Well Steamboat, you have been good to me. Three days of nearly perfect weather, great snow coverage and beautiful times have come and gone, but the memories live on (thanks to my new Steamboat apparel…kidding).
The only thing I have left to do is talk about the food. You know I can’t go on a vacation with my dad without raving about the food we eat!
Night 2: Mambo
The second and last dinner with the full New Jersey-Colorado family was at the “Italian inspired cuisine” restaurant, Mambo. It was definitely not your traditional spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmesan type of place. They had that too, of course. I ended up splitting two dishes with my dad: red crab and taleggio gnocchi and butternut squash agnolotti. The gnocchi were mixed in a taleggio cream sauce with bread crumb, herb salad, red tobiko and truffle oil. The butternut squash-filled agnotti, which is like ravioli, was topped with prosciutto, fava beans, butternut squash agrodolce, brown butter and tracciatella cheese all mixed in a sage cream sauce. I have to say the latter was my favorite for sure.
Night 3: Yama
No vacation with my dad is complete without some sushi! Night three lead us to Yama, a “modern Japanese sushi and ramen bar.” I was a bit worried because I was not too hungry, and I like to be hungry when sushi is coming my way. However, they only had about five special rolls to choose from, plus a great amount of fresh sashimi, so choosing without overindulging was unusually easy.
Pictured above is the Salmon Citrus roll I ordered, which is snow crab and asparagus on the inside topped with salmon, thin lemon slices and citrus flying fish roe. I usually go for the savory rolls, but considering I wasn’t starving I opted for something lighter. It was a really good balance between the fresh salmon and light citrus from the lemon. The table also split a Yama Signature roll, which consists of tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, jalapeno and cucumber rolled up with seared yellowtail on top. The roll was perfect once I took the jalapeno out. Finally, my dad and I split some sashimi: yellowfin tuna, red snapper and tuna belly. I ended the night with a chocolate torte over raspberry sauce, which is a combination you really cannot go wrong with.
Night 4: The Ore House
The Ore House provides a “true western dining experience” served inside a converted barn from 1889. The inside really was unique, with old chaps hanging from the wooden walls and horseshoes used as coat hangers.
The restaurant is known for its steak, so I ordered a whiskey beef, which is a filet mignon marinated in a whiskey teriyaki. It was served with green beans and a house potato, which is basically a giant hash brown coated in cheese. The steak was tender and the teriyaki sauce was sweet, which is all I could ask for.
I do have to mention the dinner rolls that were served as we were at the salad bar (which was also completely satisfying). Each cinnamon roll seems to be coated with a cinnamon, sugar and butter layer. It was like having dessert for an appetizer, and I was pleased.
We did order two appetizers as well: crab cakes and sesame seared tuna. The tuna was cooked perfectly and the sweet soy sauce went well with the fresh fish. The crab cakes, too, were fresh and did not deprive us of crab.
I am so impressed with this place between its friendly staff and mouth-watering food. My Pop Pop and I even found room for a Ghirardelli brownie sundae, which as you can imagine, was rich and delicious. I could not have asked for a better place to end our vacation!
Disclaimer:
You may have noticed that I started the list with night two. That’s because the first night we went to Dude’s and Dan’s Bar and Grill. While we were told their burgers are well-known and popular, they were definitely pre-cooked and waiting under heat to be used for an order. That’s fine for fast food, but not at a bar and grill.
To end on a positive note, the lunch we had each day the mountain was quite tasty. I had a Reuben sandwich, a bison burger and clam chowder. All were top notch.
sarawhitmanythoughts 
You are becoming a food expert! So glad you are enjoying yourself.
L/Gran
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