If you’ve got a spring trip to Steamboat Springs planned, make sure Laundry is at the top of your to-dine list. The restaurant’s seamless combination of comfortable ambience, exquisite food, and spot-on service makes me wish for a Denver location.

Even on a recent busy Friday night, our bartender was attentive and helpful, keeping my party’s drinks filled and guiding us through the shared plates menu. The four dishes we settled on are best described as elevated comfort food: the beet salad benefited from the zip of preserved lemon (learn to make your own here); the Brussels sprouts hash mixed creamy goat cheese with crispy onions; and the lamb osso buco (pictured, above right) was brightened by saffron risotto.

The highlight of our meal, however, was the ricotta agnolotti (pictured, top left). In the dish, the delicate, house-made pasta arrived stuffed with ricotta, plated alongside kale and pancetta, and tossed with brown butter and sage. The dish hit all the right notes—sweet, salty, and cozy—but without the heft.

Tip: Reservations are strongly recommended, but Laundry reserves seats at the bar and community table for walk-ins. 

Follow assistant editor Daliah Singer on Twitter at @daliahsinger.