The Carter Payne — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

The Carter-Payne is unexpected in both good and not so good ways. As someone who had not been to this establishment prior to participating in a weekly activity that brought me here, it would have been good to know how things worked here.

To start, the food is going to be higher quality and better ingredients than you would find at places that are similar (i.e. brew houses). With that said, The Carter-Payne is MORE than a brew house, winery, and local gathering place. It tries - and pretty successfully - pulls off the higher quality food and drink location.

I have attached to this post photos of their charcuterie board, goat cheese and mac, and the potato wedges with chorizo verde. All of these were as tasty as they look and sound. Jeff Zearfoss and his kitchen crew bring their A-game when it comes to the food.

Service and Atmosphere are a bit different that most would expect. I spent each night I went on their patio area. If one wants a beer, a glass of wine, or a cocktail/mocktail, one has to head inside to order the drink. Table service on the patio is ONLY for food. That said, if you are inside ordering a drink, and you will be on the patio, the person taking your drink order at whichever bar you choose, will tell you that food orders are put in from the patio table. It is a very different set up. This does make things inconvenient for those who are spending time on the patio because if another drink is desired, your tableside server will let you know that you will have to go back inside to order the drink. This, in my opinion, detracts from the social atmosphere that it seems The Carter-Payne wants. To go further, if someone is mobility challenged, whether in a wheelchair or has a difficult time walking, this set-up of service would make things more of a challenge.

Some weeks, patio service was spotty at best, and there were those in our group who did not know how things worked, thus missing out on food and/or drink. Other weeks, you were addressed by any one of multiple servers seemingly like every ten minutes. This isn't an issue with knowing who your "assigned" server is, because all tips here are pooled and split between the staff. Rather it is an issue with possible conversation interruptions or waiting for seemingly a long time to order or settle a tab.

Overall, if you are looking for a place with outstanding, quality food and drink, The Carter-Payne should definitely be considered. Just be aware that the different set up in service may be...

We decided to try this place for an anniversary and enjoyed the overall experience. The food was unique to the location (something special, in other words) and we love a restaurant with a little local history tied to it. We would definitely recommend it for a casual night out, especially if the weather is nice enough for you to be outside at night.

Service was excellent. We were greeted right away and the seating process was simple. The staff acts as a team and covers down on checking with customers and bussing, we thought that was great! The place operates on a tab system, meaning your first interaction for refreshments needs a card to start your bill. We liked the beer, wine, and cocktails stations and that each had their own staff member. We would have personally liked a few more simple non-alcoholic options, especially something in the realm of a hot drink.

Food was overall a good experience. This is one of the few locations that we found that serves a steak tartare. While very delicious and presented well, we personally felt the price tag of $17 was a bit high for what was brought to the table as a "shareable" option. My wife and I had to really be careful not to gobble it all up and share. Besides the bread and other items, you and another person could each have about 1 tablespoon in terms of a bite. But, it was very delicious and done very well. As far as entrees, the menu does change and is somewhat limited. I had a bison sausage campanelle and my wife had a roasted rabbit with rice and winter veggies. The campanelle dish was very delicious and filling, also with some housemade foccacia... awesome! The rabbit dish was filling but lacked overall flavor - having been cooked with honey, ale, and tamari soy sauce it was really plain except for some coloration on the dish (we used salt and pepper to overcome this). The profitoreles were definitely a "share" item and absolutely covered in chocolate, but also very tasty.

We would definitely come back and try other options as the menu changes. It's slightly expensive compared to other options (entrees average 25-30) but worth it for a unique and...

Have you ever wanted to please a Michelin chef, a sommelier, a brewer, and a mixologist in one spot? Well, look no further as The Carter and Payne offers the community with four passion projects under one roof. Essentially, there are three walk-up order spots for drinks where you are met with a professional who specializes in their craft. What people don't realize is that bartenders in general like to specialize. Be it wine, beer, or cocktails, you will happily be treated with a great drink. Since you are also ordering at the register, I will say this is not a traditional dining experience, so please be patient as well!

They have 200 crafted artisan beers, 60+ wines without the pretentiousness and a craftbar that have wonderful spirits and even the care of amazing mocktails. Last but not least, the mouth-watering brunch and dinner menu with some of the best upscale casual food in town.

All of the staff are not only passionate about their craft but the project as a whole. This is reflected in the food, drinks, and customer service. It is rare to witness the chef touching tables to make sure everything tastes perfect. I also talked to the owner, Jeff, where we discussed the project in greater detail.

I ordered two entrees, a chicken marsala and the bison sausage campanelle. The wrong stock was used for my marsala, so Jeff personally came to our table to let us know exactly what happened. In his care, he didn't want my girlfriends food dying in the window just so they didn't have to remake everything. He also prefaced her peanut allergy and made us feel understood and welcomed. He wanted us to have the best dining experience possible. The level of thought and care is out of this world. Thanks, Jeff, for such a wonderful visit. We will be returning patrons.

P.S. Shout-out to Ethan for being such a wonderful bartender and getting me into the cocktail...