COLORADO EXPLORER

By Linda DuVal

Floating with the wind
Going to pot(s)
Making a splash


Colorado Explorer
Colorado Balloon Classic.
© Paul deBerjeois

Floating with the wind

There you are, floating hundreds of feet above the ground. The world drifts away silently, and there is no sensation of moving. That’s because you’re in a hot air balloon and you go, unresisting, where the wind blows. The quiet drift is broken only by the occasional whoosh of hot air being forced into the silken balloon above your head.

To experience this unique ride, attend one of Colorado’s many balloon festivals this summer or fall. For a fee, you can arrange to ride with one of the balloonists. The price may be steep, but the experience is priceless.

The Colorado Balloon Classic, held each Labor Day weekend in Colorado Springs’ Memorial Park, is the oldest continuous balloon festival, as well as the largest, in the state. More than 100 balloons make their ascent each morning, and each evening, there’s a “balloon glow” – the balloons are lighted but don’t go up.

Make a reservation now, because available rides fill up fast. Call 719-471-4833.

A ride at this event costs $245 for about an hour. Rides are totally dependent on the weather – how long they last, where they go and if they happen at all.

Other balloon festivals offer similar experiences. To find a complete list, go online to www.coloradoballoonclub.net.

Going to pot(s)
Nearly every Colorado art gallery displays pottery made by local artists. Some even specialize in just pottery. But there are only a handful of places where visitors can view the pottery being made as well as buying finished pieces. Here are several worth a visit.

Mesa Verde Pottery: Ute and Navajo artists ply their craft while you watch them carve, paint and throw pots and other pottery pieces. With several different styles, from softly blended colors of the Navajo style to the vivid scenes and colors of the Red Earth (Monument Valley) style, there’s plenty from which to choose. 800-441-9908 or 970-565-4492.

Ute Mountain Indian Pottery: Located in Towaoc, eight miles south of Cortez, their method starts with the clay slip being poured into molds. Then artists hand-paint each piece with highly stylized black-and-white symbols, and then signs it. Then it’s hand-glazed and fired to finish. 970-565-8548.

Van Briggle Pottery: Established in 1899 by Artus and Anne Van Briggle in Colorado Springs, this collectible art pottery is world-famous. Muted colors and a soft matte glaze set this work apart. They’re famous, too, for their pottery tiles, which grace many a fireplace in the Pikes Peak region. Tours by appointment only. 719-633-7729.

Colorado Explorer
Chef Kevin Taylor.
Courtesy of
Restaurant Kevin Taylor

Making a splash

One of a series featuring Colorado’s AAA Four Diamond restaurants.

Restaurant Kevin Taylor
Colorado native Kevin Taylor made a splash on the Denver dining scene at the tender age of 25, when he opened Zenith American Grill. He quickly earned not just a local, but national, reputation for culinary excellence, and finally put his name on the restaurant at the Hotel Teatro, where his cuisine has rated Four Diamonds for most of the past decade.

His food is luxurious, but contemporary. Guests are treated to the traditional niceties, including the finest china, crystal and silver. He is famous for his smoked sweet corn soup with barbecued shrimp and for his open-faced ravioli with lobster and asparagus. He often says he wants “every guest to be wowed” and admits that he strives for perfection in every dish.

“I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself, the food … and the ambiance,” Taylor says. “Food is just a portion of the overall experience. I often ask myself, ‘How can contemporary cuisine be better?’ and go from there.”

Charles Court
Born in Colorado and raised in Minnesota, Chef Gregory Barnhill served under some of the best chefs in both states before coming to The Broadmoor and assuming head duties at the elegant Charles Court, one of the hotel’s Four Diamond restaurants. Dining at lakeside is particularly fun in the summer, when the doors open onto the night and diners can see ducks and swans paddling by.

Barnhill seeks “the best local products in season, combining a traditional culinary foundation with cutting-edge techniques.” His signature culinary style uses “contrasting flavors and textures in every dish” (e.g., sweet with sour, hot with cold, soft with crunchy).

One of the dining room’s most popular items is the crab cakes entree, made with the “world’s best crab,” from Maryland. If he ever took it off the menu, he says, “there would be rioting in the streets!”

Colorado Explorer
© MicClik photography.
Recipe courtesy of
The Broadmoor/Charles Court

Mini Crab Cakes with Chili Remoulade

INGREDIENTS – Makes 16 Crab Cakes

  • 1/2 cup Minced Yellow Onion
  • 1/2 cup Diced Yellow Pepper
  • 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 lb. can Backfin Crab Meat
  • 1 cup Mayo
  • 1 cup Bread Crumbs
  • 2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
  • 1 lb. can Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
  • Vegetable Oil for Frying

DIRECTIONS

  1. Sauté yellow onion and pepper in olive oil. Remove from heat and chill.
  2. Mix together backfin crab meat, mayo, bread crumbs, parsley and Old Bay.
  3. Add chilled yellow onions and peppers.
  4. Fold in jumbo lump crab meat and form into cakes.
  5. Fry in vegetable oil 2 minutes on each side.
  6. Serve with Red Chili Rémoulade (see recipe).

RED CHILI REMOULADE – Makes 3 Cups

  • 2 Large Egg Yolks
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 tsp. Tabasco
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tbsp. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 tsp. Minced Capers
  • 2 tsp. Minced Shallots
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Minced Fresh Tarragon
  • 1 tsp. Minced Fresh Italian Parsley
  • 2 tsp. Minced Red Bell Pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and Dijon mustard until eggs are broken up and evenly blended.
  2. Continue whisking and slowly add oil by pouring it down the side of the bowl in a thin stream.
  3. Once all the oil is added, whisk in Tabasco, Worcestershire, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper until well incorporated.
  4. Mix in capers, shallots, tarragon, parsley and red bell pepper until blended.

Back to Top





>>>Return to Table of Contents