The downtown Durango streets and shops have donned their festive finery and local restaurants and bars beckon shoppers and revelers to the warmth inside with new seasonal menu items and holiday specials.
From the south side, where the giant inflatable Santa holds court, to the north side, presided over by the gorgeously lit spruce tree in Buckley Park, the choices for savory specials and seasonal sipping are vast.
While Main Avenue tends to be the primary corridor of activity, don’t forget Second Avenue, which boasts a number of great eateries. There’s nothing like parking your chilled body in the cozy dining room at Cyprus Cafe, 725 East Second Ave., or its sister wine bar and cocktail lounge, Eno.
“We love to change up the menu seasonally,” says owner/proprietor Alison Dance. Some of the tantalizing offerings at Cyprus Cafe this year include Colorado Lamb Shank, Salt Roasted Duck with Cranberry Cardamom Chutney and Sweet Potato Gnocchi. Headlining the December deals is a shoppers-special, three-course dinner or lunch for $25, offered through Dec. 18.
Next door to Cyprus, Eno is the place to go for happy hour, with 20 percent off select cocktails and food and a happy-hour wine list for $4 a glass from 4-5:30 p.m. daily. Or, pop in after dinner for a seasonal-special Cognac trio or hot buttered rum, or Eno’s daily two-for-1 bubbly deal. Handcrafted coffees and salted caramel cocoa satisfy the need for a pick-me-up between shopping stops. Both venues are available for private parties, and Cyprus Cafe also offers holiday catering with festive, customized platters that can be picked up or delivered.
At Asian-fusion favorite East by Southwest, 160 E. College Drive, you can dine well and check a few more items off your shopping list with a holiday gift card special – purchase $100 in gift cards and receive a free $15 gift card through Dec. 24. “Customers looking for party fare can order custom platters with 24-hour notice, at prices lower than menu prices,” says owner/manager Sergio Verduzco.
For office parties, East by Southwest has a private area available on Sundays and Mondays that includes a bar. Book your party of 15 people or more now through Dec. 20 and receive a $25 gift card to be used on your next visit.
When you shop or dine at East by Southwest, you’ll be supporting the restaurant’s annual commitment to the community. “For the past 13 years, East by Southwest has participated in Project Merry Christmas, adopting families, people with disabilities and senior citizens in need and showering them with holiday cheer, including gift cards, toys, clothing and boxes of food,” he says.
On Main Avenue, the venerable Seasons of Durango, 764 Main Ave., is a great pick for a special dining experience, and owner Karen Barger makes sure the holidays are properly feted.
Seasons’ commitment to local farmers and ranchers drives the menu throughout the year, Barger says. “Supporting local agriculture translates to sustainable economics, and that’s the best gift a business can give the local community,” she says.
Some of Barger’s favorite menu items include a giant, bone-in local ribeye cooked to order over the oak-fired grill and paired with rib-sticking mashers and Twin Buttes veggies. New cocktail and drink specials include $3 beers and $5 Moscow Mules and wine during Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m. daily, plus a $20 “Oysters-and-Bubbles” special with fresh bar snacks.
For office parties or large groups, Seasons offers two prix fixe menus that can be customized right down to the greeting or header on the printed menu, Barger says. Seasons is known for its extensive wine list and professional sommeliers who can recommend the perfect pairings.
Throughout the holiday season, local favorites the Bar D Wranglers have been known to make impromptu appearances, serenading diners in the candlelight glow and adding a special, magical touch. “They always seem to show up!” Barger says, adding that many families make Seasons an annual Christmas Eve tradition.
One can only eat so much turkey and ham, but pizza never gets old. In addition to its usual fine variety of pies, the pizza oven at Fired Up Pizzeria, 741 Main Ave., is cooking up a special seasonal pizza featuring a butternut squash base topped with goat cheese, mozzarella, sausage and red onion. Fired Up is open on Christmas Day, making it a perfect place to schlep the whole family for lunch or dinner, to recuperate from the bedlam of Christmas morning.
Arriving back at the station after a ride on the Polar Express to Santa’s Village, train enthusiasts can stop by the Palace Restaurant, 505 Main Ave., to take advantage of the Palace’s “Customer Appreciation Specials.” Available throughout the winter, weekly off-menu deals include three $18 dinner specials and three $9 lunch specials,” says co-owner Carolyn Lamb. “For example, some of our specials are Steamed Mussels over Capellini, Grilled Pork Filet with Apple Jalapeño Chutney and Shrimp Scampi Provençal.”
The Palace’s also has areputation for unique, seasonal house-made cocktails. The drink menu includes a house-made brandy eggnog, pomegranate hot toddies and a signature Manhattan featuring house-made maraschino cherries. The in-house infusion is apple-ginger-infused vodka served martini-style with brown sugar and a cinnamon glass rim. For private parties, groups can reserve a single dining room, the tavern or the entire restaurant.
Smack in the center of town is Chimayo Stone Fired Kitchen, 862 Main Ave., featuring a spacious dining area and cozy ovenside bar seating that make for a relaxing holiday respite. Owner Michael Lutfy brags about his wife and business partner Birgitte’s Danish Gløgg: “We can’t make enough of it ... It’s a Danish version of hot mulled wine, combining brandy, vodka, red wine, raisins and almonds, oranges, cinnamon and star anise.”
Lutfy also notes the seasonal return of Chimayo’s popular acorn squash fondue, which he describes as “roasted squash topped with cranberries and almonds and four cheeses, served with bread and tortilla chips for dunking.” And if you don’t want to wait until 5 p.m. for happy hour, Chimayo’s starts at 3:30 p.m. – perfect for the short December days.
To satisfy a hankering for some robust Italian fare, head north on Main to Guido’s Pizza-Pasta-Panini, 1201 Main Ave. Although this year’s special Christmas Eve event is sold out, put it on your calendar to book early for next year – The Feast of the Seven Fishes, a seven-course traditional Italian seafood meal.
Guido’s features happy hour specials from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and all wine is half price on Wednesday evenings through the end of December. Guido’s also offers some unusual and hard-to-find seasonal offerings such as caviar, special-order rabbit and duck breast and its to-die-for truffle oil.
Escaping the hubbub of downtown is a great way to unwind, and newcomer PLATE, 42 County Road 250, is celebrating six months in business with ongoing menu updates and fun cocktail specials. Manager Nicole Clarke recommends trying the “White Girl Wasted,” a house-infused, pumpkin-spice bourbon with Mexican vanilla and egg-white froth. PLATE is worth a drive up the road, and there’s always Durango Taxi or Uber, if one drink isn’t enough.
Venturing out U.S. Highway 160 toward Hesperus, the Kennebec Café, 4 County Road 124, is not to be missed, especially as a treat for visiting friends and family. The restaurant will be open for Christmas Eve brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner on Christmas Eve from 5-10 p.m., with a limited menu. “On Christmas night, we will have a fabulous prix fixe menu for $80 plus gratuity, which includes a free glass of champagne,” says co-owner Barbara Helmer. Some of the entrée choices include Filet Mignon with Crab Legs, Paella, Duck Two Ways and Grilled Salmon with Beet Orange Relish – something for every palate.
Kennebec Café is open on New Year’s Eve for brunch and dinner, and anyone recovering from a late night of ringing in the New Year won’t want to miss the famously entertaining New Year’s Day Pajama Brunch. Guests who arrive in their pajamas receive a gift certificate for the price of their breakfast entrée, valid toward a future visit. “We see some very interesting attire,” Helmer says. “Sweats don’t count!”
Reach Herald food writer Pamela Stewart at pstewart@durangoherald.com.
