Schnip's Trips: Life on tilt 🍽
An overnight in Cañon City exposes us to a very unique hotel room, a sparkling speakeasy, attempted fine dining, lavish pastries, quality coffee and award-wining vino along the way
Some weeks in Side Dish, you’ll notice I do area travel pieces, such as my recent roundups of Taos and Buena Vista. I might also throw in a random staycation, as well as foreign destinations like Spain and Portugal (because I know not how to go on vacation without working). You can always access these via my home page, generally under the “reviews” section (if you’re a newer subscriber and didn’t know this).
I say generally, because sometimes I squeeze little trips away into this weekly newsletter, as opposed to a separate review mailing. A recent example of that is our jaunt to Breckenridge. The goal usually is to check out food and drink spots that are new to us since our last visit to an area (sometimes dating back years). In other instances, it might be my first trip to a place, and I go to recreate, working in culinary stops as a bonus; my writeup of Glenwood Springs fits that mold.
I’m telling you all this 1) to reassure you that my main focus remains on home base in the Colorado Springs marketplace and 2) with the assumption that you also enjoy day trips or few-day journeys around Colorado. And would that you’re inspired by our far-away voyages, you might appreciate tips for an itinerary. (We have one friend in Spain presently, and another headed to Portugal soon, and we’ve provided advisements.)
So, all that in mind, this week I’m kicking off with highlights from a short overnight in Cañon City. The obvious tourist draws are the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, Royal Gorge Route Railroad and extensive penitentiary facilities. (Kidding on that last one! Oy! Sadly, being a prison town is part of Cañon City’s fabric. You can’t go and not notice.) Eschewing all this, we just relaxed around Main Street and enjoyed the quietude of a small town, needing a metal break from hustle and bustle, if only for a few hours. Here’s what we got into:
Stay: Hotel St. Cloud
After a seven-year renovation and restoration, Hotel St. Cloud reopened in mid 2025. Its history dates back to 1881 in Silver Cliff, Colorado, from where it was deconstructed and relocated to Cañon City just five years later, reopening in 1887. Needless to say, it’s had many owners and operators over the years, as well as different names. The history section of the hotel’s website site notes “The Dark Age” in 1925 when it became the KKK’s headquarters, with 20-percent of the town’s population belonging. There’s brighter times, such as “The Hollywood Era” in the late 1940s.
I asked my next door neighbor Bob if he was familiar with the hotel, as he grew up in Cañon City. He surprised me by saying “I worked there for a summer when I was in high school.” This was in the mid 1950’s and it was named Hotel Cañon at that time. He recalls operating the elevator (getting good at timing the shutoff to line up the floors) and hauling in heavy luggage in an era before rolling luggage had come along. He made 50 cents an hour, and was embarrassed to be seen outside of work in his bellhop outfit, so he would try and sneak the four blocks to work from home without being bothered. He describes the hotel as “really upscale and fancy” back then, saying “for Cañon City it was top of the line.”
Some 30 years later, in 1987 it closed, and would remain vacant until a “preservation attempt” in 2014. The restoration, under a new, Denver-based owner, began in 2018. One travel writer I find online calls it “a herculean effort to restore a vintage hotel.” It would total $15 million in costs before it was completed.
For all that, the floor in our room isn’t even level — your water bottle will roll towards the interior wall with the slightest nudge, as if on a boat that’s listing. We’re aware of this odd feature before booking, as the room’s listed (with a $30 discount off $204 this night) as the “Tilted Cowboy,” with “All the luxury of our Standard King — plush bedding, modern amenities —in a room with a subtle tilt.” We were intrigued; we had to do it. It was faintly disorienting for a few seconds here and there when moving about it, but not to a degree to cause any seasickness or real discomfort. (If anything, it felt like a metaphor for navigating today’s crazy-ass chaos world — you can get around well enough, but your senses constantly perceive that something’s off.)
Hotel St. Cloud’s lobby feels chic and stylish, with a showpiece landscape photo of a bison over a fireplace (glowing because it’s actually a TV screen with a frame around it — I went snooping at the edges). There’s a cool four-way leather chair adjacent to a pool table, and the Fremont Public House acts as the lobby bar one storefront over. (You can take drinks up to your room if you wish.) The hotel also owns Fremont Provisions, a sports bar, a couple blocks away down Main Street. But we opt to eat on-property at their finer dining spot, named 1887.
