More than half of Steamboat Springs’ population can’t be wrong.
The last census, courtesy of the Colorado State Demography office, pegged Steamboat’s population in 2017 at 12,950. This year, 7,806 of those voted in our Best of the Boat awards to express their opinions about all things Steamboat — and, unlike last year, they could only vote once meaning this year’s results are more spot-on than ever. In all, this majority cast nearly 82,000 votes in more than 100 categories, from best cocktail and craft beer to to margarita, mustache and mortgage broker.
All in all, it was a resounding success, taking our community’s pulse on what businesses, people and more rise to surface like trout on the Yampa or fat skis in our trademarked Champagne powder.
COMPLETE RESULTS: CLICK BELOW TO JUMP TO CATEGORY
Business & Community • Drinks • Food • Health • Home & Garden • Professionals • Shopping • Lighter Side
Check out the full e-edition of the 2019 Best of the Boat magazine
Business & Community
Ask anyone what makes Steamboat so great and the answer invariably is the people. That’s what our Business & Community category honors, acknowledging everyone from artists and teachers to veterinarians, fishing guides and even pet groomers who call the Yampa Valley home. These are people doing what they do best while giving back to the community we all love.
Best Auto Repair Shop
1. Doc’s Auto Clinic
2. Downtown Conoco
3. Elk Mountain Automotive
Best Bank
1. Yampa Valley Bank
2. Alpine Bank
3. Wells Fargo
Best Cellular Phone Company
1. Verizon Wireless/GoWireless
2. T Mobile
3. Union Wireless
Best Fishing Outfitter
1. Steamboat Flyfisher
2. Straightline Outdoor Sports
3. Bucking Rainbow Outfitters
Best Golf Course
1. Haymaker Golf Course
2. Rollingstone Ranch Golf Course
3. Catamount Ranch & Club
Best Guest Ranch
1. The Home Ranch
2. Saddleback Ranch
3. Vista Verde Guest Ranch
Best Hair Salon
1. 10th Street Barbershop
2. Hair on Earth
3. Brio Salon & Spa
Best Horseback Outfitter
1. Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch
2. Saddleback Ranch
3. Hahn’s Peak Roadhouse
Best Hotel
1. The Steamboat Grand Hotel
2. Rabbit Ears Motel
3. Holiday Inn Steamboat Springs
Best Indoor Music Venue
1. Strings Music Festival
2. Old Town Pub & Restaurant
3. Chief Theater
Best Insurance Agency
1. Debbie Aragon, State Farm
2. Dax Mattox, State Farm
3. Steamboat Select Insurance Group
Best Outdoor Activity Company
1. Ski Haus
2. Backdoor Sports Ltd
3. Steamboat Flyfisher
Best Pet Groomer
1. Powder Hounds Grooming Salon
2. Steamboat Dog Grooming Spa
3. Steamboat Veterinary Hospital
Best Pet-friendly business
1. Paws ‘n Claws All Things Pet
2. Storm Peak Brewing Co.
3. Steamboat Ace Hardware
Best Radio Station
1. Big Country Radio 96.9 FM
2. KFMU 104.1/105.5 FM
3. KUNC Community Radio 91.5 FM
Best Spa
1. Life Essentials Day Spa
2. Rocky Mountain Day Spa, Boutique & Salon
3. Old Town Hot Springs
Best Tire Company
1. Yampa Valley Tire Pros & Express Lube
2. Downtown Conoco
3. Discount Tire Direct
Best Veterinary Office
1. Pet Kare Clinic
2. Steamboat Veterinary Hospital
3. Ski Town Animal Hospital
Drinks
Heading out for a quick life-is-great libation is a perfect way to celebrate a day outdoors in a town like Steamboat Springs. Fortunately, our town has a wealth of watering holes for whatever your pleasure, be it a quick post-ride beer, slopeside après, fancy cocktail or sommelier-worthy bottle of wine. Following are the winners that rose to the top in this year’s voting.
