edible Aspen's editor dishes up summer's hottest
local food news
By Amiee White Beazley

A couple of months ago I had a brilliant idea: Stop consuming sugar, alcohol and caffeine. It was as much an exercise in discipline as it was to cleanse my body of toxins—toxins on which I blamed every springtime cold, bad mood and blemish. Gotta admit, I felt great and even shed a pound or two, but you know what? Life was not as much fun.

I prefer living with all pistons firing! And for me pistons, are turned on when I’m eating delicious, dense pieces of chocolate cake, paired with full red wines that feel like soft silk in my mouth.  So my return to hedonism couldn’t come at a better time than with the return of summer, and the Food & Wine Classic—the foodie’s definition of decadence. But even after the white tents disappear this summer, there’ll be much more to enjoy—from vendors at area farmers’ markets to the new, exciting restaurants in the Roaring Fork Valley.

This summer you’ll find me and the fam’ back at the beloved Red Onion! Thank you, Chef Tom Colosi and sister Jennifer, for filling the empty hole in the heart of Aspen. I look forward to your new lunch and dinner menus and enjoying a beer on the patio as my little boys splash in the streams running along Cooper Avenue Mall.

Down the road in the old Noodles by Kenichi spot, locals Troy Selby and Wheaton Augur open 520 Grill. It’s a quick spot for ground beef, turkey or elk burgers, hand-cut fries and gourmet salads.  (Speaking of burgers, check out the new grass-fed beef burgers sourced from Paonia at Mountain Naturals, and the addition of handmade ice cream and shakes at Fatbelly in ’Bondale.)

For locally sourced and organic gourmet bites, head over to Peaches Corner Café in Aspen on the corner of Galena and Hopkins. Another new and exciting spot is by restaurateur Joel Howard, who opens The Silver Queen in the second-floor space on Hopkins once inhabited by Syzygy. Chef Jami Flatt, former executive chef at Ritz Carlton’s Willow Creek Bistro, takes the helm.

I have to say, one of the best dining experiences of the year so far was at Eight K at the Viceroy.  With wine pairings selected by general manager/ mixologist/sommelier Tom Rekasis and food prepared by David Cruz, I expect to eat many more Mexico City Street Tacos and the “Snickers” split—peanut butter fudge ice cream, bananas, caramel, hot fudge, peanut brittle, over homemade snickers bars topped with whipped cream and two cherries on top. You see where my weaknesses lie.

Now, if I’m tracking the best desserts in town, you’ll find me in Carbondale where that damn butterscotch budino with salted caramel beckons me at Six89. Sweet, salty, smooth and creamy, I’m sure the sound of my spoon scraping glass vying for the last taste is starting to annoy my husband. (Don’t miss this sinful recipe on our website, edibleaspen.com.)

When in my own ’hood downvalley (that’s Basalt, Carbondale and beyond, for all you visitors) there are some local food champions serving up some incredible food. Dos Gringos Burritos on Hwy. 133 in the La Fontana Plaza not only has great burritos and salads but also sources many of its ingredients locally. Same is true for my escape-from-the-real-world lunch spot, Grana Bread Co. I crave their morning buns, Troyer Chicken Salad (Olathe, yo!) and fresh, organic bread paninis. When I eat there, I feel like I’m in Italy again (minus the 10-hour flight with two toddlers).

And on a closing note, congratulations to Alex Seidel, chef from Fruition in Denver, nominated as Food & Wine’s Best New Chef, only the fifth chef from Colorado in the past 22 years to be named with such an honor. Like Vice President Biden likes to say, “it’s a BFD.” Congrats!

Do you have the Local Dirt on restaurants or gotta-have food in the Roaring Fork Valley? Then e-mail me at [email protected]!