Restaurant File: Aspen & Snowmass

Snowmass finally has some decent nightlife! The mountain's brand new, multi-million dollar base village development continues to grow in phases. This year sees several new restaurant openings, most notably that of Junk and Liquid Sky, and two-level restaurant and bar complex created by Aspen newcomer Scott DeGraff, best known for his restaurant and nightlife ventures in Las Vegas and Chicago. He's starting several new projects in Aspen, and this is the first to open. Junk is heaven for kids and grown-ups who wish they still were kids. The casual, whimsical restaurant resembles a deli, and has glass counters filled with all kinds of retro toys (some recycled, as in "junk"), and the lighting fixtures are trimmed with old silver forks and knives. Don't let the notion of "junk food" turn you off; there's something for everyone on the diverse menu, which incorporates plenty of locally-grown and organic produce. Breakfast choices include omelets or mixed berry pancakes, and for lunch or an early dinner with the kids, you can order salads, wings, burgers, sushi, soups, rice bowls, pizza—the list goes on. You could also come for dessert—the highlight being their S'More plates, such as the S'Mint, with Mint Milano cookies, junior mints, marshmallows, brownies and vanilla ice cream. Delish! Curiously, the drink menu includes top-shelf Champagne, if that's the kind of "junk" you desire. Grown-ups sans kids can head upstairs to party at Liquid Sky, a cool bar with a huge outdoor terrace and a fab stereo-system—it has amazing views and is now the hottest après spot in Snowmass. NB: DeGraff will soon open a second location of Junk at the historic Red Onion in downtown Aspen, which will be open for late-night dining, and he's also taken over the former Cooking School of Aspen, which is now called the Fun Worldwide Lab; you can rent it out for private cooking classes in the state-of-the-art kitchen, or for dinners for up to 40 people.

If you're a serious skier, you'll be schussing at Aspen Highlands, known as the "locals' mountain" because it offers the most extreme terrain. After a thrilling morning in the Highland Bowl, head back to the base village for some of what Chef Jami Flatt calls "decadent comfort food"—you'll have earned it! Willow Creek Bistro is the in-house restaurant of The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, a members-only fractional ownership property, but, fortunately, non-members are welcome come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If it's sunny and warm enough, the outdoor patio becomes the place to be, especially at lunchtime. Relatively new on the Aspen scene, Jami is an enthusiastic up-and-comer who's crafted a menu inspired by home-cooked dishes that he or members of his culinary team loved as children; he and his colleagues have even gone back to their mothers and grandmothers for tips, and then souped-up those recipes with inventive twists, such as flavors or ingredients from Colorado or South America. Lunch faves are the Colorado Wild Joe—as in Sloppy Joe—made with elk and buffalo, or the lamb burger with tzatziki. My Travel Editor loved Jami's indulgent take on “Surf & Turf”: mini-versions of his Kobe beef meatloaf, and his gourmet “Mac & Cheese” topped with Maine Lobster and three-cheese sauce (be sure to request it with truffle essence!). If you book at least two days in advance, you can dine at the "Chef's Corner," a section of the bar that overlooks an open kitchen, and seats up to 10 people. There, Jami can customize a five-course meal paired with wines. Ritz-Carlton Club members are lucky—not only can they order room service from Willow Creek, but they can also have Jami or one of his associates prepare dinner in their residence. NB: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

There's great news for fans of Cache Cache, long a hotspot for locals and visitors alike: the upscale but relaxed French/American bistro expanded into the office space next door, adding a large, white, rectangular bar, and a gorgeous wine wall to display their selection of more than 5,000 wines. (They also built spacious restrooms, which one elegant female patron proclaimed as "the best of any restaurant in Aspen!"). The new space means that if you can't secure a hard-to-come-by table reservation, you can just take your chances at the bar, which, frankly, is more fun! The luminescent room has soft lighting and a warm, convivial vibe, ideal for solo travelers or small parties to pull up a cushioned stool and order from the top-notch bar menu. The friendly bartenders might just introduce you to the cute ski instructors or the well-known local restaurateur sitting next to you. When you're not busy making new friends, you can dip into a beet salad with Haystack Farms goat cheese, leeks, and lemon-truffle vinaigrette, followed by Cache Cache's much-lauded veal ossobuco with Marsala sauce and French lentils. Feel free to ask the French sommelier for recommendations.

Brand new this winter season on Snowmass mountain is Sam's Smokehouse, a LEED-certified, eco-friendly building near to the top of the Village Express ski-lift and the Sam's Knob quad, at an altitude of 10,620 feet. It's a civilized alternative to the cafeteria-style lunch joints found on many mountains. If you're really in a rush, you can grab a quick sandwich to go from the bakery and espresso bar, but to really enjoy the space, put your name down to be seated by the hostess (they don't take advance reservations). Once seated, you'll be handed a menu and waited on (no plastic cafeteria trays, yay!)—yet it's all done quickly, so you can back on the slopes in short order (although you might want to linger over your hot, spiced mulled wine and gaze out the floor-to-cieling picture windows to admire the spectacular panorama.) Southern BBQ and smokehouse is the theme, and the menu emphasizes local and organic ingredients. Chantal recommends the fried green tomatoes; the beef brisket sliders with smoked Gouda, and the aforementioned mulled wine ...

