Colorado’s mountain towns seem to be magnets for restaurants whose menus and quirky vibes announce that the owners have never even cracked the chain-dining playbook, much less ripped a page from it.
So it is with the Happy Cooker in Georgetown. Housed in a clapboard house on the former mining town’s main drag, the restaurant is a breakfast-and-lunch establishment that mixes staples with offbeat touches. Chicken u la King? On a waffle? Really?
But it all works, from the homey decor in the warren of rooms to the friendly wait staff. There’s a reason that locals and savvy Interstate 70 drivers pack the place, especially on weekends when the sun is shining on the patio.
Not bad for a restaurant whose name is a play on Xaviera Hollander’s 1970 wink-wink memoir, “The Happy Hooker.”
While lunchtime sees an array of soups, sandwiches and salads (folks pining for their Army days can order chipped beef and artichokes served atop a waffle), breakfast is the real star.
Served all day, it features the Southwestern fare you expect in the high country (huevos rancheros, egg-stuffed burritos) plus such thoughtful offerings as a smoked salmon Benedict and European-style waffles topped with whipped butter and powdered sugar (especially thoughtful if your cardiologist is sending his kids to Harvard).
Other popular starches include biscuits and gravy, fluffy discs ladled with cracked-pepper gravy and generously paired with four sausage links. Yours for $5.50.
And there’s the “potato boat,” grilled home fries topped with cheddar and jack cheeses and served with salsa. It costs $3.50, but who are we kidding? You’ll want to spring another two bucks, cry “mayday,” and smother the potato boat in green chile.
Vegetarian entrees are available, and home-baked breads are featured. Thirsty diners can avail themselves of everything from herbal tea to cocktails.
If you’re looking for a place to bail out of the I-70 traffic, the Happy Cooker is a good choice, and also a fine starting point for a walk along Georgetown’s charming and history-laden streets.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
THE HAPPY COOKER
Breakfast and lunch. 412 Sixth St., Georgetown, 303-569-3166, happycookergt@mac.com
Open daily at 7 a.m. The restaurant closes at 4 p.m. Mon-Thurs; 5 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Sat-Sun.
