I visited this restaurant twice in March 2013 and it was AWESOME both times. Â It all starts with a visit to the butcher shop to pick out your own steak (or chicken/fish). Â The steaks are why I come here and they looked amazing on both occasions! Â I recommend the Prime Aged New York Strip but others in my group loved the bacon wrapped fillet. Â The folks here make it EASY to cook your own steaks with great marinades ands seasonings. Â 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). Â Now all of this is enough to keep me coming back but it gets even BETTER. Â TJ Ricci, the manager, is also an amazing magician. Â He entertained both adults and children! Â They are still talking about his tricks. Â This is simply an incredible eveing.
Review Source:"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. Â Here I was able to showcase this on $2.99 steak night. Â It was an awesome coincidence to be seeing a friend in Vail on this most special night. Â
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... Â 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. Â
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! Â
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. Â But I'd go back on $2.99 steak night in a heartbeat... Even if its just for the experience its well worth it.
My dad has been taking my family here since I was old enough to eat out, and he's been coming here since before I was born. However, we don't come here anymore. It used to be a nice break from the pricey tourist joints in Vail and BC. But over the last 10 or so years it's become one of those pricey tourist joints. The menu hasn't changed, the service has remained stagnent but the prices have skyrocketed.
The idea of the MCC is that you come into a dimly lit place that looks like an old time saloon, order your meat from behind a counter that looks like City Market (the supermarket) and cook it yourself on big community style grills. Sides and the salad bar cost extra. It used to be you could get a meal for less than $20 a person. We went with our old neighbours who have moved from the Valley last year on their request, and were horrified by the prices. A NY Strip was close to $25, a plain chicken breast is almost $15. For a piece of meat you have to cook yourself, surrounded by Texan men who think they own the grill, screaming kids and women who are so done up in makeup they believe they're above common courtesy. The sides are outrageous too. $4 for steak fries, $4.75 for an average sized twice baked potato... The salad bar is fine, but it's average. Iceburg lettuce, shredded cheese, a few basic veggies... But for the price it doesn't seem worth it. $10 for two Diet Cokes with a refill each. You get the idea.
Don't get me wrong, the staff tries. They're all good people, even the vibe is more along the lines of local high school kids in running shoes working their first jobs. It's just really basic service for the price. Making your own garlic bread with the Texas toast provided for free is still nice, but not nearly as much fun as it is when you're 7 years old.
Basically, I wouldn't recommend the MCC anymore. It's just too expensive for what you're getting. Yeah rent in the area is high. But if you're going to charge upscale steakhouse prices, you shouldn't have to cook your own mediocre food. My dad and fiance and I went the other day for locals night, where it was first come, first serve for $2.99 on anything behind the counter. We jumped at the opportunity. But after waiting outside in line with the stereotypical rich older folks who own second homes in the Valley and once crowding in having to push our way around and still get ripped off on our drinks and sides... it just doesn't seem worth it. The mussels were great and I was lucky to get the last bunch of them, but the steaks were just average. Good for $2.99 but never worth what they'd cost full price. The meat at City Market is much better, the meat at the Mexican Carniceria Tepic next door is even better, both for much cheaper. I might go back for another local's night, if I'm there at 4:45 pm to wait for the doors to open and only get a piece of meat to cook then take it home with me.
I'm sorry MCC you're a huge part of my childhood but you've changed into just another overpriced tourist spot where the Texans come to feel like they're being local.
(Oh and they say they're wheelchair accessible but I'm newly paralysed and forgot there is a step up the front door where I had to do a wheelie to get in and a bunch of steps inside. So for a low para like me with upper body strength and a manual chair you'll be okay... anyone else who uses a chair go somewhere else.)
This dinner was just awful. Â The cost of the steak, potato, salad, and wine was over $50. Â The food was awful. Â You cook your own steak on a grill that is too hot or too cold. Â The steak did not taste like prime. Â The service was poor. Â The atmosphere was dismal.
I wish that I had read some of the reviews before going.
I try to stop in and cook my own steak but this restaruant is usually closed when I'm passing through. I had the opportunity to treat some friends for dinner here but we arrived on $2.99 night.
Wholly nutsacks, the place was packed and most of the regular menu items were not available. Â The meat selection was pretty poor and the grill was overloaded with people (mostly kids) who have never cooked their own steak.
I won't return on $2.99 night - it sucked.
