We just spent an eventful President's Day weekend with friends who live in Aspen village. This was a family trip so we avoided the late nights at the Caribou Club, and instead were fresh and ready every morning to put in full ski days while the kids were at ski school at nearby Buttermilk Mountain.
As you can tell from my Telluride post, I love big lunches, and on our first day, we chose Il Mulino, located at the base of Aspen (Ajax) Mountain near the gondola. This New York City icon opened this location in 2009 and occupies a light-filled space with these three incredible horn chandeliers suspended above the bar.
The service was spectacular as we were promptly served a complimentary appetizer of Eggplant Caponata: grilled eggplant and tomatoes, with scallions, garlic, basil and Parmesan cheese, all marinated together in olive oil. It sounds so simple, but was the perfect intro to lunch, so we asked for more while sipping on Prosecco and contemplating what to order.
We decided on the calamari fritti, the lentil soup, the fish special, grilled salmon atop a bed of sauteed kale, and the cheese ravioli (made in-house, of course) in vodka sauce. We rounded it off with a great bottle of La Court Barbera d'Asti, and we were officially done for the day.
On our second day, we drove to Aspen Highlands to check out the famous double diamonds off the Deep Temerity lift. I had not made reservations at the equally famous Cloud 9 restaurant (at 10,900 feet off the Cloud 9 lift), but we arrived early and were able to obtain a couple of chilly seats on the patio, which we were told is first-come, first-serve.
It was a very windy day, so to warm up, we ordered a couple of glasses of gluhwein, a warm, spicy traditional German drink made from red wine. One of the most fun things to order at Cloud 9 is the raclette, a Swiss dish of cheese by the same name that is heated in front of a fire and scraped over potatoes, gherkins, dried meats and pickled onions. A modern way of serving the dish is with an electric table top grill with small pans, shown here.
In this manner, the cheese is brought to you pre-sliced, and you heat it on the small pans under the main grill of sauteed potatoes. However, the raclette must be ordered 24 hours in advance, so we settled for the prix fixe menu, which included the soup of the day (vegan tomato) and a choice of entrees ranging from local rainbow trout to braised beef short ribs and duck confit. As I had filled my quota of duck confit in Telluride, I opted for the Cloud 9 quiche of carmelized onions, gruyere cheese and spinach, while Hubby had roasted chicken with mushroom ragout. Below is a photo of the quiche.
To do Cloud 9 in style, you must hang out until about 1:30 or so, when they crank the house music and the clientele dances on the wooden tables, ski boots and all. We have done that, and it is great fun, if a bit ugly. But we had to save that for another time, as we had decided to hike the Highland Bowl first thing the next morning.
What did this entail? We took the Loge chairlift to the top of Loge Peak at 11,675 feet, and took off our skis to wind our way 700 feet up to 12,392 feet.
You ask why one would do such a thing? For unparalleled views of Maroon Bells? On a clear day, yes. To ski some of the best and steepest runs on the mountain? Possibly. Bragging rights? Most definitely! To the left you will see us at the starting point of the hike, with Highland Peak in the background.
Being out-of-towners (and rookies), we did not have the ski straps that locals use to carry skis on their backs, thereby freeing your hands. So we threw our skis over our shoulders and trudged on.
(Note: we did not take the Snow Cat that takes you up 1/3 of the way.) It was extremely windy, and after being knocked to my knees a couple of times by the wind, our gracious host helped me carry my skis up Heart Attack Hill (aptly named), and after 45 minutes we made it to the top. Yes, the views and the skiing were worth every gut-wrenching step!
What got me through it was thinking about the glass of pink champagne I was going to have at Cloud 9 to celebrate. (Check out chic lady in fur hat.)
But the deck was closed due to the wind!!! So, I had to settle for a mimosa (or two) at BB's Kitchen, a wonderful brunch spot in town.
We did not have a bad meal in Aspen, and I will end by recommending our highlights: the Jerome Burger at the J Bar in the historic Jerome Hotel, a must-see for the pressed-tin ceiling, 75 percent of which is said to be original; the braised artichoke heart bruschetta and the oven roasted striped bass at Ellina, the quinoa veggie bowl for breakfast at Peaches Corner Cafe.
But the best part of the trip...skiing with our three monkeys and a view of the spectacular Maroon Bells.
