aledm's Profile
2012 ALEDM Review of Matsuhisa Vail
We had been delaying our visit to Matsuhisa because we didn’t want to be disappointed (Matsuhisa, Solaris Vail, 141E. Meadow Dr., Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-6628, web: http://www.matsuhisavail.com/). In the late 80’s when Nobu Matsuhisa was new in LA we went to his tiny hole-in-the wall restaurant on La Cienega many, many times. We always had the tasting menu and it was always original, delicious and fun. We decided to blow a $500 windfall we unexpectedly received. We went to Matsuhisa with a couple we like very much and we had a fabulous meal and evening. Jordan, a manager of Matsuhisa was there and was very friendly, attentive and informative. We really like that! Our server was a young woman who was professional, friendly and over-worked. For the “shoulder season,” it was very crowded. And noisy. We were going to move tables but it occurred to us that no matter where we moved, it would be noisy. The chairs were comfortable but the room was overly warm and, because the chairs were made of leather, at the end of the evening Dimitri said the seat of his pants were damp with sweat.
We decided to get one $150 Omakase tasting menu (in Japanese it means: “I’ll leave it to you.”). The plates would not be split in the kitchen, rather the plates would be put between us and we would use our chopsticks to eat from the main plate. Jordan said that they would orchestrate the pace of our friends’ appetizers, salad and mains to harmonize with our 8 courses. We accompanied our meal by a small hot Dai-Ginjo saki. We started with a sashimi of blue fin tuna with jalapeño and a wonderful sauce. There were 3 pieces and it was perfect—Dimitri had 2 delicious morsels and Audre had one. The next plate was octopus on cucumber with another yummy sauce. This time there were 4 pieces and we each had 2. The third plate was our standout favorite. It was 4 thin slices of mackerel rolled around sea urchin. The sauce was excellent and the flavor added by the urchin (or uni in Japanese) was divine. After that dish there were five more: a sushi assortment that was very good (even for people like us who are underwhelmed by sushi), a waygu (Kobe beef from Australia) beef (with a yummy morsel of foie gras), two others that we can’t remember and a miso soup at the end of the meal. The amount of food was perfect for the two of us. All of this was followed by a dessert plate with a Bento box chocolate delectable, a vanilla bean ice cream, fruit, and coconut banana spring rolls. Wow! Excellent and we highly recommend you try it! We spent $189.70 plus tip. Domo Arigato Gozamimu to you Nobu!
NEW TO DENVER AREA - NEED UPSCALE REC
It was a while ago that we had a wonderful meal at Fruition. Have a look at our review posted on the following Chow thread about Denver fine dining: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/570484
If you have questions, call or e-mail Paul Attardi, General Manager and Co-owner of Fruition. He will be helpful. (His e-mail address, by the way, is paul@fruitionrestaurant.com).
Happy eating!
Cafe Monet in Parker is a Monument that should be Experienced
Café Monet is a monument to The Way We Were Eating French/Italian inthe USA in the 1970’s or 60’s (Cafe Monet, 10471 S. Parker Rd. #1, Parker, CO 80134, tel. 303-840-0004 web: www.cafemonetinparker.com). And we were told that there are patrons who havebeen dining at Café Monet once a week for 30 years (even though it’s only beenopen since 1996). Homa Bazyar is the head chef and she knows how to please her guests. Our server was young but spoke authoritatively on Everything Café Monet.The décor is Very Homey with cupboards of tea cups, lots of souvenirs from France and a warm, inviting air. There are booths on one side of the restaurant with tables in the middle. On the other side of the restaurant is a long bar, tables and Mohammad Bazyar’s recline-o-lounger. We sat at a table on the other side of the restaurant. There were many guests at 6 p.m. when we arrived—most over 60 yrs. old. The service was excellent and the portions were huge. All entrées include the soup de jour (which was a chicken curry and good), a green salad (crunchy and tasty with the dressing of our choice) and are garnished with vegetables, rice and potatoes. Dimitri had the the “Dartois de Fruits de la Mer ($17.95): delicate seafood wrapped and baked in puff pastry, topped with white wine sauceand shrimp”. Dimitri liked his dish and particularly liked the white wine sauce. Audre had the “Trout Almondine ($17.95) native trout grilled in lemon butter and covered with slivered almonds.” Audre said it was very dry. The accompaniments were very good and we were too stuffed to have any of Homa’s desserts. We spent $38.70 plus tip and we recommend that you experience this restaurant. It is one of a dying breed.
Where in Denver/Boulder area can I find Taramasalata?
We like the Taramosalata made by Krinos and sold in a jar (14 oz) for $3.99. We've found it at Pete's Grocery, 5606 E Cedar Ave., Denver, CO 80224, tel. 303-393-6247 and also at the East European Market, 4015 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222, tel. 303-639-6171, e-mail: easteuropemarket@yahoo.com.
Yanni's in Greenwood Village was Disappointing
Yanni’s was recommended to us by friends who have some Greek heritage (Yanni's 5425 Landmark Place, Unit 109, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, tel. 303-692-0404). We went expecting really good food and we were disappointed. The restaurant is in a shopping center and is bright with good modern art on the walls. Our server, Michelle was good. Yanni came to the table to give us a little cup of ouzo and welcome us. He said he knew our Greek friends. His business partner, Carl, also greeted us. We had been told that the Sunday special lamb was the dish to have. We shared one appetizer combo plate ($16.95) that was disappointing—mostly rubbery fried calamari. Then we shared one “BBQ Lamb, spit-roasted Colorado grown leg of lamb served with a medley of roast vegetables” ($19.95). Although we could see the grill and spit where the lamb was cooked we were not impressed with the result. It lacked taste. The vegetables were very good, however. Dimitri had a retsina with the lamb ($8.50) and we ordered a rice pudding for dessert ($4.95). It was vanilla pudding with some hard rice floating in it. We took one taste and left the rest. We spent $54 plus tip and left the restaurant shaking our heads.
Dan Dan Noodles in Boulder/Denver?
We've been to Lao Wang and the restaurant is open and the Ancient Chinese Couple are there and working! Mr. Ancient showed me their schedule and they are closed both Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Pullman in Glenwood Springs was Excellent
We had heard good things about this restaurant (The Pullman, 330 7th Street, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, tel. 970-230-9234, e-mail: eat@thepullmangws.com, web: www.thepullman.com) from friends and on the Chow website. It has been open a little more than a year and we loved it! We went for a late lunch after biking the (newly re-opened) Glenwood Springs Recreation Trail in April 2012. Our server, Jesse was knowledgeable and patient with all of our questions about ingredients. Instead of a main, we shared 2 snacks, 3 small dishes and one dessert. The first snack to arrive was “Truffle housemade pork rinds” ($4). They were sizzling when the basket arrived and were truly crunchy and tasty. We ate that (actually inhaled them) quickly with the yummy housemade bread and butter that arrived at about the same time. Dimitri had a very good dark beer with the meal ($5). The first small plate to arrive was “Crisp Pork Belly celery root puree/green apple agrodulce” ($9). The pork belly was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. The celery root puree was unusual and very good too. The green apple agrodulce helped to balance the richness of the pork belly. With the pork belly, two more small plates arrived: the “Housemade burrata, eggplant escabeche, crisp shallots” ($5) and the “Hanachi with butternut squash puree, soy caramel, smoked sea salt” ($9 ). We loved the burrata and actually bought a small ball ($5) to take home. We saved the hanachi for last since it was a cold dish and once we ate it, we loved it. Actually everything was excellent. The last snack to arrive was the “Roast bone marrow, red onion jam” ($5) and it was a huge bone and was fabulous. By this time we were getting really full but we had to try their beignets for dessert ($7). Unfortunately we didn’t like them (maybe we were too stuffed). But they were heavy-- not like the light and crispy ones we adore. The meal was a great success. The manager and another manager-like person came to talk to us (which we love) and we vowed to make the drive to Glenwood Springs to try their dinner menu. We spent $55.39 plus tip.
Dan Dan Noodles in Boulder/Denver?
Sorry about that. The people who originally introduced us to the restaurant gave us that info. They said that they tried to go. If I remember correctly we went once and had a great meal and the next time it wasn't open.... Anyway, we're glad that we were wrong.
any decent chinese dim sum in denver??
We also think that Star Kitchen (2917 W. Mississippi Ave., Denver, tel. 303-936-0089) is very good, has roving carts and has a nice buzz to it during dim sum time.
Lao Wang Noodle House....
When you were at Lao Wang Noodle House (945 S. Federal Blvd., Denver, tel. 303-975-2497) did you see The Ancient Chinese Couple working there/running the place?
Dan Dan Noodles in Boulder/Denver?
Does anyone know whether The Ancient Chinese Couple are still there and running Lao Wang Noodle House (945 S. Federal Blvd., Denver, tel. 303-975-2497)?
Denver and vail high end itinerary
Hi,
You should check out Cima at the Westin in Avon. We thought it was innovative and delicious. Follow this link for what we said:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837878
Try Flame at the Four Seasons in Vail. It's not just a steakhouse. Here's what we said about it:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/811457
We've been disappointed by Kelly Liken and Larkspur. Elways has not been getting any good reviews (and people have been complaining, actually). All of our Vail restaurant reviews are posted here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/790196
In Denver, we haven't been to Fruition in years but we liked it very much 4 years ago.
Dan Dan Noodles in Boulder/Denver?
We are sorry to report that Lao Wang Noodle on Federal is no longer in business.
The 10th is a great addition to Vail Mountain
We had heard good things about The 10th (at Mid-Vail on Vail, Mountain, 970-754-1010)and had been meaning to try it. We went on a day that we wanted to have a late lunch (because we were going to the Vilar early that evening). We made a reservation at 2:15 p.m. and then called from the very long lift line at Chair 11 to tell them we would be late. The last reservation they take is at 2:30 p.m. We slid in a little after 2:30 but they were gracious and seated us without any fuss. The General Manager, George Bigley, was at the reception desk and we like to see that. We put our stuff away in the ample cloakroom. We used the restrooms and then we were seated in the main dining room. It has a lovely view of the Gore Range. Our server, Juliana, was professional and personable. This was to be our main meal of the day and we shared everything, as usual. We didn’t have wine. The 10th describes its cuisine as “modern alpine”. We started with the “Wood Roasted Mussels Frites with Parsley & Shallot Broth, Spicy Aioli” ($18). We were first brought bread and butter and it tasted (and the texture was) better than it looked. The mussels were good, the frites were very good but the aioli wasn’t spicy nor did it taste like aioli. All in all, it was a good dish. For our main we had the “Rosemary Basted Colorado Striped Bass with Arugala, Pastina, Saffron Tomato-Fennel Broth” ($24). It was a very good dish. We had not had pastina in recent memory and it was very good; the texture was great. For dessert, we had the “Meyer Lemon Crème Brulée with alpine berries and little cookies” ($11). The crème brulée was delicious, the berries were blueberries and the cookies were good. The meal was delightful. There was no feeling of being rushed even though it was late in the afternoon by the time we had finished. George Bigley was still walking around the restaurant so we were able to chat and compliment him. This restaurant is a fine addition to Vail Mountain and we recommend it.
