If there is one restaurant in Durango that has the feel and ambience of the old world coupled together with some of the finest food and drinks, it has got to be the Palace Restaurant. A favorite of locals and tourists alike, its warm Victorian atmosphere, the exceptional sevice from the expierienced staff that begins the moment you enter throught the doors, to the mouth watering foods that come from the chefs in the kitchen, it is truly one of Durango's iconic dining locations.

We always begin our palette pleasing expierience with a Crostini Bread and Baked Brie starter to curb our already rumbling tummies. With three children under 8, the Crostini Bread always goes over extremely well. It is a fresh french loaf filled with garlic butter and a hint of bleu cheese, with that warm bread aroma and soft melted garlic butter the kids dive right in. The Baked Brie always indulges my european wife and reminds her of the cafes in her home country and definaltely adds a more distinct flavor to the already tasty toasted breads.

For the main meal, my oldest daughter is always ready for the Penne Pasta with fresh garlic, basil and roma tomatoes sautéed in olive oil tossed with penne pasta and fresh mozzarella cheese. She absolutely loves this meal and asks for it everytime by name. I usually opt for the Pepper Steak (I am man, must eat steak) which is a 12 oz New York Strip rubbed with black pepper, pan seared and served with brandy green peppercorn cream sauce, served with the roasted garlic mashed potatoes, Palace Rolls, and of course a dinner salad. You also cannot go wrong with the nightly specials that are always in demand at the Palace which my wife usually opts for due to a tasty seafood dish usually always being on the list of specials.

Monday night is always the best $5 burgers in town, and on Friday (tonight!) they serve their delicious Fish n' Chips. Along with a tasty beverage from their in-house Quiet Lady Tavern, how can you go wrong! You can't, which is why I will be enjoying the fish n' chips along with that aformentioned tasy beverage tonight, and the $5 burgers and another tasty beverage with my buddies from the base on Monday!

All this for a great price, great atmosphere, and right in the heart of downtown Durango. Check it out!

As another snow season begins to open up around the U.S., so do the ski and snowboard movies begin to emerge in ski town theatres to show who threw the sickest 1080, skied the steepest aspects, who rode the longest rails, and who partied the hardest. So, Katja and I went to see the latest of Warren Millers legendary ski movies Playground here at the Abbey Theatre just off College in Durango last night. The guys and gals over at the Warren Miller Movie headquarters sure outdid themselves this year. There was no shortage of steeps, sick freestyle, heliskiing in Cordova on some of the biggest terrain in North America with Points North, all being skied by some of the most skilled riders on the playground today. From Japan to Dubai, Whistler to Aspen, as always the locations and skiing was beyond amazing. You almost want to wear your boots and skis in the theatre just in case it comes to life on screen and you have to spring into action to ski that most perfect of lines.

Maybe just leave them in the car just in case.

Durango was holding its breath this past weekend to see what the first major winter storm of the season would dump on the area. Would it pass us by and deprive us of the much needed pow that we all were wishing for? Absolutely not. 34 inches at mid mountain Sunday morning when the lifts opened at 9. The storm had passed, and the sky was once again clear blue with crisp temps for one of the best opening days in quite some time.

I was most definately in line with the other 100 eager Durangotarians waiting to catch the six pack to the top for the first runs of the season at DMR. As the clock overhead lift 1 hit 9:01, the cheers went out as the first to the top pushed throught the gates and were on their way. No one was sure of the conditions we would encounter on the way down. Even my buddies on the Patrol where wondering as just friday they were wading through the grass around the area. Now two days and over three feet of snow later, everyone was pleasantly surprised. Luckily the snow was wet enough to give a good base, but not to heavy as there was a good buildup of fresh powder. As many areas were not yet groomed that well, everyone was slipping through the 18 inches of powder on their way down the runs and having a blast.

Poachers were gladly jumping ropes to get in on the fresh pow that was still on closed runs, and when caught, didn't mind giving up their pass with a big grin on their face. That first run on a closed route in fresh pow was all worth it.

Many more days to come....