Elk Ave Prime

Literally just left there and walked back to our vacation rental. Soooo great! Both my wife and I, who have very different tastes in food, loved every part of our meals.
We sat at the bar and the bartender Danny was great as well. Good conversation when we wanted it and great local knowledge. We’ve been coming to CB multiple times for the last three years and regret that this was our first time in. It will now be a must on every trip.

This place was amazing! I cannot figure out any experience was less than 5 stars. We came on Easter, were promptly seated, expertly served and the food was beyond amazing. This is all on a holiday 2 days before closing for the season. The owner came out twice and made sure we received some specialty buffalo sausage ravioli after we were told they were out. The service was personal, food phenomenal and the pride of ownership was clear. Check my ratings, I don’t give 5 stars often. You must check this place out!

We had an amazing meal for our group. The staff, service, and superb food exceeded expectations. The wine selection and pricing was fair and above par for a remote ski community. I’d recommend it to anyone and will come back in the future for sure.

I love this place. It’s become a tradition. The Brussels sprouts are amazing. And our filets came out perfectly cooked. They came with a side of roasted garlic, which really kicked it up a notch. The mushrooms are amazing and so was the risotto. The cherry cobbler is worth a try. I recommend this place.

A freezing gristly experience!
This is a review for dinner on 2÷6÷16. We sat in the back room. There were two other occupied tables in the room as well. The room was very cold! Almost half of us had to wear our down jackets to try to keep warm. Imagine digging into your $ 50 steak wearing your heavy jacket. One couple even walked over to the fireplace in the corner to try to get warm, but were disappointed to learn that it was only decorative and didn’t produce heat.
I asked our waiter if the heat could be turned up in the room, but after about 20 minutes our dining room still was cold. I asked him again and pointed out that people were wearing their down jackets, and few minutes later, the owner/​chef appeared. The O/​C apologized for the cold conditions, and explained that the building was old and the heater didn’t work well and it was cold outside. A small space heater was set next to our tables, but it had no noticeable effect on the cold room.
So, all of us just froze while we ate dinner.
On to the food: The brussel sprouts appetizer was super super good. We also had the smoked trout dip, and it was pretty good, but too much horse radish and not enough smoked trout. My date had the Wagyu Steak (sp?), and it was great. The cheesy potatoes side was also really good.
I had the 18oz ribeye. Unfortunately, it was fatty, gristly, and over cooked. It was outrageously poor for $ 50. Think the same kind of steak you would get from The Sizzler, but at 4x the cost. The restaurant boasts USDA Prime cuts, but this glue factory escapee was far from that standard. I was shocked by the incongruence between price and quality. I see other reviewers have had a similar complaint, but it seems the O/​C can’t or won’t solve this problem of erratic quality.
The O/​C came by to ask about our meals, and I lied and said everything was fine because at that point we were freezing our a$$e$ off, and we just wanted to get the heck out of there and get warm. A do-​over is better than nothing, but, for $ 50 for just the steak, it should be right the first time. I only ate about a ¼ of it, and took the rest with me in a doggy bag, but ended up dropping it in the first dumpster I passed.
Looking at the reviews, most people love this place. And, I think when things go as planned, Elk Ave Prime produces a good meal. But, when things go slightly off script, they just don’t know what to do and the wheels quickly fall off the bus. The O/C’s inability to deal with a problem is exemplified by the snarky replies he writes in response to the bad reviews he gets on Unilocal.
One star because my date’s dinner was good. Otherwise, I get angry when I think how much money we spent for such a terrible experience.

Less than impressed. I had eaten in this restaurant before and don’t remember feeling so disappointed. I ordered the wagyu flatiron steak and it was totally undercooked and to top that off they sliced it for me. So they should have seen it was rare not medium rare. I really wanted a rib eye but the only offering was 18oz. I can’t possibly begin to eat that much meat and I didn’t want a filet. The only other offering with a small cut. It was so cold in the restaurant that my meal was freezing cold before I could even get half way through. I also felt like I was being Nickle and dimed. If I am paying $ 60 for a piece of meat I think they should include at least one side. (Another person at our table had this) Or the restaurant needs to be run as a 5 star restaurant. When I have to pour my water from a pitcher on the table I expect cheaper prices. If I am paying $ 60 for a cut of meat I expect service like Ruth’s Chris or better. I also expect a perfect cut of meat. I don’t think I will return to this place unless I hear the meat is better or the prices are reduced. I get that you are charged more for resort town eating but this place does not provide good value for the money spent.

Got terrible food poisoning from their crab. Everything else was OK but honestly pretty mediocre. If you go don’t get seafood!

Sit at the bar for the best menu options. They have a local’s special if you sit up there. The steak and fries are good.

Poorly staffed on a Saturday. Half the place was empty and no one could be seated. Turned away lots of customers. Too bad!

The absolute worst ribeye I ever had. I ordered it medium rare and it came out that way but was charred on the top. I cut into it and there was gristle throughout the whole steak. This steak was no way a prime cut. The chef/​owner came by and offered to cook me another steak and I said no because the three other friends with me had steaks that were as bad as mine so I knew it would not be any better.