Lunch at this alpine bistro is the most European experience you can have in Aspen. You'll feel like you're in the Alps! On a sunny day, there's no better place in Aspen to have lunch than at an outdoor table at Cloud Nine, a small, wooden ski hut set on Aspen Highlands Mountain at an altitude of 10,740 feet. The views are phenomenal, the setting utterly charming, and the hearty Swiss, Austrian or Colorado-inspired dishes are just what you need to refuel before a few final afternoon runs (just take it easy on the wine ... ) Speaking of wine, the Austrian chef, Andreas Fischbacher, is very hands-on, happy to recommend a nice, crisp Riesling to go along with your elk ragout. Raclette and fondue are other faves, and don't miss the strudel for dessert. Cloud Nine is open daily for lunch; dinner is served only on Thursday nights, when guests reserve a seat on the snowcat to get there; it can also be rented out for private parties—a real treat!

There's no apparent recession at Nobu's Aspen outpost, which was doing swift business on a recent Monday night. After 11 years, it's still one of the hottest spots in town—and for good reasons: The cuisine and service are excellent, and the healthy Japanese fare is a welcome alternative to the meat and game dishes served at many local restaurants. And, of course, there's always the prospect of spotting a celeb among the chic clientele. First-timers might be surprised that Matsuhisa occupies a simple, Victorian-era house, but when they take the side entrance and descend the stairs, they'll find a spacious, subterranean dining room that is Japanese-minimalist in style, and that exudes all the sophistication of a Nobu in New York or London. Colorado is landlocked, but you wouldn't know it from the ultra-fresh, artfully-prepared sushi and sashimi prepared by master chefs, some of whom have appeared on Iron Chef. The menu includes scallops with jalapeno salsa; lobster ceviche served on limestone lettuce; and Nobu's signature broiled black cod with miso, but the trick here is to ask about specials, as the most innovative dishes are not even on the menu. Better yet, order the omakase (chef's tasting menu) and let yourself be surprised. You can pair your meal with a bottle of Nobu's private label wine, but don't miss the cocktail menu, because Beverage Director Shawn Gallus recently visited Japan and is eager to tell you all about his creative shochu blends. Tip: If you can't score a reservation, head to the casual lounge upstairs for first-come, first-served seating.

Snowmass skiers seeking a cozy lunch spot similar to Cloud Nine need only park their skis (or boards) at Lynn Britt Cabin, a log cabin once used by miners. "Lynn Britt Cabin is the best restaurant in the Valley," says Grant Griffiths, an Australian entrepreneur who comes to Aspen every year for weeks at a time, and has tried out all the top spots in town. He recently enjoyed a leisurely lunch there with a group of friends, who filled up on such Rocky Mountain specialties as elk green chili and polenta fries, or venison shepherd's pie, paired with several bottles of fine wine; Grant loves the cabin's "Expensive Sandwich" of sliced beef sirloin Chateau, demi-shallots, truffled cheese served with sweet potato fries (not too exorbitant at $18). On Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays, Lynn Britt is open for dinners accompanied by live music (expect people to don cowboy hats and dance), and it can be rented for parties. You need to book in advance for dinner, and take a snowcat to get there, so dress warmly!

Go to Dish Aspen for a low-key dinner with a group of friends or family, as the emphasis is on shared plates and family-style dining featuring seasonal and locally-grown food (and there's a nice kids' menu too). Dish has the only true chef's table in town, a fun option for a private dinner for up to twelve people. If you look around the dimly-lit, subterranean restaurant, you'll notice decor left over from it's previous incarnation as a Moroccan eatery, including the Moroccan tiles lining the the walls of the Chef's Table nook in the kitchen, which, it should be noted, isn't anything fancy; you'll feel like you're in the well-used kitchen of someone's home (there's a shelf lined with worn cookbooks), and you're just a few feet away from all the hustle and bustle of the busy culinary team. Dish is helmed by Chef Matthew Zubrod, who previously worked for many years at The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, so you know you're in good hands. And although there's lots of comfort food on the menu, Matthew is a supporter of the Slow Food movement, so his ingredients are generally very fresh and healthy. Try a flight of three house-made soups, or the crowd-pleasing lobster corn dogs, which are pieces of batter fried lobster served on a stick with agave nectar and mustard dipping sauce. For an original, Rocky Mountain-inspired main entrée, go for the grapevine smoked antelope with goat cheese and yam dauphinoise. 

If you're staying at The Little Nell, you won't have to have to trudge through the snow to enjoy one of Aspen's peak dining experiences. Montagna is the place to go for a full-on gourmet dinner, but locals also like it for brunch. "A civilized brunch at Montagna is such a great way to spend a Sunday," says Lisa Johnson, a stylish local who's founded the first-ever Aspen Fashion Week, which debuts in March 2009. "Chef Ryan Hardy is bold and creative." Not only is he creative, but he's also started his own organic farm outside of town, where he grows much of the produce used in the kitchen, and raises livestock used for dairy and meat. This guy is the real deal—he cures his own prosciutto and makes his own cheeses. The cheese cart at Montagna is phenomenal! The end result is what he calls "Rocky Mountain Artisan" cuisine; try the Farmhouse Menu, a three-course prix-fixe featuring local and seasonal fare. Never mind that the hotel-y decor is rather bland and uninspired—it's all about the food here. There's also a true Master Sommelier on hand to assist with wine pairing. For only-at-the-Little-Nell people watching, stop by the bar at the entrance for après ski or pre-dinner drinks.