Lori Midson, whose current gigs include reviewing restaurants for the Rocky Mountain News and editing the Rocky Mountain section of America's Top Restaurants, Zagat's coast-to-coast restaurant guide, usually trains her taste buds on greater Denver. In yesterday's Rocky, she went farther afield with recommendations elsewhere in the state. With gas prices what they are, it's good to have some guidelines before hitting the road. I'm going to Zagatize her piece and quote a phrase here, a phrase there:
Dish, 56 Edwards Village Boulevard, #230, Edwards; 970-926-3433
"Popular dining den" serves "a smorgasbord of playful foodstuffs that hopscotch between countries and continents." Get "an up-close-and-personal view into the exhibition kitchen." She recommends "starters of shrimp ceviche, spicy lobster shooters and the Thai-styled broccoli bisque" and such main dishes as "pistachio-crusted halibut a mustard-glazed pork tenderloin." The wine list is "eclectic" and includes "bottles snatched from the boutique wine shop below."
Frasca Food & Wine, 1738 Pearl Street, Boulder; 303-442-6966
"Two remarkably talented French Laundry alums"... "unleashed a faultless restaurant celebrating the Northern Italian cuisine of Friuli." Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and executive chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson have "generated enough accolades to last a lifetime" yet "continue to turn out season-shifting culinary epiphanies - pork belly with warm faro salad, house-made gnocchi with wilted green chard and escolar bolstered by ricotta ravioli - that never fail to inspire."
Flying Fork Cafe & Bakery, 101 Third Street, Paonia; 970-527-3203
This "hideaway squats on a street corner of a small town," where owner-chef Kelly Steinmetz "takes full advantage of the local crops, turning out rustic pizzas festooned with fresh herbs and straight-off-the-vine tomatoes coupled with excellent salads tussling with Bing cherries and arugula and delicious, down- to-earth pastas like the farfalle with roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese and fresh basil." She calls "the shaded, serene patio, flush with fruit trees" "among the top outdoor respites in the state."
Juicy Lucy's Steakhouse, 308 Seventh Street, Glenwood Springs; 970-945-4619
This friendly, noisy restaurant serves such "straight-up American fare" as "swoonworthy, juice-dribbling Prime-grade bricks of beef that would hold their own in any major meat mecca, plus "Colorado elk sirloin, imposing porterhouse and tender New York strip." "The superb wine list peddles well-priced offerings" and "the antiquated bar...is always packed with convivial regulars."
D19, 305 S. Mill Street, Aspen; 970-925-6019
Chef Dena Marino's "intimate food temple" serves an "oft-changing, globalized menu" with such dishes as "mussels bobbing in a broth of Serrano peppers, garlic and orange zest alongside rosemary-infused doughnuts plated with prosciutto de Parma and lasagna layered with venison, spinach and ricotta" in a "dimly lit space, flanked by white tablecloths." She writes that D19 "buzzes all year long" and its "patio, overlooking Aspen's street scene, is prime real estate for people-watching."
Route 6 Cafe, 41290 US Highway 6, Avon; 970-949-6393
This "bona fide breakfast joint" appeals to "early morning risers and mid-day loungers." It "dishes out perfect eggs Benedict crowned with a lemon-sprayed, scratch-made hollandaise, plus biscuits and gravy, pudgy pancakes and house-made corned beef hash," mixes "aggressively spiced and unapologetically strong Bloody Marys" and pours "steaming, oversize mugs of java."
Samplings Wine Bar & Restaurant, 320 Main Street, Frisco; 970-668-8466
"This stylish high country hot spot...simultaneously wows foodophiles and oenophiles." She praises "its sophisticated, globalized menu and worldly wine list." It is "a grazer's breeding ground graced with seasonal small plates that embrace the communal vibe" including "duck confit ravioli, smoked artisan sausages and elegant cheese plates." Wines "are available by the glass and flight." She notes "wireless Internet access" enables you "to blog about your favorite sips."
Smoke Modern Barbecue, 241 Harris Street, Basalt; 970-927-5158
"The approachable and decidedly down-home menu" at "this rollicking barbecue spot" serves "requisitely rich macaroni and cheese" and "sexy, sinful and slapped with smoky pulled pork, specks of heat-inducing jalapenos and spring onions. " It also "trumpets tender pork spareribs, beef brisket, smoked chicken, cornmeal-crusted oysters and fresh corn-studded muffins glossed with cane syrup butter" and even "barbecued tofu." The kitchen practices simplicity" but "the industrial-edged dining room is "a lively bar, is wholly hip."
Spago, Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, 0130 Daybreak Ridge, Avon (the street address is only useful to FedEx); 970-343-1555
Dinner at "this Wolfgang Puck show-stopper" "will cost you more than a Faberge egg," but "is worth the Prada price tags." In a frequently changing seasonal menu, executive chef Mark Ferguson 'unleashes seductive creations that zigzag from Thai lobster soup and smoked salmon pizza to house-made celery root agnolotti draped with black truffles" The service in this "stunning dining room" is "polished but unpretentious.
Vin48 Restaurant & Wine Bar, 48 East Beaver Creek Boulevard, Avon; 970-748-9463
"Avon's newest dining darling" is "a confident - and always crowded - culinary oasis" known for "chef Charles Hays' delicious plates orchestrated in a narrow exhibition kitchen." Small plates inclue "coconut curry mussels, onion risotto or house-made garlic sausage sided with black pepper-flecked fettuccine" and larger plates include "bacon-swathed elk medallions and pan-roasted wild bass paired with shrimp ravioli." The wine list is "impressive" and "offers all of its bottlings by the glass."
I know that publications, especially newspapers have limited space, and I take no issue at all with Midson's "inarguable choices," but I'm a tad puzzled. I wonder why there are three in Avon (including Spago, which pricewise is approached only by Frasca and is more remote from a community than any of the others) but not single one in Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Durango, Telluride or Grand Junction. Because Frasca, superlative as it is, is so close to Denver, I wonder why it is included when all the other restaurants are west of the Eisenhower Tunnel? Or maybe my view of Frasca is different from most Denverites' because it is, happily, within walking distance of my house.
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