As one of the most historic towns in Colorado and the former territorial capital, Golden has plenty of legacy buildings along its main street, Washington. The most well-known is the Buffalo Rose, which used to be just a concert venue and bar. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the business expanded, modernized and became a restaurant with another bar. Since the founding of Golden, the site has been a legislative building, a hotel, an auto garage, an indoor pool, a department store and finally, a performance hall. As the saying goes, if the walls could talk, you’d hear
plenty of stories about the town’s legend and history. The exterior of the corner building, where the restaurant’s main entrance is, looks like an old-time saloon with weathered wooden panels. Outdoor seating frames both sides of the door.
Once inside, guests can sit in the dining area between the concert hall and the bar. Or (my personal favorite), head to the bar, a fantastic indoor/outdoor venue that is bright, airy, and spacious. I never saw a show or performance in the twenty-plus years I’ve lived here, but I have been to the restaurant several times, and I can tell you what dishes are the best bets for your lunch or dinner, plus some cocktails.
Starters
When you look at the menu for Buffalo Rose, you might think you’ve been given a newspaper by mistake. But it is a menu – it’s just formatted into a paper with some mock articles based on Golden’s Old West roots. As you view it, you’ll first come across the appetizers. Colorado poutine and southwestern egg rolls are my two favorite dishes from this category.
Superb French fries are difficult to find, but you will here. So, combining them with a poutine is a treat, especially with a cold pint of your favorite beer. It comes with the traditional cheese curds, but the restaurant’s version involves pouring green chile instead of gravy. It’s a very local twist. My other preferred starter wraps are black bean and corn relish, Monterey Jack cheese, and roasted chicken in a crispy wrap served with gochujang aioli. Yes, it sounds a lot like the familiar dish at Chili’s. But this one excels because of the chicken, which is marinated and slow-cooked, bringing out flavors that Chili’s could only dream about.
Entrees
The main dishes at Buffalo Rose are meat-focused and Mexican-focused. Three feature bison, which is leaner than beef and a popular choice in Colorado. But my preferred entrée is the pan-seared Velasso salmon, a blackened Chilean salmon with aji remoulade, grilled lime green chile cheese grits and buttered green beans. I may want to try the bison quesabirria since I’m now a fan of this slow-stewed Mexican dish.
On our last visit, RAS had the Rose bison burger. It consists of ground bison, arugula, cambozola (blue cheese), grilled red onion, and a special bourbon whiskey sauce from the nearby State 38 Distilling. This is one fantastic option, but you can’t go wrong with any of the burgers on the menu.
Cocktails and other things
I must confess, I’ve only tried the house margarita, the Casarita Marg, which mixes Monte Alban silver tequila, house mix, lime juice and agave. You can get a tequila upgrade for a little extra. But I would like to try one of the other six of the 21 cocktails with tequila or mezcal. Another would be the Buffalo Soldier, with rum, key lime cream, angostura bitters, lemon juice and simple syrup. There is also a plentiful selection of draft and bottled beers and wines.
Our friends said they tried the breakfast here, which was limited in its offerings, but the quality made up for it. They ordered the breakfast burrito and Sonora skillet, both substantial southwestern-style egg dishes. These and other dishes are available until 2 PM on the weekends.
