Tag Archives: Telluride
Shop Telluride
One last survey of Telluride. First off, few places in the country, nay, the world, are as great for shopping as NYC, so I generally find it a pointless exercise to even attempt to shop in the provinces. Nevertheless, one must entertain oneself somehow.
That said, of all the ski shops in town, Slope Style has the coolest gear. The selection of Burton, ORage, Roxy, Element, and Paul Frank ski wear and winter clothing has been chosen with an expert eye. I love these Vans by Roxy, a spinoff brand of Quiksilver, below.
Slope Style
South Oak Street and Main Street
970-728-9889
But I wasn’t feeling steezy enough to sport the boarder gear from this shop. The best store for all sorts of practical ski gear is Paragon Ski & Sport (no relation to New York’s Paragon Sports).
There is a debate in the ski gear world about capilene vs. merino as an underlayer. Capilene, a synthetic fiber, has been championed recently by brands like Patagonia. The other side of the debate holds that natural fabrics like silk and merino wool were always used as an underlayer, even back when skis were wooden, so if ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Finely-knit merino wicks and breathes, doesn’t need to be washed all the time, and doesn’t retain odors. The 80’s prep in me gravitated towards the merino CB Icebreaker (yes! the very same CB Sports brand of the 80’s). Paragon Ski & Sport is one of the few places in the U.S. where you can find it, and only offline.
Paragon Ski & Sport
213 West Colorado Avenue
970-728-4525
Telluride Sports is the most tourist-oriented of all the ski shops, but their selection is comprehensive. They fall on the capilene side of the great underwear debate. A good place to go if you dropped your gloves off the ski lift and need another pair, fast. On the day I visited, they were selling Pucci skiwear for half off. I didn’t even know Pucci made skiwear. Mix that up with your Chanel skis!
Telluride Sports
various locations
970-369-0687
A purveyor of hippy-dippy clothing for women and men, Down to Earth carries a few things in questionable taste, like excessively bejeweled Western-style handbags and ties by Jerry Garcia. But you’ll also find some nice things in the jumble, like these sweaters, right, made of soft llama’s wool, beautiful embroidered cashmere sweaters by Raw 7, and handknit ski hats like this Union Jack version below. In this town full of millionaires, you’d better act fast if you see something you like, or it’ll be snapped up by the next customer.
Down to Earth
122 East Colorado Avenue
970-728-9318
Finally, if you have any time in Telluride between skiing, eating, and shopping, hie thee to the Golden Door Spa at the Peaks Resort in Mountain Village. I could move into the locker room here. Steam room, sauna, a whirlpool bath, showers, hair dryers, beauty products, even complimentary hairbrushes are all at your disposal when you book a 50-minute massage for $125, a great break during a strenuous week of skiing (and shopping and eating). The other spa selections on the menu (below), like the detoxifying sea mud wrap that leaves your skin beautifully soft and bright, are quite tempting. Coated in a seaweed-like substance and wrapped in plastic for 30 minutes, I was a human California roll. A very relaxed one.
Farewell for now, Telluride. Til next year?
Telluride Is for Food Lovers
Why have so many great chefs flocked to this tiny mountain town? I don’t know, but after five days of eating well, I wasn’t complaining. Here are some of the highlights:
It was impossible to get a table at Cosmopolitan, so my friend and I showed up early after a spa day and ate at the bar. We learned the hard way reservations are nearly required for all the better restaurants in town. But once you’re in the door at Cosmopolitan, you’ll find a lack of pretension right down to the décor. When you just want to settle down in a leather chair in front of an open fire with a glass of wine, chances are your wish will be granted.
For dinner we started with the lobster pot stickers, which came in a Thai broth sprinkled with julienned jicama. This was great California fusion cuisine – fresh bursts of flavor from China, Thailand, and Mexico, all in one bowl. The pear and gorgonzola salad was prettily presented, also quite fresh and good. Though the attentive bartender tried to steer me in the direction of the New Zealand lamb, which is supposed to be excellent, I was curious about the nouvelle take on chicken and biscuits. The chicken was served in a creamless broth, and the biscuits were made with ricotta. All of this was nice, but the added ingredient of pesto pushed the dish over the top. Barbecued salmon was simpler and more successful. All in all, from service to ambiance to food, this was the best restaurant we tried in Telluride. The wine list is also excellent; try the Acacia Pinot Noir. Reservations recommended.