We have three family ski trips planned this winter/spring season, the first of which was to Telluride, Colorado. Telluride is one of my favorite ski resorts in North America for its natural beauty, the charm of the old mining town with its rows of Victorian homes, and, most importantly, the on-mountain dining. I fell hard for Telluride after Alpino Vino opened in 2009, and have recently fallen in love all over again after having tried the new French restaurant Bon Vivant.
Situated at nearly 12,000 feet just below the top of the Gold Hill lift, Alpino Vino has the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever eaten. It is made with ColoRouge, a soft and creamy brie-like cheese from Colorado.
The sandwich is served with an equally delicious tomato soup. Wash it down with some Italian red wine, and you have the end of a perfect ski day. I say end, because at 12,000 feet, the wine hits you pretty quickly and you still have 3,000 vertical feet to ski down.
That is the 14,017 foot Wilson Peak in the background, also known as the peak seen on the Coors beer label. Hubby climbed it summer before last. I prefer to admire the view from here, perhaps with a full belly of cheese and a grappa in hand. Someone in our party remarked, "I have never had grappa during the day before, but it's really nice!" Indeed.
Eating at Bon Vivant, located at about 10,000 feet at the top of the Polar Queen Express, is the next best thing to eating in the French Alps. The umbrella, opened usually when snowing, is 39 feet in diameter and was made in Austria and brought to the US by boat.
The menu features many wonderful French delicacies, and over the course of 2 days I tried as many as I could. Where to start? Oh, the fois gras for sure. Seared and served with duck rillette (fancy word for shredded duck leg in duck fat), it is a heart stopper. But you will enjoy every greasy bite. If you need to fit into your ski pants, don't get the fois gras. If you want to be a true bon vivant, order it with champagne.
We also had the cheese and charcuterie platter, which included a St. Pete's blue cheese, another Colorado cheese called a Haystack Goat cheese, herb goat cheese stuffed sweet peppers, and blue cheese stuffed olives, to name a few stand-outs. They have a selection of 3 crepes, and we tried them all: cinnamon and sugar with chantilly cream, nutella and fresh berries with chantilly cream, and a savory crepe du jour (gruyere and mushroom that day). The crepes are prepared at the bar.
As we wrapped ourselves in faux fur throws they lent us (and ordered more wine and champagne), we had to make the serious decision of what to order for lunch. We tried the french onion soup, the elk sausage cassoulet with (more) duck leg confit, and the lamb and chimay ale stew with pommes dutchess. But my favorite was the croque madame with quail eggs and black truffles. It was an unbelievable mix of ham, gruyere cheese, bechamel sauce, fried quail eggs and black truffle shavings. And a little salad, to add some color, I believe. Even if you don't ski, you need to run to this place to try it. Yes, I lived in Paris, and yes, I have tried many a croque monsieur and madame in my life, but nothing like this.
The last dish we tried was the lobster gnocchi. Very creamy, very lobstery, very good. If you had given me a mint, I would have popped, just like John Cleese in that wonderful Monty Python skit.
I had to get my cholesterol tested at Mayo AZ 2 days later and blew past 210. Yes, I believe it was worth it!
The champagne we ordered was chilled table-side in the shells from the 150 mm howizer guns that are used to blast for avalanche control.
After having written this, I suppose we didn't really do that much skiing, but we had a ball! We are off to Aspen on Valentine's Day. Hasta pronto.
After losing my mother to a terminal illness in June of 2011, I struggled, for the first time in my life, with finding joy. Starting a blog is my way of letting go of the grief, and at the same time, celebrating everything for which I am deeply grateful: my four talented and loving siblings, my loyal and supportive husband, my three precious children, and my incredible network of friends.
Although born in Colorado, I was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where my father had decided to retire after a 30 year career in the army. When I left San Antonio in 1993 to move to Arizona for graduate school, I never imagined I would eventually take up permanent residence in Phoenix. At Thunderbird (The American Graduate School of International Management), I was known around campus simply as "Texas". As I look back upon those days now, it is hard to believe that I have been in Arizona for 20 years, more years than I lived in Texas. Knowing I will always have a foot planted in each state, my personality reflects much of the West Coast, while always remaining true to my roots. My hope is for y'all to find inspiration and joy in the Texaztaste posts. Enjoy!
Sunset in Doss, Texas