Saddleridge in Beaver Creek, CO is more of a museum than a restaurant
Saddleridge (Saddleridge Restaurant, http://www.saddleridgebeavercreek.com/saddleridge/, tel. 970-754-5450) is a living museum of frontier artifacts such as Geronimo’s tomahawk and General Custer’s hat and canteen. It’s also a testament of the excesses of the U.S. investment banks. It was built by Shearson-Lehman as a private retreat for its clients and executives in 1987. The cost was $27 million and it had 27 bedrooms. The interior design, art and artifact collections were done by Naomi Leff and Associates of NYC. She was asked to create the largest living museum of Western artifacts outside of a museum and given a blank check. With that as background, we can now tell you that we weren’t impressed (except by the excess) but it has to be seen to be believed. We changed tables because there was a large table with screaming kids seated near us. The room is large and the night we were there, many kids were also there (so there was no escaping them). The chairs in the dining room are antiques and boy are they hard and uncomfortable. We shared everything as usual and chose not to have wine. We started with rabbit loin appetizer and it was very dry and tasteless. ($12) For our main, we had a pork loin chop that had been brined. It was tender and moist but tasted like ham. ($29) For dessert we chose the Banana foster ($9). It was terrible—the bananas were not even sautéed. They were served cold and raw with whipped cream. The meal cost $55 with tax and the B.C. assessment. We would not recommend the restaurant.
Richard Sandoval's Cima in Beaver Creek/Avon is Innovative and Exciting
We had a wonderful meal at Cima (Cima, Contemporary Latin Kitchen by Chef Richard Sandoval, The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek,126 Riverfront Lane, Avon, CO, tel. 970-790-5500, web: www.richardsandoval.com). Our server, Brian, was excellent and brought the level of experience up from very good to excellent. The room in the Westin is decorated in the “trendy mode.” We sat at a table by the windows instead of a booth and the chairs were very comfortable (although the tables are too close together). The booths looked like they were for bigger people than we are. When we arrived the bar in the restaurant was full and the area that is called “Redondo” was also full and very loud with inconsiderate drinkers. The noise level of the bar folk and the music was pretty unpleasant. We asked that the music be turned down and softened and that was done. Finally the bar folk left and our enjoyment went up exponentially. The view of Beaver Creek (and the snow cats working) was good, as was the view of the fire in the pit dancing on the deck outside. The food was innovative and exciting. We shared everything as usual and had one appetizer, one main and one dessert. We opted not to have wine. For our starter we ordered the “Corn Cachapas” (sweet corn crepes/duck confit/pickled poblano chili/queso fresco/tomato jam) $12. It was a difficult decision because there were other starters that sounded equally interesting. This one was very good. With the starter we were brought a bowl of bread and crackers. This was worth coming to the restaurant to try all by itself! There were tiny cornbreads with “Mexican truffle” called huitlacoche inside. They were exceptional morsels, made especially so with the cheese and olive oil concoction that was also served. This dish was a light and fluffy mixture of requeson and goat cheese with epezote added. Epezote is evidently a leaf commonly used for flavor in Mexican cuisine. We practically inhaled it. Along with the cornbreads were tiny balls of pan de queso. They truly tasted of cheese which is unusual in our experience and they were good! For our main we chose the “Seafood Mariscada” (lobster/scallop/shrimp/mussels /octopus/ mushrooms/snap peas/coconut-ginger broth/aji Amarillo) $38. An excellent and tasty dish. We wanted a starch and chose to have paperdelle as a side ($5) which we stirred into the broth. It was a perfect addition. By this time, we were totally stuffed and having a great time with the tastes in our mouths. Then we asked our server about huitlacoche and he described the fungus-like substance and then offered to bring us some huitlacoche sauce that is made for the short rib dish. It was yummy. We can’t wait to get to Mexico to find huitlachoche there. Even though we were stuffed, we couldn’t miss having freshly made Churros served with dulce del leche, chocolate sauce and cinnamon-cayenne gelato ($9). They were made exactly the right way—crispy but light as feathers. The cinnamon-cayenne gelato was fabulous—it was cinnamon with a kick! What a great meal! We spent $68.29 plus tip and were very happy.
Lamb Bacon
Apologies to everyone. Our meal in Vail where we first had house-cured lamb bacon was at La Tour, 122 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-4403.
Lamb Bacon
We first ate house-cured lamb bacon at Terra Bistro in Vail. It was a garnish on another dish and it was a show-stopper. We scoured the web to find a purveyor and couldn't find lamb bacon online. We special ordered it from our "Artisan Meat and Seafood" shop in the Valley called Cut (56 Edwards Village Blvd., #105, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-3007). They were able to source it somewhere around Denver. It was $12 a pound and delicious--maybe a little saltier than what we ate at Terra Bistro. But definitely worth trying.
Driving from Denver Int'l to Vail
If you like authentic diners, Jenny's is not to be missed on the way from Denver to Vail (people actually time their travel on the I-70 to correspond to Jenny's opening days and hours). The people working there are wonderful, the atmosphere is perfect, the food is very good and the pies are awesome (and we don't typically like pies).
Jenny’s tel. 303-569-2570 (to make sure that they are open before you get off the I-70).
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Jenny's Restaurant
4 W Park Ave, Empire, CO 80438
We had a perfect meal at Flame, Vail, in Oct. 2011
Yes, Flame is at the Four Seasons. Try it!
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Four Season's Restaurant
350 N Main St, Kalispell, MT 59901
We had a perfect meal at Flame, Vail, in Oct. 2011
Flame, One Vail Rd. at the Four Seasons, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-477-8650, e-mail:flame.restaurant@fourseasons.com. We had a perfect meal even though we didn’t “take to” our server, John; he’s a little too casual and overly friendly.
The room was nice and the big windows, overlooking the swimming pool and outdoor fire place with the snow falling, were entertaining. We hadn’t been there before because we thought it was a steak restaurant—you know, the name is Flame. We went, however, because they were having a 3-course meal for $40. When I made the reservation, Steven at the front of the house, said there would be no problem if we shared one menu. Flame’s menu had much more than just meat—it had very interesting selections on it and we could chose any three courses from the regular menu. We started with the “Pan Roasted Foie Gras, house made granola, grilled apple, calvados caramel” (regularly $14). It was exquisite. We had two glasses of Cypress Point cabernet sauvignon ($9 each) that were good. For our main, we shared the “Milk fed 12 oz. Veal Chop, truffle tempura haricot verts, thyme aioli, cabernet jus” (regularly $27). The chop was huge, tender and tasty. The bone was great to gnaw. The truffle tempura haricot verts were fabulous. They were crunchy and actually had some pieces of truffle in them. One of the chefs, Jay Sturtz, came to our table to talk and he was engaging and interesting. We suggested that the name of the restaurant be changed because it’s so much more than a grill restaurant and he agreed. He suggested that we speak with Hans Willimann, the GM of the hotel, about that. We shared the “Sweet Potato Pie, smoked honey dip with marshmallow and cream cheese ice cream” (regularly $9) for dessert. It was yummy. We thought that they were more like beignets than pies. The meal was a great success. We spent $73.71 plus tip.
Fresh pork belly in Denver metro?
Correction: the pork belly at City Market in Avon cost $.99 a pound in Sept. 2011
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City Market
1703 Fremont Dr, Canon City, CO 81212
Korean (not BBQ) in Denver
We're looking for a unique Korean restauant in Denver that doesn't specialize in BBQ. We loved Sinsadong Korean Restaurant, 2353 S. Havana St., Unit D-1, Aurora, CO 80014, tel. 303-745-7087. It had unusual dishes including a fabulous marinated whole raw crab ($18.99). Unfortunately that restaurant closed. Can you help?
Fresh pork belly in Denver metro?
City Market Avon's meat & seafood manager, Victor (970-949-5409), ordered pork belly for me at $1.23 a lb in Sept. 2011. It came in a big piece and he was willing to sell me one pound because he said he had other customers who would buy up the rest. The address is: 260 Beaver Creek Place, Avon, CO.
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City Market
1703 Fremont Dr, Canon City, CO 81212
2010-2011 Vail Valley & Beyond Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM (on a frugality chic budget)
2010-2011 Vail Valley & Beyond Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM (on a frugality chic budget)
Introduction
We’ve been reviewing the restaurants we have visited since our first season in Vail. For our 2008-09 Vail Valley Restaurant Reviews click:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/622174 or to see the same reviews with our photos, click:
http://travelingloveaffair.blogspot.com/2009/05/2008-09-vail-valley-co-restaurant.html
and, for our 2009-2010 Vail Valley Restaurant Reviews click:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/723230 or to see the same reviews with our photos, click:
http://travelingloveaffair.blogspot.com/2010/07/2009-10-vail-valley-restaurant-reviews.html
NOTE: we always share our meals, typically ordering one starter, one main and one dessert for the two of us. That makes a big difference in the cost of our meals and the expansion of our waistlines. We don’t have the kitchen split the meals because ALE doesn’t eat as much as DM. We just ask for an extra plate and ALE takes what she thinks she should eat. When we go to a restaurant having a fixed price multi-course meal special, we ask for permission to only order one meal when we make the reservation. If the restaurant doesn’t like that, we won’t go.
