Bald Mountain’s original restaurant reopens
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
After three years sitting idly on Bald Mountain’s eastern shoulder,
the Roundhouse restaurant reopened on Jan. 28.
"We’ve always had the idea that we need a unique dining
experience on the mountain," Sun Valley Co. spokesman Jack Sibbach said at the
Roundhouse on Friday.
And the Roundhouse restaurant was the obvious choice, at least for the
remainder of this year, Sibbach said.
Sibbach said he’s not sure what the future holds for the nostalgic
old building. And, he added, he’s not sure why Sun Valley Co. closed the restaurant
three years ago.
The octagonal structure, built around a central stone fireplace, was
completed in time for Bald Mountain’s 1940 ski season. It was later renovated in 1946
and 1976. It remains now as it was in 1976.
Sibbach said the building has been used for marriages and social events
during its three-year closure.
Roundhouse manager Gilles Ikonon said he "just likes the place. I
like the people I’m working with here. My satisfaction is the guests’ having a
great time."
Sun Valley Co. is now operating all five restaurants on Bald Mountain,
including the popular Seattle Ridge Lodge.
Sibbach said he doesn’t anticipate that the Roundhouse will compete
with the Seattle Ridge or River Run lodges, but will complement them with a unique
alternative.
"In a couple hours, Seattle Ridge does what [business] River Run does
all day," Sibbach said.
Seattle Ridge serves hundreds of meals each day, Sibbach said. The
Roundhouse, by comparison, served between 75 and 80 last Thursday.
On a slightly different, but related topic, Sibbach said the Lookout
Restaurant atop Baldy will eventually be renovated. The Lookout, as it is now, was
designed as the basement for a multi-story building, Sibbach said.
