Cosmic Dog Winter Park, Colorado

Cosmic Dog Burritos Winter Park, CO

We had a chance to visit the new Cosmic Dog Burritos this weekend and we were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was.  We had a couple of burritos and some queso dip with cheese and it was terrific.  I’m going to say the food quality is better than Chipotle and it seemed more “authentic”, whatever that means.

Sarah the twins and I shared a veggie burrito,  shredded carnitas burrito and some queso dip and chips with the salsa on the side.  The boys ate heartily and Sarah and I both thought the burritos and queso were awesome.  Price was reasonable and the decor is very Winter Park quirky in a good way.  There is no more need to trek down to Denver to get your Chipotle Burrito fix.  We have just as good if not better right here in Winter Park.

Right now The Cosmic Dog is serving only soft drinks but Fernand, the owner, says that the liquor license application is in process and they should have beer and margaritas in the next month or so.  My mouth is watering right now thinking of a Pacifico with some queso with chips….. YUM!

So all you WP locals let’s get out and support one of our own homegrown restaurants and  all you visitors to our piece of heaven here in the Colorado Rockies don’t miss out on a Cosmic Dog burrito.

Carlos and Maria’s Winter Park

Carlos and Maria’s is under new ownership.  The long time Winter Park favorite will reopen next Wednesday May 20, 2009 with new decor and menu.  The restaurant has been closed the last few weeks undergoing the renovations.  The eatery is  located at

78930 Us Highway 40
Winter Park, CO 80482
                970-726-9674         

Phone number will stay the same. 

Check out past reviews.  Carlos & Maria’s has been a Winter Park locals favorite for years so lets hope they keep their food and drink specials.  The place did need a little spiffing up.  We wish the new owners well and hope business is good.  Look here for a food review in the next few weeks.

Winter Park Restaurant/Bar Happy Hours: The inside scoop!

 Hey Y’all,  I was sitting in Lime at the Winter Park Village having a nice margarita yesterday and I overheard a customer asking about happy hour.  This gave me a great idea to put all the local happy hours in one place so that in these tough economic times we can still get a good buzz on for cheap up here in Winter Park.  So here goes in no particular order:

• Lime: Monday thru Friday 2pm to 6pm $3.00 house margs and draft beer (Dos XX Amber) http://www.eatatlime.com/
• Winter Park Sushi Bar: Everyday 4pm to 6pm $2.75 12 oz bottled beers and well cocktails, $4.74 small hot sake, 2 for 1 on select sushi rolls http://www.ineedsushi.com/index.html
•  The Cheeky Monk – everyday 3pm to 6pm one dollar off the first three beers on the menu I think they are Carlsberg, Blanche De Bruxelles, and Afflem Blonde (African Blonde?).  Also one dollar off house wine and cheaper awesome french fries served with lemon aoili. http://thecheekymonk.com/
• Winter Park Pub – everyday 3pm to 6pm $2.00 bud draft, $2.50 micro draft, $3.00 import draft and $2.50 well drinks and food being $.25 wings until they run out  http://www.winterparkpub.com/
• Mirasol Cantina – 4pm to 6:30 pm everyday $3.50 margaritas, $4.50 mojitos, $1.50 pbr drafts, $2.50 domestic drafts and well drinks.  http://mirasolcantina.com/
• Randi’s Irish Pub – Monday thru Friday 4pm to 6pm $2.00 well drinks and half price drafts.  http://www.igougo.com/dining-reviews-b144506-Winter_Park-Randis_Irish_Saloon.html
• Hernando’s Pizza Pub - Open at 4pm no happy hour.  http://www.hernandospizzapub.com/
• Fontenot’s - everyday 3pm to 5pm $3.00 drafts, house wine, margarita’s and bloody mary’s.  All appetizers are also $7.00 http://fontenotswp.com/Home_Page.html
• Tabernash Tavern - open at 4pm with no real happy hour http://www.wplbo.com/news/tag/tabernash-tavern/
• Ranch House Restaurant at Devil’s Thumb Ranch – No happy hour.
• Brickhouse 40 - everyday 4pm to 6pm bottle beer and house wine specials and $3.00 to $4.00 special appetizers http://www.brickhouse40.com/Home_Page.html

