Beer is also culture in Colorado, so immerse yourself with a draft, or better yet, a pour made with snowmelt. Telluride Brewing Company’s brewpub is tucked away in a corner of Mountain Village, at the base of the Telluride Ski Resort. You can quell the breakneck buzz (a side effect of being sky-high) with a snack from the in-house kitchen, currently operated by Counter Culture. The nachos—or Beer-chos, as the restaurant calls them—are a solid choice, topped with spicy Telluride Brewing Company beer cheese and house-ground beef.
For dinner, sunset views and marinated elk loin
Breakfast and lunch can be a casual affair in Telluride, but for dinner, it’s worth getting yourself a reservation at contemporary American restaurant Allred’s. It’s located at the midway point between gondola stations, and at 10,551 feet above sea level, has exquisite sunset views of the Uncompahgre National Forest and the town below. The experience is top-notch (with a roaming sommelier and the whole nine). It’s a set seasonal menu, featuring such dishes as beef tenderloin tartare with cornichons and quail egg and juniper-bourbon marinated elk loin with butternut squash farro risotto.
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If you’d rather stay down in the canyon, another solid option is to pay a visit to Cosmopolitan, whose chef-owner Chad Scothorn has been at it for 26-plus years. An unforgettable roasted half chicken shows up with crispy skin overlaying succulent meat. But, if you’ve come this far for more than mind-blowing poultry, there’s also a sumptuous Colorado rack of lamb served with whole-grain-mustard crème fraîche and a leek-and-wild-rice risotto. The drinks menu is tightly crafted, and cocktails include a dirty pomelo made with jalapeño-infused tequila, fresh grapefruit juice, and citrus foam. There’s also a non-alcoholic menu that features an agave-sweetened CBD sparkling lemonade… because, Colorado.
End the night at Telluride’s oldest bar
For a nightcap, head to the New Sheridan Hotel, home to Telluride’s oldest bar. It dates back to the late 19th century, and the bar’s gleaming mahogany and lead glass haven’t changed since. It’s a great place to enjoy a signature drink, like a Passion Star martini, featuring a blend of vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur and passion fruit juice, with a side of prosecco. The hotel’s restaurant, Chop House, offers luxe dishes like $76 dry-aged bison ribeye or $265 40-ounce tomahawk ribeye, both grilled to order on an 1,800-degree custom broiler—along with superlative à la carte sides like fava bean succotash and gouda-mornay mac and cheese. But if dropping almost $300 on steak isn’t on your itinerary (fair enough), a drink alone is worth the trip.