Genoa restaurant to open seasonally with new menu

Genoa’s Cottonwood Cottage is opening for the spring, summer and fall seasons starting on Friday, in time for the annual Cowboy Festival.

The restaurant and bar, which hosts a bevy of events from weddings to family reunions, also announced new menu items and new hours of operation.

Previously closed for the winter “shoulder season,” Cottonwood Cottage will open with a new soft serve ice cream machine for cones, sundaes, floats and specialty cocktails, and other menu items including fries, garlic fries and Tater Tots.

The new food items round out an existing menu of personal pizzas, burgers, grilled sandwiches, and salads.

Also new at Cottonwood Cottage is the 1947 Jeep Willys “welcome wagon” named Mojo, which is perched at the top of the parking lot and ready to greet guests.

Finally, new hours of operation for the remainder of spring are Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Beginning June 1 and through summer, the eatery also will be open Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Between the fantastic ski season and the work we’ve been doing on the property and menu planning, it’s been a very busy winter,” said Brent Knittel, co-owner of Cottonwood Cottage. “We are excited for the re-opening so we can share the new things we’ve been working on — all of which contribute to enjoyable experiences for all of our guests.”

Cottonwood Cottage, at 202 Genoa Lane, offers casual dining with a spacious backyard and activities for the whole family, including bocce ball, corn hole, ladder ball, and horseshoes. The restaurant and bar gets its name from the cottonwood trees that adorn the property and whose leaves left indelible prints on the concrete floors. The bar, aptly named Cottonwood Spirits, features reclaimed barn wood that punctuates the rustic look and feel of the more than 125-year-old property.

The building has a long history starting in the mid 1800s when it was a chicken coop and hay barn of Stephen Kinsey, one of the earliest settlers of Genoa. Within the past quarter century, the building has served as a restaurant and bar; most recently the Tombstone Tap & Grill, and previous to Tombstone, the Old Inn Cognito.

For information, go to www.cottonwoodgenoa.com.