• Backcountry Grill - No happy hour.
• Untamed Brewhouse and Grill -  ????????  http://www.wildcreekbrewingcompany.com/index.htm
• Derailer - Well I would like to tell you what they have but the very helpful Intrawest representative informed me they have well drink and draft specials and no food specials.They would offer no specifics.
• Doc’s - Again I was told by the Intrawest representative they have well drink and draft specials and no food specials.  They would offer no specifics.
• The Club Car at Mary Jane - Another Intrawest operation and I was told they have well drink and draft specials and no food specials.  They would offer no specifics.
• The Crooked Creek Saloon – Monday thru Friday 3pm to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm $2.00 wells and domestic drafts http://www.crookedcreeksaloon.com/
• Smokin Moe’s - no happy hour http://www.smokinmoes.com/
• Gasthause Eichler - no drink specials but they have an all inclusive dinner that is $18.50.  Food is very good and this sounds like a great deal.
• Carvers Bakery Cafe – open 7am to 2pm everyday so I think that may even be a little bit to early to drink for me!  http://carvers-wp.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=chef-duncan-inc
• Star of India - no drink specials yet but they may after winter park resort closes for the year.  http://www.starofindiawp.com/starwp.swf
• Carlos and Maria’s - 3:30pm to 6pm everyday.  $12.00 house margarita pitchers and $2.00 tacos.  http://www.igougo.com/dining-reviews-b144501-Winter_Park-Carlos_and_Marias.html
• Deno’s Mountain Bistro - everyday 3pm to 7pm $1.00 off domestic drafts, micro brew drafts, house wines and well drinks. http://www.denosmountainbistro.com/
• Moffat Station Brewery - 3pm to 5pm $2.00 off the two microbrews that are brewed at the brewery.
• Buckets - Laundry by day and bar by night.  No happy hour though.
• Grand Lake Brewing Company – no happy hour.  http://www.grandlakebrewing.com/
• The Historic Riverside Hotel, Bar & Restaurant – In Hot suppher Springs but they have no happy hour.
• Freestyle’s Tavern – More of a nightclub with no happy hour.  http://www.myspace.com/freestyleswinterpark
• Azteca Mexican Restaurant - No happy hour.  http://www.wplbo.com/news/tag/azteca/

Makes we want to go and try all the Winter Park happy hours!

Our Top Ten Winter Park Restaurants

We here at Winter Park Lodging by Owner, most of us being former restaurant/bar owners or employees and such, have decided to come up with our very own top ten ten list of restaurants for the Fraser Valley area.  With a couple of restaurants opening in the new Winter Park Village we know competition for the dining dollar is only going to get more fierce up here in WP.  So here goes our list in no particular order.  We don’t want to offend any of our fellow citizens!

1. Tabernash Tavern - upscale comfort food with quality that you can’t believe here in Tabernash.  Great atmosphere also.  It has taken over from Devil’s Thumb Ranch as our upscale favorite!  Cheaper too!!
2. Hernando’s Pizza - an old time favorite that just seems to keep getting it right.  They have the all time best Hawiian Pizza with sliced almonds.
3. Mirasol Cantina - Great margaritas and a dynamite salsa bar.  Try the lamb tacos, they are fantastic!
4. Sushi Bar - Great sushi in the mountains and the best staff around.  Say hey to Jill our favorite bartender.  She can whip up a mean Maker’s Mark Manhattan.
5. The Winter Park Pub  - Sometimes you need to get down and dirty with some live music and draft beer.  If it was an epic day on the slopes don’t forget the Jager.  Give Jeff, the owner, a holler tell him his WPLBO neighbors sent you over.
6. Azteca Mexican Restaurant  – Family style mexican with good margaritas.  They have a nice patio for the summer and great salsa.
7. Rudi’s Deli - Best sandwiches in Winter Park and Tim the owner is a great guy.  Talk a little politics with Tim as you chow down your “Holiday on a bun” – my favorite.
8. Fontenot’s – A little cajun up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Great gumbo and jambalaya and they put up with our food throwing twins!
9. Lime – They were one of our competitors in Denver but now I’m outta that biz we can recommend them freely.  Brand new in the Winter Park Village but the three times we’ve been there food and margs have been great.  They do need to figure out their heat/cold issues with the front door though.
10. The Cheeky Monk  - They opened Feb 28th and we tried it out already. AWESOME! Big red walls with vaulted ceilings and Belgium-like chandeliers, it really does feel like a Belgium ski lodge. Hang on, is there skiing in Belgium?  Anyway, it’s worth going and mention Winter Park Lodging By Owner.  You get a free Blanche De Bruxelles draft with any purchase when you mention our name.   

South of the Border in WP

My boyfriend and I recently tried out the newest Mexican restaurant in the valley — Azteca.

Located in Fraser across from Safeway, it’s a quick drive from Winter Park and easily accessible by the free shuttle.

Right away, we were greeted by the friendly staff and an extensive menu which included some of my favorites. Burritos, tamales, tacos, and some salads were a few of the highlights. About the time I decided on a combo meal that included an enchilada and a tamale, my margarita arrived which was right on the money- just enough sour mix and an even rim of salt. I found out they make them with a special “home made” recipe – but our server wasn’t about to tell me the mixture secret. Our plates came out quickly and we dug in. Spicy, authentic, and tasty, although they overdid it on the mole sauce. Halfway through my tamale, it got to be a little much but was easy to scrape off. Overall, it was good food (and plenty of it) for the price.

It’s got a cozy atmosphere and is family friendly- there were a few kids running around enjoying the holiday decorations. If you haven’t already, check it out!