ALE and DM discussed adding ratings to our restaurant reviews and compromised on the following ratings:
HR: Highly recommended
R: Recommended
NR: Not recommended
A: Awful
Okay, now the reviews:
1. Vail
1.1. HR: Wildflower, Lodge at Vail, Vail, CO, tel. 970-476-5011, web: www.rockresorts.com. We had a wonderful meal in a beautiful room with terrific service by Emma Campbell. The room has floor to ceiling windows looking out on a quiet area of Vail Village. We went because there was a three course meal for $35 that we were permitted to share. Also they were having a 50% discount on wines by the bottle (when seated before 6:30 p.m.). We ordered a $45 Italian Montepulciano d’Abruzzo but they didn’t have it. They substituted a $80 Rosso Casanova di Neri ’06 from Montalcino which was superb (90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Casanova di Neri's 2006 Rosso di Casanova di Neri is a cask-aged blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino grown in the Sant-Antimo appellation which lies just beyond the southern border of the Brunello zone”). We were charged $22.50 for that bottle of wine—less than you can buy it for online! We were brought poppadoms with an Indian-spiced baba ganouch that was very good. Next we were each brought an amuse bouche even though we only ordered one 3-course meal. The amuse bouche was delicious: a glass of carrot juice and a cup of frissé lettuce with blue cheese, crispy fried artichoke heart and a crispy purple potato chip. For our starter we ordered the soft shelled crab on a bed of mixed lettuce and frissé with tobiko (flying fish roe), tomato, radish and blood orange slices. It was very good. Then Emma brought us each an Intermezzo of guava and mango sorbet. It was refreshing and tasty. For our main we ordered the lamb shank with green beans and Wildflower’s version of a tatertot. The portion was huge and it was delicious. The sauce that the lamb shank was made with was superb. For dessert we ordered the beignets with brown sugar gelato and stewed peaches and fresh raspberries. The beignets were more like sugar donuts so we didn’t like them. The gelato was very good, as were the peaches. Each dish was prepared with care and had intense, distinct and interesting flavors. Lastly we were brought mignardise, which we love! This is an excellent restaurant and it is a shame that it will be closing forever at the end of the summer. Rock Resorts has sold the space to a steak restaurant chain. We’re sad.
We had another wonderful meal in a beautiful room with terrific service by Emma Campbell in April before they closed for the shoulder season. We went because there was a three course meal for $35 that we were permitted to share. Also they were having a 50% discount on wines by the bottle (when seated before 6:30 p.m.). We ordered a $45 Italian Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and were charged $22.50 for that bottle. It was excellent. We were brought poppadoms with an Indian-spiced baba ganouch that was very good. Next we were each brought an amuse bouche even though we only ordered one 3-course meal. The amuse bouche was very good: a cup of frissé lettuce with a delicious morsel of smoked eel, tobiko (flying fish roe) and seaweed. For our starter we shared the home-cured bacon (pork belly) on a bed of mixed lettuce and frissé, tomato, radish and blood orange slices with a maple vinaigrette. It was very good. On this visit there was no Intermezzo. Emma had arranged for us to have the braised rabbit for our main (instead of the mains offered with the 3-course meal). The rabbit was braised with tomatoes, mushrooms, fungus, broccolini, edamame and a delicious pecorino broth. In the dish were “gnocchi brioche” which could have been omitted and it would have been a better dish. The portion was huge and it was delicious (we had enough to take home for a lunch). On the menu for dessert were 3 sorbets: apple, passion fruit and peach with a cookie. They had intensely distinct flavors and we loved them. Lastly we were brought mignardise. This is an excellent restaurant and we spent $62 plus tip for dinner.
1.2. HR: Terra Bistro, 352 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, CO 81657, Tel. 970-476-6836, web: www.vailmountainlodge.com/terra or www.terrabistrovail.com. We had another delightful meal at Terra Bistro during the pre-season when it was offering a 50% discount on all entrées. Our server was Jennifer and she is a veteran; very good and professional. We went because of the 50% discount on entrées. We shared everything and had 2 entrées. We were brought bread and the signature lentil dip which we like. We started with the “truffle onion and ricotta gnudi (in a parmesan consommé with steamed spinach, artichoke heart and chanterelle smoked tomato ragout)” for $26, before the discount. It was an interesting and unusual dish. We liked it. For our main we had the “Muscovy duck breast with chocolate mole sauce, sweet potato cubes with crunchy green beans, frissé lettuce and tangerine, accompanied by spoon bread with bacon” for $36, before the discount. It was delicious. We each had a glass of Tilia Malbec ($8 x 2) that we liked and for dessert we had the Masala chai and Medjool date bread pudding that was unusual and very good ($9). The subtotal was $87 less $31, plus tax $4.71. The total was $60.71 plus tip.
We went again in May because they were offering a $39 three-course meal. We got permission to share one meal. We liked our server, Thrasher, who is a veteran there. There was some choice in the 3 course meal so we started with the “tequila & sage organic chicken tamale, caldo verde, salsa cruda, yogurt crema”. It’s the first time we’ve had that there and it was very good. The next course was a “simple arugala salad with maple vinaigrette”. It was good but something we never would have ordered (preferring our 3rd course to be a dessert). For our main we shared the “kale crusted sea bass, mushroom & baby artichoke broth with spinach, white beans, roasted tomato and lemon-caper butter”. It was a large piece of sea bass, perfectly cooked and sweet. The accompaniments were delicious too. With our main we had one glass of Pinot Grigio Alta Adige for $9. For dessert we ordered the “Raspberry Yogurt Moose Bombe, Lemon curd quinoa cake, puffed rice tuile” for $9. This was an unusual and very good desert. The total was $52.04 with tax (evidently we weren’t charged for dessert), plus tip.
1.3. HR: La Tour, 122 East Meadow Dr., Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-4403, web: www.latour-vail.com. In November, we had a wonderful meal at La Tour. We went because they were offering a 50% discount on entrées. We liked our server, Paul, and we liked where we were sitting. We shared everything as usual. We split the dishes ourselves at the table, the way we like to. We started with an appetizer of “Seared Sea Scallops, ginger braised oxtail ragoût, mushrooms, cilantro, sesame cracker” ($15). It was an excellent dish. For our main we had the “Pan Roasted Saigon Cinnamon Scented Venison, Grilled Peaches, Cranberry-wild rice bread pudding, rosemary-hazelnut brown butter” ($42). The venison was tender, perfectly cooked and delicious. And the amount of venison on the plate was large. The accompaniments were also excellent. The brown butter was distinctive too. For dessert we shared the Banana Pecan Bread Pudding, spiked cinnamon syrup, caramel ice cream, cocoa nib tuile ($10). That was one yummy meal! Our subtotal was $83, less $21, plus $5.21 tax for a total of $67.21 plus tip.
We went again after the ski season ended in April the 50% off entrées was being offered again. It was packed and it seemed, from the conversations that we could hear, that they were locals. We sat in a back room where we had never eaten before. It was the farthest from the door, but because of the glass walls, we could see the front room. We had another wonderful meal at La Tour. DM thought that our server, Rob, was too flowery. He was definitely correct and attentive enough, even with all of the customers. We shared everything as usual. First we were brought bread and butter. The bread was good. We split the two entrées that we ordered ourselves at the table, the way we like to. We had them both come at the same time. We ordered the “Organic Egg Yolk Pappardelle, Lobster, Scallops, English Peas, Myer-Lemon Cheese, Pea Tendrils, Mint, Saba” ($38). It was very tasty and the scallops were particularly sweet (but maybe too much salt was added). With that we had the venison again. This time it was served with “Red Wine Poached Pear, Cranberry-wild rice bread pudding, haricots verts, rosemary-hazelnut brown butter” and the regular price was $44. The venison was tender, perfectly cooked and delicious. And the amount of venison on the plate was large. The accompaniments were also excellent. The brown butter was distinctive too. We had one glass of Malbec ($8) with the meal. For dessert we shared the Ginger Bread Pudding, stewed blueberries, crème fraîche ice cream, hazelnut sugar ($11). That was a huge amount of food and one yummy meal! Our subtotal was $101, less $41, plus $5.01 tax for a total of $65.04 plus tip.
In May La Tour was still offering the 50% discount on entrées so we went again and again had a wonderful meal and evening. We liked our server, Lauren, who was professional and charming. We sat in the front room, by the fireplace, and watched the snow. We particularly liked the piece of sculpture by Harold Linke on our table--a woman soaring towards the sky. We shared everything as usual and had two entrées. We started with the “Butternut Squash-Hazelnut Ravioli, Black Truffle, Parmigiano Reggiano, Organic Spinach, Lemon thyme brown butter’ (regularly $34). The flavors were terrific and the truffle added an earthy and delicious taste. The ravioli were superb, stuffed with a delicious-tasting squash mixture and cooked correctly. With our main entrée we had two glasses of the Colores del Sol Malbec ($8 x 2) which we like. We had the “Butter poached Alaskan Halibut, Morel Mushrooms, Wild Ramps, asparagus, heirloom potatoes, tarragon” (regularly $42). It was a very good dish. We were glad to taste ramps. The Vail Daily had just done an article on garlicky, sweet green onion flavor of ramps and we wanted to try them. The taste was subtle and yummy. The fish was nicely cooked and the dish was very good. For dessert we shared the “Rhubarb Cheesecake, Pistachio Crust, Strawberry Compote” ($11). It was delicious and beautiful. The regular price of the meal would have been $103. We spent $70.46 plus tip.
1.4. HR: Montauk Seafood Grill, 549 E. Lionshead Circle, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-2601. We had a delicious meal in November—our first at this restaurant. We went because of the $20 entrée offer and the restaurant was crowded. Our server, Bob, a veteran, was friendly and professional. We sat at a large table and enjoyed sharing our meal. We started with the Mariner’s Mussels ($12) from Prince Edward Island. They were delicious and tender. The juice was yummy. For our main we shared the Ahi Tuna, “Our Signature Dish…Hawaiian Ahi, Seared Rare, rock shrimp and vegetable stir-fry, sushi rice cake, soy-ginger vinaigrette with ginger and wasabi ($20 promotion). It was perfectly cooked, tasty and a large enough portion for 2. The entrée accompaniments were very good too. We had one glass of Beringer White Zinfandel ($5.50) that was pink and a little sweet. DM had a glass of Banyan Riesling ($7.75) that he liked. Our subtotal was $45.25, tax was $3.80 and our total was $49.05 plus tip.
In May Montauk had another special to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Every entrée was $25. We had the same exact meal and again it was yummy. From the hostess, to our server (Peter from the Czech Republic), to the owner-chef Dimitri Souvarin, we enjoyed the people who work at Montauk. This time we accompanied our meal with 2 glasses of Coppola Pinot Grigio ($8 x 2) which were very big and good.We spent $57.45 plus tip and enjoyed the evening.
The third time during this season that we went to Montauk we decided to try the crab legs. We started with the “Crispy Rhode Island Calamari, basil aioli and tomato-caper dipping sauces” ($11). They were tender and small and quite tasty. Then we shared “1 pound Alaskan Dungeness Crab, Herbed Yukon Potatoes, Fresh vegetables and drawn butter” ($25). The crab was good and the amount of food plenty for the two of us. With the crab we ordered two glasses of Coppola Pinot Grigio ($8 x2). We enjoyed ourselves and our server, Edward, was quite personable. Our total was $56.35 plus tip.
