Fine Dining at The Cliff House…Not As Expensive As You Think

A four Diamond restaurant is geared to individuals in search of a distinctive fine-dining experience. Often orchestrated by an executive chef and an accomplished staff, menus reflect a high degree of creativity and complexity, using imaginative presentations to enhance high quality, market-fresh ingredients. The equally proficient service staff demonstrates a strong desire to meet or exceed guest expectations. A wine steward is typically available to provide menu-specific knowledge on wine selection. The ambiance is highly refined, comfortable and well-coordinated, incorporating quality materials and a variety of upscale design enhancements to give a first-class impression. The overall dining experiences is typically expensive……..BUT there are ways to experience a four Diamond restaurant without breaking the bank.

The Cliff House in Manitou Springs is a four Diamond restaurant/hotel in Manitou Springs (306 Canon Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829, 719-785-1000, or 1-888-217-7000 toll-free,  www.thecliffhouse.com) . Nestled at the foot of majestic Pikes Peak, The Cliff House is one of Colorado’s finest luxury hotels and restaurant. Travel & Leisure calls it “One of the top 100 hotels in the world“. Now for those of you who don’t know, my husband is the general manager there but long before I met him, I was enjoying “special” meals there. I love to meet girlfriends there for lunch  because it’s not more expensive than other places we typically would meet at for a nice lunch and a place to “catch-up”. And if you don’t live in our area, there are ways to enjoy a fine dining experience in your area for less.

Breakfast

Breakfast is a great way to experience the ambiance of a luxury hotel without the cost of staying the night. So why not turn an “average” weekend breakfast out into a “special” way to start the day with the family, friends or a date? The Cliff House has delicious breakfast choices that you can enjoy in the dining room, music room or my favorite place to eat, the veranda (weather permitting). My favorite breakfast choice is the 3 egg omelette that comes with sourdough toast, homefried potatoes, smoked bacon or sausage and fresh seasonal fruit…all for $10. Not much more than you’d spend at a local breakfast chain and it’s a four Diamond experience! Another favorite of mine that’s a more “gourmet” choice, the Wild Mushroom Florentine is a must…with smoked bacon, wild mushrooms, baby spinach, and poached eggs served on a toasted English muffin with parmesan veloute…for $12. Begin a Saturday or Sunday here for a reasonably priced but fabulous breakfast and then enjoy the fresh Rocky Mountain air as you explore this beautiful mountain community. Manitou Springs is a vibrant artisan community, home to world-class art, music, theater and sidewalk sculpture displays. The Historic District is lined with unique art galleries, one of a kind gift shops and trading posts with handcrafted Native American treasures. My absolute favorite thing to do in Manitou is people watch…which is free! The Cliff House also has a breakfast buffet bar for $10 per person. Breakfast is served from 6:30-10:30 am.

Lunch

Lunch is when I eat at The Cliff House the most often. I love to go there with a girlfriend or two and visit while feeling like we’re “special”. Not only is the food exceptional, with prices comparable to a lot of “chain” restaurants (not fast-food), but the service is impeccable and you are made to feel like you’re having a truly “gourmet” dining experience. My girlfriend Sarah recently ordered the Pulled Pork Burrito which consists of house pulled pork and cheddar cheese, jalapeno tortilla, green chill, avocado and sour cream. It was a huge portion, she said it was delicious and it cost $10.00. A comparable burrtio from Chipotle cost $8.45 to $10.25. My girlfriend Ashley ordered the Oven Roasted Quinoa Burger ($11.00) which includes Portobello mushroom, caramelized onion, artichoke hearts, arugula, and tomato on grilled flat bread with picante salsa. The Quiche is something I order frequently. I prefer the boar bacon, Gruyère, spinach and caramelized onion Quiche, served with seasonal fruit and Cliff House side salad for $9.oo. (Mimi’s Cafe, a national chain, also has wonderful Quiche which cost $9.59….but actually costs more than The Cliff House). Just to name a few of my other favorite lunch choices….the BBQ Chicken with applewood smoked bacon, jalapeno relish, fresh cole slaw and grilled corn bread ($10), the Black Angus Beef Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and roasted garlic aioli with fresh fruit and Kettle potato chips ($11.00) and my new “favorite”, the Blackened Tilapia Pita with avocado, cucumber, daikon radish sprouts and lime aioli, also served with fresh fruit and chips, for $11.00….wonderful flavors, fresh and not expensive! As you can see, the prices are comparable to other restaurants you might go to for lunch but again, you’re dining at a four Diamond one that people from all over the world come to visit….

