Bavarian Lodge - Valdez

OK, so we did the Bavarian Sleigh Ride Dinner and..what a joke. First, the sleigh ride up the mountain: it 's freezing, snowing, and unenjoyable because you 're trying to conserve all possible body heat by tucking into yourself and praying for it to be over. Then, you arrive, and although we 're still completely bitter about the experience, we have to admit that it is indeed lovely. It 's warm and cozy and charming and it does feel like you 've stepped into some alternate alpine universe. We also have nothing but nice things to say about the service and appetizers. Everything is brisk, of course, because they need to turn over for the second seating, but we never felt rushed and everyone was pretty nice. We got a German beer and some wine and dug into the pickled brussels sprouts (amazing , cucumber salad (less impressive but also tasty , deviled eggs (loved the curry, needed salt , and the fig tartlets (good and interesting . For appetizers, the carrot and ginger soup was piping hot (first time in Taos, the stoves do work here! and elegant in its simplicity. The salad, on the other hand, was stupid: plain mixed greens with a couple spiced pecans, a nonexistent dressing, and a random poached pear on the side. Uh, no. The main courses also left a lot to be desired. All of them come with the same sides: lukewarm mashed potato gloop, blanched green beans (no salt, no nothing , and some bland red cabbage. The short ribs were tender but dry and the trout almandine was uninspiring. Big disappointments. Oh--and this will come into play below--please note that our daughter had a Kraft mac-n-cheese with a side of those blanched green beans. The meal at least ended on a sweet note (until the check came; more on that anon because the desserts were delicious. The chocolate pot de creme with raspberry sauce was perfection and the strudel with cinnamon ice cream was equally toothsome. Then: the bill. We knew beforehand that it would be $125 a person, and we honestly would have been fine with that because we had checked beforehand that our daughter could order a kid 's item a la carte. And you know how much that a la carte--recall: Kraft mac-n-chee+plain green beans--was? SIXTY FIVE DOLLARS. Like, we get that it 's a ski place and everything costs an arm and a leg, but that is so insultingly ludicrous and we were so pissed off that it completely soured the whole experience. Then, when we got back on the sleigh, all the blankets were covered with snow awaiting us, which our escort had not bothered to clear off (just whack it with a broom like the lift guys do, dude! but then had the audacity to ask for a tip for his role of accompanying us on the sled, LOL! Maybe come and eat here under normal circumstances and enjoy a B+ experience, but do not do the special excursion with a kid to save your life. Two stars. Several days later, we 're still pissed.

This wonderful Bavarian building, the ambience, the smells, the coziness, the food, and the fun holds such special times for me and my family. It was magical. They are trying to bring it back but it is not there yet. We need someone like Thomas to bring it back. The sleigh ride dinner on Sat. was a start. The trout was good but it was not almondine (no almonds) which was fine for me the sauce was good. My husband had the braised ribs and they were good. The sides were nothing to write home about. The haricot verts were cooked nicely but no butter or spices just plain. The carrot ginger soup was not good too bitter. The pots du crème were wonderful but way too much whipped cream on top. We will try this place again because we want so badly for this magical place to return. We wish them well. The sleigh ride was delightful! They served the best hot chocolate prior to boarding the sleigh.

I had been to the Bavarian a couple of times but it was usually closed due to it being the offseason. After a leisurely hike to Lake Williams, we decided to stop in for some German beer and fare. Since it had been raining, the outdoor furniture was soggy, so we opted to eat inside. The inside was welcoming, especially after being caught in the rain. Order for food and beer was placed at the bar. We also paid at the same time. Pretty much the same process as Door 38 Pizza. As a reward for our hike, my wife and I splurged. She had the Veggie Melt and I had the Veal Brat with German potato salad. We shared a large pretzel with beer cheese. I capped off the order with a 32 oz stein of Paulaner Salvator Food came out in about 10 minutes. The veal brat I had was awesome, while the potato salad was a bit disappointing. My wife liked the veggie melt but it was too much food for her. We both loved the pretzel and beer cheese. My only gripe about this spot is the price. Everything seemed overpriced but I understand they gotta make money too and only have a few months to do so. The scenery does help justify the price but it started to rain again as we ventured out to the patio again. Luckily we found us a spot to keep us dry. I would definitely come back here a couple of beers in the future. May have to think twice about eating here though...

We loved this place! We were celebrating our engagement and both Leah and Andrew went out of their way to make sure we felt special and had an amazing time. I'll be recommending to all my friends and I hope to be back soon!

So much fun in the winter, the ambiance makes you feel as if you are in the Swiss alps. The menu is all German and very tasty. In the winter they made us line up outside in the 15 degree weather, that wasn't fun, and then we had to fight for a table, also not fun. But, it's a great experience and worth visiting now and then. Oh, we went in the summer and the music was really loud and obnoxious (some 1970's funkadelic) so a warning for sensitive ears