Treeline Kitchen — Restaurant in Leadville

Not family friendly! Do not eat here with kids! I would give them negative stars if I could. We walked in on Saturday night of Labor Day weekend and saw that the place was hopping. So I asked the hostess if she could make us a reservation for the following night at 6:00pm. At that time the hostess saw that I had a toddler and preschool aged child with me. On Sunday night when we returned for our reservation we were told that they reserved a high top table for us. When I asked if they had a high chair for a toddler that would fit the high top I was told by the snotty teenage hostess no they only have regular high chairs. I told her a high top would not work for our kids if they didn’t have a high chair and that I saw a table outside that was short and would work for my boys and to please make the switch. She refused and told us that we were not on the walk up list which was an hour long. I reminded her that we had made a reservation the previous day which apparently was meaningless compared to the people that had just walked in the same day. I told her again that a high top would not work for my family to which I was treated to an indignant stare and rudeness. I figured I would give the teen a pass and asked I to speak with the manager. After being made to wait for 5+ minutes the manager finally came over to us. I told her my children would not be able to sit at a high top and that we need a high chairs and I reminded her that we made a reservation to which she said well you should have let us know you would be bring kids. I said to the manager I made this reservation in person last night with the kids in person and your hostess saw them. The manager then said we have the high top reserved for you or nothing. I told the manager you have a short table out front that will work to which she then said we could wait an hour if we wanted to sit outside. I was flabbergasted and appalled. This is clearly a restaurant that does not want to serve families and is happy to discriminate against small children. Both the hostess and manager where unbelievably rude regarding the whole situation. I seriously still can’t believe that a restaurant in a small tourist town would act like this where there are so many other good restaurants on the same street. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and clearly they do not care about...

The best sit down restaurant in Leadville... by a country mile.

While I did not get along with the management (or anyone else for that matter) as a male, they and their staff have been utterly amazing towards me as a female (although I am not sure they recognized me.) In my very humble estimation, I give them a 100%+ trans friendly rating. I, as my true self, enjoyed a safe and delicious meal in public in Leadville. What a lovely place!

The decor is elegant new American featuring homage to Leadville's mining / mountain roots without being campy. Tables are not crowded together, and ample time is allowed for guests to complete their meal while not causing huge wait times. Silverware and plates were spotless and appropriately selected for coursing. Artwork / ambiance are refined by any standard and excellent by local comparison. Reservations are highly recommended for any party of 4 or more.

I don't drink much these days, but I know the intricacies of bar management like you would not believe. This is a nice little liquor bar. The cocktails are attractive, made with quality ingredients and are artistically crafted. Many guests smiled as they sipped, and repeat orders were frequent. A few nice beers and wines lurk here, but you would be well served to indulge a mixed drink. I was tempted!

The food is unique, tasty and served by a professional staff. The menu featured standard proteins (mostly chicken and shrimp, also cod) and many vegetarian / salad / side options. Note that with the exception of the nightly special, all items are a la carte. Great if you are a light eater, but can get expensive quick. The plates were very attractive.

The star off has nothing to do with any past personal interaction. It is only because it is a little pricey. Totally worth it, but have had to select other options (especially with guests) due to expense. Two people are looking at 50ish, add kids and you are skirting 80. Four adults would have to be judicious to avoid 100. Still, better than many over the pass that charge double. If you are in Leadville this is one...

What a bad experience.

TLDR: food is good; service is not good; place wants to be fancy, but isn’t.

Getting sat was just weird. My wife and I walked in and there were about 7 employees just standing at the bar. Finally after a minute of awkwardness, one approached from the back to say that the “host would be right with us”. When we were finally greeted and asked if we had a reservation, I said no. She said something to the effect of, “we can make that work, but we’ll need the table for a reservation at 7”. Cool, I don’t care. I don’t need to know your reservation details. But let’s be honest, the place was half empty and when we left at 10 minutes to 7PM, it was still half empty. And you clearly had plenty of staff…

Next, Alberto. Which I only know was his name because it was on the receipt. He barely said anything and stopped by the table as infrequently as he could get away with. We ordered an appetizer and when we finished, he mumbled something about keeping our silverware. Now this place is trying to be fancy, and replacing the silverware after an appetizer is something any decent restaurant would do. Is it a big deal to keep your silverware, no, but when you’re trying to be fancy enough to serve some courses “ala carte”, it just doesn’t fit the vibe. Also, after we finished eating, we weren’t even asked if we wanted another drink or desert. Fine with me, I guess you don’t want more of my money.

The food was good. Was it better than dingy place on the other side of town that knows exactly what they’re serving and where. No. The bruschetta was good, but it was literally one piece of bread with a giant dollop of ricotta on it. The dish also felt incoherent, peppers and pine nuts were out of place, but I think the peach, balsamic and ricotta did well together. The fried chicken sandwich was good. The chicken breast was cooked perfectly. Moist and tender. The potatoes apres ski was just ok, the bacon was kind of piled at the bottom and the cheese half melted.

I would not recommend this place to those...