We just had dinner at The Bon Ton and had the most wonderful meal for being in the middle of an old Colorado mining town. We had two locals recommend this location to us when we asked them where we should try and eat. The reviews for many of the restaurants are not that great, so we went back to searching out where the locals eat.
We made a reservation and were seated immediately upon our arrival. Our waitress for the evening was phenomenal, it is not surprising because we found out later in the evening that she was part owner. They have done an amazing job turning the basement into the most comfortable dining room possible. It is a great room for enjoying dinner with that special someone or with your family.
I had the daily ravioli special which was smoked salmon, cream cheese, and scallion stuffed ravioli in a parmesan alfredo sauce. The smoked salmon flavors were very nice and paired well with the sauce. The sauce did not overpower the flavor of the ravioli and provided a wonderful and satisfying accompaniment.
My wife had the lasagna which is a regular menu item. It was a generous portion and had a great flavor to it.
We finished the night with the Galloping Goose Caboose desert which was a combination of vanilla and coffee ice creams with toffee, Kahlua and chocolate sauce. This was the perfect way to wrap up the evening and we would highly recommend this wonderful spot to any travelers.
We did a half-day tour into Governors Basin and Yankee Boy Basin. We had Rick as our driver and he was fantastic. We were there on a week when the weather was a little sketchy, Rick was very conscious of the weather and maximized our tour for picture taking while working hard to keep us dry. They were well prepared for the weather and during one of our stops we returned to the jeep and there were ponchos waiting for us. Rick was a very safe and informative driver. We stopped multiple times during the trip to learn about the mining in the area and at picturesque locations. We had two stops where we were able to get out of the jeep for about 20 minutes each to roam around and take pictures.
I would do another trip with these guys in the future for sure. They built my wife's confidence up on the whole off-roading jeep tour thing and I think she would even join me again in the future. There is so much to see in this area, and having the ability to get up high and off the main highway is a real treat.
We did brunch at the New Sheridan before leaving Telluride. The restaurant and bar are a piece of history that is beautifully maintained and a top of class facility for the area. We were seated in the main dining room which has an open well-lit feel to it.
We ended up ordering the Eggs Benedict which was well prepared. The only complaint I have is that by the time is was served to the table, the egg was not very warm. While the egg was perfectly cooked you could tell that it mush have sat just long enough to be delivered to our table for it to lose its heat. This error equaled a .5 deduction from both judges.
While our waiter was adequate, he was young and needs to learn to focus on his customers when he is at the table instead of always looking around at the other things happening in the restaurant. This resulted in the in the other .5 deduction from the judges.
We had a great brunch and would recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing and tasty brunch in Telluride.
We just stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Farmington and had a fabulous stay. The property is only two months old and is so clean and fresh. The room and furnishings were fantastic. We had a king bed room and it had a wonderful sofa and a small divider wall that made separated the bed from desk/TV area that really made it feel roomy and comfortable.
The real gem of the stay was the staff. I am a platinum member of Marriott and in my profile, I have taken the time to list my preferences based on the items that Marriott asks me. For example a room on a high floor and extra feather pillows, I can never have too many pillows. The staff here actually paid attention to everything on my preference list and had out room waiting for us on the top floor and with extra pillows. I also use the online check in and when I arrived it took me all of 30 seconds to get my room key. The staff here is working very hard to provide the best levels of Marriott service.
The location is also great if you are traveling. It is tucked back from the main drag but is conveniently located at a stop light for a major intersection. There is a gas station adjacent to the property and if you want to splurge on Breakfast, even though a free one is provided with your room, there is a Wecks next door.
Palo Duro Canyon is a very interesting state park in Texas. There is not a lot of Texas that has the grandeur that Palo Duro provides with wide open vistas into the canyon of the eroded layers of geological history. We have now visited this park twice and have enjoyed both trips.
The Light House is the best-known rock formation in the park. To get to the light house takes a 3 mile hike that works it 's way back up one of the canyon fingers. The hike is very doable, but is a total of 6 miles out and back with not a lot of elevation gain. This is really more of a hike than a walk, so make sure that you have the appropriate items and footwear. Make sure that you bring along plenty of water with you as well.
The park has different types of camping areas if you are wanting to spend the night. We stayed in a tent only area that did not have power. We enjoyed the location of the campsite and had a nice stay. Each site had a sheltered picnic table.
There are additional hiking trails, horseback riding and during the summer there is a show that we have not seen yet that tells about the history of Texas.
We were looking for somewhere other than McDonalds to get a quick breakfast. We stumbled across Enchanted Grounds on Yelp and decided to go here. We were very pleased with our visit. I had the breakfast burrito with sausage and green chilies. It was a great burrito and the chilies were good and hot.
We also had the breakfast sandwich and a latte as a family all with very positive reviews. This is a nice coffee shop with staff who care about providing great service. The menu is not huge, but what they do, they do well.
If you are looking for a piece of history in New Mexico then this is a great hotel to experience. I can remember staying here as a child over 40 years ago, and there are parts that I remember exactly as they are today. We got a room located off of the courtyard which puts you in the older rooms. The rooms are small, but they have made an effort to update them with new TVs and a comfortable bed.
The bathrooms is where you can really feel the age of the place. The tile and the fixtures make it feel old as well as the little window in the back of the hotel. The other part of this hotel that could be improved is the cleanliness of the grounds on the back side of the building where you park. Before you even make it to your room you can see where the keep all the broken appliances and pool filters as well some outdoor storage cabinets or something along the walkway you have to take to your room.
We had a nice trip to The Fudgery after dinner tonight. This shop sells fudge and ice cream and the staff was very helpful and friendly. When we walked in we were greeted with the biggest welcome I have had in a long time.
I was able to sample an ice cream that I was thinking about before buying it, and the staff worked together as a team to get our family taken care of quickly. It was kind of a cool evening so there were not very many people in the store but the staff were very attentive.
The store sells Blue Bell ice cream so it was delicious and the selection covered most of the standard favorites like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coffee. I had the butter crunch which was very good as well.
Some friends brought me here for lunch while I was visiting. This is one of those places that you can tell that the locals love and is slightly off the beaten path. I ordered the Dungeness crab and shrimp omelet. This omelet was huge and filled with all kinds of crab meat and shrimp. I would have preferred to have a little less cheddar cheese in it because it was distracting from the flavors of the seafood. If that does not sound delicious enough for you, then the whole omelet is smothered in hollandaise sauce.
The omelet also has a serving of perfectly cooked hash brown, and they brought a complimentary piece of coffee cake with the order. The flavors of the coffee cake must change and we were fortunate to have cherry.
The wait staff was ok, but we had to ask for water multiple time during the meal.
The view from the window was great, even on a rainy day. We were able to see the Museum of Glass, downtown and the boats going in and out of the harbor.
I stayed here twice this past week a couple of nights apart. Both stays were great and I was able to get a quiet and comfortable night's stay. The front desk manager Tina was very friendly both times when I checked in. She had my room key ready from the online check-in and provided me with a bottle of water as a Hilton Honors member.
The breakfast was enjoyable and similar to other Hampton Inns. One of the things that I like is that each morning has different items on the breakfast line. Unlike other hotel chains that I stay at that have the same items out day after day.
The location was convenient for the work I was doing and was right off the highway. There is an interesting collection of shopping in the area and is not somewhere I think I would go walking through the neighborhood for my exercise.