Bird & Jim — Restaurant in Estes Park

Above and beyond, that’s the overall sentiment from my experience at Bird & Jim.

We dined at Bird & Jim on New Year’s Eve. We had made the reservation before we found out about the 4 course prix fixe menu that was planned for the evening. After finding out about the planned menu I immediately considered cancelling our reservation because I have food allergies and was concerned at my ability to eat anything on the menu. My partner convinced me to go, because their standard menu had several options I could eat and there was a small chance they could make a safe meal for me, even if it was only one of the four courses. I’m so happy I was talked out of that plan to cancel.

I wish I could remember our servers name, it was New Year’s Eve and we were sat at a 4 top table right outside the entrance to the kitchen if that helps. He was incredible. I mentioned my allergies and concerns during his initial visit to the table and he immediately assured me he would work closely with the chef to find a way for me to partake in the evenings selections. We ordered our drinks, smoked old fashioned, and he headed to the kitchen. He returned with a menu and notes. He and the Chef had narrowed down the options I could have and the modifications necessary. I was able to have something from 3 of the 4 courses, everything except dessert. For dessert I was served delicious sorbet, which I can only assume is made in house.

For dinner my partner had: Potato soup Hamachi Sashimi Wagyu Beef Wellington (it was so good she shed a tear) Run Cake

For dinner I had: Teen spinach Salad Hamachi Sashimi (without the truffle reduction) Sweet potato gnocchi (without the black garlic and vidalia onion fondue) Rasberry and Lemon Sorbet

I was so grateful for the experience and the willingness to accommodate my often complicated food allergies which allowed me to partake in a festive evening of delicious foods. I asked our server to tell the chef how grateful I was, and he immediately did. The chef then visited our table so that I could tell him myself as well.

Overall our experience was fantastic and everyone worked together to make it so.

One side note - having a table with a view into the kitchen is my favorite. I spent 13 years in the food and beverage industry, and the kitchen at Bird & Jim operates more smoothly than any kitchen I’ve ever seen. Well done...

Had tried to go eat here a few times but they are always packed for dinner. Well this time we were determined and prepared ourselves mentally for the foreseeable wait. I can say that In my humble opinion it was worth it. Yeah they are a bit pricey but so is sushi and the flavor combinations did not disappoint. Since they are definitely busy you can see some of the despair on the hostess' faces as they try and accommodate the onslaught of hungry hordes. You can also feel the tension of other guests as they try and get to the door before you in order to secure their spot in line. It's kinda hilarious actually, but also you can reserve a table as the hostess' asked everyone coming in if they had a reservation. As for the food it appears they take pride in their ingredients and offer drink pairings for dinner and even dessert. You can easily break the bank here but there are many options and ways to enjoy a great meal and actually not have to sell some of your family's jewelry. For our meal we started with the smoke trout dip which comes with crackers and a bit of veggies. Great starter and they have it prepped in a way that makes sense so it comes out quite quickly even though they are usually slammed. I had the wagyu burger which comes with what definitely tastes like homemade ketchup and I upgraded to a garden salad instead of fries which was certainly the right choice this time as the salad was delicious. My dining companion had the miso black cod which was married with sweet potatoes. The fish was delicate and moist...the skin, crispy and seasoned exquisitely. My partner doesn't like any kind of skin on fish so this being a first really speaks volumes as to how well it was cooked. The servers were very busy but I could hear one of the male servers taking the time to explain the meals with professional enthusiasm which I would chime in and listen to. My server was also clearly overwhelmed but she kept a smile and did her best so I appreciate their hard work. The restaurant itself has a charming vibe that I could say is very Coloradoan. They have a very extensive drink selection as well...even some healthy drinks. In resume, would definitely go back and am already planning...

This restaurant has some pretty great views of the surrounding landscape, and serves some solid food as well

After coming here with a large party, we were seated in the outdoor party, which meant we had some fantastic views of the mountains during our meal. I got the Frontier Trout, which as its name suggests was a large piece of trout, with carrots, a few sweet potatoes, and coated in a champagne sauce

I thought my trout was very good. It tasted very fresh, the skin on the outside was quite crispy, and the inside was tender - but not falling apart. It retained its shape throughout, but despite trout being a lean fish, it was still very flavorful and enjoyable to eat. Super easy to cut into and enjoy Also, the sauce was fantastic. It was very creamy, and added a great flavor profile to cut against the leanness of the fish

The dish was on the expensive side - coming out to $50/person for the fish + a drink. It was a good sized fish, but that's still a lot

This would get a pretty high score, but what was odd was when we ordered the mac and cheese to share. This might have been the worst mac and cheese I've ever had in my life, and I've had the microwavable Kraft boxes (those were dark times in college) It was unimaginably bland - it felt like the flavor was somewhere across those mountains that we had a great view of. The pasta was cooked ok, but the cheese tasted like absolutely nothing - no cheese pull whatsoever. It literally just tasted like if you boiled a bunch of macaroni and served that directly. There was less-than-zero salt, and given that, it was for damn sure that nobody thought of the concept of pepper or chili powder, or any kind of spice, while making this. Our table had to ask for pepper, chili flakes, salt, and sriracha, which made it a little bit better, but not by much. I don't get how you can put so much time and effort into one dish and make the other one astoundingly terrible.

Overall, I really liked the trout, but have no idea about what happened with the mac and...