Charming restaurant...charming town. Â You pick your steak, you grill it! Â Salad bar really awesome. Â Would absolutely go again when up this way. Â The owner VERY nice, came right on over and was very interested in where we were from. Â A Plus place, even better steak. Â Be sure and get the minturn potato dessert. Â You won't be disappointed at all!
Review Source:I hadn't been to a "cook your steak yourself" place since I was a kid and when my sister suggested it I was hesitant but do yourself a favor, put that hesitation out of your mind and go have fun in this place. It is a blast.
You are probably in the area for winter or summer activities around the ski areas but are tired of the restaurant scenes so go see a real 1800's Colorado town of 1,000 people that is only one exit away from Vail and Beaver Creek off 70.
For appetizers you have to try their stuffed mushroom caps that arrive to your table in a baking dish where the mushrooms are filled with parmesan stuffing and baked in a creamy chicken based sauce. Very rich and very tasty. Another must-have is the newly added breaded zucchini appetizer, it was crispy with a light crumb breading served piping hot with a chilled sauce, delicious.
For dinner take the ticket your waiter gave you and go up to the butcher counter and pick a prime bone in ribeye or filet, a prime NY strip or for less costly and lighter meals get the marinated chicken breast, skewer of shrimp or kabob of steak and veggies or one of several fish they have daily.
They give you cooking time instructions on a large board on the wall near each of their two grills. A home made teriyaki sauce is available on the grills. You can see that the hot parts of the grill are in the center so you can back the temp off by pulling things to the edges.
The Country Club has a full bar and very reasonably priced wine list along with any kid friendly beverage you would need.
Locals tips - 1) Get the salad bar not because you want a salad but so you can take the pineapple, mushrooms and onions from the bar and grill them along with your meal. 2) In the off season they offer a $2.99 steak (not going to be one of these great prime ones) in order to keep the crowds coming in and I am told that the grills are 2 people deep during those times.
All in all the Minturn Country Club is the opposite of a country club, its fun not stuffy, it can be a good value if you want it to be and it can be hilarious to watch friends and loved ones take control of the grilling.
This not a Country Club at all. Â There is no elite membership. Â There is no tennis. Â There is no pool. Â There is no golf. There is no dress code. There is no gift shop. It IS pricey, but hey, who comes to a place called "Country Club" expecting "inexpensive"? Â Please, don't be that moron.
Plain and simple, this is a meat PALACE where the entertainment and the appeal is YOU cooking your enormous meat at a grill surrounded by friends and family. Â Sure, you could be doing this at home, but you are probably on vacation in Beaver Creek or Vail, so you are far, far away from your own grill. Â Besides, how many times have you let friends and family cook on YOUR grill. Â (We all know that you have "one hottt grill".)
So, to recap, it IS pricey AND you cook it yourself. Get over it. Who comes to a place where everyone KNOWS you cook it yourself and then complains that they have to cook it themselves? Â Please, don't be that moron.
I dined at the Minturn Country Club. Ten of us, 5 adults and 5 kiddos - two 5-year olds and three 10-year olds. Â Potential train wreck. One five- year old spilled a large trough of ketchup on the floor and then crawled through it. Â One ten-year old took a picture of said five-year old, wouldn't show it to her, removed the memory card, acted younger than the youngest child, threw a temper tantrum... Â
Our waiter, Evan, was there with a stack of napkins, fresh beverages, a fork to replace the one dropped into the ketchup on the floor... He was graceful and made sure every age was satisfied by the end of the meal.
I saw a lot of families here, cooking together, laughing together, and doing what families do together. Â I saw an engaging bartender entertain 5 hungry children with his sleight of hand as we were waiting for our drinks to arrive. Â Magical.
You come here for the entertainment of watching family and friends cook large slabs of great meat themselves... family style sides, family style atmosphere. The only one you have to blame for a bad steak is yourself. Â You want it Medium Rare? Â Eight minutes a side. Â You cook it. Â You want a $120 bottle of red wine at the fine wine price of $60 (sounds like "turducken") that you can sip on during the entire cooking-eating-observing-ketchup-temper tantrum time? You drink it.
Skip the salad. It is included with the entree and all-you-can-eat but I took one glance and kept walking.  Uninspired light green lettuce not befitting the history of Minturn  (in the 1920s Minturn was known as the "lettuce capital of the United States"), bacon bits, chickpeas (as opposed to those fashionable "chic" peas), cottage cheese... YaaaaAAWN! If you are wanting leftovers, eat all you can.
