"OK, so we did the Bavarian Sleigh Ride Dinner and..what a joke. First, the sleigh ride up the mountain: it 's freezing, snowing, and unenjoyable because you 're trying to conserve all possible body heat by tucking into yourself and praying for it to be over. Then, you arrive, and although we 're still completely bitter about the experience, we have to admit that it is indeed lovely. It 's warm and cozy and charming and it does feel like you 've stepped into some alternate alpine universe. We also have nothing but nice things to say about the service and appetizers. Everything is brisk, of course, because they need to turn over for the second seating, but we never felt rushed and everyone was pretty nice. We got a German beer and some wine and dug into the pickled brussels sprouts (amazing , cucumber salad (less impressive but also tasty , deviled eggs (loved the curry, needed salt , and the fig tartlets (good and interesting . For appetizers, the carrot and ginger soup was piping hot (first time in Taos, the stoves do work here! and elegant in its simplicity. The salad, on the other hand, was stupid: plain mixed greens with a couple spiced pecans, a nonexistent dressing, and a random poached pear on the side. Uh, no. The main courses also left a lot to be desired. All of them come with the same sides: lukewarm mashed potato gloop, blanched green beans (no salt, no nothing , and some bland red cabbage. The short ribs were tender but dry and the trout almandine was uninspiring. Big disappointments. Oh--and this will come into play below--please note that our daughter had a Kraft mac-n-cheese with a side of those blanched green beans. The meal at least ended on a sweet note (until the check came; more on that anon because the desserts were delicious. The chocolate pot de creme with raspberry sauce was perfection and the strudel with cinnamon ice cream was equally toothsome. Then: the bill. We knew beforehand that it would be $125 a person, and we honestly would have been fine with that because we had checked beforehand that our daughter could order a kid 's item a la carte. And you know how much that a la carte--recall: Kraft mac-n-chee+plain green beans--was? SIXTY FIVE DOLLARS. Like, we get that it 's a ski place and everything costs an arm and a leg, but that is so insultingly ludicrous and we were so pissed off that it completely soured the whole experience. Then, when we got back on the sleigh, all the blankets were covered with snow awaiting us, which our escort had not bothered to clear off (just whack it with a broom like the lift guys do, dude! but then had the audacity to ask for a tip for his role of accompanying us on the sled, LOL! Maybe come and eat here under normal circumstances and enjoy a B+ experience, but do not do the special excursion with a kid to save your life. Two stars. Several days later, we 're still pissed."
