Food Traveler Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 28

mountain getaways 26 FOOD TRAVELER | WINTER 2013 miss the Grill’s “Colossal Wings,” whole wings (not pieces) seasoned and slow-cooked, then finished in the fryer and glazed with homemade buffalo and barbecue sauces. ABOUT GRANBY RANCH nuts and garlic-infused olive oil. Families are welcome here, and the children’s menu includes a free gelato and drink for those under 12. The price-point is approachable; dinner pastas start at $14, pizzas at $10, and entrees at $17. Expect to find locals during happy hour or chilling on weekends; the live acoustic music is a draw, but don’t Granby Ranch is a four-season mountain community nestled against the Continental Divide, located only 90 minutes from Denver and 20 minutes from Winter Park , Colorado and the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Home to Ski Granby Ranch, Bike Granby Ranch and Golf Granby Ranch , the community offers chairlift access to thousands of acres of hiking and cross-country trails as well as world-class downhill mountain biking, a championship golf course, miles of gold-medal fishing, and the friendliest family ski mountain around. PHOTOGRAPYHY BY HELEN the Granby Ranch Grill menu is Colorado lamb, which is prized for its milder taste. Lambs are fed on native mountain grasses and grow bigger, and unlike lamb imported from Australia and other producing regions the focus in Colorado is on meat production, not wool, which results in flavor that’s prized around the country. At the Grill, Chef serves up cracked black pepper and rosemary encrusted rack of lamb with sweet red onion jus and garlic mashed potato—delicious! Local produce is hard to come by at high altitude, but the Grill sources locally grown mountain veggies like spinach and micro-greens, with plans in the works to add Grand County– raised organic, grass-fed beef. Look for other regional items like Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese, (produced near Boulder), which gets a star turn in the roasted beet salad with pine