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Some of the best food in Crested Butte can be found in a small converted house on Elk Avenue, the town’s main drag. Revelden, an 11-month-old brunch and dinner restaurant, carefully sources the majority of its ingredients from Colorado purveyors, makes almost everything from scratch, and plates every dish—from avocado toast to braised pork belly with collard greens—beautifully.
Though fairly new, the restaurant will be familiar to many: For more than eight years, it was the Sunflower deli. In 2013, the space became a co-op, operating as the deli in the morning and afternoon and switching to a farm-to-table restaurant in the evening—the separate businesses were run under one name by different owners. When the a.m. purveyor decided to move on last May, dinner proprietors Christopher and Natalie Phillips rebranded. “Our definition of Revelden is a lively and cozy eating establishment offering eclectic cuisine inspired by the freshest ingredients from the fields,” Natalie says. “Lots of magic is made in that small space.”
The magic comes courtesy of chef and co-owner Kalon Wall. His worldly menus reflect what’s in season and local. Wall buys whole animals that he butchers himself (expect an array of cuts), and he tweaks dishes based on available produce. An early March menu showcased ingredients from 10 Colorado farmers, most of whom were located within a 50-mile radius of the restaurant. Seafood is sourced sustainably.
Though Revelden is small—there are only a dozen or so tables—the menu is ambitious. Recent dinner offerings included a winter squash risotto with charred beets and sunflower seeds; beef Bolognese with house-made pappardelle (a customer favorite); and lamb leg roulade with handmade lamb sausage and celeriac mashed potatoes.
That fine-dining aesthetic flows through the brunch menu, too. Everything, from the bacon to the cherry preserves to the sauces, is made from scratch. Avocado toast is elevated with country bread from pastry chef Meg Antonczyk (who bakes all of the restaurant’s breads and sweets) and a pomegranate-studded side salad. The classic egg-meat-cheese breakfast sandwich gets the deluxe treatment with your choice of meat (I recommend prosciutto), melty Fontina, freshly baked bread, and creamy avocado aïoli.
It’s the combination of that refined food with mountain-town-casual service and setting (lots of wood; tables are close together; wine bottles line the shelves) that makes Revelden such a joy.
If you go: Revelden is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. There are early (6, 6:15, and 6:30 p.m.) and late (8, 8:15, and 8:30 p.m.) seatings available; reservations are recommended. Brunch runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.
214 Elk Ave., Crested Butte, 970-417-7767
