{"id":804162,"date":"2020-02-13T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T23:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=378949"},"modified":"2020-02-13T16:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T23:45:00","slug":"the-geiger-counter-the-most-romantic-dinners-in-summit-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/the-geiger-counter-the-most-romantic-dinners-in-summit-county\/","title":{"rendered":"The Geiger Counter: The most romantic dinners in Summit County"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dishes at Aurum Food & Wine in Breckenridge are designed to look like works of art, said the business\u2019s founder, Phillips Armstrong, who thinks that\u2019s just one of the many special touches at Aurum that add to the dining experience.<\/strong>
Jameson Midgett \/ Aurum Food & Wine<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t know what to do this weekend? Well, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Pull up a seat to the counter, and I\u2019ll tell you about everything that\u2019s hot and happening.<\/em><\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day is here and the masses of lovesick couples are flocking out to eat. We\u2019re fortunate to have plenty of fine dining choices for all sorts of diets and budgets. Hopefully you already have made your reservations, but if you\u2019re still undecided \u2014 or you want a head start on next year \u2014 here are my suggestions.<\/p>\n

No doubt tons of restaurants in the area are marking the special occasion with unique menus or other offerings, but these spots are romantic choices that delight no matter the time of year.<\/p>\n

5. Carboy Winery<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t go to Carboy Winery\u2019s Breckenridge location until about two years ago, and I\u2019m kicking myself for not going sooner. I think I was turned off by the idea of Colorado wines and didn\u2019t even look at the menu. However, their food options include a delicious bison carpaccio and curried cauliflower that would tempt carnivores. It\u2019s also the first place where I had the chance to eat goat tacos.<\/p>\n

As for beverages, they have a syrah that is absolutely wonderful. The place is an underrated gem.<\/p>\n

4. Breckenridge Distillery<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Similar to Carboy, one might be remiss to think that a distillery would have a worthwhile restaurant. Yet with a menu by James Beard award-winning chef David Burke, the seasonal selections are diverse and delectable. Try the Brussels sprouts made with bacon, apples, hazelnuts and Breckenridge Bourbon maple syrup or the tagliatelle pasta with guanciale and peas.<\/p>\n

Naturally, a restaurant housed in a craft distillery makes fine craft cocktails. There\u2019s classics like the Obi-Wan Old Fashioned inspired by \u201cStar Wars\u201d and various ginger beer mules alongside more unique concoctions like the Permafrost Pear.<\/p>\n

3. Aurum<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another small-plates option with a seasonal menu is the relatively new Aurum in Breckenridge. There\u2019s oysters, mussels, duck and pork, but I\u2019m a bigger fan of the smooth and rich foie gras.<\/p>\n

It was shaped into a strawberry the first time I went, but now it is a cinnamon apple version serviced with apple butter, ciabatta and apple itself.<\/p>\n

2. Keystone Ranch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of foie gras, many moons ago I first bit into that dish at the Keystone Ranch. That decision absolutely spoiled my palate, making me seek out the heavenly liver whenever possible, though my budget wouldn\u2019t allow it.<\/p>\n

At the end of the hearty meal, enjoy the restaurant\u2019s signature cr\u00e8me brulee while curled up by the fireplace away from the main dining room. Simply changing setting midmeal elevates the experience.<\/p>\n

1. Ski Tip Lodge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In my mind, though, the best restaurant that serves dessert in a separate location near a cozy fireplace is Ski Tip Lodge. The award-winning restaurant also has a constantly shifting menu that features excellent game and fresh fish.<\/p>\n

Make sure to splurge for the wine pairing as the restaurant has the best sommeliers I have ever seen. Their descriptions of a wine\u2019s history and how it complements a dish will whisk you away on a culinary cruise to happiness.<\/p>\n

As a bonus, the lodge used to be the home of Keystone Resort founders Max and Edna Dercum. It now operates as a bed and breakfast as well as a restaurant. So, if you plan it right, you could have a comfortable bed waiting for you after that filing meal and those moments by the fire. Then when you awake, there\u2019s another perfect meal waiting for you.<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dishes at Aurum Food & Wine in Breckenridge are designed to look like works of art, said the business\u2019s founder, Phillips Armstrong, who thinks that\u2019s just one of the many special touches at Aurum that add to the dining experience.Jameson Midgett \/ Aurum Food & Wine Don\u2019t know what to do this weekend? Well, you\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-804162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-25 18:54:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804162\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}