The restored historic Robison Mansion is ready to have its greatest impact yet on Ca\u00f1on City.<\/p>\n
Purchased in 2018 by Dawn and Mark Greksa, it will open this week as Antithesis, a fine-dining experience that is expected to have national appeal.<\/p>\n
Mark awoke in the wee hours one morning with a vision for the mansion in the community where he and Dawn operate the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cAntithesis,\u201d Mark explains, the name coming to him. \u201cThe opposite of ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concept is a fine-dining experience, where the finest cuts of steak can be served alongside more familiar fare.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has always been my dream since I began washing dishes,\u201d Mark recalls.<\/p>\n
At age 13, he was hired as a dishwasher in the back of a restaurant. He couldn\u2019t drive yet, so he would ride a bicycle to work. Then, he advanced to the cooking line, working his way through the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always enjoyed the food and beverage [industry],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The menu at Antithesis may offer the first clue it is indeed opposite other restaurant fare in the community and beyond. Seasonal oysters top the menu, with salad and soup options. Mark notes the service of sandwiches, burgers, fish and tacos on the menu, alongside wild boar, New York strip and Wellington cuts of steak, with lamb and trout. Other seasonal offerings will be selected.<\/p>\n
He credits Executive Chef Johnny Church with bringing the dining vision together. Church is a celebrity chef with 30 years of experience in the Las Vegas fine-dining scene. He\u2019s worked in coordination with Gordon Ramsay and other celebrity chefs, and in 2018 was a \u201cChopped Champion,\u201d as judged by Martha Stewart. In 2025, Church was named one of the \u201cBest 5 Private Chefs\u201d in Las Vegas, having entertained celebrities and pro athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an extraordinary chef,\u201d Mark said. \u201cEverything is hand-prepared. It is all fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meals can be paired with an unmatched wine list.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt includes New World and Old World wines. We have some really nice bottles people won\u2019t be able to find anywhere else,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n
Keeping the effort in the family, Dawn is credited with much of the renovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe picked out all of our decor,\u201d Mark said. \u201cShe\u2019s done a really great job.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s hopeful that from the point of arrival at the mansion, visitors will find a lifestyle change to what might be expected in Ca\u00f1on City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole idea was to create one of the best restaurants in Colorado,\u201d Mark said, adding the venture would not be possible without the railroad.<\/p>\n
Seating will begin at 40 for lunch and dinner, with opportunity to expand. A soft, private opening took place last week, with a public opening Wednesday. Antithesis will be open Wednesday through Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a really great staff,\u201d Mark said. \u201cWe\u2019re all really excited to see it grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those unfamiliar with the mansion will find it \u201cencompasses an entire city block and it is beautiful,\u201d he said, adding lodging accommodations could be added in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think it\u2019s really great for the community,\u201d he said, offering dinner at the mansion will mean \u201canother night to spend in Ca\u00f1on City. That helps everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
An example of that aim can be seen through the \u201cPlan Your Visit\u201d link at antithesisdining.com, where some of the town\u2019s activities and lodging are featured. Reservations can also be made through a link on the website, and the full menu is available.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond the railroad, you\u2019ll find a walkable historic downtown, the Arkansas River for rafting, and enough small-town Colorado charm to make you wonder why you didn\u2019t come sooner,\u201d the website reads.<\/p>\n
Borrowing from the Royal Gorge Route Railroad\u2019s atmosphere, Antithesis will be an experience in which \u201cevery guest feels genuinely welcome, and where the setting, the service, and the food all rise to meet each other,\u201d with the mansion\u2019s historic setting as \u201cpart of the experience, woven into every detail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Visit antithesisdining.com or call 719-778-3231.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The restored historic Robison Mansion is ready to have its greatest impact yet on Ca\u00f1on City. Purchased in 2018 by Dawn and Mark Greksa, it will open this week as Antithesis, a fine-dining experience that is expected to have national appeal. Mark awoke in the wee hours one morning with a vision for the mansion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[93,2898,3819,3817,3820,3818,241,554,192],"class_list":["post-23385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-colorado","tag-business","tag-colorado","tag-colorado-dining","tag-colorado-food","tag-colorado-grocery-stores","tag-colorado-restaurants","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117308310612437581","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}