Outstanding in the Field Offering Farm to Table Fare

3 Chefs, Outstanding in the Field 2010

Colorado is blessed once again as Outstanding in the Field, the roving culinary tour returns to Vail Valley's Copper Bar Ranch for the second consecutive year on July 20. A five course meal will be prepared at the ranch by acclaimed Vail Chefs Jeremy Kittelson of Restaurant Avondale and Armando Navarro of Larkspur. 

The farm to table event was started by California chef Jim Denevan, when in 1999 began bringing local farmers to his restaurant as special guests at his "farm dinners." It wasn't long before he thought of hosting dinners on their farms. 

Outstanding in the Field tours the U.S. from May 1 through December 4, stopping at 90 farms, and has local farmers, food artisans, chefs, and winemakers create a feast at its source. A single signature long table draped with linen is set for all guests to sit together and break bread in a beautifully rustic setting. The tour is currently making its way through California, where it's already sold out half of its remaining dates.

Tickets are now on sale for its stop at Copper Bar Ranch for $200 per person. For those who've sampled the fare at either Larkspur or Restaurant Avondale, you know it's more than worth it to go. For purchase tickets and for more info, visit www.outstandinginthefield.com.

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Hotel Teatro Named One of the Ten Best in the World by Expedia

Hotel Teatro, Denver, Colo.

Last week, the Hotel Teatro in Denver, Colo. was named among the top ten hotels in the world on its  2011 Insiders’ Select™ list, which recognizes hotels worldwide for their consistently excellent service, notable value, and  great overall experience. It's the second consecutive year that the hotel has earned the distinction. The full list ranks the top 500 hotels selected from more than 130,000 offered on Expedia®. 


The evaluation process for this year's Insider Select program were more rigorous than in previous years. Expedia required more reviews for each hotel and higher score per review to make the list. Other factors in this year's rankings included input from local market managers employed by Expedia, and a value rating scored by comparing rates with other similar properties.


Having stayed there, it is a well deserved honor for the hotel. It's boutique status makes the service more personal. It's architecture and decor capture the elegance, beauty, and spirit of the Denver theatre scene. The food served at Prima and Kevin Taylor are beyond fabulous. Definitely a hotel consider when staying for a night,  or a week in Denver.

Free Day Pass for Mom at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, located near Cañon City, Colorado, is offering a free day pass on Mother's Day, a $25 value, and includes a majority of the attractions and activities in the park. Dads will also get a free day pass on Father's Day.

May is also Military Appreciation Month, where members of the military and their families get half-off general admission and individual season passes.

New this year is the Royal Gorge Bridge Visitor Center, located about three miles from the its parent attraction. The 4,000 square foot facility will provide visitors a convenient place to get tickets to Royal Gorge,  stop, eat, and shop as well as provide info on the area's attractions, activities, accommodations. 

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park features one of the highest suspension bridges in the world, hanging almost 1,000 feet high over the Arkansas River and spanning a quarter mile across a three million year-old natural wonder that is Royal Gorge. Attractions and rides also featured at the park include an incline railway, an aerial tram, skycoaster, and wildlife park.  

Visit www.royalgorgebridge.com for more info on tickets and the park. 

Been to Royal Gorge this year? Share how it was here.

Colorado Tourism Office Launches New Dining Guide

With world class chefs and locally sourced ingredients, dining anywhere in Colorado can be a different experience when going to the next town, or next county. With the many local search engine apps available to help you with your dinner plans, the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) has launched their own dining guide specifically geared toward making the right recommendation from the diverse dining offerings the state has to offer.

By visiting www.Colorado.com, you can search by location, price, meal, restaurant type, and cuisine. In addition to booking reservations online, the dining guide also publishes restaurant deals along with results, and also includes info on Colorado produce, farmer's markets and a Colorado crop calendar.

As the question of where to eat while travelling is often the most challenging, the CTO's Colorado dining guide is one more helpful tool when traveling to and around Colorado.

The Curtis Offers a Deal for Real Pirates

Denver travelers and Colorado residents can score tickets to “Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship” when staying at The Curtis, a Doubletree Hotel with the Curtis Yo Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum package.

Starting at $175 per night, package includes:

-Accommodations with one King or two Queen beds
-Breakfast for two adults at The Corner Office
-Two tickets to “Real Pirates” at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
-A Treasure Chest full of pirate booty, including a Curtis Yo-Yo, a Ho Hos snack cake and a small bottle of rum with two sodas

“Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship” exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science features over 200 authenticated artifacts from the Whydah, a pirate ship discovered in U.S. waters. The exhibition runs through Aug. 21, 2011.

To book, visit www.thecurtis.com  or call 800.525.6651. Booking code: PK9. The package is available until August 7, 2011 and is subject to availability; does not include taxes or gratuities.

Highlights from Breckenridge Spring Fever

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The sun was warm, the mountain runs were awesome, the food and drink were fantastic. It was only a few days in the month-long celebration of Spring Fever in Breckenridge, but plenty of good times were had. Here are some highlights from Breckenridge Spring Fever.

Favorite Drink- The Café Le Ninja at Coppertop at the Peak 9 base was smooth, sweet, and perfect at the end of the day. If you want to know what's in it, you'll have to go there and try it for yourself. Too busy loving it at the time to take note.

Favorite Lodging Amenity- The view from the Lodge & Spa at Breckenridge. Great pics of Peaks 9 and 10, and great way to wake up in time to enjoy the mountain.

Favorite Restaurant Deal- Breckenridge restaurants were offering an $18.59 deal for Spring Fever. At Briar Rose, $18.59 got you two courses from the $18.59 menu. The shrimp and beef tips were just awesome, and lived up to the Briar Rose's reputation of gourmet cuisine.

Favorite Mountain Run- All, even the green ones, because they were great for killing time until the powder softened up from freezing the night before.

Favorite Spring Fever event (while there)- "5 'til 5" addressed the basic need of anyone skiing and riding on the mountain- the lifts and trails are never open long enough. Add great music, food, contests, and giveaways and it's like a party scene from a ski movie, minus the thin plot and cheesy dialogue.

Even though college for me was four lifetimes ago, if I have a spring vacation next year, I'm going back to Breck.

Breckenridge Spring Fever continues, with a full schedule of events remaining both on and off the mountain. If you can make it, check out GoBreck.com for a full schedule of events for the rest of the month.

What are your favorites from Breckenridge Spring Fever? Share it here.

Live Blog- Breckenridge Spring Fever: Freestyle Happy Hours and a Roller Coaster

Today, DJs were spinning tunes, the smell of barbeque was in the air, and the party continued under a warm spring sun, while skiers and riders were jamming in the middle of Park Lane Terrain Park for the Spring Fever "5 'til 5" Terrain Park Happy Hours. The roar of the crowd occasionally drowned out the music after an awesome freestyle display, but the combination of tunes and freestyle jamming made for great party in the middle of the mountain.

Earlier it was more of an amusement park than a ski resort, as I rode the Gold Runner Coaster, at the base of Peak 8. Riding 2,500 feet of twisting and turning track on a sled where I controlled the speed was really good fun in hindsight (I forgot I get motion sick). It hardly slowed me down though as I rode my snowboard down as many peaks as I could, covering three peaks today.

While I covered a lot of ground, there's still more I want to do tomorrow. I'm just three points shy of the next level on my Epic Mix account, and I'm going back to push it over top.

Tomorrow Spring Fever in Breckenridge continues with a sidewalk sale that lasts all weekend. Deals abound as merchants unload their winter inventory before the ski season ends.

Check back over the weekend for highlights from my last day during Breckenridge Spring Fever.

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