Best Après Ski
1. T Bar At Steamboat
2. Slopeside Grill
3. Truffle Pig
Best Bar
1. The Barley Tap and Tavern
2. Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails
3. Sunpie’s Bistro
Best Bartender
1. Jack Doyle
2. Mark Stanford
3. Rebecca Boucha
Best Bloody Mary
1. Four Points Lodge
2. Creekside Cafe & Grill
3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar
Best Brewery
1. Storm Peak Brewing Company
2. Mountain Tap Brewery
3. Butcherknife Brewing Company
Best Coffee Shop
1. MountainBrew
2. Big Iron Coffee Co.
3. Off the Beaten Path
Best Craft Cocktail
1. Fiery Margarita, Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails
2. Hurricane, Sunpie’s Bistro
3. Rosemary Lemon Drop Martini, Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails
Best Happy Hour
1. Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill
2. Aurum Food & Wine
3. O’Neil’s Tavern & Grill
Best Locally Brewed Beer
1. Amputator, Butcherknife Brewing Co.
2. Hoochie Mama, Storm Peak Brewing Co.
3. Maestro IPA, Storm Peak Brewing Co.
Best Margarita
1. Salt & Lime
2. Fiesta Jalisco
3. Los Locos
Best Place to Watch the Game
1. Dude and Dan’s Bar and Grill
2. Snow Bowl Steamboat
3. Back Door Grill
Food
There’s no shortage of food aficionados in the Yampa Valley. That’s the take-away from our Food category, which drew more responses than nearly all of our other categories combined. Among this year’s findings: upsets in the Best BBQ and Ice Cream categories, new options for Offseason Special and Salad, and tried-and-true winners in our mainstay offerings. “People definitely like to eat out here and they all have their favorite places to go,” says survey overseer Julia Hebard. “Luckily, Steamboat is blessed with great choices.”
Best Asian Food
1. Noodles & More Saigon Cafe
2. Talay Thai
3. Sambi Canton Restaurant
Best Bakery
1. Smell That Bread Bakery
2. MountainBrew
3. Winona’s Restaurant
Best BBQ
1. Moe’s Original Bar B Que
2. Double Z Bar & BBQ
3. Steamboat Smokehouse
Best Breakfast Spot
1. Creekside Cafe & Grill
2. Freshies Restaurant
3. Winona’s Restaurant
Best Burrito
1. Taco Cabo
2. Azteca Taqueria
3. Fiesta Jalisco
Best Catering Service
1. Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co.
2. Drunken Onion
3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar
Best Dessert
1. Cafe Diva
2. Ore House at the Pine Grove
3. Ciao Gelato
Best Fine Dining
1. Cafe Diva
2. Ore House at the Pine Grove
3. Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails
Best Food Truck
1. Skull Creek Greek
2. Clyde’s Pies
3. Marcia and Joe’s Kitchen
Best Hamburger
1. Back Door Grill
2. Big House Burgers
3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar
Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt
1. Lyon’s Corner Drug & Soda Fountain
2. Ciao Gelato
3. Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory
Best Italian Food
1. Mambo
2. Mazzola’s Italian Restaurant
3. Brick
Best Lunch Spot
1. Freshies Restaurant
2. Back Door Grill
3. Taco Cabo
Best Mexican Food
1. Fiesta Jalisco
2. Taco Cabo
3. Salt & Lime
Best Outdoor Dining
1. Aurum Food & Wine
2. E3 Chophouse
3. Creekside Cafe & Grill
Best Pizza
1. Blue Sage Pizza
2. How Ya Doin Pizza and Eatz
3. Brooklynn’s Pizzeria
Best Ribs
1. Double Z Bar & BBQ
2. Moe’s Original Bar B Que
3. Ore House at the Pine Grove
Best Salad
1. Freshies Restaurant
2. Ore House at the Pine Grove
3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar
Best Sandwich
1. Yampa Sandwich Co.
2. Cruisers Sub Shop
3. Back Door Grill
Best Steak
1. Ore House at the Pine Grove
2. E3 Chophouse
3. Cafe Diva
Best Sushi
1. Noodles & More Saigon Cafe
2. Sake2U
3. City Market
Best Vegetarian
1. Rootz
2. Seedz Breakfast & Lunch Cafe
3. Freshies Restaurant
Best Waitstaff
1. Cafe Diva
2. Freshies Restaurant
3. Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails
Best Wings
1. Tap House Grill
2. Carl’s Tavern
3. Moe’s Original Bar B Que
Health
Steamboat Springs is full of high-quality health care providers who love to call the Yampa Valley home and help residents and visitors enjoy everything it has to offer. Whether you need a yoga workout, fitness class, dental work or physical therapy, there’s an expert willing and able to help you.
