Hospitality & Tourism  March 5, 2019

Estes steakhouse turns 20 with cozy comforts

ESTES PARK — In a world driven by changing tastes and marketer-orchestrated trends, the older, traditional ways suddenly find themselves with a unique and compelling story to tell.

Twin Owls Steakhouse, which turns 20 this year, tells that story with warm, familiar comforts.

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If you go

Twin Owls Steakhouse
800 MacGregor Ave., Estes Park
970-586-9344
Twinowls.net

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No neo-industrial kitsch and cold colors here. No tiny servings framed on huge plates. Instead, Twin Owls offers roaring fireplaces on the main level and loft, hand-sawn beams, gorgeous mountain views through picture windows, and hearty plates of beef and game, all served up in a 90-year-old log-and-stone structure nestled in peaceful pines and boulders well away from the touristy tangle of the village’s downtown Elkhorn Avenue.

“We decided to keep it the way it was when we bought it in part because I get offended to pay so much money and get a small plate of food,” said co-owner Thad Eggen, who, along with wife Sandra Huerta, purchased the restaurant in 2012 from James and Jennie Edwards, who now own Door 222 in downtown Loveland. “I’ve been to a bistro and ordered a sirloin steak that has great flavor, but getting a smaller plate with a high ticket price really kind of gets to me.”

Nestled in the pines on the northern edge of Estes Park, Twin Owls Steakhouse is housed in a rustic structure built of logs and stones in 1929. Courtesy Twin Owls Steakhouse

Their menu features sumptuous portions of beef, elk, chicken and pork sourced from Fort Lupton-based House of Smoke, along with duck, lamb, chicken, scallops, wild-caught Scottish salmon and more, along with some vegetarian options, nods to lighter appetites and more modern touches such as a beet and kale salad.

“There’s something so wonderful about a steakhouse,” Eggen said. “It’s almost deep in our genes — cooking something over a fire, keeping it beautiful and simple and delicious. I just don’t see that going out of style or popularity. We’re hitting a trend where old is the new new. People like going back — whether it’s to revisit the food scene of the ‘70s and early ‘80s or requesting old-fashioned classic martinis.”

Current chef Brant Price is going on 15 years at Twin Owls, keeping those traditions alive but also paying attention to what younger customers want.

“A lot of our employees are climbers, gymnasts, competitive high-school wrestlers,” Eggen said. “They’re working to get that best nutritional balance, so they’re one of my biggest sources of information — what are you looking to eat at the end of the night? So we try to stay flexible and adaptable to special orders.”

Huerta started working there as a hostess when the restaurant opened in 1999 and rose from server to event coordinator, then to event manager, sales and marketing. “I’m self-taught,” she said, “but I worked with industry leaders and hired firms to help me with the marketing.”

Kansas-born Eggen had been a Spanish teacher at Estes Park High School but took a leave of absence from the school district to try his hand as a restaurateur. “I came in as general manager and got my feet wet in the ownership thing about two years before we took it over — just to get a feel for it and see if we liked it.”

For the couple, running the place is all about family.

“We’re a husband-and-wife team, and it’s a lot of fun,” Eggen said. “In Kansas, you always saw farmers working as a family business, and by osmosis I picked up from them that your first business partner is your spouse, whatever you do. You focus on household income, what you have in the bank, what you want to do toward savings and retirement.

“That’s how I think of our staff too. They become our second family. We’re always meeting up with them for breakfast or lunch, or texting them to just check in.”

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant takes its name from the Twin Owls rock formation on Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park that’s easily visible from the town. The business has about 50 employees at the height of summer and about half that in winter. Huerta estimated that about 60 percent of Twin Owls’ business is restaurant dining while the rest is events: weddings, rehearsal dinners, family reunions and more.

While Huerta handles event sales and is the “technical guru,” Eggen said, “I do the menu design, wine list, beer list” — he’s also a homebrewer — “and handyman. If something breaks, I’m the guy on his back, looking up into the pilot light.”

The restaurant’s more secluded location seems to be the least of the couple’s concerns.

“When we bought it, we were just so excited about what we had to offer and less worried about the location,” Eggen said. “Sure, to this day, if you have prime real estate on the main street of Estes, it’s great, but having been an Estes Park resident myself for 13 years before we bought it, I had a feel for how restaurants were successful, and knew that even though we’re not on the main street, we could make this work.

“With the advent of smartphones, people find us. And we get great referrals from lodging; people will go down to the concierge and ask them where’s the best place for steak. It’s such an honor when they recommend us.”

“It’s just word of mouth and working with the resorts,” Huerta added. “We’re off the beaten track — it says it on our website. It’s a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle.”

ESTES PARK — In a world driven by changing tastes and marketer-orchestrated trends, the older, traditional ways suddenly find themselves with a unique and compelling story to tell.

Twin Owls Steakhouse, which turns 20 this year, tells that story with warm, familiar comforts.

___________________________

If you go

Twin Owls Steakhouse
800 MacGregor Ave., Estes Park
970-586-9344
Twinowls.net

___________________________

No neo-industrial kitsch and cold colors here. No tiny servings framed on huge plates. Instead, Twin Owls offers roaring fireplaces on the main level and loft, hand-sawn beams, gorgeous mountain views through picture windows, and hearty plates of beef…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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