Lunch On The Ski Slopes

PHOTO COURTESY OF VAIL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE | Wildwood Smokehouse

By Kim Fuller                                         Published in Vail Lifestyle Magazine

Follow your cravings and refuel slope-side. 

Skiing and eating are complementary activities, and if you plan to shred all day it’s a good idea to stop and re-up between your morning and afternoon lunch turns. If the granola bar you packed isn’t going to get you through, Vail and Beaver Creek have eateries to tastefully fuel just what you’re craving.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VAIL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE | Talons Restaurant

VAIL MOUNTAIN

If you like comfort food, go to The 10th for the Roasted Chicken and Pheasant Pot Pie.

THERE’S NO BETTER PLACE TO BE ON A BLUEBIRD COLORADO DAY THAN MAMIE’S.”
NINA HINNENDAEL, MAMIE’S

Nestled against Look Ma run at the Mid Vail area, The 10th overlooks the majestic Gore Range. It’s a nice place to stop for a warm-up drink, or a full sit-down lunch.

The roasted chicken and pheasant pot pie has been on the menu at The 10th since it opened in 2011. With a creamy vermouth veloute sauce, complemented by hearty winter vegetables and house made puff pastry shell, the pot pie dish is a warm and hearty meal on a cold winter day.

If you like breakfast for lunch, visit Waffle Way for the Louisiana Style Chicken and Waffle, served with either original maple syrup or homemade sausage gravy.

Located at the base of the Avanti Express chairlift, Waffle Way has a lively and fun atmosphere, where guests sit in sling-back beach chairs while enjoying the Colorado sunshine and a sugar-sweetened, crispy Belgian-style waffle. The delicious snack is uniquely shaped and imprinted with the Vail logo.

Looking for a sweet treat? Waffle Way has the Velvet Devil’s Delight — a red velvety waffle drizzled with cream cheese icing.

If you like Colorado-Western BBQ, go to Wildwood Smokehouse and get the Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich.

Wildwood, at the top of the Wildwood Express chairlift, combines a mountain log cabin with a western BBQ-style restaurant. Their beef brisket is prepared with their signature rub and smoked in-house nightly with hickory and pecan wood.

“We then hand-slice our brisket to order and serve it on a locally baked hoagie roll garnished with banana pepper slices,” shares Tom Hood, general manager Wildwood Smokehouse. “Try it with our award winning BBQ sauce to see why it’s a favorite among locals and tourists alike.”

BEAVER CREEK 

If you like to grill on your own, go to Mamie’s Mountain Grill to enjoy panoramic views while grilling your choice of Portabella Mushroom, Chicken or Angus Burgers.

Cook the burgers to your version of perfection. Grill attendants are also on-hand every day to provide some pointers to any grilling novices.

“There’s no better place to be on a bluebird Colorado day than Mamie’s,” shares Nina Hinnendael, general manager of Mamie’s, located at the top of Bachelor Gulch. “Between the expansive deck overlooking McCoy Park or the European style umbrella bar — pull up an Adirondack chair and soak up the sunshine.”

If you like an expansive mid-mountain deck overlooking the Birds of Prey downhill course, head to Talons Restaurant for the Peregrine Burnt Ends Grilled Cheese.

Talons is a casual and relaxed mid-mountain stop (the former Red Tail Camp dining location), offering plenty of seating both inside and on the deck where you can relax and watch skiers passing by. This special grilled cheese has muenster, horseradish cheddar and swiss with caramelized onions and brisket ends.

“This year I wanted utilize our smoker to make the smoked items a focal point of the menu,” explains Cynthia Crosbie, executive chef. “We slow smoke the brisket in-house using our own mixture of hardwoods including apple, pecan and hickory, guaranteeing a consistent high-quality product.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF VAIL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

If you like some sweets on the slopes, visit the Candy Cabin, a vintage candy shop at the top of the Strawberry Park Express Lift, and try the ultra-milk chocolates handcrafted locally in EagleVail by fourth-generation chocolatier Michael Mootz.

Made specifically for the Beaver Creek Candy Cabin, the chocolates come in the form of ski boots, snowflakes and snowmen. Sitting high on the mountain at the top of the Strawberry Park Express chairlift, the cabin itself feels a little magical, like a scene out of a fairy tale, where kids (and adults) really get to be wide-eyed and full of wonder.