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Craftwood Inn
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
10 reviews for Craftwood Inn
Epicurean enthusiasts will find wild game done well at the Craftwood Inn in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Joni and I enjoy checking out a local restaurant about once a month. A combination of good food and fantastic location make the Craftwood Inn a restaurant to consider. A Colorado Springs ice storm almost forced a cancellation of the dinner reservation. Fortunately, the staff members at the Craftwood Inn were incredibly understanding and seated our table thirty five minutes early.
Given the nature of the restaurant it seemed like a good idea to start diner off with an appetizer of char-grilled wild boar tenderloin with over roasted apple chutney. Even considering the small portion size of the tasting menu the wild boar tenderloin was surprisingly flavorful.
Sometimes a salad course is spectacular, but more often than not the salad course seems like a forced attempt to provide consumers with overpriced leafy vegetation. In this case, both Joni and I had a basic Craftwood salad with the parmesan peppercorn dressing. The salad was not disappointing, but not spectacular or even particularly memorable.
The price fixed dinner included a pleasant intermezzo course of orange and raspberry sorbet.
Dinner seamed to be the star course of the evening. I had a reasonably good steak with a reduced burgundy mushroom pan sauce, mashed potatoes, and season vegetables. Joni was impressed with the fish of the day special with sweet potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Finally, dessert included a chocolate cake paired with a peanut butter/Oreo cookie ice cream.
Overall, the Craftwood Inn provided a high quality dinner experience within an enjoyable dinning environment. I would recommend the Craftwood Inn to anyone looking for a fine dinning experience in Colorado Springs outside the restaurants in the Broadmoor complex.
A hidden cullinary gem, the Craftwood is found in an historic building with a spectacular view and setting. There is, literally, nothing remotely comparable in CS or elsewhere else on the Front Range. The selections of wild game are legendary. The jalapino white chololate desert is beyond legendary and well worth the trip. I have never eaten a poorly prepared dinner here in the last 30- years. I have never had to send a entree' back to the kitchen becasue it was not properly prepared. This is such a special place for intimate evenings for two or for a dozen. For those unfamiliar with the challenges of preparing game, the dining experience might be dubious. However, for those of us with a broader cullinary experience, this is a unique and memorable place to dine. Go for it...ignore the other, less gracious reviews. This is "old Colorado" at its best.
I have never been to a place that offers the selection of wild games as this restaurant. But first, let me describe the setting. The restaurant is located in Manitou Springs. Nice scenic drive from Colorado Springs. The restaurant is in a building decorated in the cabin style. However, it feels dated.
The wine selection is pretty good. And this is what I ordered:
Sauteed loin of ostrich and venison sausage for appetizer. As entree, I had a trio of North American elk, Nilgai antelope, and New Zealand red deer.
The food was fine but cannot be considered excellent.
Horribly disappointed.
I've experienced casually elegant dining both in Front Range dining and elsewhere, and the Craftwood smacks of a place resting completely on its laurels.
*The food was - eh.
*The service would have been decent at a Chevy's, but not at a place that bills itself as 'fine dining'.
*The wine service - if you advertise as fine dining your servers should either know the wine list or be comfortable sending over the sommelier.
Overall, not worth the price...on any level. And it really, really pains me to say that, dammit.
I ate here a number of years ago I believe it was in the early spring of 2000 when I was visiting the Air Force Academy. I like this place so much that I have been hunting for it on the internet since I returned home but could not remember the name.
When I was here ordered the Trio of Tenderloin and it was just out of this world. There was nothing that tasted gamy that we ordered and I absolutely loved the decor it is a beautiful building that displays the work of true artisans.
In fact I plan to come back out to CO just to eat here that is how good it is.
This casually elegant dining room - which dates back to 1912 - offers steak, seafood, and vegetarian dishes, but specializes in an extensive selection of regional game like elk, venison, antelope, and caribou in gourmet preparations served with interesting sides like wild-mushroom ragout, cheddar-sage whipped potatoes, and cranberry-cashew souffle. Any gamy taste the wild boar tenderloin may have had was tempered by the sweetness of its honey-teriyaki glaze and the mashed sweet potatoes and pineapple salsa served with it. When making your reservation, request a table on the outdoor patio, which provides a spectacular view of Pikes Peak.
The reviews on here were mixed, but given that our B&B gave us a 50$ gift certificate we wanted to try it anyway. The service was really awesome. We had a late dinner on a weeknight, and while there were other people there it was really quiet and nice. My husband got the Trio of Tenderloin, and really liked it, but the flavor of the meat wasn't really as impressive as the sauces, and I felt like we could've had fancy sauce on any meat and then saved ourselves the money we spent on the wild game. I had elk and although the menu seemed to use a scolding tone to explain that everything comes Medium Rare (which I would've ordered anyway) mine came way overcooked, and tough. The beef was really the best. The boar was excellent too. One other little problem, we didn't order wine, so when I ordered soup that is normally served with a little sherry the waitress made a big deal of it. She acted like we must be winos or something and I was embarrassed. I would probably go back if I was with our parents, because they would get a kick out of the wild game, but it doesn't really offer much beyond the novelty, and really, you can get wild game in all sorts of places in Colorado.
My husband and I dined here on a Friday night, and the place was pretty full at our early reservation at 6pm. I thought that was a good sign. The building is a cozy, antique cabin, with a great setting in the hills. We tried their four course dinner for two, $60. We started with house made Clam chowder and Caesar salad, both EXCELLENT. Then we were given a raspberry sorbet, which was also very good. Our entrees were the Pheasant and the Venison. They were both served with a potato casserole, roasted veggies, and sauce. Mine was a porcini mushroom sauce that was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It was all very tasty, although, I'd have to say my Pheasant, although seasoned well, was a little overcooked and dry. I loved the flavor of everything on the plate though. My husbands venison was great also, although one of the two pieces was overdone as well. Our desert was a Panna Cotta w/ balsamic sauce and strawberries, my husband's was a cherry pie. Both EXCELLENT. The service was great, we sat by the fire which was very nice, and overall, was a very NICE EXPERIENCE. We would definitely go back, although, if we paid full price, I would have been disappointed with the temperature of the meats, and would have asked for them to be recooked.
My fiance and I went here to taste the menu to decide what to serve at our wedding. (We're having the ceremony and reception here, up to 115 ppl they've quoted) Food was amazing and the wine was delish! The waiter was a little quirky at first but very informative and knew what he was talking about. A very welcoming atmosphere for what I'd expect from a 'fine dining" place. The most expensive meal for two we've ever eaten, mostly because of the wine. Needless to say we left there a little too tipsy.
Summer salad along with the Wild Boar made for a delightful outdoor dining experience. The host paired the meat well with a delicious California cabernet. I was satisfied with the overall experience. A little bit pricey, but then again these were not dishes available everywhere.
