There are certain things in a woman’s life she remembers and exquisite food in abundance is always one of them, at least for this foodie. At the annual TBEX conference in Keystone Colorado, the local restaurants of the area came out to impress on kick-off night.
Since the event was held at the Keystone Conference Center in the middle of the ski resort, they held the dinner at the top — the very top — which meant that we all had to take two chair lifts to get there, a 45 or so minute journey up the mountain. While they warned us about altitude issues, it didn’t appear that any of the bloggers or vendors were paying that much attention to it since the beer, wine and spirits seemed to be pouring well into the night.
Did I mention spirits? And wine? I chose the latter, since they had a California Cab and Merlot on-site, which went perfectly with so many of the dishes they had on offer.
I love Taste of … events and went to several last year. See our write-up on the Kentucky farm-to-table taste of event last year.
And so, in the spirit of all things Colorado, the greater ‘Vail’ resorts restaurant chefs, which includes Keystone, came to the party with some of their favorite dishes for us to try. While some people may think that all travel bloggers care deeply about food, have orgasms over food, travel far and wide to get the best food and meet the best chefs, and labor over four hour dinners, think again.
Some of the core travel writers and bloggers, particularly the adventure and budget travel folks, skip the foodie memo altogether. When I first started traveling, I didn’t take food as seriously as I do now, since getting to the destination and keeping the costs down was a primary consideration, especially since my first adventure was over a year long.
Today, I can’t imagine not diving into the best of what a city or town has to offer. For example, I went a little nuts this past year reviewing restaurants around the world….in Paris, in Las Vegas, in Prague, in Kentucky, in Boston, in New York City, in Los Angeles, in Budapest, in Dublin, in San Francisco, in Austin, in Montreal, in Hawaii, in Vancouver, and even in Maine. I even spent two days seeking out the best chocolate in New York’s lower east side and did a write-up on my top 15. SO, after indulging around the globe, why not include Colorado on the list? They certainly have their fair share of great chefs, particularly those participating in the farm-to-table concept.
Nine restaurants participated and of the nine, my top two picks were the following:
Beano’s Cabin, which presented a Suckling Berkshire Pig Ragout, served over a house-made pappardelle pasta with peach preserves.
Alpenglow Stube, which presented their Cider and Molasses Braised Wild Boar Shoulder, which was served in a creamy Parmesan White Polenta with forest mushrooms and sauce natural. Oh man, was I in heaven. Bear in mind that these shots were taken on an iPhone camera not my Canon, so tune up the clarity on all of them and start imagining the tastes from these exquisite dishes.
It’s hard to say which one was my next favorite but probably the Duck Confit Stuffed Tenderloin of Beef, Foie Gras Torchon served with a Red Current Demi Glace, from the Big Horn Steakhouse. I think I was in the mood for red meat that night because as much of a seafood lover as I am, they all came in after the red meat options on the menu.
Also wonderful was the House Cured Orange and Basil Salmon served with a Green Tomato Panzanella from Ski Tip.
And, the butter poached shrimp, corn, jicama and chipotle from Game Creek, and the Roma Tomato Confit, asparagus tofu custard and red pepper romesco from Seven’s.
The last one I tried was the house cured pastrami with onion jam and fennel brioche from The 10th. There were also house cured buffalo sliders with kimchi and Five Spice Jam, and a Smoked Gouda and Crab Fondue from Der Fondue Chessel.
Just when you thought you were too full to get into the chair lift, you passed by a tent set up outside that housed table after table of decadent chocolate and fruit.
Did I mention the word chocolate?
Strawberries, pineapples, and more chocolate…
Rasberries with white chocolate anyone?
Florentines…
Rasberries with white and dark chocolate.
Strawberries with absolutely nothing at all.
They called this one spaghetti and meatballs. Yes, really. It was too rich for me to take in after everything else I had sampled. And, the night was but a babe.
Kudos to the chefs and teams at all the restaurants who participated in the Taste of Vail. There was at least one extremely happy and very full camper waddling down the mountain that night. What a way to kick off TBEX 2012!
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