1.5. HR: Ludwig’s at the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail (across from the Vail Chapel), tel. 970-479-5429, www.sonnenalp.com . It’s a beautiful room and we had it to ourselves in the pre-season. Our server, John, was very good. They brought what they call amusée (grammatically it should be amusement, probably) of salmon and it was good. They also bring 2 kinds of bread, a sourdough and a pumpernickel, with butter and olive oil. The breads are made in-house and are very good. We went because the restaurant was offering a 3-course tasting menu for $35 and they permitted us to have only one. We shared it at the table, with ALE getting an extra plate and taking some off of the main plate. We started with a shrimp dish that was sweet and tasty. For our main we had the swordfish. It was beautifully cooked, succulent and delicious. With our main we each had a glass of St. Michelle Chardonnay. We had one of the desserts and thought it was very good. The meal cost $57.46 plus tip and was one of our better meals in Vail. One more thing, the china at Ludwig’s si Tafelstern and it lovely.
We went again in the pre-season for the 3-course for $35 menu. We started with crispy sweet breads, preserved lemon, capers, tomato concasse and cilantro salad. It was delicious. Our main was a pan seared wild caught salmon with winter asparagus, Pappardelle, caramelized heirloom cauliflower and sun dried tomatoes. The salmon was dry even though we had asked for it rare. We had 2 glasses of an Austrian blend—St. Lauren and cabernet $9 each that were good. For dessert we had the cranberry, walnut jello tartlet with thyme-Grande Marnier ice cream. It was crowded that night and so our service wasn’t as good as we’ve been used to there. Nonetheless it was a good enough meal.
1.6. HR: Sweet Basil, 193 E. Gore Creek Dr., Suite 201, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-0125, web: www.sweetbasil-vail.com. We have been waiting to try Sweet Basil when they were having a discounted meal. Our wait was rewarded in May 2011 when a three-course meal was priced at $42 per person. We telephoned to confirm that we could order 1 three-course meal and an extra plate so that we could share at the table. They said that would be fine. This was our first meal at Sweet Basil and we were prepared to be disappointed. The restaurant gets so much hype; it would be difficult for it to live up to all of it. Well, we enjoyed our meal. It was very, very good. The room is nice, with big windows overlooking the raging Gore Creek. It got very crowded but the service was professional and attentive. Rita our server had a bit of an attitude but it didn’t affect our enjoyment of the meal. We were brought (Avon Bakery) bread and butter. For $42, we could choose from any appetizer, any entrée and any dessert. For our starter, we chose the “Portuguese Baby Octopus a la Plancha, Dry Aged Chorizo, Olive Oil Poached Potatoes, Grilled Piquillo Peppers, Saffron Lemon Aioli Oil.” It was quite delicious and picturesque (too bad we didn’t take a snap). Each element of the dish had a distinctive taste and we like that. For our main, we chose the “Braised Free Range Veal Short Ribs, Spring Vegetable Blanquette, Abalone Mushrooms, Green Garlic, Pink Peppercorns, Horseradish Gremolata” (regular price $30). It was yummy! There were 3 ribs—plenty of meat and accompaniments for the two of us. While we didn’t taste the pink peppercorns or the horseradish gremolata, the green garlic and abalone mushrooms were particularly delicious. With dinner we had one glass of Amalaya Malbec ($9) which turned out to be a very large glass of very good wine. For dessert we chose the” Valrhona Chocolate and Hazelnut Pavé, Malted Caramel, Hazelnut Crunch Candied Cocoa Nibs, Banana Ice Cream” (regular price $10). It was good but the chocolate mousse on top of the pave was overwhelming! The pastry chef, Alex Daley, out-does himself. We had met Executive Chef Paul Anders at foodie events in the Vail Valley and we were glad to try the restaurant. We saw Chef de Cuisine Brian Brouillard but he didn’t come around to talk to the guests. The meal was $51 plus $4.28 tax and tip.
We had another lovely meal at Sweet Basil during the Spring Special $42 three-course menu (which we shared). This time we really liked our server, Sean, too. We started with the “Walnut and Mascarpone Tortelli, Rapini with Garlic and Chili, Wild Spring Onions, Grilled King Trumpet Mushrooms, Smoked Mushroom Brodo.” It was a lovely dish and we really liked the trumpet mushrooms. For our main we chose the “Gold Canyon Angus Hanger Steak, Gorgonzola Gnocchi di Pane, Anise Spinach Puree, Spicy Garlic Wilted Spinach, Gilled Onion, Bordelaise” (usually $30). We asked for it medium rare and it came out perfectly. The portion was large and the dish was really delicious (although something in the dish was too salty for ALE). With our main we each had a glass of the Amalaya Malbec ($9 x 2). For dessert we chose the new addition to the menu: “Warm Blueberry Crostata-Balsamic macerated blueberries, toasted almonds, ricotta sherbet” (regularly $10) by Pastry Chef Alex Daley. It was very, very good. We saw that one of the entrées included fresh ramps so we asked if we could buy some. We were given about ½ pound of ramps and charged $5. We can’t wait to cook with them. A very successful evening all-around! We spent $65.46 plus tip on the meal.
1.7. R: Lancelot, Restaurant, 201 Gore Creek Drive, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-5828. We had another very good meal at Lancelot’s—with their early season discount of 25% off of entrees and 25% off of bottles of wine. Our server, Jason, is a veteran and is professional, friendly and good. We shared everything and started with a Clam Chowder ($6.95) and then a Kings Cut Prime Rib ($25.95). The meat was excellent and so were the accompaniments. We ordered a bottle of Gascon Malbec ($35) and had enough prime rib and wine to take home and enjoy. The Subtotal was $67.90 and the discounts totaled $15.24 so (with Vail tax $2.72 and state tax $2.99) the total was $58.37 plus tip. Since our meal at Lancelot, DM decided he doesn’t like slow roasted beef any more he doesn’t want to go back to Lancelot. Oh well.
1.8. R: Alpenrose, 100 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, CO (Gunther Schmidt chef), tel. 970-476-8899. Our server, Paul, also worked behind the bar. He was good and the room was fine. We were seated at the window in the bar area. There was a large party in the upstairs area but it wasn’t too noisy. The restaurant was very full but the service was good. We went for the 3-course Crispy Duck special with Alpenrose salad and apple struedel for dessert. We had one glass of Rodney Shiraz ($8).The duck order was huge and good. The salad was uninspired and the struedel was okay. We spent $41.14 plus tip.
1.9. R: La Bottega, 100 E. Meadow Dr., Suite 37, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-0280, web: www.labottegavail.com.We went because they were offering a 30% discount off of the entire bill. It’s a series of small rooms and it was crowded. The chairs have hard seats and the wines (even from Chile and Argentina) were over-priced. We thought our server, Armando was good and professional, although he failed to return DM's American Express card when he brought the check. We had to go back the next day to get it. We had one Soup del Giorno ($8) which was a Portobello mushroom and good. For our main we shared the Duck with grappa glaze and polenta ($29.50) that was very good and too much for the two of us to finish. We each had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon ($8 x 2). We saw others having a traditional Zabaglione and we ordered that. At first a whipped cream thing arrived and we pointed to the one that was traditional and waited for the good one to arrive ($12). It was a good meal. Subtotal: $65.50, less $19.65. The tax was $3.85 and the total after discount was $49.70 plus tip.
We went again in April because they were offering 25% discount on the total bill. This is our second visit to that restaurant and it was good. We shared everything and ordered 1 baked cannelloni with spinach ($20.50) and one Ahi Tuna ($28.50). With that we bought a bottle of Pinot Noir ($32). We took home half of the cannelloni and half of the wine. Our server, Jose, was pleasant and the meal was nice. There were enough people to create a nice buzz. The total before the discount was $81. The discount was $20.26, the tax was $5.11 and so the total after the discount was $65.85 plus tip.
1.10. R: Lord Gore Restaurant, Manor Vail Lodge, 595 E. Vail Valley Dr., Golden Peak, CO 81657, tel. 970-343-6188, www.lordgorevail.com. We went because they were offering a 50% discount on all food and 25% off selected wines. It’s a room with a very high-ceiling and floor to ceiling windows looking out on Golden Peak. There’s a big stone fireplace with a gas fire and some nice art on the walls. The place was packed! Our server was Gavin and he was good and helpful (although his voice is too loud for us—we could hear him from across the room). We shared everything as usual. We started with the “Brule Berkshire Pork Belly, Green Lentil Ragoût” for $12 and it was very good. The dish would have been better if there had been more lentils. There were other starters that also looked interesting too: the crab cake, the Ahi tuna Tamaki, the scallops and the sweetbreads. It’s unusual that there are so many starters that we might have ordered. For our main we shared the “Elk New York, Seared Tournedos of Elk, Sticky Rice, Young Bok Choy, Blackberry-Teriyaki Sauce” in the large plate portion for $38 (the small plate portion was $27). It was good and tender although again the accompaniments were meager. The 2 carrots and tiny bok choy looked lost on the plate. There were two small portions of sticky rice that were sufficient for us. With our main we had 2 glasses of Diseno Malbec at $9 each (there was no reasonably priced red wine on the discounted wine list). For dessert we had the “Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding, whiskey crème anglaise” for $8. It wasn’t a big hit because it was too goopy. The Executive Chef Richard Bailey does a good job. Dave Osbourne, the Outlets Manager came to our table and chatted which was nice—we like that. It was a good meal, not a great one. The total was $50.95 plus tip. (Without the discount the total would have been $82.38.)
1.11. R: Russell's, Bridge Street's Cozy Little Steakhouse, 228 Bridge St., Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-6700, web: www.russellsvailcom. We went because Russell’s was offering a 50% discount on all entrées. It looks like a steakhouse—lots of dark wood. We had a good server named Kate and the meal was good too. First we were brought bread and whipped butter. We shared one fish entrée which came with rice pilaf with a tarragon cream sauce and vegetables. The kitchen split the meal even though we had said we would do that at the table. The vegetables were zucchini and yellow squash and it was a big portion. The portion of grouper was good-sized too and we asked for it blackened. It was a good preparation. We also ordered a side of mushrooms. They were white mushrooms sautéed in a tasty and slightly spicy brown sauce of black pepper and sherry. We each had a glass of wine, one Postales Malbec $8 and one Graf Riesling $8. Both were good too. The total bill was $61 less $19.50 plus tax of $3.50 equaled $45.