Cosmopolitan Restaurant
300 West San Juan Avenue
970-728-1292
The food at La Cocina de Luz was amazingly fresh and tasty for such a low price. Chicken tostadas came heaped with greens and jicama (we seem to be missing out on this ingredient in New York). The chicken itself was deliciously stewed and not too spicy, but the variety of free, fresh salsas could easily change that situation. Handmade tortillas. This was a great lunch place, very casual. Don’t be put off by the line; it moves quickly.
La Cocina de Luz
123 E. Colorado Avenue
970-728-9355
They were out of oysters the night we went to Blue Point Grill, but the tuna and salmon we tried were fantastic. I suppose I’ll have to do away with my rule of not ordering fish in a land-locked state; where there are resourceful chefs, there is good seafood. Salmon was prepared tandoori-style with mint pesto on the side. Neither of us had ever tried salmon tandoori, but I hope I see this on another menu again soon: fresh, buttery salmon can really stand up to the Indian spices, especially when baked perfectly medium-rare, as this filet was. My “tuxedo” Ahi tuna arrived black-and-blue, set in a glaze of delicious sweet soy sauce and pressed with black and white sesame seeds. The verdict: Blue Point Grill has spacey service, a rather cool and removed atmosphere, but great seafood. Reservations recommended.
Blue Point Grill
123 S. Oak Street
970-728-8862
Claiming to have “the best bagels in the West,” Baked in Telluride is a popular local breakfast and lunch spot. The name perhaps best sums up the service in general in Telluride. A confirmed urbanite, I could sometimes get in the groove and just take it easy as I waited fifteen minutes for a latte (at Cabin 8, not here), other times I felt like the only very frustrated, non-stoned person at the party. Anyway, the service at Baked in Telluride was counterintuitively fast and peppy. The mochas were great, and, drum roll please…so were the bagels. There was no stinting on the garlic in the everything bagels. And not a blueberry in sight.
Baked in Telluride
127 S. Fir Street
970-728-4705
A trip to Telluride wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Allred’s at the top of the gondola. We didn’t eat here, because the dining room was a little too fancy for our purposes. Allred’s may have a reputation for being touristy and pricey, but it’s still the best place in town for après ski. You can dump all your ski equipment just inside the door and exchange painful ski boots for slippers, which Allred’s offers on loan. Get a freshly-made hot cocoa with Bailey’s and vie for a spot – you guessed it – in a leather chair by the open fire.
Allred’s
Gondola Station, St. Sophia
970-728-7474
Other highlights included:
The Steaming Bean Coffee Co. at 221 W. Colorado Avenue, 970-728-0793. Excellent espressos, lattes, etc., prepared fast enough to satisfy even the most impatient city slicker (me)
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Las Montanas, 100 West Colorado Avenue, 970-728-5114. Huge portions of Tex-Mex food and a fun bar scene. You can usually walk in and get a table.
Excelsior Cafe, 200 West Colorado Avenue, 970-728-4250. Another place where, blessedly, you can walk in without reservations. The food and wine are good too. Cool exposed-brick bar area with double-height ceilings.
Honga’s Lotus Petal, 133 East Colorado Avenue, 970-728-5134. We couldn’t get a table here. Despite the somewhat suspect premise of this restaurant to be all things to all Asian-curious people – it’s a combination of Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Thai and Korean food (where’s the Mongolian?) – it was insanely popular and had just moved to a seemingly larger space. Let me know if the food is good.
The San Sophia Inn, 330 West Pacific Avenue, (970) 728-3001. Brunch here was a lavish spread of muffins, chicken-apple sausages, egg and mushroom casserole, fruit, oatmeal, homemade granola, yogurt, freshly-squeezed juices, coffee and tea, all for a mere $14.
The New Sheridan Bar, 233 West Colorado Avenue, 970-728-3911. You can almost imagine Butch Cassidy sidling up to the ornate, antique bar here. OK, so he was in Telluride in 1889 and this place didn’t open til 1895, but still. Shockingly, the wine here is great; Butch would have approved.
Telluride, CO – Ski Chic
Ski wear has returned to a nostalgic 70’s palette. Brown, retro plaids, and camo were the most interesting looks on the slopes, with Burton-clad boarders leading the way. All white was also a natural choice.
Posted in fashion
Tagged New York, street chic, Telluride, travel
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