Restaurant: Aurum Breckenridge
Address: 209 South Ridge, Breckenridge, CO. 80424
Phone: 970.771.3943
Hours: 4-6 Happy Hour, Dinner 5-10.
Whenever a new restaurant opens in Breck the locals get pretty excited! Aurum did not disappoint. The Aurum website claims the best Happy Hour in Breckenridge, a lofty claim with how many tasty Happy Hours we have! However, I will say, this is probably the best Happy Hour in Breckenridge!
I rolled in looking like the dirtbag that I am, and felt comfortable in this classy restaurant. The Happy Hour runs from 4-6, and has drink discounts that are significant on wine, beer, and fancy cocktails. Not being in a drinking mood (although the drinks looked tasty), the food at Happy Hour is what was remarkable! All of their “snacks” are half price! YOWSA IT WAS A GOOD DEAL!
Aurum is a new building in Breck, yet it looks like it has always been there. The inside is really inviting and light, with some cool exposed beams, pipes, and cool artwork. A bar with a really cool ladder that the bartenders were continually going up and down. The outside deck is so mellow and chill. It is nice to have more solid restaurants on Ridge Street. Our server, Malia I believe was her name, was engaging, knowledgeable, and had a great attitude, she just made the night even better!
The menu is unique, Snacks, Shared Plates and Mains. The options will apparently change frequently, keeping everything fresh and different. The snacks are a very decent size, and probably best for ordering a bunch and sharing with your crew. All of the food that came by looked amazing, particularly the Pork. I was there with my buddy, Joe and we took full advantage of the half price apps and finished it off with some killer desserts. We agreed that everything was fantastic and there was nothing that disappointed, a rarity. Using Colorado ingredients is a huge plus!
Crispy Brussels Sprouts were our first dish. They were fabulous, perfectly crispy, seasoned and flavored to perfection. There are several places in town that do Brussels Sprouts: Blue Stagg, Artisian, and a few other, Aurum has the best. I almost always order Sprouts when on a menu, and these delivered.
Second came the Korean Fried Chicken. This was my favorite. Boneless, breaded chicken thighs with a Gochujang Hot Sauce that was so good. They weren’t overly spicy, but were just amazing. This is a must reorder next time. A creative dish that was very outside the box.
The Prime Beef Tartare, served with house made chips was also an exceptional dish. There is one other place in town that does Tartare, Briar Rose, and this was way better! The beef was clearly of high quality and very tasty.
Joe ordered the French Onion Burger, which would be a little pricey at $19 not on happy hour price (but a huge steal at $9.50 during HH), was excellent. It comes with fries and a choice of dipping sauce. It was tasty, and a good size, but the fries are really out of this world. With sauce and preparation options these fries will not disappoint. A lot of Breck restaurants can’t make fries, Aurum has it dialed in!
We each ordered a dessert and were thrilled with it! Joe had a modified Peach Upside Down cake, that had everything you would want. Fresh peaches, cream (applied at the table), and delicious cake, not usually my choice for dessert, but I was very impressed. I ordered a modified Molten Lava cake with passionfruit cream and some delicious little chocolate nugs! It was right in my wheelhouse and a perfect end to the dish.
I haven’t been this excited for a new restaurant in town for years! While only doing Happy Hour tonight, I will definitly come back and do full meals, but there claim of, Best Happy Hour in Breckenridge, is right on.
