15 FEBRUARY 6-12, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Going Up THESE DENVER RESTAURANTS HAVE EXPANDED FROM THE MILE HIGH TO THE HIGH COUNTRY. BY ABIGAIL BLISS Toss aside the pocket bacon. There are better ways to dine at Colorado’s ski resorts this season — particularly in the Town of Vail. Over the past few months, this destination has welcomed several new restaurants, many of which built their brands in the metro area. They include Tavernetta, one of the best Italian eateries in Denver, and Avanti Food & Beverage which, in turn, brought Boychik and Glo Noodle House to the high country. None of these Denver-based concepts had previously expanded outside the Front Range. So what made Vail the next target, despite its distance from home base? In many ways, it came down to the restaurants’ excellent reputations and partnerships with the powers that be. Four Seasons Resort Vail tapped Tavernetta Over the past couple of years, Frasca Hos- pitality Group has surpassed one milestone after another. In 2024, Frasca Food and Wine celebrated its twentieth anniversary in Boul- der and retained its Michelin star. Now, it’s a 2025 James Beard semifi nalist for Outstand- ing Restaurant. The openings of Pizzeria Alberico in Boulder and Osteria Alberico in Englewood have broadened the company’s fi ne dining portfolio, which also includes Sunday Vinyl and Tavernetta, both lo- cated at Union Station. On December 16, a second Tavernetta restaurant debuted within the Four Seasons Resort Vail, marking the company’s fi rst foray outside of the metro area. “We chose Vail because Vail, in a way, chose us,” says Frasca Hospitality Group founder Bobby Stuckey. When Four Seasons was established in the ski town fi f- teen years ago, it had a resort- operated signature restaurant, Flame. Jerome Arribas, general manager at Four Seasons Vail, explains that while renovating the concept was an option, many of the enterprise’s other properties have teamed up with lo- cal businesses. After all, there’s power in partnership. Arribas was tasked with identifying a restaurant collaborator, and he considered several. But early on, he knew intuitively that Tavernetta was the right fi t. “It was obvious that from a cultural standpoint, we were very aligned,” he affi rms. Stuckey agrees: “It was as natural as two companies coming together could be.” The Italian restaurant seamlessly fi ts into the village’s Tyrolean ambiance (inspired by Vail Resort co-founder Pete Seibert’s time serving in the 10th Mountain Division). Like the fl agship location, Tavernetta Vail spotlights several regions of Italian cuisine but puts a greater emphasis on the northern Italian Alps with dishes like canederli — humble bread dumplings made rich with brown butter and speck. From 3 to 5 p.m. daily, the slopeside restau- rant also offers an Après-tivo menu featuring Italian wines and signature cocktails. With the exception of caviar service, the small plates closely mirror those of Tavernetta Denver’s happy hour — think creamy burrata atop Sicilian tomato pesto, crispy arancini, and comforting cacio e pepe sprinkled with pecorino Romano. “I think the recipes are magic for the location,” says Arribas. “There’s something about a warm pasta and a glass of wine that makes après ski special.” Additionally, Tavernetta Vail is the fi rst within the Frasca group to offer breakfast. The selection is elegant and impressively balanced, catering to an American palate but unquestionably infl uenced by Italian fare. Light dishes like scrambled eggs with crème fraîche appear alongside a prosciutto Benedict with brown butter Hollandaise and an alpine omelet laden with gruyere, potatoes, bacon and goat cheese. Tavernetta wrote the menu, oversaw staff training and continues to meet with Four Sea- sons Vail weekly and on a regular in-person basis, Stuckey notes. However, the resort runs day-to-day operations and through this partnership, the Frasca group workers who moved to Vail became Four Seasons employ- ees. They include former Frasca sous chef Ethan Diamant, who stepped into the role of chef de cuisine; Michael Katzen, who was also at Frasca, now works as the assistant manager at Tavernetta Vail. Rylan Bonaccorsi, formerly employed at Tavernetta Denver, is the senior sommelier at the new location. As for any other expansion plans, Stuckey says, “We don’t have an arc in our offi ces say- ing, ‘This is where we want to be next year with another two restaurants.’ We don’t do it that way. We do it more based on when we have the team that inspires us to grow. “It would be much easier for me just to have one little Frasca on Pearl Street and not have all the other restaurants,” he continues. “But as you evolve, you have team members who want dif- ferent experiences; they want different growth. My job is to provide a path where people can grow within our company.” Vail Resorts approached Avanti Avanti Food & Beverage has steadily expanded since opening in Denver nearly a decade ago. It launched its Boulder outpost on Pearl Street in 2020, recently announced major renovations to its fl agship location in LoHi, and debuted its newest food hall in Vail on December 23. As with the Frasca team, this is Avanti’s first venture outside the metro area. The company had been eyeing spaces in the mountains, as all three owners have ties to the High Rockies. Patrick O’Neill founded the Club, a now-shuttered bar that operated in Vail for 25 years. Rob Hahn lives in Edwards and previously worked in Aspen, as did Travis Christ at the Hotel Jerome. The right opportunity came around two years ago when Vail Resorts approached Avanti in hopes that it could help revitalize the Golden Peak area. Although that’s just a fi ve-minute walk east of Vail Village and is often used by locals to access the mountain, Golden Peak has struggled to pull in the traf- fi c attracted by the town’s main hub. But that didn’t deter Avanti from signing a lease on its new, 10,000-square-foot location. “In Vail, you really can’t beat that space, with the patio at the base of the mountain — it’s essentially ski-in, ski-out,” says Christ, who is also Avanti’s director of operations. The space had been occupied by Larkspur for nearly 25 years. “It was more of a fi ne din- ing, white tablecloth restaurant,” notes Christ. He praises its legacy and former chef Thomas Salamunovich, but suggests that it was similar to many other local dining options. In Vail, Avanti breaks the mold by requir- ing no reservations, catering to large groups and offering free validated parking from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, as well as complimentary parking after 5 p.m. Additionally, it serves full meals for under $20 and beer for as little as $6 a pint, which is a steal in the ritzy resort town. At each Avanti food hall, pizza and burg- ers are standard provisions. Powder Crust Pizza and Backyard Burgers check those boxes in Vail, but there are also more familiar names. “When we open a new location, we really like to bring one of our OGs,” explains Christ. Quiero Arepas, for example, saw success at Avanti Denver before opening a second counter in Boulder. This time, Boychik was the chosen one. The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean concept debuted at Avanti Boulder when the food hall fi rst opened and has since launched a full-service restaurant inside Stanley Marketplace. Now, it has its fi rst operation outside the Front Range. Boychik’s Avanti stalls offer similar menus, but Vail has a larger selection of small, sharable bites. Options like marinated feta, turmeric pickled cauliflower CAFE continued on page 16 FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS Five vendors operate within Avanti’s new Golden Peak outpost. MAX RITTER Tavernetta Vail embraces a mountain modern interior with warm, organic textures. CHARLES TOWNSEND
