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Cascades at The Stanley Hotel: Estes Park, CO.

August 1, 2012 by Carolina

“Here’s Johnny!” Have you ever seen The Shining? You know the creepy movie with Jack Nicholson, the little boy with an imaginary friend (Redrum!) & the spooky twins? The movie was based on a book by Stephen King who wrote it while staying at The Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park. Why am I telling you all this? Because The Stanley has a restaurant, The Cascades, in it you should check out.

For starters it’s a ridiculously beautiful hotel nestled in the middle of the Rockies with stunning views; a perfect place to explore. The Stanley offers ghost tours (it’s supposed to be haunted), has two bars & of course The Cascades, a restaurant with delicious food to enjoy. Though The Cascades specializes in steaks they do offer several vegetarian options. I started off my meal with a flight of Pinot Noir, pre-selected by the restaurant.

I apologize in advance for the iPhone photos but I didn’ thave my Canon with me. But back to business…the wines ranged from light & fruity to strong & bold; I love wine so I was happy with the selection.

We enjoyed chickpea fritters with a trio of sauces (basil aioli, tzatziki & a tored pepper coulis) to start. The chickpea patties were great, they were seasoned with herbs & were totally yummy.

For dinner I enjoyed the fiocchi pasta: egg pasta purses stuffed with taleggio cheese & anjour pears in a brown butter, sage sauce, topped with hazelnuts & balsamic vinegar.  The combination of sweet & savory was good, though there was a little too much oil for my liking. I couldn’t finish this dish cause it was so rich, it was so filling!

We really enjoyed dining in such a beautiful historic hotel, surrounded by the mountains. If you’re ever in Estes Park (great place to stay if you’re visiting the Rockies) swing by The Stanley, it’s beautiful!

What’s your favorite hotel dining place?

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