‘What is a roofless cathedral compared to a well-built pie?” – William Maginn
November 2, 2004
AFTER MY LAST ARTICLE ON THE SAN LUIS VALLEY I got several calls about places I missed and a couple on places I shudda missed. But you can’t please everyone and I’m not about to try. I did find some new ones on the way to the Valley last Thursday, but it was a strange trip. On the way to Alamosa I had three meals at three new restaurants (new to me) and they were all very good. Then I had a so-so when I got there. And then three lousy meals the next day. Shudda kept going south.
My first stop Thursday late morning for coffee and something for my tum-tum was in the post office slash coffee shop slash bakery slash convenience store slash deli in Jefferson, Colorado. What’s a Jefferson? Well, best I can tell it’s about 15 miles before you get to Fairplay. So either watch carefully on the way South on 285, or when you get to Fairplay turn around and go back 15 miles. But don’t blink. It’s the Jefferson Market (38600 US Hwy 285, 719/836-2389). Anywho, in the back of this multi-purpose store they serve breakfast, sangies, pizza and a variety of other goodies. I opted for a plain ham sangie on white bread with a bit of mayo in a togo package. What I got was several thick slices of fresh warm baked ham on decent white bread and a good cup of fresh coffee. Sure hit the spot cuz I had to eat lunch in about two hours and didn’t want to be starving when I got to Saguache. No, it’s not pronounced “Sa gooch”; it’s pronounced “Suh-watch”. Best I can do.
When I wrote about dining in the San Luis Valley several months ago, I didn’t include The Oasis (630 Gunnison Ave, 719/655-2884), Just before the turn heading south on Hwy 285 in Saguache. Like I sed, don’t blink. Inside is a large dining room with a small bar, friendly and efficient service and good grub. While the half pound bugger on the menu jumped out at me, I was there for Mexican grub and that’s what I was having. I had a tasty carnitas platter with plenty of yummy pork, good Spanish rice and lotsa fresh beans. Accompanying all that I had a chile relleno, the real test of good Mexican fare. It was decent.
After spending a couple of hours at the Oasis eating and visiting with clients – I did have to do some work on the trip so I could bill someone for the trip – I resumed my trek South on Hwy 285 to find the tiny town of La Garita.
I was told it was about 8 or 9 miles south of Saguache so I was on the alert. I passed a highway crew, some of which were working on a bridge next to a main turnoff. Well, y’all didn’t expect all of them to be working, didya? They weren’t. Anywho, as I passed Road G, I looked in the rear view mirror, and there was the sign to La Garita. But only for those heading north. I guess if you wanted to go south, you couldn’t go to La Garita. Anywho, I flipped a U and headed back North to Road G and I got to watch the Orange Hat raving and ranting at the non-hatted person about something or other. Maybe it was about the missing sign.
Six miles east of Hwy 285 on Road G I came to the La Garita Trading Post (41605 County Rd G, 719/754-3755), where I had been told resided the Best Bugger in the Valley. Lemme tellya. It’s darn close. It isn’t quite as flavorful as or anywhere near as big as the bugger at Outhouse ‘N’, east of Alamosa on Hwy 160. But it was mighty fine. And the fried spuds were dynomito. I had a hand-packed, half pounder cooked medium rare (well, a bit past that) on a good bun with a big pile of what was left of that day’s fried potatoes. The grill closes at 3 p.m., and I got there at 2:56 pm. The store is open later for other services. As with most Valley stores like this, you can get groceries, clothing, hunting and fishing stuff and abit of most anything you might need or want. I’ll be back to check out some of the other menu goodies. When I left the hubby was outback building a new kitchen cuz this one was just too small. So if you think I was the only customer that day, you are greatly mistaken. I hope that new kitchen will be ready when I get back down there in January.
The dining went downhill from here until I got to Cotopaxi Friday evening.
My favorite place to stay when I’m in the Valley is at what is now the Clarion Hotel – Inn of the Rio Grande (formerly the Holiday Inn) just east of the intersection of Hwy 17 and Hwy 160 in Alamosa. There is not a friendlier or more efficient staff anywhere. They’re just nice people. That’s true for the dining room staff as well. In fact I have had several very good meals at this hotel. Unfortunately not on this trip. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t very good. Thursday nite I was wanting a lite dinner and the dining room staff accommodated me. I ordered a grilled chicken salad off of the lunch menu. The only thing wrong with the very good salad was the honey mustard dressing. It came out of the cup in a glop rather than a gush. As in slower than Heinz Ketchup. It wouldn’t even pour. Had to take a spoon and shove it out. And there it laid, never to flavor anything. The chicken was very good and the salad, altho warm, was fresh, well varied and tasty. It also would have been nice to have a roll and butter but that didn’t come with it.
The next morning I had bad sausage and bad eggs in the same dining room. Even had the same waiter who probably spent the nite there. He was very good but the cook was mostly absent. The eggs were greasy oily slimy and the sausage, while not over-cooked as most places do, was tasteless. And this was the best meal of the day, altho I didn’t know it at the time.
I met clients in the lobby area of the hotel for a short meeting and off to the newest bugger joint in town, Kitchen Works (507 State, 719/587-2731). Billed as the biggest bugger in town, that was only one of several lies of the day. I asked for my giant “1 lb” bugger to be cooked medium rare and was told that she would tell him. I sed if he can’t or won’t to let me know and I would get something else. What I got was maybe a half-pound bugger (when it was raw) that had been cooking at 850 degrees since Tuesday. It was so done that even a knife could not penetrate its center. This was the bugger designed to have all that lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc on it soes you couldn’t tell it was beef. I think it might have been malachite. I don’t even remember what came with it cuz it was so bad. And our deliteful unfriendly inefficient W sed, “Well, I wrote it down AND I told him. You would have thought…” and off she went. And then I stupidly ate part of this monstrosity. Ugh.
Then off we went to the newest ice cream and chocolate store. I think it’s called “Your Receipt” out near Wally World. The ice cream was soft serve made with ice milk. Not very good, as in watery and tasteless. But the chocolates from various parts of the world were very good. Brought back double chocolate malt balls for G’s boss (hey, she’s allowed to suck up also), licorice from Australia (the real thing) for daughter Camille, and some very good sugar free chocolate bark for “The Office”, i.e., Melanie and me. Camille sed that the one piece that was left, after her brothers (who don’t like licorice) scarfed up the rest of them, was the best she’s ever had. Guess I gotta get some more next trip.
Cya.