1.12. R: Bistro 14, Eagle Bahn, Vail Mountain Five of us enjoyed sharing the mussels and the Ahi tuna for starters. ALE had the ½ rack of hoisen bbq ribs ($18), another had the chicken pot pie, another had the French dip sandwich, another the crab cakes and another the mussels for her main. Everyone was happy. It’s an experience and we would recommend it.
1.13. R for lunch, with caveat: Nozawa Sushi, 2211 N Frontage Rd W, Vail, CO 81657 $970-476-9355. We have been to Nozawa before for lunch and thought that the bento box at $7.95 was very good. The problem for us with this restaurant is that the space is drab and should be totally renovated. It just isn’t pleasant. This time we shared the bento box with Pad Thai pork. There was a huge amount of food, starting with a miso soup, the box came with vegetable tempura, 3 pieces of sushi (made with avocado, crab and cucumber), rice, the Pad Thai and I think that was all. We had enough to take home for another lunch! Jennifer, our server was efficient and the sushi chef was friendly.
1.14. NR: Up the Creek, 223 Gore Creek Dr. Suite 103, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-8141, web:http://vailupthecreek.com. We’ve been to Up the Creek three times. In our 2008-09 Vail Valley, CO Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM we put it in the Very Good Category. In our 2009-10 Vail Valley Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM we Highly Recommended it. This visit was a disappointment and we would no longer recommend you go to Up the Creek. We went because the restaurant was offering a $35 three-course dinner. We got special permission to only order one and to have an extra plate. The location of the restaurant beside the raging Gore Creek is very nice. The tables are highly lacquered which is a good look when there are no tablecloths. The restaurant got crowded and had a large “to go” order as well. The kitchen was excruciatingly slow and the server was harried—over her head—although one of the owners was helping her. Even without all of the server’s rushing around, we would not have liked Tricia. She was overly gushy and phony. For our starter we ordered the “Maine Diver Scallops, Pan Seared, Cauliflower Puree, Sweet Corn Medley, Citrus Zest”. This dish is usually $16 and usually comes with 3 scallops. The offering for the 3-course menu included one scallop. It was good but looked silly. For our main, we ordered the “Duck Two Ways, Pan Seared Breast, Confit, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Broccolini, Morel Mushroom Sauce”. This dish is usually $34 and we don’t know how much duck usually is served. On our plate was one, small piece of duck breast, a couple of flakes of confit and the accompaniments. The duck breast was nicely cooked (the flakes of confit were too small to have any taste) and the dish was good, particularly the morel mushroom sauce. It was enough for us but again it looked silly on the plate because it was so skimpy. We didn’t order any wine because there was no glass of wine under $10. There was no bottle of wine under $40. For dessert we ordered the “Pecan Tart, Cinnamon Gelato, Whipped Cream, Caramel” which is usually $10. It tasted like a medium-grade store bought pecan pie and as did the cinnamon gelato. We think that the restaurant is over-priced and pretentious for what it is. Fortunately we didn’t spend much for this meal: $37.94 plus tip.
1.15. NR: Cucina Rustica, Lodge at Vail, Gore Creek Dr., Vail, CO, tel. 970-754-7809. We think that the restaurant has lost its way. The menu says it is “Spanish Alpine Inspired Cuisine” which surprised us—we thought it was rustic Italian. Oh well. The room is nice although the chairs could be more comfortable if they had backs. Brett was our server and very good. We went because of the $35 three-course dinner (which they said we could share one of) and because the last time we went we enjoyed the meal. For our starter we shared the “Wood Roasted Mussels, Faro Risotto, wine, parsley, garlic, shallots, aioli and chicharonnes” ($16 regular price). The mussels were good (2 different kinds) and the faro risotto was excellent. There were no chicharonnes and we didn’t taste any aioli. For our main we ordered the “Churrasco Suckling Pig Asado, Caraway & Winter Pears, Porcini Risotto” ($23 regular price). The order was huge, suckling pig tasted like ham, the pear was dry and the porcini mushrooms didn’t have much taste. It was disappointing. For dessert we shared the Churros “Doughnuts with red grapes and amaretto crema ($9 regular price). With our meal we ordered a bottle of Weinert Malbec (Mendoza) ’04 for $45 which was good and better value than two glasses of Carmenere for a total of $22 (which was the cheapest red on the menu and too expensive for what it is). The meal was overall not as good as it should have been. (Food $33, wine $45, tax $6.55, total $84.55 plus tip.)
1.16. NR: Kelly Liken, 12 Vail Road, Suite 100, Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-479-0175, www.kellyliken.com. We decided to go in 2011 because they were having a three-course meal for $45, after not eating there during our second season in Vail because the restaurant didn’t offer an. After much (too much) discussion with Oliver, we were allowed to order only one three-course meal and have an empty plate put in front of ALE so that I could take some. We remembered our meal in November, 2008 as having been delightful and Kelly Liken being one of our favorite restaurants in Vail. Well, two and one-half years and Iron Chef and Top Chef Competitions later, it was a disappointing meal. The room was noisy, with the music too loud and the kitchen too loud. Our service by Kevin was not to our liking and the food was only good, not great. We were each brought an amuse bouche of a cauliflower soup even though we only ordered one three-course meal. The soup was good but it was tepid. We were served very good (Avon Bakery) bread and butter. For our appetizer we ordered the “Crispy Veal Sweetbreads, with honey-sage laced turnips, pickled cabbage and carrots with a veal demi”. The sweetbreads were breaded and that is not how we like them. The cubed turnips were good but the dish was not flavorful or interesting. For our main, we ordered the “Braised Veal Cheeks, crisp pork belly and fennel studded lentils, herb infused fennel confit, whole grain mustard demi”. Again the dish lacked distinctive tastes and was uninteresting. The portions were small compared to the other restaurants in Vail but there was enough food for the two of us. With the main, we had one glass of ’08 Covidae Wine Co. ‘Rook” Syrah Blend for $14 (less 50%). For our dessert, we ordered the “Vanilla Orange Cheesecake, glossy port glazed figs, vanilla pear puree, caramelized white chocolate shards, crisp hazelnut tuile.” It was good but the whole experience was tinged with a feeling that Kelly Liken is greedy and we wondered why we thought it was such a great restaurant the first time we went. We were served mignardise with the check.
1.17. NR: Centre V Arabelle, Lionshead, tel. 970-754-770.The room is nice and we had a good server named Caitin. Our table with its center pedestal was uncomfortable for our legs. There is an amuse bouche of cheese puffs with a chipotle sauce. We think that amuse bouche are fun but this one lacked taste and so was a waste of the calories. The kinds of bread that were served were good. It. The bread came with a dish of kalamata olives, olive oil and truffle butter. We went because of the special Thursday 3-course dinner for $33. There was no problem with us ordering only one dinner and sharing it at the table. The menu included a “Trio of Pierogies:” Potato-Brie, Sauerkraut and beef with a spicy Portobello-marinara. The pierogies were good but the different tastes difficult to differentiate. For our main there was a choice of beef or salmon. We chose the “Basil Roasted Organic Salmon, Rock Shrimp, grilled radicchio, tomato confit”. We ordered the salmon rare; it didn’t come out rare but it was moist enough. It came with rock shrimp, grilled radicchio, a sautéed mixed vegetable accompaniment of zucchini, tomato, olives, Brussels sprouts and pepper. We each had a glass of Terazzas Malbec ($9 x2). The salmon was good but too much for us to finish. We asked for the rest to be packed up for us but they forgot. The restaurant gave us a discount of 15% on the entire meal as a result. For dessert we were served Traditional Profiteroles with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. Instead of the chocolate sauce we asked for honey and that was okay with the restaurant. DM thought that they were good; ALE didn’t. The meal was $46.99 (after the 15% discount). The meal was okay but not worth repeating.
1.18. NR: The Left Bank, 183 Gore Creek Dr., (at the Stizmark Lodge) Vail, CO 81657, tel. 970-476-3696, web: www.leftbankvail.com. We went for the special “3 for $33;” it was our first time at the Left Bank. Kimberly Chelain, the chef’s wife, was welcoming. The room is large and overlooks Gore Creek (from the left bank). The décor is tired, with old-fashioned black and white gingham valances. We sat by the window and had Tricia, an enthusiastic young new-comer to Vail for our server. The “3 for $33” is a starter, a salad and a main—not exactly the 3 courses (starter, main and dessert) we had assumed. But okay, we were there to try the food. For our starter we chose the country pâté which was “en croûte.” It was good but small and we wondered whether the chef, Jean-Michel Chelain, was from Lyon. The salad came next and was insipid. For our main we chose the pasta with shrimp in a garlic butter sauce. The pasta was a dollop of angel hair pasta (not our favorite) with 3 medium-sized shrimp on top. There were 3 dots of squash purée on the plate as well. There was enough food for us but the plate looked skimpy. Our main was good but not good enough to warrant a return visit. With our meal we had two glasses of Rutherford Merlot ($8 x 2) at the same price we had paid for a ½ bottle of Rutherford Merlot at Juniper the night before. We decided not to have any of the desserts. Our food total was $49 and with tax the bill was $53.37 plus tip.
1.19. NR: Market at Vail Cascade, We spent $8 for a cubed vegetable salad with no particular taste.
2. Avon
2.1. HR: Splendido at the Chateau, 17 Chateau Lane (off of Scott Hill Rd.), Beaver Creek (PO Box 2498, Avon, CO 81620, Tel. 970-845-8808, web: http://www.splendidobeavercreek.com/. We had another lovely meal at Splendido but not as perfect as the one in April 2009. At first, we were seated at a banquette near a big, loud group at the front of the restaurant. The banquette was too low for the table (and ALE is too short). The hostess had a loud voice as did our first server. We changed tables and were seated at a table with comfortable chairs (that were the correct height for the table) in front of the open kitchen windows. We were much happier. Our second server, Josh, was good. We went because they were offering a three-course menu for $42 which they said we could share. Because we had the plates brought to the table and we split the dishes ourselves, we were not charged a splitting fee. The three kinds of bread that we were brought were very good—particularly the parmesan crisps. We were each brought an amuse bouche of edamame purée on crackers. We started with a Hawaiian tuna poke, with tuna sashimi cubes, in a soy, macadamia and seaweed sauce. It was a big portion and very tasty. For our main, we ordered the “Long Island Duck Breast-Just Smoked, whole wheat couscous tabouli style and grilled asparagus”. The portion was very large, the duck was tender and tasty, and the couscous very good. The asparagus were brought in a separate dish, straight from the oven and were thick and surprisingly tender. They had a thin layer of cheese on them and were very good. Usually DM doesn’t like smoked meat but he liked the duck! We ordered one glass of Newton Claret, which at $10 a glass was very good. For dessert we ordered the “Guitard Chocolate Terrine with crème anglaise and dark chocolate ice cream”. Man, was that good! Ordinarily DM doesn’t order anything chocolate but the other desserts on the menu didn’t interest him. He actually liked this dessert. David Walford, the Executive Chef stopped by to chat and to thank us for coming. We really, really liked that. We were brought mignardises and we actually couldn’t finish them! It was an enjoyable meal! The total cost was $52 plus $4.19 tax and $1 liquor tax.
