Category: Travel


“Pop!” goes a restaurant!

Filed under: Cooking, Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, Travel — Leave a comment
May 8, 2012

On a recent  April evening in LoDo, I was pelted with raindrops and nearly mowed down by Rockies fans fleeing a serious rain delay.  I
was happy to duck into the lobby of the Ice House building at 1801 Wynkoop and even happier to enter the new Studio F space and be handed a glass of Rose.  As I dripped dry, I looked around at the exposed brick/industrial-chic space with a large, professional-quality kitchen complete with large-screen TV above the demonstration table to show diners and cooking-class attendees exactly what’s going on.  On this night, I was one of the lucky guests attending the highly-anticipated inaugural pop-up dinner of James Mazzio’s Studio F.

Mazzio was a gracious host, pointing out the workspace that would be any chef’s dream (I know my home-cooking self was in awe of the large work and cook surfaces).  He also pointed out the Red Star Deli, at the entry way to Studio F, Mazzio’s new stop for a sandwich for all of the worker bees downtown.  Mazzio then introduced me to the star of the evening, Chef Charles Dale, a gentle and polite man whose calm demeanor has surely been beneficial in the many restaurants he has opened up in his 30 years in the business.

Although Dale was at Studio F representing his latest restaurant, Terra at Encantado in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this marked a return trip to Colorado where Dale had opened three award-winning restaurants in Aspen years ago.  Dale is a former Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef in America winner. I can see why.  He mixes his classical French training with a passion for fresh and sustainable cuisine. He believes in, and practices what he calls “flavor management”, often focusing on just three main ingredients for a dish.  I truly appreciated this real, unpretentious approach.  One of my pet peeves is when a chef creates something so complex and goes so far out of the way to make it unusual that it falls flat. I want to be able to taste each element of a dish that a chef has created.  That was absolutely the case with every course of the wonderful meal we had.

Chef Charles Dale of Terra restaurant in Santa Fe. Photo courtesy Bing photos.

One of the highlights came in the very first bite of the first course, Peppadew Rellenos with Goat Cheese Masa.  Looking just like a cherry tomato, the stuffed and lightly battered peppadew chili was the perfect, poppable appetizer.  My table-mates and I raved over this little tidbit, knowing we were off to a good start. Another highlight was the Asparagus Soup, more of a puree thankfully than a creamy glop, the soup was ladled over flakes of House-smoked Ruby Trout and Terra Chipotle Caviar. See? Three perfectly-chosen ingredients that made for flavors and textures that worked in tandem.  I also loved the Scallop and Pork Belly with Edamame and Celery Root Puree with a Sauternes Reduction. Again, the blend was delicious but I could have done with a plate of just the pork belly. It was sinful.

Each dish was paired with a wine from Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez, accompanied by their master, John Sutcliffe who answered our table’s many questions about the process of wine-making, the impact global warming may or may not be having and the like. His English accent and playboy charm added to the experience.  He did an excellent job of pairing exactly the right wine with every course from the Sutcliffe Rose 2010 with the Peppadew Relleno to the Sutcliffe Riesling “Nectar” 2011 with the butterscotch custard for dessert.

By the end of the evening, not only were we all satiated (and feeling no pain), we had all enjoyed the unique experience of going out for dinner but having made new acquaintances with our fellow diners, the chef and the host. It’s a fun way to truly enjoy a meal.

Except for taking a road trip to experience Chef Dale’s cooking yourself (which I highly encourage), there will be ample opportunities to experience this special night out. Hurry to reserve your spot May 10-12 with Colorado’s own Jenna Johansen for a tour of international cuisines celebrating her debut on Bravo’s Around the World in 80 Plates.  The following week, May 18-26, get a little wacky with another Colorado chef, Ian Kleinman who believes food should be fun and has the concoctions to prove it.

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“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” – Movie Musings by Phil Noir

Filed under: Movies, Theater, Travel — Leave a comment
May 4, 2012

Q: When is it too late to live fully?                                   

Contemplating one’s life experience can be an uncomfortable journey into the past. Exploring failures, joys, dashed dreams, lost loves… It can devour your present state of being, and cloud the possibilities of What Is and Could Be.

