El Rancho Restaurant

El Rancho got its start in 1948, when the owners built a rustic log building by the side of U.S. Route 40, put a restaurant on the first floor and moved in upstairs. It went through many owners and even more ups and downs before Bonanno Concepts (which owns Mizuna and numerous other restaurants in Denver) took over operations. The kitchen continues to send out trout and prime rib (both El Rancho traditions) as well as elk chili, bison short ribs, catfish, a French dip and chicken-fried steak with sausage gravy. There's even a salad bar, a hallmark of ’70s-era dining that is also a complete mystery to much of the kitchen crew, says Jacqueline Bonanno.