2.2. HR: Grouse Mountain Grill, Pines Lodge at Beaver Creek, 141 Scott Hill Road, Avon, CO, Tel. 970-949-0600, e-mail restaurant manager, Tony McNally, at: tony@grousemountaingrill.com, web: www.grousemountaingrill.com. The restaurant describes itself as "Mountain fine dining—regionally influenced, seasonally focused.' We went because they were having a 3 course dinner special for $33 from their spring menu. When we made the reservation we pre-cleared that we were having only one menu and an extra plate. That was fine. The room is large and has windows overlooking the Beaver Creek snow-covered slopes. The last time we went to Grouse Mountain Grill in 2009 we had a delicious meal and our second visit was delicious too. Our server was good. While we were waiting for our starter we were brought homemade rye and potato sourdough bread with a plate of three accompaniments: olive oil, butter and a marmalade spread which we enjoyed. We started with the daily soup which was a cream of butternut squash soup with Thai spices, coconut cream and black sesame seeds. It was very good and came out hot. We ordered two glasses of a Masi Malbec that were also good ($9 each). For our main we had the “Tomato Braised Colorado Lamb Shank—creamy thyme polenta, parsley, lemon and black olive salad.” It was a huge and excellent dish; the lamb was great. For dessert we ordered an apple bread pudding with caramelized apples, 7 bean vanilla ice cream and a bourbon caramel sauce. It was also huge order and very good. The meal was lovely. The subtotal was $56.09, to which was added a BC assessment of $2.73 and tax of $2.36. We added a tip for our server.
2.3. HR: Vin 48, 48 E Beaver Creek Blvd., Suite 101, Avon, CO 81620, tel. 970-748-9463, www.vin48.com. We were sorry it took us 3 seasons in the Vail Valley to try this restaurant. We had a very good meal at Vin 48. We went because all large plates were $18 (with the purchase of a small plate) and because people had told us that it is good. We sat in front of the windows with a view of Beaver Creek mountains. We liked our server, Patrick, and we liked the food. As usual we shared everything. Bread came with 3 very good sauces: a red pepper, a honey butter and a tarragon oil. For our small plate we ordered the “sautéed sea scallops, red onion purée, crispy onions, chive butter” ($14). The scallops were sweet and the red onion purée was delicious. The onions were good but not crispy. For our main we ordered the “Colorado lamb t-bones, cheese ravioli, mint pesto, baby carrots, lamb jus” (regularly $33). The lamb t-bones (2 of them) were tasty, tender and enough for 2 people. The accompaniments were very good too. With the main course, we had one glass of La Posta Malbec for $9. We didn’t have any dessert. The total was $44.45 with tax. We would recommend this restaurant.
2.4. HR for lunch: Avon Bakery & Deli, 0025 Hurd Lane #4, Avon, Co 81620, tel. 970-949-3354, web: www.avonbakeryanddeli.com. We probably go to the Avon Bakery once a week for lunch (usually on 2-for-1 Tuesdays). While some things are better than others, we generally have enough for lunch by sharing one large soup, or one salad or one sandwich (with enough extra sandwich to take home for another lunch). We spend about $10 and are happy. After the ski season, they had luncheon sandwich specials for $5.99 instead of $8-something.
2.5. R for lunch: Ticino, 100 W Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO 81620, tel. 970-748-6792. We spent $9.60 for the pasta of the day (with carrot cake cupcake for dessert). It was good and plentiful. The space is pleasant enough.
2.6. A: Panda City, 222 Beaver Creek Place (next to Office Depot in Chapel Square, Avon, CO 81620, tel. 970-949-5188. We spent $27 for takeaway and it was uniformly awful. We ordered Szechuan Chicken $10.95, Szechuan Bean Curd $8.50, and Hot & Sour Soup $6.50.
3. Edwards
3.1 HR: Juniper, 97 Main St., #E101, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-7001, Douglas Abel owner: e-mail: doug@juniperrestaurant.com). A 20% discount on the entire meal was being offered. We sat across from the bar which we don’t want to do again. Angie was our server. She’s a veteran and she’s good. Douglas Abel, the owner, was there and came to talk to us (which we like). Chef Todd Bullis wasn’t there. We shared everything as usual and started with 1 Grilled Calamari Stuffed with House Made Sausage, Puttanesca Sauce and Grana Padano ($13). It was excellent and the Puttanesca sauce was original and added to the special quality of the dish. For our main we shared the Chilean Sea Bass with Crispy Pancetta, Sautéed Julienne Squash, Mint Pea Purée and Vanilla Beurre Fondue ($36). The piece of sea bass was large, thick, perfectly cooked and delicious. There was lots of pea purée and squash and the beurre was lovely. We each had a glass of Dry Creek (CA) Sauvignon Blanc ($8) that was very good. For dessert we shared a Warm Brandy Braised Apple with Thyme Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce ($10). The thyme ice cream was very good as was the apple. The caramel sauce was more like a hard candy shell and we didn’t eat it. It was a delightful meal and cost $62.96 plus tip.
We went again in April because of the 50% discount being offered on all entrées. We had an enjoyable meal in spite of the noise and the hard chair seats. We liked our server, Gavin, but didn’t like the woman who was hostessing (she had some kind of attitude) or the man helping her (he wasn’t friendly). We asked to be seated at the front of the restaurant because we don’t like the high tables and chairs at the back. We had our “regular” table right behind the hostess’ desk and near the bar. It was crowded on a Sunday night at the end of the season. Neither Chef Todd Bullis nor Douglas Abel was there that night but the food and service were very good. We shared everything and started with a “side” of Lobster Raviolis ($10) that were 3 large raviolis stuffed with delicious and sweet lobster. For our main we had a “Colorado Rack of Lamb with Brown Butter Gnocchi, Mint Verde, Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Yogurt” ($38). It was a very large portion; the meat was cooked perfectly and was tasty (we had asked for it rare). The gnocchi and brown butter were yummy, the mint was very good and the eggplant had a delicious char-broiled taste. With the lamb we had one glass of Birillo ($10) that was good. For dessert we shared the crunchy cannoli ($10) that was also a large portion and was good. The subtotal was $68, less $19 for the discount, plus tax $2.17 and Riverwalk tax $.25; the total was $51.42 plus tip
3.2. HR: Vista at Arrowhead, 676 Sawatch Drive, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-2111, web: www.vista-arrowhead.com. We had another wonderful meal. The dining room had been moved to the room with a fireplace. It has quite a different feel—a sort of club atmosphere with the large, leather arm chairs at the tables. Our server, Rachel, was good, friendly and professional. There were two large parties at the bar while we were there. It was very noisy, particularly with the rock music. Fortunately, when asked, the sound on the music was reduced. We went because of the 30% discount offered on all food items. We were brought bread and an olive and white bean dip that was very good. We shared everything as usual and ordered a starter of “Braised Pork Belly, with warm dried figs, caramelized cippolini onions and fontina grits” ($12). The taste was delicious and the combination original and exciting. We don’t often see pork belly on a menu and we had it because we like it, and also because Tony Bourdain raves about it on his shows. For our main we shared the “Vista Braised Colorado Lamb Shank, with cannellini bean and olive puree, roasted broccoli and citrus gremolata” ($28). It was a huge portion and very good (maybe too salty for our tastes). DM thought that the cannellini bean and olive puree was a bit too heavy. With our meal we each had a glass of Malbec ($7 x2) that was excellent with our meal choices. For dessert DM had the Sorbet Trio ($6.50) and liked the raspberry, mango and grapefruit champagne sorbets. The big groups eventually quieted down and we enjoyed our meal. We spent $48.60 plus tip.
We went again in May when Vista re-opened because Vista was offering 30% discount on all food. We had a delightful evening. We sat near the window and had a lovely view of the creek. Kevin was our server at first and then Sean took over. He isn’t a professional server but has an engaging personality. We had a lot of attention from Darryl who is a manager and usually works at the bar. The new menu included an intriguing appetizer called “Beignets with Italian Ham in a mustard seed cream sauce” ($9). The little balls were good (like round hush puppies) but too salty. The sauce was very good. When asked how the beignets were we told Darryl they were too salty. He went back to the kitchen and came back agreeing with us. As it turned out, Vista didn’t charge us for them. For our main we had the “Potato Crusted Alaska Halibut, exotic mushrooms, asparagus, citrus butter sauce” ($32). The mushrooms included trumpeters and white beech and they were delicious. The sauce and the asparagus were very good too. The halibut should have been cooked a little less, particularly since we asked for it medium rare but it was good nonetheless. With the main we had one glass of Riesling ($8) and one glass of Sauvignon Blanc ($7.25) both of which were good and reasonably priced. For dessert we chose the donut holes with chocolate ($6.50) which were delicious. The regular price of the meal would have been $62.75 but with the discount and the comp the total was $44.06 plus tip.
3.3. R: Zino Ristorante, 27 Main St., #C101 Riverwalk, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-0777, http://www.zinoristorante.com. The owner of Zino also owns Sweet Basil. We went because they were having “Mussel Madness is Back! $6 Mussels Every Tuesday Night”. It was our first time there and the mussels were recommended. Tom was our server and he was good. We sat downstairs in the restaurant area. The upstairs, bar area, looked uncomfortable. The chairs were wood and were thus hard. The space is large, with a long open kitchen and “double and ½” ceilings and old-fashioned tiled floors. The high ceiling and the massive amount of windows would make the space light and bright during the day. At night it seems like a large, cold space. The room itself was not cold; with the restaurant filling up and the kitchen working hard, it got quite hot in fact. We started with the “Cozze: Skillet roasted mussels, lemon butter fondue” (regular price $12). They were tender and tasty; the preparation was innovative and good (although there was a little too much sea salt for us). For our main we shared the “Linguini—scallops, lobster, shrimp and tomatoes in a spicy saffron arrabbiata sauce” ($28). It was good although the linguine was too thin for our taste and the dish was on the too spicy side of good. We had one glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo” and it was good ($9). There wasn’t anything on the menu that we wanted for dessert so we didn’t order any. The total was $45.12 with $1.90 tax and $.22 Riverwalk tax.
