Minturn Country Club

I visited this restaurant twice in March 2013 and it was AWESOME both times.  It all starts with a visit to the butcher shop to pick out your own steak (or chicken/fish).  The steaks are why I come here and they looked amazing on both occasions!  I recommend the Prime Aged New York Strip but others in my group loved the bacon wrapped fillet.  The folks here make it EASY to cook your own steaks with great marinades ands seasonings.  While your steak marinates you can visit the salad bar and order some great appetizers - I recommend the mushrooms (make sure to toast some of the "Texas Toast" to dip in the mushroom sauce).  Now all of this is enough to keep me coming back but it gets even BETTER.  TJ Ricci, the manager, is also an amazing magician.  He entertained both adults and children!  They are still talking about his tricks.  This is simply an incredible eveing.

"Welcome to Minturn Country Club. Please walk to the counter and order at the Meat Market. You can pick your meat and sides, and then start cooking."

Wait. What???

Yes, for $40 (price of a nice filet, I opted for the $19 NY strip) you too can cook your own dinner at this cozy, mountain restaurant. I mean, cooking my own steak is pretty sweet and all, but for forty bucks I expect a skilled chef to juggle razor-sharp knives and slave over my entree for at least 20 minutes. Not at Minturn Country Club, no sir. You gotta EARN that steak, son!

Okay, gripes about cooking my own dinner aside, this place was pretty cool. The food was good and the atmosphere "good ole mountain town." The creamed spinach and potatoes were great with the steak and wine. I'll be back, but next time with tempered expectations!

As a man, I take pride in the ability to cook meat well.  Here I was able to showcase this on $2.99 steak night.  It was an awesome coincidence to be seeing a friend in Vail on this most special night.  

The meat selection was better than I expected for a $2.99 cook your own steak establishment, but a NY strip felt like a touch of home...  I cooked my meat superbly... Maybe... And made some Texas garlic toast, had two beers and walked away with a full belly for no more than $12.  

The locals that crawled out of their shanties to make a $2.99 steak were entertaining, drunk, and obviously never used a grill before, but it was OK... Because I paid $2.99 for a NY strip!  

You most likely wouldn't catch a self respecting individual here cooking/ruining their own steaks here on regular nights were you pay $20+ for a steak.  But I'd go back on $2.99 steak night in a heartbeat... Even if its just for the experience its well worth it.