When we checked into our hotel upon arrival in Steamboat Springs, we asked the very helpful front desk clerk for suggestions for lunch. We were sort of looking for a brewpub or someplace like that. "Unfortunately, most of our brewpubs don't open until around 4 and some have a limited menu," he told us. But then he told us about a place that was named as having the best burgers in the United States by Trip Advisor. Thoroughly impressed by that revelation, he gave us instructions on how to get to the Back Door Grill near Steamboat Spring's downtown area.
(Well, it turned out that he oversold the award. But it did turn out that the Back Door Grill WAS named one of the Top 10 burgers in the U.S. by Trip Advisor earlier this year. Still, that's not too shabby!)
Dave Eliason has been involved in restaurant management for a number of years. He worked primarily in steakhouses counting Red Tracton's in San Diego and the Couloir in Jackson Hole, WY as two of the more high-profile restaurants he toiled in over the years. When the LaRoche brothers (including former major league baseball player Dave LaRoche) decided to open a steakhouse in Steamboat Springs, they recruited Eliason to run the place for them. Eliason's wife, Brandi, was a pastry chef at the Four Seasons hotel in Jackson Hole and he was able to get her a job at E3 Chophouse as the steakhouse's pastry chef. (Look for an upcoming Road Tips post on E3.)
E3 opened in late 2013 serving steaks from grass fed beef sourced from the LaRoche family farm in Kansas. But both Dave and Brandi were missing a good ol' juicy burger, the kind where you can put different toppings on it to make it a signature burger. They decided to open a small burger joint, but needed help in doing so.
The Eliason's initially partnered up with E3 to provide the grass-fed beef for their burgers, and with the Ghost Ranch Saloon, an event venue/bar facility with an old West theme in Steamboat that allowed them to use their kitchen in exchange for helping with catering for some events. In an alley way next to the Ghost Ranch, there was a small walk-up window near the kitchen. They put in some tables near the window and opened the Back Door Grill in June of 2014. Brandi made the buns for the burgers and the breads for grilled sandwiches, and the couple used only naturally grown potatoes and onions for their fries and rings.
Business boomed from the start and it appeared that the couple needed to keep the momentum going into the winter months. That meant moving into a fixed building and when building housing Spostas World Sushi became available in the fall of 2014, the Eliason's jumped on that location moving in there in November of 2014. The Eliason's eventually quit their jobs at E3 to focus on the growing business at the Back Door Grill, adding breakfast items to the menu in 2015. (The Eliason's also own O'Neill's Tavern and Grill - an Irish pub/steakhouse - as well as the Cupcake Mini Bar - a boutique bakery - in Steamboat. Their plan is to expand the Back Door Grill to other ski resort towns across Colorado.)
It was just after 2 p.m. when we pulled up in front of the Back Door Grill on Oak Street near downtown Steamboat Springs. (see map) It was housed in a large gray stand-alone building that looked like it may have been an apartment or boarding house at one time. There was a patio area in front of and on the side of the building.
Entering the restaurant, we found a small area with a bar and a handful of tables and chairs. The walls were covered with $1 dollar bills where people had written on them. There was an upstairs dining area, but it was well past the lunch rush that we were able to get a table in a small room off to the side.
We were met by our server, Jake, who gave us menus and asked us what we'd like to drink. We both ordered up the Space Ghost IPA from the Equinox brewery in Fort Collins - one of the few breweries we didn't get to when we were there the previous couple three days.
Burgers definitely rule the menu at the Back Door Grill. They have a number of signature burgers such as the Mahalo burger that features pineapple slices, Swiss cheese and a teriyaki sauce (ham can be added to the Mahalo burger for an additional $2 bucks), the Afterburner that is topped with chili, cheddar cheese, jalapeños and sour cream, the G13 that is topped with a creamy Sriracha sauce and American cheese, and the Dirty Harry which is topped with peanut butter, a fried egg, bacon slices, hash browns, and cheddar cheese and served on a glazed donut. (Uh.... no, thanks.) They also have "build-your-own" burgers on the menu, as well as sandwiches such as a grilled chicken club sandwich, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich with shaved rib-eye steak and provolone cheese, and a seared mahi mahi sandwich.
My wife got the Dennis Popper (no doubt a play on the name of the late actor Dennis Hopper), which consisted of a flat-grilled burger topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeño poppers and an onion ring with barbecue sauce. She asked to get the barbecue sauce on the side.
The housemade bun was deeply toasted, but not burnt. Back Door Grill switched to locally-raised all-natural beef when they moved to their present location in late 2014. From the looks of char on the edge the burger patty, it appeared it was smashed on the flat grill to let it cook in its own juices.
I ended up going with the Umami burger topped with Swiss cheese and mushrooms (and I added bacon for an upcharge). The burger came with a sliced onion, a tomato slice and chopped lettuce.
The burger was big and thick - and very delicious. It was juicy and full of a great beef flavor. The bun - which is the key to a great burger - was light and fluffy, but held together very well with the toppings and juiciness of the burger.
My wife was very happy with her burger, as well. She said that the poppers weren't all that spicy, but really helped enhance the taste of the beef. She ended up not using any of the sweet barbecue sauce that Jake brought out on the side. She said it would have detracted from the overall taste of the burger.
For our first meal in Steamboat Springs, we couldn't have been happier with the Back Door Grill. It was a great suggestion from the guy at the hotel and the burgers were great. The atmosphere was a mixture of funky and cozy, and they had a great selection of craft beers from across Colorado. The service was laid-back and casual, but also prompt and professional. Sometimes my stomach does somersaults when I write about places we've been because the food was so good. As I write this entry, my stomach is doing jumping-jacks wishing we could go back to the Back Door Grill for lunch today.
These burgers look fantastic.
Posted by: Jeni | October 10, 2018 at 06:27 PM