3.4. R: Asian Spice Bistro, 69 Edwards Access Rd.,, Unit #6 (Edwards Plaza), Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-6628. The service is very good and so is the food. There were 4 of us and we shared everything. We had Crispy Bangkok Duck ($20) that was excellent. One Fried Rice that was good. One Coconut Shrimp that was very good and one Moo Shu Pork that was also very good. We had 3 glasses of $5 Zinfandel and 1 tea. For each couple it cost $45 and everyone was happy. And we had leftovers to take home.
3.5. R: Main Street Grill, 97 Main St., Suite W101 Riverwalk, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-2729, http://www.mainstgrill.org/index.html. In the front it’s a bar, in the back there are tables and a window overlooking the Eagle River. We shared everything and started with the Chilean Mussels sautéed in a savory, sherry cream sauce. The sauce was excellent and there was plenty of it. The mussels were small and a little chewy. Overall the dish was very good, however. They were usually $10 but on Monday night they were $7. For our main we shared the Creole Jambalaya (chicken, andouille sausage and veggies, slow cooked with rice and Creole Sauce) which was regularly $16 but on Monday night all entrées were $12. The ingredients were overcooked as was the rice. The Creole sauce was not tasty. It was not a very good dish. With the main we had one St. Michelle Riesling for $6. The regular price of the meal was $37, less $5, plus tax $1.83, plus the automatic 18% tip, totaled $40.50. Tuesdays are two-for-one night so we might return but it isn’t good enough to return to pay full price.
3.6. R: The French Press, 34295 Hwy. 6, Riverwalk C-1-B, Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-4740. In past seasons we’ve had good dinners at the French Press. This year we tried lunch and it was very good indeed. We had the soup of the day which was a veal stew. It had the correct amount of spiciness and it was thick and a large portion. We asked for bread and slices of a very good baguette arrived. At $5 the price was right too.
3.7. R for lunch: The Gashouse, 34185 US Hwy. 6, Edwards, CO 86632, tel. 970-926-3613. We’ve never been there for dinner so we don’t know how it is. Each lunch has been good but actually too much food. There was a 20% end-of-season discount in May and an 18% gratuity automatically added. We had the Maryland crab cakes with French fries. They were good but had too much bread in them. They were $14.95, less 2.99 plus tax .53 plus gratuity $2.69 = $15.20.
3.8. R for lunch: Bookworm of Edwards, 295 Main St., Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-7323. We’ve been to the café at the Bookworm a few times for lunch. Each time we’ve had the luncheon special or the soup or the crepe & salad. We’ve enjoyed it each time and spent around $10.
3.9. R for lunch: eat! drink!, 56 Edwards Village Blvd., Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-1393, web: www.eatdrinkinc.com. After vowing not to ever return to dish (see the review below) we decided to try the spring lunch special at eat! drink! of a Panini and soup for $9 (regularly $12). Pollyanna Foster is the owner of eat! drink! And also dish! We have been to dish! twice—the first time we were under-whelmed and the second time we walked out because it was too noisy and we had waited 5 minutes without having the server appear at our table. We chose the Emilia which contained la quercia proscuitto, buffalo mozzarella, roasted tomato, pesto & truffle oil. The soup was a cheesy onion soup that was large, tasty but too salty for us. The Panini was very good and we had half to take home. It was an enjoyable lunch.
3.10. NR: 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, 50 W. Thomas Place, Avon, CO 81620, tel. 970-827-6600, web: www.8100barandgrill.com. We had never been to this restaurant before and we wanted to try it. They were having a special $20 “’dish-n-drink’ (choose an entrée and drink combination for dinner)”. It wasn’t crowded but our server, Ryan, seemed overwhelmed by the 4 tables. The barman/host, Greg, helped out and was very personable. We ordered one appetizer from the menu and the special and we shared everything. We were brought bread and butter and were not impressed with the bread. At first we were brought all of our food at one time and Ryan, our server, apologized. We then started with our the starter that we had chosen-- the “Shrimp & Chorizo, Sweet Pink Prawns with garlic & cilantro” for $11. The prawns were sweet but the sauce was too salty and the chorizo was too dry. For our main we ordered the “Braised Short Rib, Cabernet Barbecue Glazed with Fries”. It was a very large portion; the fries were great the short ribs were too salty. For the “drink” portion of the special we ordered one glass of Murphy-Goode, Cabernet Sauvignon, CA (regularly $9). It was good. This was a “once in a lifetime” kind of place for us. We’re glad it wasn’t more expensive than $34.10 plus tip.
3.11. NR: Dish, 56 Edwards Village Blvd., Edwards, CO 81632, tel. 970-926-1393, web: www.eatdrinkinc.com. We were under-whelmed with our first experience at dish in 2009 but we decided to try it again because they were having a special in the spring of 2011. We were seated in the bar area because there was a big party being seated in the back. Unfortunately the big party was still at the bar and it was very noisy. We were going to try the special $25 6-course tasting menu (chef’s choice) but no one came to take our order for a long time (it seemed). It was too noisy and unpleasant to stay so we left. It is unlikely that we will ever go back again.
3.12. A: Henry's Chinese Cafe, 175 S. Main St., #C101, Edwards, CO 81682, tel. 970-926-3050 We spent $7.30 for the lunch special of Sesame Tofu that came with hot and sour soup and rice. It was uninspired and the server was snotty.
4. Minturn
4.1. R: The Saloon, 146 N. Main St., Minturn, CO 81645, tel. 970-827-5954 The first time we went we were impressed but after each subsequent visit we were less enchanted. The quail is good but the atmosphere isn’t. We shared one order of Quail enchilada ($18.95) that comes with 2 quail and one sorry enchilada. The sopapillas for dessert were very good ($4.75). Our total with wine was $31.
4.2. R: Minturn Country Club, 99 Main Street, Minturn, CO Tel. 970-827-4114 $20.83 plus tip. We went because of the legendary $2.99 8-oz steak special. We shared everything and had: Steak $2.99, Salad $2.50, Steak fries $3.75, Onion rings $3.99, Asparagus $5.95. DM did the cooking and did great. As usual it was fun.
4.3. NR: Nicky's Quickie, 151 Main St., Minturn 81645, tel. 970-376-7387. The space isn’t too interesting or comfortable. The presentation of our falafel sandwich was weird and very difficult to eat. The portion was small and was only okay. We have subsequently bought dolmades there (from a jar) and they were okay.
5. Eagle
5.1. R: Paradigms, 343 Capitol St., Eagle, CO 81631, phone: 970-328-7990, www.paradigmsrestaurant.com . We had a lovely lunch one weekday for the reasonable price of $11. We shared the chicken salad and truffle fries (there was enough leftover to take home for another day).The room is light even on a gray day and elegant. There were a number of other diners so it had a nice buzz too. The service was very good and the food delicious.
5.2. R for lunch: Gourmet China, 212 E. Chamber Ave., Eagle, CO 81631, tel. 970-328-0866. We had one lunch special of Kung Poa Shrimp and it wasn’t bad. It came with rice, a salad and an egg roll. We spent $8.20 plus tip and had enough for another lunch to take home.
6. Gypsum
6.1. R: Gypsum Creek Grill, Gypsum Creek Golf Course, 530 Cotton Ranch Dr., Gypsum, CO 81637, tel. 970-524-6200, ext. 5. We had a lovely meal there. Rhonda Bell and our server, Matt, gave great service. The space is very comfortable with a gas fireplace in the middle We started with Seafood Rangoons ($8) that were home made. For our main, we shared one salmon on a cedar plank, served with fresh, mixed vegetables and home cut French fries ($16). It was a large portion, tasty and good. We had one glass of cabernet sauvignon ($5) For dessert, we shared the bread pudding which we liked too ($5). We didn’t get to meet the chef, Steve “Juice” O’Sullivan because it was his night off but the food he had prepared was very good and everyone at our table was happy.
7. Frisco
7.1. R: Food Hedz World Cafe, 842 Summit Blvd., #19, Frisco, CO 80443, tel. 970-668-2000, : http://www.foodhedz.com. We went for lunch and had “Traditional Red Curry & Rice Noodles $9.75 with sautéed snow peas, peppers, cabbage, baby corn, scallions, mango and toasted cashews” We had a choice of seared tofu, tempura shrimp or sweet chili chicken and we chose the tofu. The space is pleasant for a café atmosphere but it’s pretentious and the prices are too high for what it is. We don’t like having to go to a counter to order our fancy food. Our dish was good but not great and not enough of the Thai flavors to make it interesting. The wine by the glass prices are about $1 to $2 over what they should be.
7.2. R for lunch: Himalayan Cuisine, 409 Main St., Frisco, CO tel. 970-668-3330. We go for the “all you can eat” lunch buffets and take away 2 lunches for about $15. It is a terrific deal and the food is good. They have plastic containers for the dal and the desserts. The rest goes into “Styrofoam boxes” and if we’re not careful the sauces of the food leak on each other. We have a couple of meals of credibly good Indian food.
8. Glenwood Springs
8.1. R: Rivers Restaurant, 2525 S. Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, tel. 970-928-8813, www.theriversrestaurant.com. We went because the thread on Chow (www.chow.com) had posts with good things to say about Rivers and because the $19.95 early bird special looked good on their website. Having the early bird special start at 4 p.m. worked well for us because we planned a hike around Glenwood Springs that afternoon. When we arrived at around 5 p.m. people were sitting on the deck in the beautiful 79° weather. We opted to sit inside. The dining room is large with starched white tablecloths and napkins. It has 2 parts, one carpeted, the other with tile that looked like early 20th century country-restaurant-style tile. The restaurant is right on the Roaring Fork River and the view is great. We had the western sun shining on us, as well as the river view. The restaurant is air conditioned and comfortable (although a little cold when the sun was less strong). The ceiling is high and the wood painted white again evokes early 20th century county-house décor, particularly with all of the ceiling fans. There is also a large (noisy) bar near the entrance of the restaurant. Our server (I think his name is Linc) was knowledgeable and professional. We ordered one early bird special 3-course meal and one other entrée. For our starter we chose the salad which was good and was enough for the two of us. The bread and butter that arrived was fine. For our main we shared the “Prime Rib of beef, au jus and horseradish sauce, garlic mashed potatoes”. Even though it was slow cooked we asked for a rare piece and it arrived rare. There was also a sautéed mixed vegetable accompaniment and a beet in a creamy horseradish sauce. The beets were really good as was the prime rib and the horseradish sauce. For our other entrée we ordered the “Roasted Vegetable Lasagna (Gluten Free) with butternut squash, zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, garlic & basil infused olive oil, local cheese with roasted heirloom tomato sauce” ($14). It was huge and was also accompanied by sautéed mixed vegetables and the beets in a creamy horseradish sauce. It was very good and we ended up taking most of it home with us. With dinner we had 1 glass of Shiraz ($5.50). For dessert we had the carrot cake, iced with cream cheese. It was also very good. The meal, the service and the surroundings were very enjoyable. We spent $42.85 plus tip.
