Dessert First Kitchen & Provisions, Saguache, CO: Great Pie, Relaxed Atmosphere, Convenient Location

If you're looking for a great place to eat in Saguache, Colorado, head on over to Dessert First Kitchen & Provisions on your way to Pagosa Springs or Durango. Not just any old restaurant, but a grocery store too! Kind of like Whole Foods, but without the pretentiousness or price tag.

This is the kind of hole-in-the-wall place, that is once you're able to find it, you'll never forget it! They serve a vast array of freshly baked goods made from scratch in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. All prepared with loving care by the owner, Lynn, a former cook for a large school. It doesn't hurt either that she's from Texas, judging by the award winning beef ribs they also carry. Almost immediately upon entering you're enveloped with the heavenly aromas of freshly baked pies and brisket that's been cooking for hours in their smoker out back. Irrisistible!

Inside Dessert First, there are two separate, but distinct sections. On the right is the grocery side and the left is the restaurant. Although the restaurant itself is small, with only 5 tables, it never gets crowded. At least that's how it was when I was there. It's a self-serve kind of place where you walk up to the counter, place your order with the cashier and they call you when it's ready. They have a printed menu written on a chalk board which changes on a daily basis. Just so you know, everything is made entirely from scratch.

They have a nice array of pies, ranging from peanut butter, to apple to blueberry. My favorite was their creamy peanut butter, which I had never had before but quickly adopted as my all-time favorite. Move over key lime! This luscious pie consists of an irresistible layer of peanut butter mixed with cream cheese over a chopped peanut graham cracker crust, topped with a generous amount of whipped cream. It was so good I coaxed the good-natured owner Lynn into giving me the recipe. I've made it twice since then and both times it was for an appreciative audience that had never had it either. Glad I wasn't the only one! All I can say is it's better than good.

Along with their pies are other crowd-pleasing favorites, such as generously proportioned sandwiches, including pulled pork and brisket and even a quiche or two. The wait is usually no longer than ten minutes. Service is prompt and courteous. Prices are reasonable considering the quality.

Dessert First is located off of Route 285, approximately 17 mi. west of the Joyful Journey Hot Springs, a spa I had stayed at last October. When asking around for places to eat this restaurant was on everyones top 1 list, since eateries are few and far between in this neck of the woods. The San Luis Valley in Colorado is known more for its spectacular scenery than its great eats. Good thing, because even if there were other places I'm sure they wouldn't be able to hold a candle to this place. Where everything is done the old fashioned way, although common when I was growing up, is now a thing of the past. Highly prized, but hard to find.

So if you're ever heading up to Pagosa Springs or Durango Colorado, make a bee line over to Dessert First Kitchen & Provisions for one of the tastiest meals you're likely to have in all of Colorado.

Definitely worth the drive!