The Bar and Grill

Another great way to enjoy a fine-dining restaurant when you’re on a budget is to order a couple of appetizers and split them. This gives you the opportunity to enjoy fabulous food, the whole gourmet experience and not spend a ton of money. The Cliff House added the Red Mountain Bar and Grill a couple of years ago and if I could, I’d go there three or four times a week! The plush leather sodas, dark wood and cool marble bar, massive flat-screen TV’s, roaring fireplace, stunning 2nd story balcony and a romantic fire-pit patio below….love it! Executive Chef Scott Savage salutes the best of classic Americana and pub fare with his familiar and deliciously naughty twists on the great bar/bistro staples. And they have an affordable and impressive selection of over 40+ domestic and imported micro-brews and fine spirits. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip comes with fresh vegetable crudities and grilled flat bread for $8.00 (Chili’s Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip is $7.99). My very favorite Red Mountain appetizer is the tempura vegetables with sweet soy and sweet chili dipping sauce. It’s fabulous and cost $6.00 for a generous portion. (Red Robin offers it for $5.99). As you can see, The Cliff House food prices aren’t hugely different from chain restaurants! The Red Mountain Bar and Grill is open Sunday-Thursday from 5 pm to close and Friday and Saturday from 4 pm to close. Happy Hour includes $3 domestic beers, $4 imported beers, $4 house wines by the glass, $4 wells, and $5 well martinis. A wonderful, relaxing place to have a drink and appetizers with friends or a date.

Dinner

And then there’s dinner….

Led by visionary Executive Chef Scott Savage, the elite culinary staff (at The Cliff House) will astound your senses with a creative symphony of tastes, smells and textures. Award winning dishes will amaze you with their modern twists combined with Chef’s fearless utilization of cross-cultural techniques and fresh Colorado ingredients.

The Cliff House has something for everyone with their variety of dinner entrees. And the prices are excellent for a Four Diamond dining experience. It was harder for me to compare dinner prices with “chain” restaurants because they just aren’t in the same price range but, for what you get for the price, I think the prices are better than most other fine-dining establishments in our area (which I won’t name because I’m not wanting to be negative about other places we enjoy dining at). One of my very favorite reasons to eat dinner here is just to see the presentation of each plate! They all look like works of art….and then I go home and try to copy some of the ideas. For under $20, there’s the Bourbon Chicken with sausage corn bread stuffing, sautéed chayote squash, glazed pecans and natural just or the Lavender Pork Loin (gluten-free) which is served with an apricot rice cake, Parisian squash and zucchini and agave nectar…both are $19.00.

The most expensive item on the menu is the Bacon Wrapped Elk Rib Eye (also gluten-free) with apple wood smoked bacon, roasted garlic and sage rosti potatoes, Brussel sprouts, and balsamic Soubise. It’s $32, which may sound like a lot but truthfully, I’ve seen elk steak entrees for $49, and they didn’t come with all the extras and they weren’t at award-winning restaurants. Just saying.

My two very favorite items to order are the Cedar Plank Salmon (gluten-free) with blue crab risotto cake (I could eat TEN of these, they are that good!), grilled asparagus and smoked choron sauce ($24) and the Cliff House Filet Mignon(6 oz for $24), which is a black truffle stuffed and blue cheese topped filet with horseradish and honey mashed potatoes, carrot and asparagus with veal jous. DELICIOUS! Just for a comparison price you can get an 8 oz filet mignon at Tony Roma’s for $23.99.