Best Chiropractic Office
1. Lifted Chiropractic LLC
2. Rinn Chiropractic Center
3. Backsmith Chiropractic
Best Dental Office
1. Sunshine Dentistry
2. Pine Grove Dental Arts
3. High Country Dentistry
Best Doctor
1. Dr. David Niedermeier, Steamboat Medical Group
2. Dr. Sheila Fountain, Pediatrics of Steamboat Springs
3. Dr. Mary Bowman, UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center
Best Fitness Center/Gym
1. Old Town Hot Springs
2. Anytime Fitness
3. CrossFit Steamboat
Best Medical Clinic
1. Steamboat Medical Group
2. Yampa Valley Medical Associates
3. UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center
Best Optometry Office
1. Mountain Eyeworks
2. Helm Eye Center
3. Eyecare Specialties
Best Orthopedic Surgeon
1. Dr. Alex Meininger, Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute
2. Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey, Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute
3. Dr. Patrick Johnston, Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute
Best Pharmacy
1. Lyon’s Corner Drug & Soda Fountain
2. Walgreens Pharmacy
3. City Market Pharmacy
Best Physical Therapy Practice
1. Johnson & Johnson Physical Therapy
2. UCHealth SportsMed Clinic
3. Kinetic Energy Physical Therapy
Best Yoga Studio
1. Out Here Yoga
2. Rakta Hot Yoga
3. Steamboat Pilates Yoga & Fitness Studio
Home & Garden
Home & Garden has bloomed to include everyone who helps put roofs over our heads, furnishings inside, yards outside and builds or manages offices for our hardworking locals. Anchoring this section are the people and businesses serving this niche, which runs the gamut from real estate and mortgage brokers to architects, plumbers, landscapers and more. They all share helping us have a home and workspace we can be proud of in Ski Town USA.
Best Flooring Store
1. Carpets Plus
2. Affordable Flooring Warehouse
3. The Carpet Shoppe
Best Furniture Store
1. Annie’s Home Consignments
2. MOXIE Home Consign and Design
3. Into the West
Best General Contractor/Home Builder
1. Timberline Contracting, Inc.
2. Gerber Berend Design Build
3. Fair & Square Construction
Best Interior Designer
1. Michele McCarthy, Vertical Arts Architecture
2. Philip Metzger, Vertical Arts Architecture
3. Laurie Buelow, Interiors With Altitude
Best Landscaping Service
1. Gecko Landscape & Design
2. The Lawn Lady LLC
3. Kinnikinnick Lawn & Garden Inc.
Best Mortgage Broker
1. Kathryn Pedersen, Fidelity Mortgage Inc.
2. Josh Kagan, Cornerstone Home Lending
3. Whitney Fortna, Yampa Valley Bank
Best Nursery/Gardening Supplier
1. Windemere Landscape & Garden Center
2. Snow Country Nursery
3. Steamboat Ace Hardware
Best Painter
1. Lawton Painting
2. Sloop
3. T Barr Painting
Best Plumber
1. Perfect Slope Plumbing
2. Double J Heating & Service
3. Taber Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Best Property Management Company
1. Resort Group (Mountain Resorts, Pioneer Ridge, Simply Steamboat, Steamboat Association Management)
2. Moving Mountains
3. Central Park Management
Best Real Estate Agent
1. Jon Wade, The Steamboat Group
2. Martin Dragnev, Colorado Group Realty
3. Matt Eidt and Geoff Petis, Colorado Group Realty
Best Real Estate Firm
1. The Steamboat Group
2. Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty
3. Colorado Group Realty
Best Roofing Company
1. Revelation Roofing of the Rockies
2. Berlet Roofing
3. High Point Roofing LLC
Best Title Company
1. Land Title Guarantee Co.
2. Heritage Title Co.
3. Title Company of the Rockies
Professionals
Our Professionals category highlights some of the people behind town’s great services and businesses — the bike tuners, fishing guides, ski instructors, fitness trainers, hair stylists, eye doctors and more who put their best foot forward to make sure we can all do the same. While everyone in this listing deserves recognition, the top three in each category, and especially those occupying the catbird’s seat, are worthy of extra praise as voted by our readers.
