My sister Susan and I stopped for a drink at El Rancho, located in Evergreen, Colorado when coming back from a drive through the mountains a few weeks ago. This place has been around since 1948, starting out as a cafe and trading post. It soon became a popular restaurant, and when Interstate 70 was being built past the place back in the late 1950s, the owners, friends of President Eisenhower, added a post office and were able to have their own interstate exit to access the restaurant. Always good to have friends in high places.
Not too many years ago, they added a brewery, but eventually there was a dispute between the partners who owned the place. It closed, and went into bankruptsy. Happily, it was bought by a well-know restaurant owner and chef named Frank Bonanno, and reopened last month. We were happy to see that the place is still the same, and the bar and lounge, with wood log walls and a cozy fireplace, is as nice as ever. There is a small, glass-fronted brewery by the entrance, and due to that small size it has been named the Pygmy Stallion Brewery. The main dining room still has large glass windows with a view of the mountains, including the snow-capped Continental Divide, to the west. In fact, the entire area around Bergen Park and Evergreen, Denver's two premier mountain suburbs, is quite spectacular, and a mere 26 minutes from the heart of the city. Another great reason to live here in Denver.
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