Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

Bear Creek Canyon, Colorado

We were in Denver over the holidays and decided to go up to Evergreen for some lunch with my parents. Evergreen is a little bedroom community about 30 minutes up Bear Creek Canyon from Denver. Homesteader Thomas Bergen arrived in 1859, establishing a ranch and stage stop north of present-day downtown Evergreen. Bergen's Ranch was recognized as a settled area at the establishment of Jefferson County, Jefferson Territory. Subsequent settlers homesteaded south of Bergen along Bear Creek Canyon and the downtown area grew around the confluence of Cub Creek and Bear Creek.

Downtown Evergreen, Colorado

Little Bear Bar, Evergreen, Colorado

Only about 10 thousand people live in Evergreen and the town has a popular bar, the Little Bear, where we all went when we were kids. The downtown doesn't look very fancy but don't be fooled, this area has some very large and expensive homes hidden in the surrounding forest.

Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

On the advice of mom's friend Nikki we went to the Creekside for lunch, the name is descriptive, it is right on Bear Creek. The restaurant is surprisingly cool, in a typically Colorado way with delicious food and wine.

Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

It's a little crowded inside, the large outside deck in the back is closed during the winter. Even so, it has the intimate atmosphere of a ski place, with a standup wine tasting bar and live music. They make their own wine here and it tasted very good. We tried both white and red, very comparable to the best California vintages. Lots of people coming in to buy for the holidays and apparently you can order online.

Cheese Board, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

We ordered a cheese board with a lovely collection of fresh cheese, fruit, nuts and fresh bread.

Focaccia, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

We also ordered fresh warm focaccia bread with herb olive oil. This was exceptionally good, better than the focaccia we had in Genoa.

Calimari, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

For our main courses, mom had the Calimari, with an exceptional aioli sauce and fresh focaccia.

French Dip, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

Lisa had the French Dip on fresh bread with tomato bisque. The tomato bisque had finely diced tomatoes with fresh parmesan and chives on top.

Italian Sausage, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

I had the Italian sausage sandwich on the advice of the waitress. Served on focaccia with a large piece of roasted pepper on top of the sausage, delish.

Prosciutto and Fig Panini, Creekside Cellars. Evergreen, Colorado

Dad had the prosciutto and fig sandwich on focaccia with the tomato bisque, cooked on a panini grill. Everything was fresh, warm and delicious, definitely worth a drive to the mountains if you visit Denver.

Bear Creek. Evergreen, Colorado

Bear Creek Ducks. Evergreen, Colorado

I went outside after lunch to check out the back of the restaurant and discovered a family of ducks right below the balcony.

Evergreen Scenery, Colorado

In the mountains, just about everywhere you look, you find a beautiful view. Guess that is why everyone wants to live here.

Evergreen Lake, Colorado

Just up the street is evergreen lake, created by a man-made dam on Bear Creek. The 40-acre Evergreen Lake is one of the best ice skating lakes in the country. It is open through March 4th and opens at 3 p.m. Monday-Friday and at 8 a.m. on weekends. Skating fee is $5 for adults, $4.75 for kids 4-18, and kids three and under are free. They do offer punch cards and season passes. Skate rentals are $6. A great place to take the family for a fun day with lunch at Creekside. Call the hotline for hours if you are planning to go, 720-880-1391.

References:

Evergreen Lake Ice Skating: http://www.evergreenrecreation.com/Facilities/Evergreen_Lake_House/Hockey_Skating.htm

Creekside Cellars: http://creeksidecellars.net/

Posted with Blogsy