Dusty Boot Roadhouse

210 Offerson Road | Beaver Creek Plaza
970.748.1146 | dustybootbeavercreek.com

by Krista Driscoll
photos by justin q. mccarty

The Dusty Boot Roadhouse in Beaver Creek is teeming with people, and Wally Walling weaves his way in and out of the tables, greeting families and delivering dishes with the flair and repose of a socialite hosting one giant dinner party.

“Everyone decided to eat dinner at the same time tonight,” he says with a gracious smile.

This year marks the Dusty Boot’s 20th anniversary, and Walling has been there nearly as long, graduating from expeditor through the ranks to general manager.

“I’ve grown up with the place,” he says simply.

The menu has grown up over the past year or so, as well, with about 50 percent of the old items replaced by new dishes, many of which are inspired by dining trends that have percolated through the Roadhouse Hospitality Group’s dozen or so other restaurants scattered across the mountains and the Front Range.

The new list has a slightly more upscale approach while maintaining reasonable price points, Walling said. Gone is the traditional pile of nachos, replaced by homemade ranch potato chips stacked with pork carnitas, barbecue sauce, creamy onion horseradish and cheese.

Other snacks include Brussels sprouts with goat cheese and a sweet and spicy sesame sauce and a brand new chef’s board, with prosciutto, smoked elk sausage, salami soppressata, Italian-made burrata, traditional accouterments and toasted rosemary bread.

Each of the salads comes with a chef’s protein recommendation, from the grilled pear gorgonzola salad to the Roadhouse signature Thai salad: crispy wontons alternating with layers of avocado, cubed mango, peanuts and more, with a suggested coupling of seared ahi tuna.

Much of the protein on the menu is sourced from Colorado, from the hormone-free beef used in the Dusty Boot’s signature burgers to the pan-fried locally sourced striped bass to the 1855 Black Angus New York Strip, served with homemade shoestring fries and a duo of tri-colored peppercorn cream sauce and honey-chipotle molasses.

Some of the restaurant’s favorites remain, albeit with a slightly new look. The Boot Pasta, for instance, has dropped its Cajun trappings and now features fresh, locally sourced pappardelle pasta, with blackened shrimp, andouille sausage, and spinach in sun-dried tomato cream sauce.

The new menu items have had an overwhelmingly positive response, Walling said, adding that the younger set is particularly fond of the s’mores fondue. The dish comes in a small cast-iron skillet, with perfectly toasted marshmallows crowning a stratum of crushed graham crackers and Ghirardelli chocolate finished with a caramel drizzle and a side of more grahams for scooping. •

 

Price
Starters are $9-$19
Mains: $12-$39
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Ambiance
Laid back and convivial
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Signature dish
Homemade ranch potato chips, Boot Pasta, steak frites
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Kid-friendly?
Yes