Restaurant Roundup: Crested Butte

A recent weekend found me in Crested Butte for the XTERRA triathlon and the Crested Butte Land Trust Food & Wine Festival. I fueled up for the race by sipping vino and nibbling eats under the grand tasting tent. I also canvassed town, checking out CB’s affordable dining. I devoured stacked sandwiches from Sunshine Deli (try the Joker, with turkey, Munster, tomatoes, lettuce, curry mayo, and roasted red peppers), tabbouleh salad and huge gyros at Pitas In Paradise, and bubbling slices and cold beer on Brick Oven Pizza’s stellar patio. Only Lil’s Sushi Bar & Grill, a longtime sushi staple (and a previous favorite of ours), was a disappointment. Dinner was expensive–think Sushi Den prices–for nigiri that was mostly rice, and creative-sounding rolls that tasted flat. I learned after the fact that sushi cravings are better satiated at the hipper and newer Lobar.