COLORADO

Pagosa Springs

Back Room Wine Bar

Very nice little wine bar located in the heart of the town. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. A great place to meet friends or bring a date. They offer an ever changing selection of wines from around the world. Inside and outside seating. Cozy atmosphere. Moderate pricing. Wine by the glass, half-glass or bottle. Visit site here.

Farago Market Cafe

This restaurant is in the same plaza as the Back Room Wine Bar. It offers casual dining either inside or on the outside patio under the aspens.

Delight in homemade foods from Panini’s to salads to pizzas. We especially recommend the Panini’s. The food here is truly amazing. Learn more about this Cafe here.

The View

The View is located inside the Quality Inn. It serves breakfast,  lunch and dinner. On Sundays it offers an extensive brunch from 11 am to 2 pm.. Beside dining, there is also a cozy bar where one can listen to music and dance. Wine can be purchase by the glass or bottle.  Moderate pricing. LINK

 

Durango:

Four Leaves Winery

Nice wine bar located on Main Street. Wine are only from the Four Leaves Winery in Manitou Springs. Moderate pricing. Wine tasting available. Wine by the glass or bottle. You can also create your own custom blend.

 

Jean Pierre Bakery and Wine Bar

Adjacent to a quaint French Bistro is a lovely wine bar. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. A great place to meet friends or bring a date. They offer wines from around the world. Moderate to sky-high collector prices. Cozy atmosphere. Taste by the glass or splurge on a bottle.

 

Eno

Adjacent to the Cyprus Cafe, which we like very much, is a coffee, wine and tapas bar operated by the same owners. It offers outside seating as well as inside tables with a small lounge. It is decorated in minimalistic fashion.

We have made a habit of visiting wine tasting bars in the early afternoon when they are not busy to observe service practices. If we are treated well at a non- busy time, we know we would be treated well in a busy time. Unfortunately, Eno does not meet our standard for customer satisfaction based on our initial visit. While the small staff was polite, they were less than enthusiastic regarding our arrival at a slow hour.

We ordered two wine flights of three samples each: one for white wine and one for red wine. The two flights were about $24 total. We also ordered a lemon cheesecake with blueberry topping. The dessert was excellent  because it was made next door at the Cyprus Cafe. Of the 6 wines we sampled, we will be giving rather poor reviews.

The wine is not the reason at our displeasure for Eno. Upon entry we actually had high hopes for our first experience based upon our experiences at the Cyprus Cafe. Our overall impression of Eno was that our business did not matter especially since the expense was higher than a wonderful meal for two at a nearby restaurant also during non-busy hours. We were made to feel important there while enjoying excellent food.

Ken & Sue’s Restaurant

This is one of our favorite places to eat in Durango. The food is always great as well as the service. The waitresses and waiters are very attentive to your every need.  They offer special martinis for each season which are creative and  delicious. There is a small selection of wines by the glass and a larger selection of wines by the bottle. We have been eating here for over ten years and have never been disappointed.

Diamond Bell Saloon 

Step back in time to this old west saloon that offers delicious meals as well as old rag time piano playing. We always enjoy the food and atmosphere. The bar has a wide range of drinks as well as wines that compliment the meals. The Diamond Bell is located in the Strater Hotel on Main Street.

Chimayo Stone Fired Kitchen

This is another interesting place to dine in Durango. In the summer their windows open to Main Street to watch visitors and locals walk around the city. This bistro’s food has a southwest flavor. Most meal are created in their stone hearth ovens. They offer a full service bar and many wines to quench your thirst.

The Kennabec 

This is a favorite dining place we discovered many years ago. It is a short distance from Main Street Durango but worth the 10-15 minute drive. It is described as “A Taste of Tuscany settle in the La Plata Mountains.”

“Inspired by the casual elegance of European cafes, the Kennebec offers a unique dining experience in an atmosphere of casual elegance, gracious hospitality and warm comfortable surroundings.  With gorgeous mountain scenery as the backdrop, your meal at the Kennebec is a special dining experience.” We totally agree with the description on their site.

The food is outstanding and be sure to leave room for dessert. A great place to eat no matter what the time of year.

 

NEW MEXICO

 

Farmington

St. Clair Winery & Bistro

There are four locations in New Mexico. The Farmington location  is next door to an Olive Garden on the main road through Farmington. It is located on the east side of Farmington.

We were pleasantly surprised that this bistro existed! Our original intent was to dine at the Olive Garden but the lines were long. When we entered the bistro we were confronted with a very nice wine tasting room complete with hundreds of bottles of well displayed wines and wine paranephalia. We immediately felt as if we had entered into a very upscale location.

The staff was attired in professional fashion normally seen in the larger cities. We were escorted into an adjacent restaurant designed in upscale yet minimalistic style.

We had the feeling we were in a European locale. The staff was very attentive to our needs.

Our server, Nikki, was representative of the entire staff. She was familiar with and understood each of the many available wines offered by St. Clair which is a long list.

The menu and wine offerings were exciting and it was difficult to decide. We opted for a table side wine tasting trio of three white wines and three red wines. Our wine was served in a unique table display tree which held three glasses each. It made the tasting a fun experience.

Our meal was well presented and flavorful. The wines are rated by us on our wine review pages.

We give this location a big thumbs up if you are looking for upscale dining in Farmington. Here’s a link to their web information.

 

Taos

Downtown Bistro

We stumbles across this excellent little bistro while exploring Taos. It features international cuisine with organically grown produce. The staff was very attentive to our needs. The owner opened this as a second location to his already successful other restaurant. It appeared to us he had purchased this location from a former unsuccessful operation and was turning it around. The food was nicely presented and very flavorful.

The servers, were more mature and experienced than one would normally find in today’s atmosphere favoring younger appearance. We appreciated the attention the experienced servers gave to ourselves and others around us.

The restaurant atmosphere was a bit run down in appearance which one would expect if a new owner was in the process of improving. It is not detract from the enjoyment of our meal and great wine.

Learn more about this bistro here.

Santa Fe

 Vino del Coranzon Winery and Wine Tasting Room in Historic Downtown Santa Fe

We stumbled across this quaint little tasting bar just off the main plaza in Santa Fe. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable about their wines.

All the wines we tasted were light and enjoyable. So enjoyable we purchased several bottles. It a a nice place to relax after a day of shopping and indulge in a glass of white, blush and red wine. Visit their website to find out more.  Reviews of their white and rose wine can be found on our wine review pages.

 

IDAHO

Cloverleaf Creamery, Buhl. Idaho

While on a tour of Idaho, we discovered this old fashioned creamery. It served milk  in bottles just like the milkman brought to your door in the 1950’s. It was a step back it time but a very pleasant one. The ice cream  made was one of the best we have ever tasted. It was rich and bursting with flavor. What a wonderful surprise hidden in a small town in Idaho.

According to their web site, ” Cloverleaf Creamery uses an old-fashioned technique to bottle healthy, all natural milk from their small dairy of registered, pedigree Holsteins. Bill Stoltzfus has been in the dairy business since the early 70’s and is nationally known for his humane dairy operations and practices and his award winning herd.

Cloverleaf Creamery says that the recyclable glass bottles used are not just for show, they give the milk a better taste by keeping it colder and fresher longer. ”

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, this is a spot we highly recommend you visit.