Back in Kansas, where I’m from, we take our barbeque (BBQ) very seriously. I can still remember eating ribs at KC Masterpiece, no BBQ sauce needed because I was raised that you only need the sauce if the meat isn’t what it could be. As I got older, a pulled pork sandwich from Oklahoma Joe’s, which was actually out of a gas station, was all a BBQ lover could ask for. 

Now, like Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore, but having lived in Idaho Springs, Colorado for almost 4 years, Smokin’ Yards has become the place that takes, at least our taste buds, back home. 

Every year for our anniversary, my husband and I like to splurge on a fancy meal. We love to explore new places, but I was reminded this November that the Old Hickory Steakhouse is one of our favorites for a reason!

My fiancé and I moved to Colorado from Southeast Kansas in the summer of 2018. It didn’t take long for us to realize, and fall in love with, the Denver social norm that is “Brunch”. To be honest, you Coloradoans had me at “Bottomless Mimosas” and “Breakfast for Lunch.”    

Fast forward three years to 2021, and we found ourselves experienced brunch connoisseurs living in the small touristy town of Idaho Springs, which is roughly a 30-minute drive west on I-70 from Denver and has a population of just over 1,800 residents. With it being on the way to ski towns like Silverthorne and Vail, traffic is often the worst part of living here, at least during the summer and ski season. One of the best things is that downtown, home to so many amazing local shops, bars, and restaurants, is less than a mile from my front porch. Choosing which restaurant to write about from all of these amazing local places wasn’t easy, but it’s Main Street Restaurant that has taken the cake, or pancake, I should say.