These Colorado restaurants are among the nation’s best in 2019, says AAA

Known for its collection of black-diamond ski routes, Colorado is home to a handful of sought-after diamonds of another sort in 2019: four- and five-diamond-rated restaurants.

Bestowed each year by AAA, the prestigious diamond ratings date back to 1985 when the organization formalized its system for inspecting and categorizing restaurants across the country. In the restaurant world, earning four diamonds means AAA inspectors believe a restaurant is “distinctive.” Earning five diamonds means the place is “leading edge,” according to AAA.com.

Eighteen Colorado restaurants were deemed four-diamond worthy in 2019, AAA Colorado announced in a news release last week. Just one — the Penrose Room at the Broadmoor hotel and resort in Colorado Springs — earned five-diamond praise.

“The panoramic rooftop view is one splendid element of this restaurant’s elegant ambience,” a AAA inspector wrote of the Penrose, one of nearly a dozen dining options at the decorated resort. “Audible gasps are heard when artfully presented desserts arrive at the table.”

Colorado 18 four-diamond restaurants in 2019 are:

• Element 47, Aspen
• Grouse Mountain Grill, Beaver Creek
• Mirabelle at Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek
• Splendido at the Chateau, Beaver Creek
• Frasca, Boulder
• The Flagstaff House Restaurant, Boulder
• Summit, Colorado Springs
• Colt & Gray, Denver
• Edge Restaurant & Bar, Denver
• Guard and Grace, Denver
• Mizuna, Denver
• Palace Arms, Denver
• Panzano, Denver
• Rioja, Denver
• Alpenglow Stube, Keystone
• Keystone Ranch Restaurant, Keystone
• The Cliff House Dining Room, Manitou Springs
• Game Creek Restaurant, Vail

Only 2.1 percent of the almost 32,000 restaurants AAA assessed across the county for its 2019 list earned four diamonds. Just 67 restaurants, including the Penrose Room, earned five.

The Penrose Room held fast as Colorado’s only five-diamond winner from last year. After consistently adding restaurants to its ranks in recent years, Colorado lost a four-diamond winner in 2019. Chefs Club by Food & Wine in Aspen did not make the cut after being featured on the list in 2018. The 18 restaurants listed above are previous winners.

The shrunken list is a testament to how rigorous the inspections are, AAA Colorado spokesman Skyler McKinley said.

“Properties really need to be making continual, year-round improvements to stay on the list,” he wrote in an email, “and meet the highest standards out there to get on it for the first time.”

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