a bit of local love... Oak (the new Fat Alley)

Life changes, people change and of course the backdrop of restaurants in a ski town changes. Sometimes the change is hard to swallow... like when an old favorite moves locations and (gasp) changes it's name. The beauty is that sometimes change is truly for the better and allows the old favorite to grow in a good direction. That is the case with Oaks (aka the old Fat Alley). Robbie moved from his longtime home at the top of Oak Street to Oak Street Plaza at the base of the gondola. The new space has almost twice the table space and  four times the bar space plus it features a patio. The new space isn't a new restaurant location in Telluride as it's formerly been home to X Cafe, Chair 8 and Wildflours but it's new to Robbie and changes the game that he's played for over a dozen years with Fat Alley.

The old space had it's special charm with it's crooked and sometimes sticky floors, and long wood tables that made it a hot spot for locals to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions as well as tourists looking for good BBQ. After all a place can be full of charm but it does take good food and service to make a place last. I've stopped going to a lot of places since going gluten free- we've taken the Chinese food place off speed dial, but I never had to give up Fat Alley. The quarter chicken and side of steamed broccoli was naturally gf and nothing changed with that during the move. We'll still celebrate birthdays and other good times at long tables with dear friends and perhaps a few Mitch Morgan's.

From think outside the breadbox

Yesterday we enjoyed a classic Telluride 4th of July complete with a parade down Colorado Avenue (our Main Street) and an afternoon with friends and their new addition and grabbed a late lunch at Oaks- our new Fat Alley with the same good faces and great food.

From Priest Lake and Happy Birthday USA Day

The little guy is just a few days old but I've managed to finish a sweater for him, which he'll need at Telluride moves from summer into cool nights (it happens fast here...) The pattern was sized for a one year old but I bet this little guy will grow quickly with the fresh mountain air.

From Knitting