Elk Avenue Prime — Restaurant in Crested Butte

So sad to say this, but things have definitely changed and not for the better. Elk Ave Prime has been a staple for our trips to CB for years, from special occasions to casual dinners. A reliably excellent meal with personalized service. But this year we’ve noticed some shifts. We visited in May during off season and chalked it up to that when our food (a burger and a steak) was very overcooked. But this visit, during high season, unfortunately confirmed that someone behind the scenes has made some ill-advised changes. I do hope this feedback is seen as an opportunity to improve because truly I’m so disappointed and would love to see this restaurant return to its prior glory. I’ve never had a bad meal here and it has always been something to look forward to. I saw another commenter say that this new menu has been described as “elevated” - but honestly it’s just an amateur attempt at being trendy. It’s not necessary, honestly. Do classics and do them well - that’s why your visitors come. First, the beef carpaccio- a new dish we were excited to see. But it was drowning in parmesan cheese to the point that you couldn’t even see the meat below. What? Isn’t the point of carpaccio to enjoy some extra fine raw meat? Hiding under the parmesan was dollops of aioli so that you’d have a surprising spoonful of mostly mayonnaise with a hint of beef. The foam was also an odd choice, too flavorful in a sea of other strong flavors. The carpaccio itself was surprisingly cold, almost frozen. It’s clear that whoever crafted this dish has either not seen it prepared well or is trying to mask the raw-ness of it for folks who wouldn’t eat it otherwise. Beyond that - the new take on brussel sprouts was meh. Also drowning in sauce - for something so tangy, it does not need to be swimming - and just not as tasty as the predecessor. Our steaks and the burger were better but even small changes such as having the steak topping of choice added atop the steak instead of served on the side reveals some philosophical differences from the prior menu. It seems they’ve struggled to cook meat evenly as well. It’s disappointing that the 6oz filet is no longer an option as well. Last, the service. There was nothing wrong, per se, but it’s clear the expectations are not the same. Very little extra care provided, even when we described our disappointment in the appetizer. It’s just average now, from introductions to taking orders and serving food, whereas such thoughtful consideration was taken at every step in years past. In sum, I doubt Elk Ave Prime will continue to be a...

Perfect beef, perfect ambience, worst manager/owner and chef!!! I ordered the special, wagyu prime filet, 'medium' (for nearly $70).

The bartender, Chris (who is great also) and I discussed medium being hot pink center.

Well, you know what happened, the steak wasn't cooked enough, (not even medium-rare). I had to send it back. Chris acknowledged the problem immediately, and apologized profusely.

About 1 minute later the steak came back.

After the meal, I asked to speak with the manager... Here's where it gets juicy!!! I then met Curtis, the manager/owner. I suggested to Curtis that I loved the experience and was going to come back tomorrow, however, I wanted him to know that the chef at a steak establishment of his caliber should be able to prepare the meal to the proper temperature..., the first time.

Curtis suggested you can always send it back.

My response was, "Curtis, as you must know as the owner of a classy steak restaurant, (and I'm sure most of you will agree), that once you cut into a cooked steak, you ruin it. If it has to be re-heated, it is never going to be the same if it has to be re-cooked.

Curtis retaliated (in a horribly unprofessional way) that it was "only in the kitchen for less than a minute when I sent it back". I told him that's because I didn't send it back for a 3rd attempt, I just kept eating around the center (raw part).

I told him, bottom line, for the price they are charging, they should have a chef that knows what he is doing and can get it right the first time.

He suggested that I don't come in tomorrow as they weren't able to satisfy me.

Maybe the problem begins at the as it is top down in any business.

The manager/owner told me to not come back as they weren't able to satisfy my needs.

All I needed was for the $70 steak to be cooked right the first time.

After meeting the owner, while I was wiling to give Elk Streak Prime a second chance, I probably won't go back tomorrow.

Sorry Curtis, maybe you should take a course in management and picking a chef.

One last point, I told Curtis I was going to make this post, and he said... "I don't care". That is quite...

We had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. My aunt and I both ordered the ahi tuna as our entrees, a dish we have both had many times before at other restaurants and never had an issue with. Seconds after taking my first bite of the fish, my mouth started to burn. It tasted like it had been marinated in pure salt, which I later realized was actually a peppery taste. I have never experienced such a terrible sensation in my mouth. The waiter of course offered to take it back and brought out a piece with no seasoning or sauce because I thought it had to have been from that. This new piece made my mouth burn even worse, my tongue was beginning to swell and the roof of my mouth felt numb. My mother and uncle both tasted it and felt the same sensation. My aunt's mouth was also burnt from her tuna, but she did not experience the reaction as immediately. We knew this couldn't be an allergy if 4 members of my family had the same reaction. We did some research when we got home and discovered that we were actually given food poisoning by this restaurant, and the fish developed histamine toxicity from not being refrigerated properly. The symptoms of this food poisoning are "burning in the mouth" and "peppery taste while eating". The most disappointing part of this experience is that the waiter made us feel like something was wrong with our taste buds and that it couldn't possibly be something wrong with the fish. He lied to us, telling us the chef approved the fish by tasting it himself. If he had really tasted it, he would have had the same reaction as us. The chef, nor the owner who was there and aware of the situation, did not bother to come to our table to apologize or make sure we were okay. They even charged us for one of the orders of the clearly poisoned fish and forced us to pay a 20% tip on an $800 meal. When my father called the restaurant to alert them of the food poisoning, the owner did not apologize or even ask if I was doing okay. We're completely disgusted by the lack of integrity, empathy, and customer service of...