Best Acupuncturist
1. Frank Turano-Cutler, Healing Path Acupuncture
2. Betsy Smith, 5 Element Acupuncture
3. Dr. Russ Fasolino, East-West Natural Health Center
Best Architectural Firm
1. Vertical Arts Architecture
2. Gerber Berend Design + Build
3. (tie) Kelly & Stone Architects
3. (tie) Steamboat Architectural Associates
Best Auto Mechanic
1. Mikey McGlone, Westside Automotive
2. Nick’s Auto Repair
3. Brent Tappan
Best Bike Mechanic
1. Hazen Kreis, Wheels Bike Shop
2. Brock Webster, Orange Peel Bicycle Service LLC
3. Scott Tomaro, Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
Best Car Salesperson
1. Stacey Rogers, Cook Chevrolet & Subaru
2. Toria Kuntz, Steamboat Motors
3. Steve Dunklin, Cook Chevrolet & Subaru
Best Electrician
1. Don Kuntz, Current Electric
2. Geoff Coon, Coon Custom Electric
3. David Schwanke
Best Fishing Guide
1. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Flyfisher
2. Winston Vaughan, Bucking Rainbow
3. Keith Hale, Steamboat Flyfisher
Best Fitness Instructor
1. Rebecca Williams, Mountain Fit
2. Brady Worster, Fhysical Elements LLC
3. Sarah Coleman, CrossFit Steamboat
Best Hair Stylist
1. Cassandra Marinez, Life Essentials Day Spa
2. Katie (Moore) Thornton, 10th Street Barbershop
3. Mytina Eckhaus, Mytina’s Beautique
Best Massage Therapist
1. Erica Olson, Iron + Silk Bodywork & Movement Therapy
2. Gabriel Downey, Balanced Bodies Massage Therapy
3. Ali Boehm, Kneading Hands
Best School Teacher (K-12)
1. Eric Nilsson
2. Chris Ruff
3. Melissa Jones
Best Youth Sports Coach
1. Michael Britton
2. Blair Seymour
3. Lisa Renee Tumminello
Shopping
From best ski shop to clothing store, Steamboat Springs is as rife with shopping options as its world-class ski area is with slopes. While it might not harbor the glitzy boutiques of Aspen and Vail, it has shopping options to satisfy residents and visitors alike. This year’s contest yielded a few surprises as well as consistent showings. The best thing you can do? Visit and shop them for yourself.
Best Art Gallery
1. Pine Moon Fine Art
2. Jace Romick Gallery
3. Steamboat Art Museum
Best Bike Shop
1. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
2. Orange Peel Bicycle Service LLC
3. Ski Haus
Best Boot-Fitting Shop
1. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
2. One Stop Ski Shop
3. Surefoot – Steamboat Ski Boot Shop
Best Candy/Sweets Store
1. Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory
2. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
3. Lyon’s Corner Drug & Soda Fountain
Best Floral Shop
1. The Tall Tulip
2. City Market
3. Linden Co. Floristry
Best Liquor Store
1. Central Park Liquor
2. Arctic Liquors
3. Ski Haus Liquors
Best Marijuana Store
1. The Golden Leaf
2. Billo Premium Cannabis Recreational & Medical
3. Rocky Mountain Remedies
Best Men’s Clothing Store
1. Allen’s Clothing
2. Urbane Clothing
3. F M Light & Sons
Best Pet Store
1. Paws ‘n Claws All Things Pet
2. Elk River Pet & Ranch
3. Outdoor K9
Best Shoe Store
1. Steamboat Shoe Market Inc.
2. Urbane Clothing
3. F M Light & Sons
Best Ski/Snowboard Tuning Shop
1. Ski Haus
2. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
3. Powder Tools
Best Ski Shop
1. Ski Haus
2. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
3. Christy Sports
Best Snowboard Shop
1. Powder Tools
2. Ski Haus
3. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare
Best Sporting Goods Store
1. Ski Haus
2. BAP Inc. – Big Agnes Factory Store
3. Straightline Outdoor Sports
Best Thrift/Consignment Store
1. Déjà Vu Boutique
2. Lift Up
3. Annie’s Home Consignments
Best Women’s Clothing Store
1. Déjà Vu Boutique
2. Chrysalis
3. Fringe Boutique
The Lighter Side
This section is more lighthearted, offering voters’ views on everything from Steamboat’s best mustaches to ski runs. Thousands of votes poured in for this category, securing its popularity in the polls. Read on for the esteemed results.
Best Band
1. Buffalo Commons
2. Yer State Birds
3. Missed the Boat
Best Chairlift
1. Bar UE
2. Storm Peak Express
3. New Gondola
Best Cowboy
1. Ray Heid
2. Arnie
3. Mitch Melander
Best Cowgirl
1. Barb Shipley
2. Haliegh Auren
3. Jaime Barton
Best Fly Fisherman
1. Johnny Spillane
2. David McAtee
3. Todd Musselman
Best Fly Fisherwoman
1. Sancy Shaw
2. Lisa Ruff
3. Veronica Roth
Best Hike
1. Zirkel Circle
2. Devil’s Causeway
3. Fish Creek Falls
Best Home Garden
1. Kid’s Kabin Preschool
2. 217 Logan Ave
3. 2430 Val D’Isere
Best Mustache
1. Rob Peterson
2. Barry Smith
3. Jack Brown
Best Place to SUP
1. Pearl Lake
2. Yampa River
3. Steamboat Lake
Best Ski Run
1. Tomahawk
2. North St. Pats
3. Rolex
Best Year-round Fly for the Yampa
1. Elk Hair Caddis
2. Pheasant Tail
3. Zebra Midge