It doesn’t look like much more than a friendly, funky shack. Once inside, it feels like Bilbo might duck in for a bit of mead at the miniature bar. But when the food arrives, Crested Butte’s Ginger Café grows into a palace where the diner is royalty. The pan-Asian cuisine concocted in the closet of a kitchen fills Ginger Café with the flavors of India and Thailand. If it’s cold out, order Pa Gra Pow and you’ll be fiery fast. The classic Rogan Gosht – Colorado lamb with curried almond sauce – is so good you’ll try, vainly, to retract the earlier “let’s order family style” suggestion. The biryani is delicious. The toasty vindaloo spins a little differently as a salad. And the pad thai is exceptional with perfectly cooked rice noodles. If you’re wanting color, try one or three of Ginger Café’s umbrella-topped cocktails like the sea-blue margarita. It’ll brand your tongue blue for the rest of the night. And be ready to share, even with the adjacent table a couple of inches away.
Get there — 313 Third St., Crested Butte
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