The Briar Rose Chophouse & Saloon in downtown Breckenridge offers traditional chop-house cuisine at its finest, featuring an à la carte menu of classic selections. Tempting starters include oysters, sausages, escargot, and other seafood selections, but it’s hard to resist heading straight for the main course: certified USDA Prime all natural Black Angus Harris Ranch strip steak. Not your ordinary meat-and-potatoes fare, Harris Ranch produces superior-quality natural beef, which Briar Rose ages 28 days for grilled-to-order strip steaks that are impossibly tender and flavorful. These steaks are superb as naked as the cows were in the pasture, but diners can also choose from among nine sauces including a heavenly, creamy béarnaise.

The wide selection of family-style sides is far from an afterthought. The rich creamed spinach tastes like the very definition of comfort food, and the mac ’n’ cheese—prepared with a generous mixture of cream, butter, and fresh, flavorful cheeses—has nothing in common with the elbows that come in a blue box. From start to finish, the Briar Rose offers the down-home charms of Colorado ranch cooking.