After a long days hike, my boyfriend and I drug our tired, sorry selves into the Dunraven Inn.
Our concierge had suggested the Italian seafood spot, and from everything we heard it seemed like a great place to spend our last evening in Estes Park.
Due to a moose sighting alongside the road (which was more wildlife than we saw in the entire Rocky Mountain Park), we arrived ten minutes after our eight thirty pm reservation.
I walked into the lobby from the rainy night and gave the hostess my name. We had a short wait and as I looked around the front room I was both amused and confused.
One dollar bills covered every inch of the small room’s walls. The bills, signed by former patrons in colorful sharpies, made for interesting wallpaper and while the lobby decor isn’t what you would expect from a nice seafood steakhouse, I found it refreshing.
Just as I got used to the funky decor, a hostess escorted us around the corner to our table in the main dining room. The transition from the lobby into the dining quarters was like day to night. The main room was mountain lodge chic. The deep colored wood furniture and warm carpet complimented the lofted pillars, and for a moment I could have sworn I was back in a more elegant version of our cabin. As I sat down to our candle lit table, a sever greeted us with water and a basket of bread with oil, vinegar, and fresh garlic. I was absolutely smitten!
This place was great. It was cozy and the staff was friendly- everything you would want from a nice mountainside restaurant. Although we did have one, very attentive server, the waiters acted as a team and saw after one another’s tables. In fact, two different servers replenished our water cups with water pitchers throughout the meal.
To stay true to the Italian tradition we ordered an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip with, you guessed it, MORE bread. We came hungry and went ahead with our dinner orders.
Our appetizer promptly arrived and the thick, creamy dip tasted great on the small pieces of toasted cheese bread. Shortly after, our soup and salad arrived. I ordered the spinach salad with halved strawberries, toasted almond slivers, and real feta cheese, all of which was drizzled in a strawberry vinaigrette. I don’t usually eat salads with fruit, but this one was so delicious that I might even try to make it at home. The presentation was beautiful and the ingredients tasted fresh from the garden.
Once I finished noshing the last of my salad I moved onto my main course, calamari with marinara. Like most Italian fare, the serving was huge. The succulent calamari filled my plate and by the time I was full, it still looked as if I hadn’t touched my meal.
My boyfriend ordered the house lasagna and the few bites I had were amazing. The Italian sausage that comprised the bulk of the dish was some of the best I’ve ever had. As good as my entree was, it couldn’t compete with this classic.
When things wound down our server delivered to-go boxes and dropped off our check. Paying the bill felt like theft, considering we got an appetizer, soup and salad, and two entrees for just forty some dollars. The portions were generous, the staff was professional, and the ingredients were fresh. This was one of the best meals I’ve had in months. Dunraven Inn is the perfect mountain getaway!
liblets 