Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, Nederland—We made fantastic time from the Denver Airport, through Boulder, viewing Boulder Falls, and into Nederland to pick up the Peak-to-Peak Highway, but we need some nourishment. What better than beer and bbq! I tried the Big Ned Red which came in a wine glass and was delicious with my pulled pork sandwich. Eric ate the entire plate of beef brisket and washed it down with the amber ale. We also split a plate of sweet potato fries thanks to the happy hour special. If I ever find myself nearby, we will come back.

The Egg & I, Estes Park—Our hotel had a modest continental breakfast, but we needed something more substantial, so we stopped by this popular breakfast place near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. I had the hikers benedict (of course) with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and crispy bacon on top and my very own carafe of coffee (!!!). Eric’s breakfast croissant was good, but a little dense. I’m not sure pastries bake too well at 9,000 feet?

Creekside Cellars, Evergreen—A scenic detour took us down to this area on our way to Colorado Springs. The red wines were passable but the whites, not so much. And skip the tawny port altogether, yuck. We didn’t stay for lunch, though the patio looked nice.

Charles Court @ the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs—Our fancy dinner of the trip, the Broadmoor Resort is a complex of accommodations, restaurants and grounds to behold. We arrived early and enjoyed cocktails and a cheese plate at the bar while waiting for our table. The service was exceptional and the meal was lovely. April, one of the bartenders, gave us a few suggestions for our main courses and I took her up on the venison main course with a carpaccio appetizer. Eric’s pork special was very tasty and the potato side was a stand-out. Interestingly, they had several wines on the menu that were of good value. All around, we had a fantastic and memorable meal.

Jack Quinn’s Pub, Colorado Springs—We were looking for a quick bite to tide us over until dinner at the hotel on Saturday evening, so we ventured downtown to get a pint and a snack. The place was next to empty at 2pm, but our private booth was a treat and the atmosphere was very pleasant. My guinness and beef boxty was very good and Eric’s fried potato wedges hit the spot.

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, Colorado Springs—A brewery for breakfast? To prove that it’s never to early for beer, we dined at this brewery for brunch on Sunday. I enjoyed a porter with my chorizo, egg, and potato wrap and black beans while everyone else had a more traditional breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

Comfort Inn, Estes Park—A charming lodge, one of the better Comfort Inns we’ve stayed in. The front desk was very helpful, and the only bad thing was the free wifi connection that did not work properly in our room. We just dragged the laptop to the lobby. Otherwise, the room was clean and we had own own marked parking spot. This hotel is a little further out than some other options but Estes Park isn’t that large and this was an affordable place to stay.

Crown Plaza Hotel, Colorado Springs—For some reason the hotels that have hosted the last two River Rats conventions cannot seem to handle large amounts of people. Our room wasn’t ready when we tried to check in at 4:30pm. Then (after requesting a room close to my dad) they put us in the complete opposite end of the hotel. And when I say complete opposite, I mean a 10 minute walk through this sprawling place. No exaggeration, it really took 10 minutes from end to end. The front desk staff was woefully slow and not able to help with even the simplest request (i.e. a reservation for a local restaurant). Despite all of this, our king room was quite large and the bed was very comfortable. Once we figured out that we could park just outside the room, the excessive walking was diminished. I honestly think they just need to hire better managers.

Eat & Drink

Thirsty Bear Brewing Company, San Francisco—We try and hit a brewery in every city, so we can collect a representative pint glass. This place has the distinction of being the only organic brewery in the city, and it receives even more bonus points because the beer is tasty. We just had appetizers as we planned on a late dinner elsewhere, their Spanish-themed menu looked good and the patatas bravas were excellent.

Scala’s Bistro, San Francisco—We were eating pretty late (after 9pm) and this place was still packed when we left. We don’t normally eat in the hotel’s restaurant, but made an exception as this place had great reviews and well, it was close. I ordered steak frites while Eric enjoyed the rigatoni with duck bolognese. A glass of wine each made us even more sleepy so we retired soon after dinner.

Sears Fine Food, San Francisco—Famous for their little swedish pancakes, it is the only reasonably priced item on the menu and while Eric loved the small pancakes, my breakfast was just okay. Service and atmosphere was fine but I have no idea why this place was so crowded.

The Spinnaker, Sausalito—One of the best meals of the trip and it was for a late lunch! After leaving San Francisco, we stopped in Sausalito for a quick bite and awesome views of downtown San Francisco. This glass-enclosed restaurant served the best clam chowder I’ve ever had and with the seafood sampler appetizer, it was plenty for a meal. Eric had the butter lettuce salad and the cheese ravioli in walnut alfredo sauce. Delicious.

Crepevine, San Rafael—We stopped here for both dessert on Sunday night (see entry above for why we didn’t have dinner) and breakfast on Monday morning. The kilauea and siena dessert crepes were scrumptious and filling. Come morning, my New Orleans benedict was good, but hardly spicy. We had some issues with the quality of fried potatoes throughout the trip and this place was, unfortunately, no different.

Zza’s Trattoria, Oakland—We met Leah and Simon here for dinner on the last night of our trip. One side is a candle-lit wine bar with dark woods and a reasonably-priced wine list and the other side is a more boisterous home-style restaurant. Eric and I arrived early, so we started on a bottle of wine in the wine bar, eventually moving next door for dinner. My Prosciutto e Gorgonzola pizza was filling and generously adorned with the good stuff and Eric’s gnocchi was rich and delicious.

Sleep

Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco—When researching hotels in downtown San Francisco, we discovered (like in most cities) that the business hotels go down in price on the weekends while the budget hotels go up. We got a great deal on this boutique hotel and the location (about 3 blocks from Chinatown and 1 block from Union Square) was great. Our king room was small, but comfortable. The bathroom had Aveda products and for being in a busy section of town, our room was remarkably quiet. I would definitely stay here again.

Travelodge, San Rafael—Your standard noisy-because-its-near-the-highway motel, it was clean but the floor sloped, so it felt like you were falling as you walked across the room. We also managed to somehow lock ourselves out of the bathroom. Thankfully the hostess let us in but every interaction with her was pretty chilly. This is exactly the kind of place that makes me rethink just how important saving money is when it means staying at accommodations like this.

Millwood Inn & Suites, Millbrae—This was a very pleasant surprise. We needed a place to stay near the airport and most of the hotels in the area had disparate reviews—except this one. Our king room was large, with comfy blankets, nice bath products and most importantly peace and quiet. The included continental-plus breakfast and wifi were also big bonuses. Highly recommended.