1887 Historic Eatery
The hotel’s restoration did a great job in terms of making it feel hip and boutique. A fair comparison might be The Mining Exchange in Colorado Springs, in terms of preserving history and creating a new narrative around the thematics. So think of 1887 as like Oro. Historic photo reproductions play off frontier and Western styles; tin ceiling tiles stretch over a display case of sweets in the center of the room; and pretty charger plates hold leather-bound menus next to hotel logo pint glasses for water service. Table service rates attentive and sincere; we enjoy bantering with our waiter.
Complimentary bread service features house-baked wheat rolls flecked with thyme and rosemary and egg-wash basted with a seasoning that evokes sweet onions. We order a pinot noir that outperforms its easy $7.50 price by the glass. (Beers are relatively affordable for today’s prices at $5 and $6.50; cocktails are uniformly $13 and “free spirited” mocktails are all a fair $8.)
We bypass apps like crab cakes and pork belly bites plus soups and salads and go right to mains, where the real pricing kicks in. Salmon for $36 and lamb lollies for $44. The fish is advertised as glazed with a lemon-lavender-infused honey, drawing us in, but what arrives is a sickly sweet faux maple syrup (Log Cabin methinks) with high fructose corn syrup vibes start to finish. Like breakfast for dinner sweet. Speaking as a former beekeeper, I can say that no bees I’m aware of make a “honey” like this. Everything it touches is worse off for it: the fingerlings, carrots and dry (cooked past medium) fish. In my notes I callously scribble “a sentient being was murdered for this dish? Twice!”
The Mediterranean-marinated lamb arrives under a glass cloche filled in hickory smoke, with sides of roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and potatoes. It’s certainly better by comparison to the fish (so is a kick to the groin … okay I’m still being mean), but it’s still got issues that leave us feeling like Cañon City has a ways to go to rise from has-the-look to has-the-taste. The lamb’s rosemary-balsamic reduction has the highly saline flavor of bagged demi-glace (I could be wrong; maybe they’re doing real cookery, but it’s how I perceived it) and though we saw the real stuff waft out from the cloche, the residual smoke taste reminds us of liquid smoke influence. The hash and whole affair would be more enjoyable if they’d arrived on hot plates to hold some temp; it’s all room-temp quickly. It’s the small details like this that could help elevate the spot, in addition to rethinking the saucing.
The War Room Cocktail Lounge
Love ’em or tired of ’em, speakeasies are still en vogue. With assistance from a server, enter through a fake bookshelf door at 1887’s rear into The War Room. Full credit due: It’s a beautiful space, with shiny, mirror bar shelves reflecting bright light over an array of top shelf spirits, including many allocated whiskies. Booth seats have buffalo nickels at the back of each dimple of the button tuft, and large mural opposite the bar depicts a World War II-era meeting of military leaders. Dozens and dozens of bottles are locked behind mesh screens in a tall display case against another wall of the bar as part of a locker program for regulars.
We’re faded after a long day of adventuring, so we opt to skip a nightcap, but I’m glad to have toured through the space. Would that I had ordered something, it probably would have been The General, made with scotch, honey and bitters, or The Retiree, with bourbon, maple and bitters. (But I’d already had enough maple with my meal — zing! How do you like that call-back?)
Standard Oil Coffee Company
Also belonging to Hotel St. Cloud, Standard Oil Coffee Co. resides just across Seventh Street as a neighboring cafe for daytime coffee and sweets. They serve fine pastries made by the hotel, including a ridiculously good Dubai Chocolate Brownie that I felt compelled to try. The kataif crunch texture is totally on-point, layered thick under a pistachio crumble topping and thin hard chocolate vein, with a chewy chocolate bottom. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, and I failed with my intent to just take a bite and save the rest for later — I put the whole damn thing down, paired with sips of a lovely cortado.
For takeaway drinks in our travel mugs, we order two specialty lattes from the seasonal menu: a rose-cardamom latte and orange-rosemary. Neither smacks too sweet, and the though the rosemary’s subtle in the latter drink, the orange shows up juicy and bright, simply delightful. I usually love rose lattes but this one’s a bit too floral for my tastes, overwhelming the cardamom and inherent coffee flavor; I have to add another espresso double shot to it later to balance out the taste to my liking.
