Denver Magazine / Denver Magazine February 2010 / Taste-Trotting: Edwards

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Taste-Trotting: Edwards

A gourmand’s guide to road-tripping in the rockies

While Vail and Beaver Creek might have some of the most celebrated resorts and restaurants in the country, locals know to escape the crowds and head to dinner in Edwards instead. Whether it’s a road-trip pit stop (the easy-off, easy-on town along I-70 is halfway between the Front Range and the Western Slope) or a destination of its own, less-discovered Edwards has some of the best food in the Vail Valley.

Eat, Drink, and Cut

Need to fill your pack with quality meats, cheese, and wine? Look no further than this trio of markets from Chris Irving and Pollyanna Forster, who once worked under Larry Stone at Rubicon in San Francisco. Forster scours the planet for the very best artisans and has them ship directly to tiny Edwards for our picnicking pleasure (970.926.1393, 970.926.3007; eatdrinkinc.com, eatdrinkcut.com).

Dish

Located directly above Eat, Drink, and Cut, Dish is the small-plates restaurant connected to this family of markets and one of the best dining experiences in the Vail Valley. Under chef Jenna Johansen’s care, meticulously sourced ingredients become a muddled apricot-and-bourbon cocktail; a salad of celery, arugula, and toasted hazelnuts; a rogan josh of Colorado lamb; and other menu items that make it nearly impossible to choose. Fortunately, you don’t have to: For $45, the chef will send you a six-course tasting menu (small plates, $1 – $14; 970.926.3433; eatdrinkdish.com).

Larkburger

Edwards is home to the flagship location of Larkburger, a sustainably and locally minded burger joint from top toque Thomas Salamunovich. While the menu is loaded with delicious options such as a tuna burger, a roasted portobello mushroom burger, a grilled cheese of Tillamook cheddar, soybeans tossed in salt, and truffle-and-Parmesan fries, we prefer to stick to the basics and order the namesake burger, made from 1⁄3 pound of Black Angus beef, and the standard, hand-cut russet fries (burger and fries, $8; 970.926.9336; larkburger.com).

Juniper Restaurant

Juniper is to Edwards what Sweet Basil is to Vail: the town’s go-to spot for special occasions and entertaining. Juniper’s contemporary American menu includes dishes such as veal scaloppine with angel hair Caprese and lemon beurre fondue, which has been on the menu since the restaurant opened in 2002 for good reason. We especially love restaurateur Doug Abel’s expansive wine list, which includes a page devoted entirely to verticals and large formats (entrées, $28 – $40; 970.926.7001; juniperrestaurant.com).

The Bookworm

This charming bookstore at the east end of the Riverwalk at Edwards has more than just bestsellers and free Wi-Fi. Head to the back of the store for a cup of Denver-roasted Novo coffee and crêpes such as the Green Eggs and Ham, which is loaded with a fried egg, sautéed spinach, Black Forest ham, and Gruyère cheese. The petite but unusually well-selected cookbook section is conveniently located next to the cafe. We bet you won’t get out of there without a new title that you just have to have (crêpes, $4.50 – $8.50; 970.926.7323; bookwormofedwards.com).

Rick & Kelly’s American Bistro

From coast to coast, star chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller have been trying their hands at approachable, comfort-driven venues. Kelly Liken, known for her eponymous fine-dining restaurant in Vail, is no exception. Together with her general manager, wine director, and husband, Rick Colomitz, she opened this Edwards pub in 2008. Executive chef Jarrod Morrah turns out mussels with tomato cream and chorizo and osso buco–style pork shank with a cinnamon- and chipotle-spiked veal stock in a setting that’s still all about the game (especially if chef Liken’s hometown Pittsburgh Steelers are playing). If you catch more Food Network than ESPN, you might prefer entertainment of another kind — head downstairs and saddle up to the bar that flanks the open kitchen (entrées, $17 – $28; 970.926.3423; rickandkellysbistro.com).

The Gashouse Restaurant and Bar

In a town loaded with new construction, this roadside log cabin is easy to find. What the kitchen lacks in flawless execution it more than makes up for in Colorado experience: think buffalo, venison, elk, and pheasant — on the menu and on the walls. This area institution is a great pick for kids (entrées, $10 – $40; 970.926.3613; gashouse-restaurant.com).