New Eatery at Former Swiss Chalet Hub Wows Customers at Grand Opening
Trevor Phipps
As Southern Colorado has grown to become a major culinary hub, the entire region has attracted a new wave of “foodies” eager to try diverse cuisines.
Now that the trend has spread into the Ute Pass region, the local area has much more to offer than just the more traditional supply of burgers, Chinese or Mexican varieties.
The new Woodland Park eatery coined “Boards and Barrels Bistro and Whisky House” in the former Swiss Chalet spot has much to offer foodies who look for places that try hard to bring out the talents of their chef. The new restaurant’s menu is loaded with culinary items for every type of customer, including both those who like to stick with what they know, and others who crave creative meals.
They have some tough shoes to fill, including a prime culinary reputation that lasted for decades at this spot.
The former Swiss Chalet restaurant was a staple in the community, and many were devastated when the well-known dining establishment changed ownership, and then shuttered shortly after. Ever since the eatery’s closure, many have anticipated the building’s re-opening as a new concept that still embraces exquisite tastes and culinary skill.
Boards and Barrels recently hosted a VIP opening during which invitees sampled dishes that would soon be offered on the menu. A few days later, the bistro had a soft opening, as sections of the menu were available to a limited guest list of friends and family, so that the new staff could get accustomed to the menu.
The new Woodland Park bistro, now open for several weeks, weeks, has become the talk of the town. Most agree that the service is top notch and have given the thumps-up in enjoying the diverse items showcased on the menu.
Boards and Barrels owner Carrie Platzer sports more than four decades in the hospitality industry. The new owner said that she has been eyeing the Swiss Chalet building for quite some time. Once it most recently went to the market, she and her husband David Platzer saw a great opportunity to utilize his skills as a chef, and her lengthy experience as a manager and sommelier.
“My husband makes everything from scratch including the sausages and sauces,” owner Carrie Platzer said. “The only thing we don’t make ourselves is our cheese, but we specially source it from our suppliers.”
The eatery also recently went through a remodel that slightly changed the atmosphere of the culinary hotspot. The building now dons bright new wood paneling and floors, barrel light fixtures and a more social setting than the dimly lit romantic theme its predecessor, the Swiss Chalet, was known for.
However, even though the eatery took on a new menu and a different concept, the fine dining theme that made the Swiss Chalet famous for several decades has remained. And as an added perk, the prices of the new bistro’s menu are very affordable and a night out won’t break their customers’ pocketbooks. That was one common complaint with the former Swiss Chalet,
Boards and Barrels Features One-of-a-Kind Menu Items
Probably the most impressive quality of the new popular culinary hub is the creative menu packed with unique but mouth-watering flavors. The rather large menu has creative twists on meals that most will recognize as well as items to sample for the first time.
Before they even opened, the Platzers announced at a Woodland Park City Council meeting that charcuterie boards with selections of delicious house-made sausages, sauces, cheeses and crackers would become some of their main highlights. The eatery offers three different shareable boards that are designed to serve at least two people.
The Farmhouse Board comes with various items, such as a southwest chicken roulade, smoked gouda cheese and pickled vegetables. The Abe Froman board is packed with more adventurous types of meats, including wild board and jackalope sausages with smoked cream cheese and marinated mushrooms. Boards and Barrels also offers a vegetarian board that features items like whipped goat cheese w/ lemon thyme honey, dried fruit, olives and roasted barbecue chickpeas.
Appetizer options include coffee rubbed beef bacon, bourbon barbecue shrimp and a wing sampler that comes with smoked dry rubbed Cajun chicken wings, bourbon pork wings and blueberry barbecue duck wings. There are four different fresh salad options and delicious soups like roasted corn & shrimp chowder, cheddar ale and smoked mushroom and spinach.
For the main dish, foodies can enjoy sandwiches like a pork belly grilled cheese with brie cheese, green apples, balsamic onions and baby kale on sourdough bread. Their Beef Oscar Sandwich is another one that catches the eye as the menu describes it as a hoagie roll packed with house made beef bacon, crab meat, lettuce, tomato and lemon tarragon aioli.
Their entrees also include some genuine trophy-level highlights, capped by a 12-hour beef rib and a butter braised chicken. Similar to the former Swiss Chalet, the eatery also features great seafood entrees such as a grilled guajilla chili salmon and southern-style crab cakes.
The bistros’ exact location is 19263 E. Highway 24, and their full menu can be found on their website at boardsandbarrelsbistro.com. The eatery is open Tuesday thru Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a Sunday brunch coming soon.