In The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, we share such a journey with a random cluster of British retirees, tossed together by fantasy, fear, desperation and need. From the misty gloom and predictable traditions of comfortable old England – they jump off the cliff into an unknown world of brilliant discomfort. Respectfully, gently, and with honesty, the film introduces them and invites you to share their personal discoveries. Gradually emerging, naturally as if we joined them in personal conversation, you connect and care.

Richly contrasting with this group of misfits is the country they landed in. The lens follows them through a wonderland of glorious ruins draped with filth and chaotic, colorful splendor. Much as the film’s characters, I wondered how human beings could possible exist under such conditions? Yet they don’t just exist- they thrive. Energy, love, and life pulses intensely and joyously in the streets. By film’s end I found myself asking the opposite question- how can Americans exist in such disconnected, isolated loneliness? Are not humans social creatures? This ancient culture confidently looks you in the eye and offers an alternative to the American Dream of mini-ranchettes and “Rugged Individualism”.

The film occasionally stumbles with gimmicky edits and some predictable “Americana” feel good story lines prevent this from achieving perfection. Forgive these mistakes; this film rewards many times over with a beautiful, stirring, funny story that satisfies long past the Exit.

A: Never.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens May 4, 2012. It is rated PG-13.  For a full review of the film, see http://ingoodtastedenver.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-a-review-by-thea-tagower/.

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“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” – A Review By Thea Tagower

Filed under: Movies, Theater, Travel — 2 Comments
May 4, 2012

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel gives you mixed feelings about growing older.  On one hand, it makes you worry that you could reach old age and be in a precarious position financially, physically and emotionally.  On the other hand, it gives you hope that there is still plenty of love, pleasure, beauty and fun awaiting you.

Judi Dench and Celia Imrie star in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Seven British retirees find themselves at a cross-roads in their lives and all end up “outsourcing” their retirement in less-expensive India at the “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful”, run by the youngest of three sons (Dev Patel – “Slumdog Millionaire”) who is determined to make a success of the shell of a hotel is father left him. He’s also determined to marry a girl who his mother doesn’t approve of.  But that’s just a separate little storyline to keep younger whipper-snappers interested.

The seven people quickly form bonds, tied together by their uncertainty about their decision to move to India, their interconnected relationships and their desire to carve out a good life for themselves, for whatever time they have left.

When I watch a movie or TV show, I play a little game with myself in which I try to guess the outcome of the story within the first 10 minutes. When my guesses turn out to be correct, I admonish the show for being totally predictable. When I’m wrong, I delight in being taken along on an unpredictable ride.  The latter was the case with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The cinematography deserves special mention in this film. On the up side, they captured the colors and mood of India very well. They

Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy star in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.

also knew how to treat their characters, placing them in very specific lighting to convey the tone, mood, and their personality.  Judi Dench got the best treatment, being given beautiful colors to wear, gorgeous colors of painted wall to stand beside and flattering lighting that played up her white hair, light blue eyes and the darkness of her life she is emerging from.  Many of her scenes were like pieces of artwork. On the down side, the scenes of travelling through the streets of India, narrowly escaping cars, semi’s and cows was unnecessarily frenetic. We wanted to shout:  “Okay, okay, it was crazy and dangerous! We get it!”

The acting in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was excellent but how could it not be with actors such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy, who, between them have recently appeared in the Harry Potter series, Pirates of the Caribbean,  Bridget Jones’ Diary and Downton Abbey, often times together?

See The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with a date, the person you intend to grow old with, your dear friends or your elderly parents. You’ll laugh, cry, be inspired, feel adventurous and pretty hopeful about what life holds in store.

For a unique perspective on the movie, read “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Movie Musings” by my fellow film critic Phil Noir, immediately below this blog.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thebestexoticmarigoldhotel/

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens May 4 and is rated PG-13.

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Go west, young family! Devil’s Thumb Ranch revisited.

Filed under: Cooking, Family, Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, Travel — Leave a comment
March 29, 2012

Sunset at Devil's Thumb Ranch. All photos courtesy Courtney Drake-McDonough.

We woke up in the city but went to sleep in the old west. Well, almost. It was more like an idyllic vision of the old west –sprawling, pastoral, rustic, elegant and a whole lot of fun – but with all the modern conveniences.