Notably, Standard Oil serves drinks made with Hold Fast Coffee Co.-roasted beans (the City Slicker blend most prominently) out of Colorado Springs. That’s also what’s stocked in Hotel St. Cloud’s rooms in coffee pod form, so you can enjoy a first cuppa right out of bed if you wish.
Christy’s on Main
By Lauren Hug
Cheery yellow chairs and bright pink umbrellas line the sidewalk outside Christy’s, external symbols of the friendliness and whimsy that awaits you inside. They serve a wide variety of flavors and styles, catering to every kind of donut lover.
We try three. The raised, glazed yeast donut is a little on the dryer side, pairing well with coffee — which Christy’s also serves, including specialty lattes. A cinnamon roll cut to look somewhat like a pineapple, then fried and glazed like a donut, offers a nice contrast between crispy edges and chewy inside. The blueberry cake donut is a delight: soft and sweet and perfect with sips of coffee. I’m not normally a cake donut fan, but I’d make a return trip just for that.
The shop’s prices are unusually affordable for today’s landscape, with the cost of a dozen ranging from $15-$17. That alone is a reason to visit and sample almost everything they have to offer.
Other coffee options:
• The Pour House has expanded from its flagship location, 15 minutes away in Florence, to a spot along Main Street in Cañon City. It’s an excellent craft coffee shop.
• The Bean Pedaler is a cool, bicycle-themed spot also located on Main Street.
• Cafe Belay is located out on a frontage road off Hwy. 50 as you’re coming into town, and impressed us last time we were in the area.
Next time we go:
• Whitewater Rooftop Social, opened in spring 2024, features a giant elevated patio that overlooks the Royal Gorge Train station and Arkansas River. Find common pub fare and bar bites and sip a craft beer (including Bristol and Reg Leg pours).
• Antithesis, supposedly opening sometime in May. It’s billed as an upscale 50-seat restaurant inside the historic Robison Mansion, formerly Royal Gorge Mansion. (I contacted them with a request for more info but didn’t hear back this week.)
On the way:
Coyote’s Coffee Den (Penrose)
You can’t not pause in Penrose at Coyote’s on your drive south. For more than two decades it’s been a requisite stop for me. I don’t necessarily have a go-to drink, but I’m happy on this trip to revisit the Mexican mocha. I order it with oat milk and added cayenne for more spicy bite. The base mix already has some nice earthy heat and deep chocolatey sweetness; it sips somewhere in between a latte and hot chocolate.
Brush Hollow Winery (Penrose)
Brush Hollow opened six years ago in Penrose, stemming from a prior distilling operation in Laramie, Wyoming. (They also briefly popped up in Cascade, not far from Wines of Colorado as it were, but that test didn’t prove concept for a steady location.) They’re known for their Neapolitan wood oven pizzas (which we can’t try because of fire restrictions this day); a fat house cat that’s depicted on one of the labels; special Friday night pasta services; and wines made on site from Colorado-grown grapes (most from the Palisade area, but some local to town).
Winemaker Robert Vanatta (pictured above) guides us through our wine flight we’ve selected — watch the one-minute clip I filmed here — which includes some wines that earned medals at the Governor’s Cup in recent years. I won’t go through our tasting notes wine by wine (because he already covers descriptors in that video clip), but I can tell you we like the Syrah a lot; enjoyed the Aromella’s tropical elements; were challenged by the Maréchal Foch (aged in Axe and the Oak bourbon barrels, taking on a brown color and sour cherry taste with umami back notes of mushroom); and brought a bottle home of the lightly sweet Pueblo Green Chile, with a wonderful chile nose and true flavor, leaving a residual smolder in our throats.
Check out Ranch Foods Direct’s April newsletter for a short but poignant interview with renowned animal welfare advocate Temple Grandin, who envisions a future with “a big market for ranch-to-retail” and a secure food system with “a more distribute supply chain.” Also well worth a read: the “water crisis deepens” for Colorado ranchers, coming on the heels of the hottest winter on record in the region and wildfires in Nebraska that reduced hay supplies. What’s worse: “Groundwater is running short in many areas of the plains due to over-pumping… In some wells, there’s only 10 feet of water left in the hole, and it’s undrinkable.”
