My friend and I took time out from shopping and stopped into The Village Smithy in Carbondale, Colorado, USA. What a lovely little place and such a nice setting! The Village Smithy is situated in the Roaring Fork Valley and is known for providing some of the best breakfasts available in the region. The popular breakfast dishes run the gamut from familiar favorites, from the Applewood Bacon & Egg to the delightfully unexpected Fresh Spinach and Wild Mushroom omelette. Certainly we found this bistro to be very clean, our choices to be delicious and the staff exceptionally friendly. An old sign in the restaurant says is all:  “We reserve the right to serve everyone.”

The town of Carbondale is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, USA. The town population was 6427 at the 2010 United States Census. It is a  town located 170 miles west of Denver and 30 miles from Aspen in the heart of Colorado’s central Rocky Mountains.  At an altitude of 6,181 feet, and resting in the magnificent shadow of 12,953-foot Mount Sopris, Carbondale is characterized by an average of 295 days of sunshine, low humidity, cold but mild winters and comfortable summers.

The Village Smithy restaurant was opened in 1975 by Chris and Terry Chacos who moved to Carbondale to escape a Aspen. They had always nourished the idea of opening a restaurant and decided to turn this charming black smith building into a community restaurant. With the help of friends and many talented locals, they created The Village Smithy. Today, this is still a place where the community goes for a quality meal or to meet with friends. It is now run by their son.

We stopped in mid-morning for a snack and a drink. We sat on the large open air deck, surrounded by gardens. The fresh air let us soak up the sun, the fresh Colorado’s Rocky Mountain and the beautiful atmosphere. My friend had a green tea and I had a freshly squeezed lemonade. Both were lovely and we lingered over them, enjoying the surroundings and the ambiance of this unique little bistro.

We noticed that for lunch The Village Smithy offers a wide selection of entrees including salads, sandwiches, burgers and Mexican dishes.  The Asian Chicken Salad with its homemade Tarmari dressing is, we were told a great favourite. However, we could not stop for lunch as we had to return to the serious business of shopping but we enjoyed our visit to The Village Smithy in Carbondale, Colorado and recommend it.

Valerie Penny