The Dining Room

And let’s just talk about the dining room for a second, which lends to the fine-dining experience and four Diamond rating. Graced with the majestic Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, the decor is modern Victorian, and the walls are adorned with stunning oil paintings by local legend C.H. Rockey. The tables are laid with Reidel crystal wine glasses, fine china, Christofle Hotel flatware all on Damask linens….beautiful. But here’s the thing that I really like about dining at The Cliff House (besides the fabulous food and great prices of course)…the wait staff makes you feel welcome and are just so knowledgable and gracious. No stuffy servers who look down at you if you pronounce something incorrectly…which I have a tendency to do! And there is no set dress code because they want guests to feel comfortable when dining there.

Other Favorites

Two other dishes I want to talk about real quick are the Fish and Chips and the Cliff House Wedge. The Cliff House Wedge is my favorite salad with crisp iceberg lettuce, blue d’auvergne, grape tomatoes, dried shallots, house vinaigrette and an aged balsamic reduction. The cost? Eight dollars….Ruby Tuesday has a Blue Cheese Iceberg Tower for $7.99. And the Fish and Chips is wonderful…ale battered Icelandic cod, bistro fries and pickled onion remoulade for $9.00…Red Lobster offers a similar entree for $8.50.

And then there’s the Table For Two special that is affordable and delicious for a “special” night out. The Table For Two is a three course dinner that includes Cliff House Salad for two, the Black Truffle Stuffed Blue Cheese Topped Filet Mignon for two and the Trio Of Creme Brulee for two (all I can say about the creme brulee is OMG)…all for $59.00 (for two)….good Sundays through Thursdays, excluding all holidays. I think an anniversary dinner for $69 at a four Diamond restaurant is an excellent deal…and this meal will be memorable.

A great way to experience a fine dining dinner meal is to share. My husband and I do this all the time, which allows us to taste fabulous foods and try out new restaurants we might not otherwise be able to afford at times. We’ll each order a salad or soup and then split an entree and dessert. *Some restaurants do charge a “plate fee” when sharing.

The wine cellar at The Cliff House is one of the most expansive and affordable selections of fine wines in Colorado. The wine list has recently exceeded 700 + selections and has multiple “Best of Award of Excellence” distinctions from Wine Spectator. Court of Master Sommelier certified Julius Watson and Eric Ewers are the best! No matter what your budget is, they will find a wine to complement your dinner in the best way. And they are super friendly and won’t make you feel inept when ordering.

Just Dessert

Another way you can enjoy a fine dining experience is to visit just for dessert. Why not? Eat dinner at McDonald’s if you want and then swing by a fabulous restaurant and order a decadent dessert. The Cliff House has the Trio of Creme Brulee I mentioned earlier ($7.00 and enough for you to share), Artisan Ice Creams and Sorbets ($5.00) and many more melt in your mouth creations. My favorite right now (they do change seasonally) is the Almond Joy-Cocounut mousse, florentina cone, cocoa almond sponge, Malibu rum sauce and praline powder ($8.00).

Tammy’s Tip ‘O the Day!

*There’s also a nightly wine special with certain bottles half off. And of course you can always stay the night! They have occasional specials that are about the same price you’d pay for a “regular” hotel!

Vegetarian, gluten-free, breakfast or dinner….the Cliff House has something for everyone and it’s not as expensive as you might think. Or as stuffy! Whether you’re a blue jean or evening attire kind of person….cold beer or legendary French Burgundy drinker….you’ll be welcomed, made to feel special and have a wonderful dining experience….

*Our military contest winner Shannon will be able to experience The Cliff House with her husband since a gift card was part of her “stash of goodies “she won! Thank you Cliff House.