Bites & Bits
• Rock Bottom Brewery has gone out of business at 3316 Cinema Point after 20 years, having just celebrated National Beer Day on April 7 with $2 pints. Leave it to the internet to pay timely tribute: “Super sad actually. They finally hit rock bottom,” commented one smart-ass on The 411 For The 719 Facebook group. The first Rock Bottom location opened in Denver in 1991, and the company’s website cites 17 locations still alive. The brewery’s parent company, SPB Hospitality, had sold in late 2024 to Kelly Companies of Southern California, who owns Champps.
• The Gazette reported last week that “New owners of Cogstone Brewing Co. keeping legacy alive.” (Though other than naming buyers Mike and Mary O’Neil, the article has no direct quotes from them and reads more as a swan song to founding sellers Robert Hemphill and Marc Malenfant.)
• Downtown’s Savory Spice Shop, open since 2010, recently posted to say that they’ll be changing their name to Pine & Pepper Spice Shop. “We'll continue offering the exact same freshly ground spices, herbs, and blends you trust,” they wrote. “We’re proud to remain a Savory Spice franchise… What's new is the opportunity to grow in ways that feel uniquely rooted here in Colorado Springs-creating local blends, featuring Colorado artisan products, and making shopping online even easier.”
• Springs Magazine profiled Atrevida Beer Co. this week ahead of the brewery’s eighth anniversary celebration, coming up on Cinco de Mayo. Owners Jessica and Rich Fierro reflect on everything from early inspiration and diversity topics (Jessica being the first female, Latina-owned brewery in the state) to the 2022 Club Q shooting (Rich disarmed the shooter) and Atrevida’s commitment to the community.
• In chain news, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue just opened a seventh location in Colorado, at 2130 Southgate Road, #101. According to a press release, the brand dates back 70 years, to a single shop in Honolulu; today there’s more than 230 international locations. This new store, as well as the Barnes Road and Interquest Parkway shops, are operated by franchisee Ron Chadwick Jr., who owns six stores in the region. The company’s signature items is the Plate Lunch, offering two rice scoops, macaroni salad and an entrée, with choices like chicken katsu, loco moco, mixed barbecue or garlic shrimp.
• Taste of Pikes Peak, to be held July 9 at Hillside Gardens, is seeking food and beverage vendors. Register here.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: Every Saturday, dig into a shrimp boil or go big with shrimp + snow crab — served with sausage, potatoes, collards and cornbread. Pair it with $20 beer buckets and make a night of it.
Edelweiss: Catch our 2026 Spring Wine Dinner at 6 p.m., April 22. $85 for five paired courses. Dishes include roasted beet salad; panko-crusted Brie with lingonberry; pork loin with apricot coulis; hanger steak; and a white chocolate and raspberry sorbet beehive for dessert. Also, make reservations now for Mother’s Day, as we fill up quick.
Goat Patch Brewing: Every Thursday we drop a new pizza special at Grazing Goat Kitchen at Northgate. Single-topping pizzas at lunch are only $10, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Paint Your Pet at Lincoln Center, 5-7 p.m., April 11; $30 includes two beers. Mellow Mondays Coloring Nights at Monument for kids and adults are 5-8 p.m.
Gold Star Bakery: Celebrate Mother’s Day with scratch-made cinnamon rolls and mixed boxes of sweet breads from Gold Star Bakery. Perfect for brunch tables, family gatherings or sharing with friends. Reserve yours today to make your celebration a little sweeter. Preorder through May 4; pickup at Ivywild School May 8-9.
Kangaroo Coffee: Join us for a special event with IM BEE Botanicals, April 21, 4-7 p.m. Introducing Golden Bloom Body Polish, a body scrub made with Kangaroo coffee beans! Try it, meet the maker, enjoy charcuterie and sip some coffee. (Sign up here.) Also you have to try our new Coconut Lavender Chai: Stop by or have one delivered!
