My rainbow trout — stuffed with a celery-onion-breadcrumb mixture, broiled and served whole, its flaky flesh imbued with smoke — was surprisingly good. But my mom's main course was another mess. She'd opted for the bacon-wrapped filet; bafflingly, the beef had been cooked into leather while the bacon was almost raw. That inconsistency was the most interesting thing about the dish, which otherwise tasted like something made for a high-blood-pressure patient on a strict low-sodium diet. The sides of wild rice and whipped yams were fine in a grandmotherly kind of way — but the ratatouille tasted a lot like chunky tomato sauce from the jar, despite the host's assurance that "everything that can be homemade is homemade." And the chocolate-mint mousse served for dessert tasted too oddly synthetic to really seem homemade.
By the time the cheese tray arrived, we were done. Too bad this dish hadn't come first: Though it featured smoked gouda that you could buy in the grocery store and bunches of grapes, at least everything looked edible.
Mark Manger
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Gold Hill Inn
Six-course dinner $35
Three-course dinner $25
401 Main Street, Gold Hill
303-443-6461
Hours: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 5-8 p.m. Sunday
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The party was still going in the front room as we wandered out the door, and I wondered for a moment where the kids had gone, since the adults seemed to be just gearing up for a good time. And then I wondered how many other parties have sat in that front room drinking and trading stories over the decades, and what stories I might have missed out on by sitting in the dining room. The Gold Hill Inn may be steeped in history, but it's hard to absorb that history over a disappointing dinner.
I'll definitely return to the Gold Hill, but next time I'll post up at the bar: listening to music, sipping whiskey, eating bread and devouring the much more appetizing aspects of this Colorado institution.
More photos: At the Gold Hill Inn, atmosphere goes a long way
