The unique mountain town of Aspen boasts 80 restaurants, ranging from burger joints to romantic restaurants featuring the creative cuisine of world class chefs. Many feature Colorado specialties like game and local produce. Prices can be high, with some entrees over $40 and $18 desserts. But most Aspen menus offer more reasonable selections, as well. No matter what your budget is, the following restaurants are definitely worth the splurge.
Chef Ryan Hardy put Montagna on the Aspen map with “farm house food,” inspired by his passion for American classics. Local ingredients are the basis for such specialties as artichoke and spring garlic soup and milk-braised local black Welsh lamb with hand-made pasta. Montagna’s 69-page wine list comes with a table of contents. Save room for the artisanal cheese plate and the El Rey chocolate tasting, four luscious fantasies that include a tiny chocolate malted milkshake.
DishAspen’s inventive cuisine, which chef Matthew Zubrod describes as “New England-style casual,” combines locally grown and harvested, pesticide-free ingredients such as Kobe beef and artisanal cheeses with fresh seafood flown in from Hawaii to Aspen. Especially spectacular are the restaurant's corn batter fried lobster on a stick, brie and truffle grilled cheese sandwiches, and herb-crusted lamb. The historic building’s stone walls, sheer curtains, and complementary lighting create a delightfully romantic ambiance.
Pine Creek Cookhouse offers a unique Aspen dining experience that begins with a twenty-minute ride in a horse-drawn sleigh and ends at a rustic mountaintop log cabin with jaw-dropping views. The exposed beams and light fixtures constructed from antlers work with the cuisine, which features venison and buffalo meatloaf and the Wild Game Mixed Grill with caribou, antelope, and homemade wild game sausage. The drive to the restaurant along a curving mountain road makes the restaurant adventure even more fun.
Range Restaurant features “chef-inspired regional cuisine,” with the region defined as Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, and California. Selections such as pheasant ravioli, marinated elk loin, and braised bison short ribs reflect the restaurant’s commitment to remaining true to regional products. The tangy goat cheese cheesecake with pistachio brittle is one-of-a-kind. The Aspen restaurant's dining room’s earth tones create a warm atmosphere, while the trendy bar upstairs has a sophisticated décor with sleek lines.
Celebrity chef Todd English put his stamp on Olives, an inviting restaurant at the Aspen St. Regis Hotel that is outfitted with charming antiques. The restaurant's creative cuisine includes portobello truffle frites and macadamia encrusted Alaskan halibut with coconut rice and piña colada curry sauce. Olives also spotlights Colorado cuisine, with Rocky Mountain range-fed elk and Blackfoot aged buffalo. For sinfully rich desserts, try the vanilla soufflé and the fallen chocolate cake.
6. Lulu Wilson Aspen Restaurant
Lulu Wilson burst onto the scene in January 2007, instantly becoming one of Aspen’s hot restaurants. Housed in a mining cabin built in 1893 that was later the home of a woman named Lulu Wilson, the romantic spot combines antique lighting fixtures with modern touches such as stark white walls. The cuisine is “modern American with a little bit of French,” with choices like oysters in champagne chili sauce, striped bass with parsnip-carrot compote, and incredibly tender vintage farm beef short ribs.
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