Page 17 - January 2021 EGuide - The Castle Pines Connection

The menu is an attraction all its own, with Colorado barbecue being a delicious and dominant force. A gargantuan smoker in the back of the saloon brings the wafting scent of slow-cooking meat inside, tempting noses and tongues enough to send
an urgent signal to the brain, which verbalizes an order to satisfy a craving that the diner sometimes didn’t even realize they had. Most smoked meats get the three- hour treatment, including the tasty half-chicken, succulent wings and fall-off-the-bone ribs (seriously, if you do nothing else, try the ribs). Other local favorites like green chile cheese fries are a can’t-miss, and Wild Goose even serves Rocky Mountain Oysters for the more adventurous palates.
Josh Russell, an accomplished chef and kitchen manager at the Wild Goose Saloon, says the pervasive creativity contained inside the walls of the venue/eatery extends to the kitchen.
“We get to have fun. That’s the coolest part about working here: if you want to try new things, we’re not corporate so we don’t have to stick to every fine detail,” he said.
The customers, of course, have their fair share
of fun, too. Multiple cornhole sets on the patio are a popular feature;
an organized cornhole league now plays there on certain weeknights. For those who simply want to enjoy a drink in
the fresh air, there is a plethora of comfortable chairs and fire pits to cozy up to. Inside, a sleek, elongated bar with colorful, mood-setting lighting pulls people in like moths to a flame, and displayed on a huge set of wall-mounted shelves is a collection of what looks like every type of liquor and liqueur imaginable.
Large screens throughout the saloon show whichever band is on stage, and the music is pumped through speakers inside and on the patio. Top-tier tribute bands – ones devoted to the catalogues of Toto, Journey and Madonna recently graced the stage – are a common occurrence. Colorado music legend Hazel Miller played opening night, and next year, 90s favorites Buckcherry and Marcy Playground are scheduled to perform at the Wild Goose.
The reaction to the venue from Douglas County residents has been “even better than expected,” said Dale Trujillo, who co-owns the saloon and the Blu Note Bar & Grill, a jazz and blues-leaning bar in Parker with an eclectic menu. The Blu Note, which opened southeast of Parker Road and Hilltop Road just before the pandemic shut everything down, has its own unique vibe and niche.
WILD GOOSE SALOON 11160 S. Pikes Peak Dr. Parker, CO 80138 720-759-9192 www.wildgoosesaloon.com
Only a 15 minute drive from Castle Pines!
“We get to have fun. That’s the coolest part about working here: if you want to try new things.”
will rock you... memorable events to come.
Seeing casual diners and a core of regulars embrace the
Wild Goose Saloon’s presence in Parker is a good sign that
it will thrive well into the future and be at the center of many
General manager Chris Dellinger (left) and co-owner Dale Trujillo (right) are ec- static with the response to the Wild Goose Saloon by Douglas County residents.