filet mignon was reportedly excellent, but her vegetables suffered the same fate. The dinner was so good, she immediately declared she wanted to come back the next night to have my salmon.
And so we did. The second night, our waiter, Kale, suggested the trout since it was locally caught. We started with the baked artichoke heart appetizer (sauteed in a white wine, onion, garlic, red pepper and cheese sauce) that came with a fresh loaf of bread. We both ended up ordering the trout (in a lemon butter white wine sauce — we asked for the salmon sauce to add to it), but in hindsight, I actually preferred the frozen salmon from the night before! We splurged on the key lime pie for dessert, which was delicious but not your typical key lime pie….maybe because the crust was so thick.
Both nights, our wait was around 20 minutes, which was perfectly manageable. The first night, we enjoyed the ambiance of an indoor table and a piano player; the second, we savored the mountain air from an outside table.
Lunches, Breakfasts & a Roadside Trailer
Our breakfast experiences were a bit of a mixed bag. Smokehouse BBQ, recommended by a couple at the brewery, is located in a trailer park with a small menu. While they raved about the Smokehouse Benedict with chimichurri, I ended up with a burrito, and my friend had french connection (pancakes with berries). The food was good enough, but I was definitely a bit jealous I hadn’t been more adventurous with my order.
We also went to the Yankee Girl Cafe for a couple of breakfasts. The first time, we were in a hurry, so we got a to-go order. My toasted everything bagel with cream cheese was a bit pricey at $9, but my friend raved about her breakfast sandwich, which had sausage wrapped in crispy cheese. It was so good she was curious if their other breakfasts, sitting down, would be as tasty, so the next day, we went back. I got the make your own omelet with just cheese, and she got the traditional breakfast with crispy bacon. The food was underwhelming, and honestly, by day four, I was tired of eggs and would have been thrilled with some yogurt or oatmeal, which they didn’t offer.
For lunch one day, we went to Timberline Deli. When I asked about the vegetable sandwich, the offerings of lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and cheese sounded more like toppings than a full sandwich, so embracing my new pescatarian while traveling food options, I ordered a tuna melt on rye. I hadn’t had tuna fish in maybe 8 or 9 years, and it was surprisingly delicious! The sandwich was a good portion, served with a dill pickle spear and a bag of Lay’s chips. If I was at home, I may have eaten half of it and saved the other half for another meal…but that wasn’t going to work on this trip. At just over $20 with a drink and tip, it was a bit much for a homemade sandwich – but this is a tourist town and it was a very welcome change from the pizza we’d been having.
Pizza Disappointments
Speaking of pizza, our culinary journey took us to a couple of different pizzerias with mixed results. While in Silverton, we ate at Golden Block Brewery. I ordered a Little Molas side salad and was annoyed to find it topped with whole, uncut baby carrots, which are nearly impossible to eat with a fork. We shared a cheese and artichoke pizza which came out incredibly quickly. The sauce wasn’t to my liking, and the topping was so sparse it was bland, requiring a generous dose of crushed red pepper. The pizza was 12 inches and we left a few slices. The crust I realized later were individually frozen crusts—no wonder it came out so fast.
Hoping to redeem our pizza experience, we tried Crazy Elk Pizza in the resort area of Telluride. The wood-fired pizza was better, with a superior crust, sauce, and toppings, but it still wasn’t fabulous. The service was also dreadful, confirming our suspicion that we should have eaten in downtown Telluride instead of the more touristy resort area.
A Sweet, Chocolaty Ending
Finally, our sweetest discovery was Mouse’s Chocolate & Coffee Shop. We went here twice. The first time, I was drawn in by the huckleberry ice cream, and the generous scoop did not disappoint. I also picked out three chocolates to try, 2 different truffles and the Dark Chocolate Pecan and Dried Cherry Bark. I loved the bark one that we went back the next day, and I got two more 1-ounce pieces to savor. Mouse’s was the perfect, delicious exclamation point on our culinary adventure.
