Finding a great restaurant in an unknown area is like a treasure hunt for me! So, before we headed up to Glenwood Springs on Christmas weekend I was on a mission to find the best restaurant in that area. The restaurant I had decided on was Six89. It was on Main Street in Carbondale which is an easy drive from Glenwood Springs.
Having made reservations for 8:30 pm, we found ourselves hungry before the designated time, so I phoned the restaurant and asked if we could get in a bit earlier.
" Do you mind sitting at the bar?'
Of course not. I love dining in the bar. There were only two hightop tables in the bar area and all the barstools at the bar were empty which made for a nice quiet space. I was delighted! As it turned out, it was a big plus to have a quiet table in the bar as the dining room was full of large tables and noisy patrons. In the bar, we could talk and not be distracted by anything but the food. And so we began to choose our dinner.
We started with a cocktail. They had a Colorado vodka which I opted for in a cosmopolitan. We took our time reading the menu and decided to have a few small bites and then to go for the 3 course prix fixe which included a starter, main and dessert for only 26.99!
We were surprised with an amuse bouche that consisted of lamb salami with a savory cream. A bit on the fatty side, but unusual and interesting.
The small bites we chose were a west coast oyster which was a bit on the puny side for us Yankees. And a wonderful cheese burrato which consisted of homemade mozzarella wrapped ricotta with sundried tomato and fried basil served with an herbed crouton. Now that was yummy!
For a starter, I chose the vegetable risotto wrapped in kale and dipped in Bolognese sauce. It went down well and everything was in balance including the Colorado Pinor Noir that we had chosen by default. The other starter was a salad with roasted beets, dates and chick peas on frisee greens with bacon and goat's cheese. WOW! I couldn't get enough of that!
We had quite a time deciding on the main courses, but in the end we opted for the Colorado lamb... twice. One dish was the shoulder served on blue cheese grits and the other was a lamb shank garnished with pea shoots, cauliflower and chick peas. Both were cooked to perfection and tasted entirely different in texture and flavor.
The desserts were a fine finish as we ventured into a pumpkin tart with a graham cracker crust and an egg foam that was caramelized, I am guessing with a blow torch. And the pina colada sorbet was fresh and creamy.
The service was impeccable without being snobby. The waiter knew his stuff and was patient and timely in spite of the holiday crowds.
We left satiated and content that we had indeed found a truly wonderful and exciting restaurant.
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