This was our third stay at the 6,000-acre Devil’s Thumb Ranch. The first time was three years ago for a romantic anniversary getaway. The second time was last summer with the whole family to ride horses, hike, swim and experience scenery like the kids had never seen before – a mix of ranch, meadow and mountain. The first two times, we stayed in the main lodge, with its rustic yet plush décor.  This time, we stayed in a little cabin in the woods, one of 16.  The cabins, while lovely, are more

Our little cabin in the woods.

befitting their log walls and roof than the lodge. They are a little on the rough side but with plenty of comfort and all of the necessities – feather beds with handmade quilts, a kitchen, a living room and spacious bathroom.

Following the example of all other buildings at Devil’s Thumb Ranch, the cabins are built as green as possible with geothermal heat, courtesy of heated flooring not lost on bare feet on crisp, cool mornings.

By staying in the cabins, you can choose to cook your own meals. However, if your idea of a vacation getaway means getting as far away from cooking as possible, you are in luck. There are a variety of restaurant options for the whole family. Heck’s Tavern is casual, perfect for families, with kids’ menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even the up-scale Ranch House Restaurant has a kid’s menu or half portions of adult entrees for kids with sophisticated palates. Stop into Hallowed Grounds Coffee House for sandwiches or a smoothie before heading out on a hike. Or just get a bite poolside from Heck’s.  All meals are prepared from scratch, using natural and local ingredients.

Our daughter at Wrangler Camp, learning to tend her horse before going on a ride.

On this trip, our daughter attended the Wrangler Camp, held in multiple sessions throughout the summer. Along with just six other kids, she learned horse-riding and horse-care skills including a little stint doing rodeo tricks. After nose-to-tail guided trail rides, the afternoons of Wrangler Camp were spent fly-fishing, swimming, taking aim with archery and searching on a scavenger hunt.

During those action-packed days, the rest of the family was free to take long hikes, enjoy the spa, game room and build an impromptu mini-log cabin. We also had fun just walking around the property, enjoying amazing views and seeing the various buildings including the Broad Axe Barn, Spa and the new Yager House, which houses family reunions, cooking classes, weddings and other special events. Up at the Stables, you can see horses, goats, chickens, rabbits, a calf that walks around like a dog, with the dogs and Stormy, the resident black cat.

At night, guests gravitate to Heck’s patio to make s’mores around the campfire, sharing stories, laughs and suggestions for hiking and biking trails – all with strangers. It’s a good lesson for kids to see that you can find things in common with people you don’t even know, who are there from other states and even countries.

Lodging rates vary at Devil’s Thumb, depending on the season and type of lodging you are looking for but there’s always some sort of

Imagine swimming with this view!

great deal going on. The cabins are more expensive than the Lodge rooms but then again you have a little cabin all to yourself and can save money by cooking your own food.  Sign up on their website (www.devilsthumbranch.com) to receive notification of lodging deals year-round.  Although the mid-week gets you the lowest rates, stick around for the weekend for the Cowpoke Camp. Giving kids and parents time together and time apart, the Camp lets kids ages 5 to 12 do fun western-themed activities like learning to lasso, build a compass, go fishing, taking a kiddie cooking class and more.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch has some amazing things planned for this spring and summer. This May, they’ll have a Mother/Daughter spa package. In June, July and August, there’s the Summer Wrangler Camps for kids 12 and up that our daughter attended.  For adults who like to cook and eat, there is a series of themed Chef Demonstrations followed by multi-course dinner with wine pairings. For adults who like to relax and be pampered, their extensive spa with its own patio area, private hot tub and spa menu brought to you as you luxuriate is enough to put you over the edge of bliss (and who couldn’t use a little of that?!)

For those who want to rough it a little more, go horseback-riding, take riding lessons, let the kids have a pony ride, go on a family wagon ride or get really serious and go on a cattle drive or zip-lining! I’m telling you, the folks at Devil’s Thumb Ranch are brilliant! There is literally something for every interest, taste and skill-level and it’s all beautiful.

The horses heading to the pasture to graze.

By the way, in case you are wondering about the name, Devil’s Thumb, according to local lore, after the warring Ute and Arapahoe tribes settled their differences in the Ranch Creek Valley area, they buried the Devil but left his thumb exposed to remind them of the evils of war. That “thumb” is an outcropping of rock on the Continental Divide visible from the Ranch. A Colorado couple and parents of two children, Bob and Susan Fanch, are the owners of Devil’s Thumb Ranch, intent on making the very sustainable property a getaway for everyone, from wedding parties to business groups to families. It’s a peaceful, kick-in-the-pants-fun place only about an hour and a half from Denver, making it a very doable escape.