It’s a Saturday night and this place is far from crowded. There are tons of open tables, but no available seating per the hostess. Apparently «all of their wait staff are booked». What the heck??? They managed to turn away 3 sets of couples in the 3 minutes we were there. Unfortunately for them, I will never come back to this mismanaged restaurant during the winter ski season when I’m starving. This place blows!

The filet mignon is excellent, outside views of Mt. Crested Butte are fantastic. The bread with garlic butter is heavenly. The sides are plenty for two, try the mushroom risotto. The steaks come with big garlic cloves and you should eat them all with your steak. No need for fancy sauces!

This place during the towns tourist seasons is pretty busy. I really do wish you luck on getting a seat. The food quality from my view is good but, not the best. I got the Bistro Fillet and a appetizer of the pommesfrites fries. The fries were over all the best fries you can get. The Bistro Fillet I ordered was more rare than I ordered, so I asked it to be recooked. It was over all crunchy outside with a softer inside. It was not very flavorful and I did not like the fillet much. They have a lot of other items on the menu that I have not tried but, recommend you trying.

The Brussel sprouts are to die for, the steaks were superb and cooked exactly to order. The sides are great! Service was fantastic, the wine list was a good selection. Definitely not a place you want to miss!

The ribeye was good but way overpriced at $ 48 with no sides. My wife ordered a steak from the bar menu and it was ok. Sides were good. Smoked trout dip was excellent as was the farmers market mule. Recommend eating and ordering from the bar.

Elk Avenue Prime… where do I begin!
Last memorial day my fiancé and parents came to CB, we were thinking about getting married there and the minute we rolled into town we knew it was the place. We decided fairly quickly on our ceremony locale and after eating at Maxwell’s (what Elk Ave was at the time) we agreed that was the place for the reception. The décor was warm and inviting, the food was phenomenal and the owner was just the nicest person.
We had about a year before the wedding to do our planning. During that time Maxwell’s changed ownership and we soon received contact from Curtis, the new owner of now Elk Avenue Prime. I was a little hesitant that the restaurant was changing ownership, and had no idea what the food or atmosphere would be under Curtis’ ownership. He assured me he was a chef and he knew what he was doing– we had nothing to worry about.
Over the next few months he was extremely responsive whenever I send him a question, was polite and so helpful. My parents and I came down for a tasting about a month before our wedding and the food was even better. Curtis worked with our budget and came up with a menu that was absolutely fantastic. He came up with a great appetizer and desert option (s’mores bar, if you can believe it!) and helped us with menus, drinks, table arrangements, you name it. We even got to play our own music using Sonos wireless sound system.
We didn’t have a wedding planner and we were worried about the reception more than anything else.
We had our ceremony at Woods Walk at 3 PM– the reception was meant to start at 5 but it started to rain as soon as the ceremony ended and all of our guests ran to the shuttles we provided for them and they were dropped off at Elk Avenue Prime… and they just went in! Once we saw the guests were starting to enter the restaurant we ran in to talk to Curtis but he just said, Don’t worry about it! We’ll take care of it.
The reception started an hour and a half early and somehow he and his staff made it work! Drinks were flowing, and dinner was served at 5:30. Started with a salad and once everyone had ordered we only had about 20 minutes before fresh, hot food was coming out of the kitchen. I was amazed at how perfectly they had it timed. The quality of this food too… Curtis graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and the food shows it.
He let us come in early to decorate and after the reception the staff put all of our decorations in one area for us to pick up the next day.
All in all, the reception turned out beautifully. I had several guests tell me that it was the best reception food they had ever had. Honestly, it was some of the best food I’ve ever had!
It really came together thanks to the helpful owner, the wonderful staff and amazing food. If you’re considering Elk Ave for your reception, for dinner, for events, whatever it is, just go there. You won’t regret it.

Our waitress was nice and attentive. The food was good, lots of different cuts of meat and side dishes to mix up. Did feel it was a little high priced, like NYC steakhouse prices, but it definitely was good.

Can’t remember Chef’s name, but he is onto something great at this new incarnation of an old spot.
Simply incredible cuts of meat and extremely fresh fish (every three days, cut in back of house) make it good. The incredible wine list, ridiculously good service, $ 8 off menu half pound burgers, and the best, butteriest, nuttiest FOIE GRAS, make it f****ing stellar.
This place is tops. It’s not cheap, but look at it this way — it’s on par with Martchatelli’s [sic?]. Say hi to chef, try something new, and get dessert for me; I was too full.

Elk Ave Prime is top notch! INCREDIBLE customer service and the food is phenomenal! We had the chicken fried elk steak and the big belly burger, I would highly recommend both! You can’t go wrong at Elk Ave Prime!
–Marcia and Melisa

Elk Ave Prime is the new incarnation of the old Maxwells Steakhouse. New owners took over about a month or so ago. I’ve been in twice since the new owners took over.
On both occasions, the service was very friendly and I found the menu to be a good mix of old favorites and new options. Unlike some other higher end restaurants, I found the portion size to be generous and the food to be prepared perfectly. The steaks were perfectly prepared and an excellent cut of meat with good flavor. During and after the meals, the owner personally came by to check on how everything was — a nice touch that I hope continues.
I was also glad to see that they retained the «bar» specials available when sitting in the bar area.
I’ve already got reservations to come back again!