Our base camp for this Colorado trip was Estes Park, the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Now if you are from a lower elevation, you’re going to want to hang out in town for a couple of days to get acclimated to the altitude before you go up higher into the mountains. Therefore, a grocery run might be in order while you’re waiting. I mentioned in my post on donuts that Estes Park has what is quite possibly the busiest Safeway grocery store in the country, at least during the summer peak months. Pro tip: go early, like 7 AM at the latest.
If you’d rather just sit and be served, though, here are a couple of good breakfast options. Just down the hill from the Safeway is The Egg and I, a Colorado chain specializing in breakfast, brunch, and lunch. My favorite item is the Mexican Omelette, stuffed with chorizo, green chiles, onions and cheese, and topped with the pork green chili I love so well (they spell it with an “I” on the end here instead of an “e.”).
You Need Pie!
Another local favorite for breakfast is the Estes Park Pie Shop, Bakery and Diner. That’s its official name, but it is usually referred to by its slogan, emblazoned on the banner outside: “You Need Pie!” They have everything from blue-plate specials to a Build Your Own Breakfast Burrito. Pro tip: tell your server “An egg would be perfection,” and they’ll add an extra egg to your order.
But of course, the not-so-subliminal message that lured you here in the first place was that you needed pie. They have some of that. 38 different flavors, to be precise. They cut their pies into six slices, not eight, so when you order pie, you’re getting a BIG ole slice!
But if that’s not enough of a sugar bomb for you, then you can do what I did and order a Pie Shake. This is exactly what it sounds like. They make you a milkshake and blend an entire piece of pie into it.
So a couple of days later, when you feel like eating again, maybe you’ll decide that a lighter lunch might be in order? Come back next time for more Yums from Estes Park!