Note: A version of this article originally ran on ColoradoParent.com in 2011.

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Beaver Creek and the Beaver Creek Lodge By T. Ravlin Lyte

Filed under: Family, Restaurant Reviews, Travel — Leave a comment
October 19, 2011

It wasn’t until I was riding back, high atop the ground, in the chair lift, that I realized just what a charming village Beaver Creek really is.

The view from the chair lift descending into Beaver Creek Village

I had already made my way throughout the Village going into little shops, enjoying great meals at the restaurants and looking at art during the Arts Festival so I knew it was a great place. But there, gliding down into it, the view was almost unreal, like a Currier and Ives painting with steep rooftops and winding paths.  As I slipped off the chair and stepped not-so-gracefully off the platform, I was so glad to be spending a long weekend in Beaver Creek and especially glad to be staying at the Beaver Creek Lodge.

Beaver Creek is just a short drive west of Vail.  It’s easy to make your way around the town of Beaver Creek and there’s something for every taste and budget including fast food and an amazing Wal-Mart, a City Market and fun restaurants like the Route 6 Café we hit on our way out-of-town (with plate-sized cinnamon rolls and pancakes).  It’s primarily Beaver Creek Village that you’re after though. Just head up the hill toward Beaver Creek Mountain and you’ll find it.

Welcoming guard gates and friendly guards allow you to enter the Village (and likely keep the riff-raff out). Meandering roads lead past hotels, a large golf course, condominiums, chair lifts that go right over the street, the popular Vilar Performing Arts Center and the Beaver Creek Lodge.

The dramatic lobby of the Beaver Creek Lodge

A multi-floor sculpture of climbers hangs over the Grand Bohemian Gallery

Take one step in the door and you know you’re not in your average hotel.  Immediately, you are struck by artwork, sculpture, ceramics and even jewelry on display and for sale.  Beaver Creek Lodge is part of the Kessler Collection, a series of luxury hotels that are all decorated with artwork from around the world.  The art adorns the hallways, each guest suite and is the focus of The Grand Bohemian Gallery in the center of the Lodge. My children  loved the sculpture of climbers that spanned several floors, hanging from the ceiling and also climbing the walls. It was amazing.

A King room in Beaver Creek Lodge

The guest suites at Beaver Creek Lodge were a treat – at once luxurious but also comforting and as appropriate for a romantic getaway as time with the kids. Our room had a master bedroom with a fold-out coach in the main living area for the kids. Both rooms had their own TV. The living area also had a small dining table and kitchenette with microwave.

We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at Rocks Modern Grill the incredibly innovative (without being weird and pretentious) restaurant in

Sous Chef Chad Barbier meticulously plates a dish

the Lodge. At the helm is Chef Mike Spalla with his trusty sous chef, Chad Barbier.  Both of these men have such a love and passion for what they do, treating each individual’s plate as a work of art. To them, everything must be fresh, local, creative and delicious. During the summer, they even have their own little herb garden outside of the dining room where they routinely go to pick a little of this and a little of that to enhance a dish.  Trust in their abilities and knowledge and you’ll enjoy everything you order.  Their cooking is reason enough to stay at Beaver Creek Lodge, no kidding.  There is a reasonable and fun kids menu.  We ate out only for lunch but found a good variety of casual places throughout the Village.

Spots like this in the Village are a favorite for families in the warm weather.

The pedestrian Village has a lot to offer from something as simple as letting the kids splash in the outdoor fountains to riding the ski lift or gondola, ice skating, numerous festivals, horseback riding, concerts, and of course skiing. Horseback riding with Beaver Creek Stables takes you through areas dense with aspen trees and fern that suddenly open up to reveal views from one mountain top to another. It was a great experience, even for me, whose last time on a horse was in fifth grade when I fainted and fell off out of fear!

Horseback riding through aspen trees with Beaver Creek Stables

Beaver Creek and the Beaver Creek Lodge manage to somehow blend being fancy with being totally approachable.  Whether you’re making plans for a break this winter or anytime year-round, there is something fun, exhilarating or relaxing to do.

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