#22   COLORADO – Absolutely Amazing

Oh my! We found the best breakfast experience yet on our 48 contiguous state tour and it may very well turn out to be the best going forward. We were staying in Durango CO and planned on taking a day trip to Mesa Verde National Park. I had been to Durango in the past so breakfast in Durango did not meet my criterion of eating breakfast in a town or city I had never set foot in. I researched what might lie between Durango and Mesa Verde NP and there wasn't much except one place in the little town of Mancos that got rave reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor. The restaurant/bakery is easy to miss. It does not sit on the main highway(Rte. 160) that runs between Durango and Mesa Verde but rather can be found a couple of blocks south of 160 in "downtown" Mancos. Anyone finding themselves within 100 miles of Mancos should go here if they want to enjoy an exceptional breakfast. I'm also sure the lunch is just as fabulous.

Absolute Bakery & Cafe
Mancos, Colorado

AMBIENCE:  The Absolute Bakery and Cafe (ABC) sits in a former bank building that was built in 1903. It has been in operation since 2007. As you enter, the first thing that you notice is the aroma. The kitchen must have still been creating baked goods and the smell had me salivating like a sheep dog.

The second thing you notice is the room containing about 15 unmatched tables and unmatched chairs and a few bar stools at the counter. Throughout the room you can find all types of art from local artists.

There was a second room, empty of people, that seemed more like a meeting place, but it did contain the self-serve coffee bar.

The third thing you noticed were the customers, who seemed mostly to be locals, looking content, happy, and relaxed. ABC obviously was a place that treated everyone as family.

A sign on the wall informed us that there was no WiFi and to "pretend it's 1982 and talk to each other". This was easier said than done for the Healthy One and I who had spent about 35 hours in the car with each other over the past five days. Fortunately, ABC is also a bookstore of sorts and next to our table was some great browsing until the food arrived.

ABC also has a place where you can write a note on a Post-It and stick it on a wall. These were fun to read. This was my favorite.

5 out of 5 stars.

FOOD:  Despite the breakfast quesidilla [sic] endorsement on the Post-It I ordered the huevos rancheros. I had never had huevos rancheros. I wasn't even sure what they were but figured if I was going to have this iconic Mexican breakfast dish, it should be in the Southwest. Although ABC's breakfast menu contained many appealing choices, I decided that this should be the place to lose my huevos rancheros virginity. ABC described their huevos rancheros as "two scrambled eggs over house black bean mix with avocado and cheese, served between corn tortillas topped with red or green chile, shredded lettuce, tomato, and red onion"  
Our server asked if I wanted the red or green chile. I said I remembered that the red was the mild color and the green was much spicier but needed her expert counsel on what I might be able to tolerate. I have found that as I age, my tolerance for hot,spicey food has increased probably due to what the research calls the "reduction in the number of taste buds after age 50". By the time I'm 95, I should be able to order the Pork Vindaloo at the local Indian restaurant.

The server said that she would bring me some "Christmas". The confused look on my face, caused by visions of sugar plums in my head, must have clued her in that I had no idea what she meant by "Christmas". "That would be the red and green together" she said patiently.

The serving was enormous. But where were the huevos? Would they arrive in another dish? Look underneath dummy!

Ahh, there they are.

I took a little of the green chile sauce in a spoon and gave it a try. My eyes watered, by forehead broke out in a sweat, and my sinuses started twitching. I topped my huevos rancheros entirely with the red sauce. There would be no Christmas today.  The huevos rancheros turned out to be so good I hardly came up for air during the ingestion process.

The tortillas tasted like they were made right in the bakery. The black bean mix was incredibly flavorful, the eggs cooked just right, and the vegetables fresh. It was a lot of food but I had no problem finding a place for it. The server seemed somewhat surprised that I had finished the whole thing. I told her it was great but I didn't think I would be physically able to stand up and leave. "Well our lunch is pretty good" she replied.

The Healthy One went with her frequent granola with yogurt fix. The ABC granola is made in-house with organic steel cut oats, organic sesame and sunflower seeds, maple syrup, and pecans. She pronounced it excellent.

5 out of 5 stars

COFFEE:  The coffee came from the Desert Sun Coffee Roasters in Durango CO. The blend I chose was called Black Velvet and was described as not for the faint of heart. It was as dark as crude oil, and bold, but was surprisingly smooth. If I did faint, this coffee would bring me back to consciousness with a smile on my face. 

5 stars out of 5

SERVICE: The ABC is incredibly welcoming. Service was very friendly and "down home" yet professional. We were treated like the local neighbor who comes in on a regular basis. We also appreciate a server who takes the time to chat a little. It sort of felt that you were eating in a friend's kitchen. 

The ABC is a true "Mom and Pop" establishment. Here are the personnel as listed on the ABC Facebook page:

David Blaine - Head Baker/Boss Man
Jeffrey Blaine - Head Chef
Karen Blaine - House Mom
Melissa Blaine - Head Waitstaff
Valerie Blaine - Waitress
Ben Fisher - Chef

I believe both Melissa and Valerie took care of our table and made us feel at home.   

5 stars out of 5

COST: $34.72 with tax and tip. The cost also included a loaf of sourdough rye and a pastry we bought and carried away. 

A FEW WORDS ABOUT MANCOS:  Mancos, sitting at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level, is small with a population of only about 1,400 people. It does have a four by two block business district of which the ABC is part.

Mancos promotes itself as "where the west still lives". But with a coffee shop that roasts its own beans, art galleries, a restaurant with a french trained chef, and a natural food store it is as much Berkeley as it is Virginia City. There are more cattle than people and I did see one cowboy riding the range but it is evident that the New West is taking over the Old West in this beautiful corner of Colorado.

The Absolute Bakery and Cafe itself didn't seem "western" as much as it seemed a throwback to the 1960s. There was definitely a hippy vibe to the place. For example, this is a little bridge leading from the ABC to an outbuilding.

The ABC prides itself in using mostly locally grown, organic ingredients. They state that they recycle everything, even their flour bags. Can you imagine Hoss walking around the Ponderosa in one of these?

BURN THOSE BREAKFAST CALORIES OFF:

- Upon arriving in Durango, we walked the bike path along the Animas River.

- We hiked a number of trails in Mesa Verde National Park.

- We hiked the beginning (or the end, depending upon how you look at it) of the Colorado Trail which goes from Durango to Denver.

- We walked around Durango, a touristy and well preserved town with six breweries.  

May 3, 2017

NEXT UP: Arizona