Bootleggers Bistro ~ Westcliffe, Colorado

Latest visit: Jul 2024

First visit: Jul 2022

As mentioned on the Chuds review, we had every intention of going to Westcliffe at least once this summer. And yesterday was the perfect day to do just that. Blue skies and a cool breeze. The town was more crowded than in the winter, but not that much more. It's not on the tourist map and I hope it never does get on there. Bootleggers Bistro has become one of our go-to lunches in the area, and we decided to play it safe and went here again. Ah, but there's cracks in the foundation this time. I tried something new, essentially an Italian meats panini. Mrs. RJG stayed true to the chicken cordon bleu. Each comes with chips and a pickle spear. Problem was they didn't heat it up enough, so our sandwiches were lukewarm, though the bread remained toasty. The beer list has gone from interesting to perfunctory. Gone is Paradox and any other near-local brewery. Now they only have national brands, even if some are truly craft. I'm sure getting product into such a remote place isn't easy, but they had done it prior and set that expectation. Whatever the case, we were disappointed, though not distraught. They did the needful, but we're not here enough for a mediocre meal. So Bootleggers is a scratch.

From here we went on to Sugarlump for our ritual post-meal ice cream. It was delicious as always. We already have our annual report written up for 2024, but we hope to update the entry next year, likely in January!

---2/5/23 update

Yesterday Mrs. RJG and I decided to visit Westcliffe, our favorite scenic place in Colorado, just a little less than 2 hours away. Since last year's visit to Bootleggers was a hit with the Cowcatchers we decided to repeat the experience with just the two of us. It was an unusually warm February day, and this is the perfect time to come to Westcliffe. It's more quiet (not that it ever gets too busy) and the Sangre de Cristo mountains are pure white. It's such a sight to behold.

On this visit I went for the pastrami on an Italian roll, and Mrs. RJG stuck with the chicken cordon bleu. We proceeded to split our meals. I had potato chips and she had the potato salad. The bread was once again perfectly grilled/toasted, though the meats could have been hotter, especially the pastrami. The chicken wasn't a thinly sliced breast like last time, but rather cut pieces. All the same, we were happy with our meal overall. Washed it down with a strong bock from nearby Paradox brewery, which I talk about a bit below.

---original 7/3/22 review

It was time for a day trip with the Cowcatcher's. What better place to represent Colorado's majestic beauty than Westcliffe? No summer crowds like Breckenridge - but double the scenery. The original plan was to go to Chappy's, a place we recently visited and wrote about here. Though it said they were open at 11:00, they inexplicably did not open until 1:00. That's their loss then, because that opened an opportunity for us to try someplace new. And a few doors down is Bootleggers Bistro (guess they recently altered their name a bit). The menu is made up of creative sandwiches and they have a full bar. Perfect for this group of 4! The beer selection is a bit more fleshed out than Chappy's, and Mr. Cowcatcher and I each tried the La Fiesta Mexican Lager from Paradox Beer, a brewery you don't see too much even in the Springs. The ladies went with bottles of cider. Later I added Berthoud's Little Thompson IPA, while Mr. Cowcatcher stayed with another La Fiesta.

As for the meals, we each tried a different panini. Mrs. Cowcatcher had the "Beef" sandwich - had a different name but essentially it's what you would expect to get in Chicago. Mr. Cowcatcher went with the Reuben. Mrs. RJG had the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, perhaps learning from me from our last recent trip to Alamosa. I had my usual bar favorite - the Cubano. This variation had pulled pork and ham with the usual mustard, cheese, and pickles. I also went with marbled rye bread in a twist. The bread was toasted properly using a panini maker. All of us enjoyed our meal. The setting was similar to Chappy's - and sits comfortably in an old building that has been renovated. The theme is 1920's speakeasy. There's outdoor seating as well. I suspect we'll come back here instead of Chappy's next visit. It's their fault. Oh - and we then went to Sugarlump for dessert, and that entry is also here in the RJG from our last visit.

7/2/22 (new entry); 2/4/23; 7/6/24