A romantic date spot this is not. I questioned the good judgement of a young couple sitting at the table next to us. Â Somewhere between our table's squeals of magical delight, the ketchup bath, the temper tantrum... I am imagining either a discussion about birth control or a choosing of the first baby's name, depending on current level of commitment. THEN I SAW IT. Â The dessert that they had chosen had ALL 20 of our eyes on it... it was as large as a baby's head!
This was by far the best dessert that I never had. NEVER. "The Minturn Tater" named after a large spud, but could have been named "The Minturn Baby Head" ... cookies and cream rolled in cocoa powder, smothered in whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with toasted almonds. Â They ate the whole thing. Â
Minturn boomed in the late 1800s because of the Railroad and also the mining prospects long, LOOOONG before Vail and Beaver Creek were a glimmer in any developer's eye. Today, Minturn is a small town of about 1,000 people that is firmly ensconced in tourism.
Six Important Facts:
1. Â Beaver Creek to Minturn is about 15 minutes and Vail to Minturn is about 10 minutes.
2. Â Kid friendly, group friendly, family friendly.
3. Â Full Bar. Â Bartender is magical. #3 follows #2 for a reason.
4. Â Arrive between 5:00-6:20 if you do not want to wait for a table.
5. Â Top 5 meats include a 12 oz Kobe Filet ($44.95), 16 oz USDA Prime ($38.95), a 16 oz USDA NY strip, 22 oz Porterhouse T-bone ($35.95) and a very Large Filet Mignon ($38.95) but you can also get slow cooked baby back ribs that THEY cook ($21.95), Lemon Chicken Breast ($11.95)...
6. Â Best sides include Side Sweet Potato Fries ($3.50), Â Onion Rings ($3.75), and Twice Baked Potato ($3.75).
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF.
one day 13 years ago, while living in vail, co, i and some friends hopped over to minturn to this little place. Â i loved everything about it: the building, the interior, the people. Â the only thing i didn't, looking back, Â is that i had to cook my own steak. i know that's the attraction and a novelty for some people but i really wasn't that skilled and if i'm going to spend $15-$20 on a piece of meat i want a professional cooking that shit. but if you're into that kind of stuff or are indeed a professional you'll love this place.
Review Source:what in the...? nobody has written a review for Minturn C.C. yet??
don't worry you can leave your polos, sperry top siders, bahama shorts, navy blazer and lilly pulitzer dress at home...this is not the kind of country club where miffy and buffy run around, it's were ski bums cook steaks...all on their own!
this place is packed during the ski season (even though it's about a 20-30 minute drive from Beaver Creek and Vail). most likely you'll wait for a table, but it's worth it! when you walk in you'll see a case of meat and seafood. take a good look and ask the butcher behind the counter what's good and he'll be happy to help you out (our butcher happened to be a nice snowmobiler dude originally from Minnesota. hell yes midwest!) he persuaded the boyf and i to get some choice cut huge steak, that we split in half...and man was it good ($44 but cut that in 2, and it's a good deal). we also got some shrimps to make for boyf's mom and dad.
let's rewind back to when we sat down. we first booked it to the salad bar - 4 words: they had chic peas! always makes me happy. your standard, but clean salad bar. when we finished that, waiter came over to take our orders for sides - since we would get our meats from the butcher dude. we ordered twice baked potatoes and they were pretty sweet.
so now it's time to cook your meat. ask the butcher how long you should cook yours according to what you like - rare, med. rare, med., med. well, well. there's a handy clock on the wall by the big grill so you can keep track. there are 2 grills - 1 in the front, 1 in the back. think mongolian BBQ still grills - spice up, butter up or whatever-up your meat or fish and throw it on the grill. there's tools to use as well for flipping and whatnot. i really enjoyed cooking it...(since i like cooking). it was hilarious to see the euros making the texas toast (which by the way, comes standard with your meal) with bacon on it, and fixins from the salad bar...they burnt the shit out of that bread!
the steak was gooood! (phew, thank god i didn't screw up boyf and i's meal). for dessert we got the minturn tatar...looked like a twice baked potato but really it was ice cream with powdered chocolate on top and everything else you could want in a dessert that is not good for you!
take a drive to the country club...totally worth it and totally not stuffy like a whitey mcwhite C.C.
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