Audio By Carbonatix
“Nothing could be finer than dinner at the diner.” So goes the jingle at the Rocky Mountain Diner where, for the last fifteen years, the staff and crew have been working hard to take customers back to the golden age of diners. And you know what? For the most part, they’ve done a fine job. The menu is full of blue-collar specialties with a regional twist — everything from buffalo meatloaf to fried catfish with Cajun remoulade, from campfire Rocky Mountain rainbow trout to peppered “cowboy steak” with mashed taters and fried onions. And whenever I have a hankering for pan-fried chicken, this is where I go. I know I’ll have to wait for the pleasure, but there’s plenty at the diner to keep me diverted, including a horseshoe-shaped (complete with saddle seating) stocked bar — boasting what they claim to be one of the largest selections of bourbon in the city — and a fascinating history: The restaurant occupies the first floor of the Ghost Building, which was built in the 1880s, dismantled in the 1970s and reconstructed piece by piece in the 1980s on this corner just a few blocks away from its original home. All in all, the only time this diner is less than fine is when it tries to get too fancy for its own good. Duck enchiladas and havarti? Jicama slaw? No, thanks. I’ll stick with my fried chicken and my meatloaf and maybe a nice glass of Early Times, neat.
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