Wobbly Olive: Every weekday happy hour at both locations is 4-6 p.m.; all cocktails and beers are half off, plus $5 house wines. Allusion Speakeasy: Our new Star Wars theme has opened downtown as of April 9, and will open April 16 at our Powers location; Lord of the Rings closes April 12. Expect amazing on-theme cocktails, N/A “light side libations” and all-age Padawan Brunches for Star Wars.
Evergreen Restaurant: Come try drinks from our new spring cocktail menu. And join us for lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays. Menu items include our lamb burger, smoked salmon pinsa (flatbread), and shrimp linguine, with gluten-free bread and pasta options.
Hoppenings of the week
Beer Events
Bristol’s Prohibition Party: April 11, 7 p.m. Toast Prohibition’s repeal. Costume mandatory. Get 33¢ Yellow Kite pilsners and enjoy pilsner cocktails and mocktails, photo ops, a costume contest and scandalous casino games.
Sizzling Chili Cook-Off at Urban Animal Brewing (Downtown): April 12, 4 p.m. Taste mouthwatering chili creations from local competitors. All proceeds benefit the local fire department.
Queers & Beers at Seven’s Gate Taproom: April 15, 7 p.m. A welcoming space for LGBTQ+ folks and allies to connect, unwind and build community. Happy Hour runs 7 PM to close.
Beer Releases
Sweet Tea Ale at Goat Patch Brewing Co. (all locations): A malty ale brewed with black tea and sweet notes of peach. Smooth and flavorful, ideal for patio season.
Apricot IPA at South Park Brewing: A hazy IPA with subtle citrus notes and juicy apricot flavor, finished with nice hop crispness.
I Left My Kilt in El Paso at Gunslinger Brewing Co.: A Scottish Ale, perfect for smoky meat pairings.
Curated by Brandon Heid and Gerry Reyes. For full listings of beer-related events and releases download the free Hoppenings app on Apple on Google.
Upcoming events
April 11: The SoulFULL Series at COS City Hub with Latimer’s Kitchen & Catering. $99 includes six courses by five local chefs and a drink ticket.
April 16: Fables & Folktales Wine Dinner at Margarita at PineCreek. $85; call 719-598-8667 to reserve.
April 18: Pikes Peak Library District Foundation’s annual Night at the Library at Library 21c. 6-8 p.m; $150 benefits PPLD. Featuring 20 local food and drink vendors serving snacks inspired by classic and modern storybook themes.
April 21: Adictivo Tequila Dinner at TAPAteria. 6 p.m.; $99 for five paired courses.
April 25: 19th annual Spring Wine Extravaganza at Cañon City’s Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. 1-4 p.m.; $50 includes wine, food and live music.
April 26: Sip with Schnip Brunch at Evergreen Restaurant. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Details to come.
April 26: Third Annual Rooftop Invitational cocktail competition at Lumen8 Rooftop Social. 6 p.m. Eight teams, single elimination rounds with surprise challenge ingredients. Spectate and sip the creations.
April 27: Corrido Tequila Dinner at Ephemera. Seatings between 5:30 and 7:30; $105 for four paired courses.
April 28: Passport To Castello Banfi wine dinner at Pizzeria Rustica. 6 p.m.; $89 for five paired courses, call 719-475-9700 to reserve.
April 29: Colorado Pint Day. Starting at 11 a.m., hit participating local breweries to snag the 2025 limited edition Colorado Brewer’s Guild glass free with a pint purchase.
Parting shot(s)
Visit Colorado Springs’ President and CEO Doug Price invited me to present with him at this week’s HSMAI Southern Colorado State of the Springs program, held at The Mining Exchange. (HSMAI stands for Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, if you didn’t know.)
We discussed the arrival of Michelin inspectors to our area, continuing a conversation that we had started on Visit COS’ Peak into COS podcast last month, which included Chef Brother Luck.
During a separate part of Price’s presentation, he shared data points with the crowd of hospitality professionals, mostly folks who work in our area hotels and are concerned with tourism matters.
A few points I found notable:
• The U.S. economy saw a 5 percent decrease in international tourism during 2025, and a $6 billion loss to our economy during the Oct.-Nov. government shutdown.
• In 2024 (the most recent data available), visitors in the Pikes Peak Region totaled 25.5 million and represented $3.1 billion in spending.
• Expect 353 new hotel rooms getting added to our local inventory in 2026 between several new projects under development.