Main Street Bakery & Cafe – Aspen, CO

March 24, 2011 Leave a Comment Filed under: Colorado, Dining Reviews, North America

Main Street Bakery & Cafe

Overall Rating:

201 E Main St

Aspen, CO 81611-1928

(970) 925-6446

Other reviews:

Yelp
Urbanspoon
TripAdvisor
CitySearch
Fodors

Prices: $8-$20 breakfast/lunch

Know Before You Go:
Seating is limited, especially during the winter when the patio isn’t open. It’s wise to go early in the morning, if you’re going for breakfast. As with most restaurants in Aspen, there are periods in May, September and October when many places are closed or have very limited hours. Check before you go to make sure they’re open.

Atmosphere
Rating:

Main Street is located in an old early 1900s house right on the main street of Aspen. Seating is very limited. There are about 10 tables, two of which are large tables that seat 6-8. As with other places in Aspen, the large tables will turn into community tables if there are smaller parties that need to be seated. The ambiance is your grandmother’s house, with a commercial kitchen and pastry case. When it’s busy, people line up inside if the weather is bad. With very little room to begin with, seating can be cramped and feel a little claustrophobic. Luckily when Spring arrives, you can also eat out on the patio.

Service
Rating:

Service here is pretty good. When it gets busy, sometimes things you order can get forgotten. Food comes out fairly quickly. Since it’s so small, they try to turn the tables quickly. If you read reviews on other sites, you may notice they mention the older man who seats customers. While he can be a bit cranky and aloof, he does a good job of getting people seated and keeping people from lingering too long when there’s others waiting.

Food
Rating:

The menu here is pretty straight forward for breakfast or lunch. The omelets here are very large and the fillings are generous. One thing that everyone in our party loved was the biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were done perfectly and the gravy had just the right amount of sausage and grease. The cafe also has a large pastry case. While we only sampled the apple fritters (which were some of the best we’ve ever had) everything looked very tasty. The coffee here was just so, so, but there are plenty of other places you can go for a cup of joe.

Overall

Within walking distance of anywhere in Aspen, Main Street Bakery is a great place for breakfast or lunch. Ideal if you can go early, but you may want to try other places if you’re in a hurry. If nothing else, stop in and grab a pastry to go.

Peaches – Aspen, CO

March 24, 2011 Leave a Comment Filed under: Colorado, Dining Reviews, North America

Peaches

Overall Rating:

121 South Galena Street

Aspen, CO 81611

(970) 544-9866

www.peachscornercafe.com

Other reviews:
Yelp
Urbanspoon

Prices: $8-$15 breakfast/lunch

Know Before You Go:
Peaches is not open on Sundays. Also, as with most restaurants in Aspen, there are periods in May, September and October when many places are closed or have very limited hours. Check before you go to make sure they’re open.

Atmosphere
Rating:

Peaches is a simple “corner cafe” in a modern building. There’s seating for about 30, but it’s relatively tight quarters. If you’re there during peak hours, the line can stretch out the door. Luckily, there is a relatively large patio area with seating outdoors for another 30 or so people. Otherwise, the space is bright and airy, with both regular and hi-top tables. As with most casual places in Aspen, there’s also a community table or two.

Service
Rating:

At Peaches you order at the counter. They’ll give you a number and then bring your food to your table. Meals came out very quickly and service was very friendly. Its one of the few places in Aspen where employees seem to actually care about their customers and aren’t trying to hurry and get out on the slopes. If you don’t have time to stay, there’s also a refrigerated case with take away items and bottled drinks.

Food
Rating:

Peaches has a wide selection of classic breakfast items, as well as sandwiches, paninis, salads and soups for lunch. Standouts were the kale salad. Kale is one of our least favorite items on the planet, but they do unbelievable things with it here. It’s a must have. One of their best deals is a half sandwich or panini with a cup of soup for under $10. In addition to their basic menu, Peaches has great coffee and coffee based drinks featuring Back Alley Coffees from nearby Basalt. There’s also a large bakery case with phenomenal pastries and desserts from various bakers in the area.

Overall

There are so few great places for breakfast in Aspen and this should be at the top of the list. You won’t go wrong at Peaches.

Ajax Tavern – Aspen, CO

October 19, 2010 Leave a Comment Filed under: Colorado, Dining Reviews, North America

Ajax Tavern

685 E Durant Ave
Aspen, CO 81611
(970) 920-6334

Website

Overall Rating:

Other reviews of Ajax:

Yelp
TripAdvisor
Open Table
Food and Wine

The chefs at Ajax have changed over the years, but the quality of food and service remains one of the best in Aspen. And that’s not hard in this town known for sub-par service and a “we’d rather be skiing than serving you” mentality. But let’s not sell Ajax short. Owned by the infamous Little Nell, go in with high expectations and we can almost guarantee they’ll be met.

Know Before You Go:
From November to April, you’ll almost certainly need a reservation. Lunch can be crowded as Ajax sits directly at the bottom of the main ski area in Aspen, just a few steps from the ski lift.

Atmosphere
Rating:

Recently remodeled, Ajax exudes a cool, hip, yet casual atmosphere. Exposed brick, red leather booths, dark wood and oversized red lampshades hanging from the ceiling, it’s a relaxing place for a meal.

Wine & Bar
Rating:

Although the wine list is of average length, Ajax does offer a rather sizeable selection of wines by the glass. Plus, if you have a question about wine, the sommelier from Montagna at the Little Nell is just a few seconds away. While Ajax has a wide range of liquors by the glass, their mixed drink list is rather small.

Service
Rating:

Ajax has better service than most in Aspen. The servers are friendly, conversational and won’t make you feel rushed.

Food
Rating:

The “must have” item here is the Parmesan Truffle Fries. Now, you may be saying “Right..truffle fries….those are so early 2000′s…” or “everybody does truffle fries…their the norm”. You haven’t tried Ajax’s truffle fries. We had these here about 7 years and 4 chefs ago at Ajax. They’re just as memorable now as they were then. We’ve had frites in the Netherlands, chips in the UK, fries in Australia and frites at Pommes Frites in NYC and these are amazing. Now, at $17 for about 1 cup and a half of fries is a bit over the top, even for Aspen. Try them and you’ll be amazed.

Salads are huge, the burger is well known and respected, soups are great and desserts are great. You really can’t go wrong with just about anything on the menu.

Overall

Ajax is a great place for lunch or a relaxed dinner in Aspen. Service is commendable and the food and menu will make almost anyone happy.