Colorado Restaurants

At Toppings and More, an elegant trifecta meets: hot dogs, frozen yogurt, and bar drinks. As the name might imply, a huge list of toppings is available to pile over local, all-natural frozen yogurt. Hot dogs pile on top of local breads, carrying creative combinations of wasabi mayo and pickled ginger, or macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, drinks quench palates with specialty cocktails and beers.

Victoria's Tiny Tea Room stages formal and casual outings fueled by sips of tea. Inside the cottage's tearooms, servers place teapots onto elegantly crafted table settings with candles and chicly folded napkins. They host breakfast and brunch teas for early-bird socials, high teas for predinner gatherings, and royal teas for homesick court jesters. In addition to tea times, they invite groups for birthday parties and bridal showers and augment sipping sessions with pampering spa services, such as mani-pedis.

Planted on the corner of Grand View and Olde Wadsworth, The Archive Room—with its illuminated sign shining out from the building’s brick façade—practically beckons passersby inside. Within the eatery's comfortable confines, platefuls of home-cooked comfort fare, such as baked chicken and dumplings, and classic Irish pub favorites, such as bangers and mash, populate tables in an atmosphere that tips its hat to yesteryear with its collection of old Life magazine covers. Amidst the flicker of a dozen big-screen TVs and a homey fireplace, barkeeps pour drafts of Batch 19 and Guinness, overfill chalices with whites and reds, and concoct cocktails from a slew of top-shelf liquors. The pub also entices crowds and animate lampposts to wander in from the outdoor patio with rousing weekly events such as poker night, live Irish music, trivia contests, and weekend brunch.

Partying patrons are drawn through Eck's Saloon’s doors by the magnetic force of live music, 40 TVs, an outdoor patio, and a line of taps that dish out domestic and craft beers. A loaded calendar of weekly events includes beer-pong nights, foosball leagues, Zumba sessions, and trivia, as well as rock bands who perform regularly under the multicolored lights of a 32-foot-wide stage. Eight pool tables, lit from above by red glass lamps, entertain those not playing air hockey or challenging each other to games of pin the tail on the dartboard.

Beers pair with a menu of pub food that includes fiery wings, a pepperjack burger topped with guacamole and bacon, and a mountainous pile of nachos with refried beans and beef. Eck's specialty house-made green chili comes as a topping for chili-cheese fries, inside chimichangas, or in take-home jars that can be refilled or poured directly into mouths upon request.

Warmth emanates from both the decor and the staff at The Inglenook Restaurant. Owner Rod Brubacher and his wife Pam designed the restaurant’s pale-gold and burnt-orange dining room, dotted with contemporary art and small, open archways, through which mellow jazz music lilts and flows. Rod himself is often on hand to greet guests and welcome regulars back by their name or social security number.

As guests take in the traditional, tranquil vibe, they choose from a creative menu that merges classic and modern tastes. Shifting weekend specials and adjustments for dietary qualms, including gluten allergies, enable diners to experiment around the meal mainstays. Rod and his wait team amble past tables to suggest wine pairings and the necessary number of fork prongs for various entrees, which include gourmet meat and seafood plates such as pecan-encrusted salmon and rack of elk.

David "Red" Cohen knows it is an odd combination, but Red's Dogs & Donuts is all about serving his favorite two foods. Hebrew National hot dogs crackle warmly alongside andouille sausages and brats crafted from smoked elk, pheasant, bison, alligator, and other meats. Mole sauce, chili, jalapeños, pickled red onions, and other toppings turn the hot dogs into a feast for patrons or a nightmare for an actuary calculating napkin-insurance premiums. A frosted, sprinkled, filled, and powdered array of more than 60 donuts make use of Red's secret batter recipe, which substitutes in potato flour to add extra fluff and crunch to the house-made treats. The donuts don fixings including maple glaze and bacon, and belgian waffles sport cherries and whipped cream or a sausage-and-egg scramble drizzled in syrup.