The essence of food as an experience and indicator of community has always been part of Walter’s Bistro in Colorado Springs. General Manager Tim Wuestneck knows the key is familiarity, a sense of place but also the consistency of quality that incorporates everything from their famous steaks and salmon dishes to their wild mushroom ravioli.
Wuestneck has been with Walter’s Bistro for seven years. He started his career at the Ritz Carlton in Aspen eventually making his way to The Broadmoor before his current position. “I spent most of my career in hotels, but just with the hours and having a family and that sort of thing, it directed me toward a free-standing restaurant.”
He highlights that Walter’s is a neighborhood spot where probably 80% of the people are regulars who come once a week. “We know them intimately. We know their families. They all know each other. I’ve never worked in a place where we have that many regular clientele. So, I know a lot of them from The Broadmoor and from just being in town for 20-plus years. We’ve formed some great relationships.”
The Menu at Walter’s Bistro Stays Consistent
Wuestneck says they don’t change the menu as often as they’d like because their regulars would “go up in arms” if they took anything off the menu. Though, he says everything sells pretty well. He mentions the Chilean sea bass, which has been on their menu since Walter started the business 25 years ago. Wuestneck took it off the menu for a few weeks “because it got to be super expensive and our clientele kind of went through the roof.”
He says they do a fresh sheet, just two or three appetizers, two or three entrées, “that we change up every couple of weeks just to give the kitchen a little bit of creativity. But for the most part, the menu is pretty solid.”
Wuestneck mentions that the Osso Bucco, which has been added to the menu, was an item that was initially on their fresh sheet before it became immensely popular. “Like I said, it’s hard to take stuff off the menu because people get so used to it. I mean, for example, we have battered frozen french fries. And for a while, we tried to do fresh-cut fries, which in my opinion are better, but people love our fries [the way we have always done them]. So, I had to put the kibosh on the fresh fries.”
Wuestbeck also says that they’ve had a lot of the same kitchen staff forever. “And Walter and I are always hands-on, watching the food. It’s just consistent.”
While they’ve had supply issues because of the pandemic (scallops and San Pellegrino are interesting ones to note), they try to keep their purveyors local. “Our meat comes from Lombardi Brothers in Denver. With seafood, we get in seafood two or three times a week. And we sell so much of it that it’s always fresh. We sell about 80 pounds of salmon a week.”
Salmon is Popular
In terms of the salmon, when it is on a salad, it’s grilled. But as an entree, it’s pan-seared and finished in the oven. “We’re very careful not to overcook our fish, which I think is an issue with a lot of places … overcooking stuff.”
Wuestneck says his favorite dish on the menu, believe it or not, is the chicken. “I always tell people, if you want to judge the quality of a restaurant, order their chicken because it’s really easy to screw up quite frankly. I mean, it’s overcooked most of the places I’ve eaten it.”
Everything at Walter’s is cooked to order. All the sauces are made to order. “Everything pretty much.” With their half chicken, he explains, the juice must work and be done in just the right way “because you don’t want it to get too thick and you don’t want it to get too light.”
He says his regulars expect that exact type of taste when they come in. “We provide personal service and with all the aspects you expect with fine dining but with kind of a relaxed atmosphere. That’s kind of our thing.” Wuestneck says they have a good relationship with The Broadmoor and the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, which is right around the corner. Those places often send people over.
“We have people that come to The Broadmoor every summer and have for 20 years and always make it a point to come to Walter’s. We’re kind of hidden in a plaza, but it’s a good location because of the neighborhood it’s in. And honestly, I mean, we have people that come in pretty regularly that have lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and didn’t really even know we were there originally, which is strange. We don’t do a lot of advertising so it’s a lot of word of mouth.”
A Special Spot for Regulars
Many people have a specific place they like to sit at Walter’s whether it be the dining room or the bar and each has its own atmosphere. “The bar is a little more lively and a little more casual. We have people that will only eat in the bar and if there’s not a seat in the bar, they don’t want to sit in the dining room, and vice versa. It’s kind of unique in that way, I think.”
Wuestneck says customers order at a lot of Old Fashioneds and Manhattans but in terms of the greater cocktail menu, “everything is consistent.”
It becomes about keeping the quality, atmosphere and the spirits up in a place with its own special nostalgia. “It’s a fun place to go to work, honestly, because you don’t know who you’re going to see that day. And we really have a lot of good regulars that have become friends over the years.”