Glenwood Springs Restaurant Recommendations?
We went because this thread on Chow had a post with good things to say about Rivers and because of the $19.95 early bird special looked good on their website. Having the early bird special start at 4 p.m. worked well for us because we planned a hike around Glenwood Springs that afternoon. When we arrived at around 5 p.m. people were sitting on the deck in the beautiful 79° weather. We opted to sit inside. The dining room is large with starched white tablecloths and napkins. It has 2 parts, one carpeted, the other with tile that looked like early 20th century country-restaurant-style tile. The restaurant is right on the Roaring Fork River and the view is great. We had the western sun shining on us, as well as the river view. The restaurant is air conditioned and comfortable (although a little cold when the sun was less strong). The ceiling is high and the wood painted white again evokes early 20th century county house décor, particularly with all of the ceiling fans. There is also a large (noisy) bar near the entrance of the restaurant. Our server (I think his name is Linc) was knowledgeable and professional. We ordered one early bird special 3-course meal and one other entrée. For our starter we chose the salad which was good and was enough for the two of us. The bread and butter that arrived was fine. For our main we shared the “Prime Rib of beef, au jus and horseradish sauce, garlic mashed potatoes”. Even though it was slow cooked we asked for a rare piece and it arrived rare. There was also a sautéed mixed vegetable accompaniment and a beet in a creamy horseradish sauce. The beets were really good as was the prime rib and the horseradish sauce. For our other entrée we ordered the “Roasted Vegetable Lasagna (Gluten Free) with butternut squash, zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, portabello, garlic & basil infused olive oil, local cheese with roasted heirloom tomato sauce” ($14). It was huge and was also accompanied by sautéed mixed vegetables and the beets in a creamy horseradish sauce. It was very good and we ended up taking most of it home with us. With dinner we had 1 glass of Shiraz ($5.50). For dessert we had the carrot cake, iced with cream cheese. It was also very good. The meal, the service and the surroundings were very enjoyable. We spent $42.85 plus tip. We recommend it.
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Rivers Restaurant
2525 Grand Ave, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Glenwood Cafe
311 8th St, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
2010 Beijing Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM
Boy do we wish we had known that. Hopefully your information will help others so that they don't make the same mistake we did!
2010 Beijing Restaurant Reviews by ALEDM
Introduction:
Many restaurants have “no smoking” signs. They are never enforced and only rarely have we had a meal without anyone smoking. Once, when asked, someone put out his cigarette for us. Many restaurants had no smoking signs on the tables too, distributed by the “Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee”. Good for them!
Unlike Chinese restaurants in most of the world, restaurants in Beijing do not normally bring tea (for free or at a reasonable price). Tea is on the menu in Beijing and a pot is about the same price as a vegetable dish (and can cost much, much more). We were appalled and really hate this custom. We learned that hot water is served free at restaurants and started ordering re shui (hot water), pronounced something like yur swey, unless the menu had what we considered a reasonably priced tea on it.
To find restaurants we used a website called Native. It turned out to be the most reliable of the websites in English for restaurants (http://www.mobilenative.com/).
We thought we were pretty sophisticated eaters of Chinese food before we came to Beijing. Little did we know! From Wikipedia: “The eight main regional cuisines, or Eight Great Traditions (八大菜系): Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Among them, Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, and Huaiyang cuisine (a major style and even viewed as the representation of the entire Jiangsu cuisine) are often considered as the standouts of Chinese cuisine and due to their influence are proclaimed as the Four Great Traditions (四大菜系).” From “List of Cuisines, China, Chinese Cuisine” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cuisines. We have tried to identify the cuisines of the restaurants we visited in our reviews below.
ALE and DM discussed adding ratings to our restaurant reviews and compromised on the following ratings:
HR: Highly recommended
R: Recommended
NR: Not recommended
A: Awful
Exchange rate US$1 = ¥6.65
ALEDM's Reviews (by District):
1. Dong Cheng District and the nearby Chaoyang District area (Dongzhimenwai Dajie between Donzhimen Nanixiaojie and Dongzhimen Nandajie)
1.1 Breakfast
1.1.1 R: Eatery on Xinzhong Jie near the school and at part of Xinzhong Jie where it bends east. We ate breakfast there a few times and spent around ¥8 (depending on how many baskets of dumplings we ordered) for the two of us. The dumplings were very good. The millet soup was unusual for us (and not too tasty). On the other hand, a new soup for us of tofu, a gel-like substance with a soup base was really, really good. We also tried their red bean soup which was okay. They deep fry doughnuts and they are good too when they are freshly made (and still hot).
1.1.2 R: XinZhong Street (Opposite Worker's Gymnasium and Worker's Stadium, North Gate) and near the intersection of Chunxiu Rd. but still in Dong Cheng District. We had breakfast with the tofu soup and dumplings for ¥10. It was good. This is a link to a photo of the cook (and maybe the owner) making the dumplings:
http://www.fototime.com/7E7440234402050/standard.jpg. This is a link to a photo of ALE eating outside of the dumpling shop:
http://www.fototime.com/804DC5ED9E263BD/standard.jpg
1.1.3 R: Eatery at the SW corner of Xing Fucun Zhonglo and Chunxiu Rd., Dong Cheng District, Beijing. We had breakfast for 2 for ¥5 in an actual restaurant. It was okay.
1.2 Lunch
1.2.1 R: Outside on Xinzhong Jie "alley" north of XinZhong Street (Opposite Worker's Gymnasium and Worker's Stadium, North Gate) and near the intersection of Chunxiu Rd. but still in Dong Cheng District. We ate “with the guys” and had what they had. This is a link to a photo of DM with “the guys” at the next table: http://www.fototime.com/A4AE3664BB7806B/standard.jpg
The soup we ordered was with egg, a little chili and noodles shaped into rope nodules. It was delicious and huge. We also had a enormous order of Edamame for ¥2.5. Imagine in North America finding this hugely over-priced item for 37 cents. We had the boiled peanuts for ¥2.5 that DM loved (he’s eating them in the picture!)
1.2.2 R: Aunt Characteristic Home Dish Restaurant, No. 31 Flar XinZhong Street (opposite the North Gate of the Workers Gymnasium), Dong Cheng District, tel. 6416 4616. We spent ¥41 for two and had a light lunch that was good. We had cold vegetables, peanuts and chrysanthemum tea.
1.3 Dinner
1.3.1 HR: Manchurian Special Flavour Jiavozi Restaurant, 1a Xinzhong Jie, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 6415-2855, web: www.dongbeiren.com.cn. We spent ¥124 and had an excellent meal. We sat downstairs and wished we had known how nice the upstairs was. Downstairs we were bothered by people’s smoke and the noise. Upstairs we liked the quiet, the decorations and the absence of people smoking. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the food. We ordered Pu'er tea for a lofty ¥38 (note that the tea cost more than our main did). For our main we had 2 braised lamb shank ¥18 x 2 = ¥36 that were delicious. With that we had eggplant, pepper and potato dish for ¥18 that was also very good. We had their layered bread for ¥5 (that we liked), and rice for ¥2. For dessert we had hot candied sweet pachyrhizus ¥25 that was good. There was more than enough food for two and some to take home as well.
1.3.2 HR: Fish Head Restaurant (Wang Shun Ge), Dongzhimen St. No. 2A Xinzhong St., Ding Xin Bldg, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 010-5120-3232, web: www.wsg88.com. We spent ¥201 and had a delicious meal in a lovely atmosphere. We sat upstairs and over-looked a portion of the downstairs dining room. The service was excellent and we had more than enough to take home for a second meal. Our tea cost ¥38 which drives us crazy. We ordered the famous Fish Head in thick and delicious sauce (¥105). Man was it good! This is a link to a photo of it: http://www.fototime.com/01F6459DEA5FB84/standard.jpg
We also had Steamed Mushroom in Hotpot (¥42) that was huge and also very good. With the fish head we had the pancake ¥8 to soak up the copious amount of sauce it was cooked in. For dessert we had the Yogurt for ¥8. We were happy.
1.3.3 R: Jing Zun Peking Duck Restaurant, No. 6 Building North (Chunxiu Rd.), TaipingzhuangNanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, tel. (010) 6417-4075. We spent ¥91 for the two of us. It is very popular, and expats go there too. They have a seating area outside but we sat inside. We ordered Pu'er tea for an astounding ¥30. For our main we had very good braised chicken wings with pepper for ¥28 (note that it was less expensive than the pot of tea). With the chicken we had fried agaric (a kind of fungus) with spring scallion for ¥19. We had one rice for ¥2. For dessert we had dates stuffed with apple in a honey and osmanthus sauce ¥12. It was all very good.
1.3.4 R: Fei Teng Yu Xiang Sichuan, No. 1 Gong Ti Road or 1 Workers Stadium Rd. (Chunxiu Rd. just south of Xingfucun Middle Rd), Chao Yang District, Beijing 100027, tel. 010-6417 4988, web: www.ftyx.com We spent ¥152 for two and had a good meal. It’s a two story large restaurant and we sat upstairs long the railing that looks down on the diners below. The food was mouth-numbingly delicious. The portions were huge. We ordered the cheapest chrysanthemum tea on the menu at ¥18. We started with spicy sea fungus (¥18) that was seaweed with some spices and very good cold. Then we had the (stir) fried field snails with chili (¥42) that was yummy but way too much to eat. We also had the spicy eel (¥52) with lotus root (¥10 extra) and black fungus (¥10 extra), rice (¥3) and 3 huge sesame balls (¥18).
1.3.5 NR: Mei Zhou Dong Po Restaurant, 7 Chunxiu Rd., Dong Cheng District. This is a Sichuan restaurant that has other branches in Beijing. The menu says that “Mei Zhou is located in the Sichuan Basin. Su Dong Po, a Meizhou native was a famous gourmet and created Dong Po delicious food. Wang Gang founded Meizhou Dong Po Restaurant.” It had tablecloths but was rather drab. It was crowded and the tables turned while we were there. The service was good. We think that we didn’t order well and had we had the leg of pork we would have been happier. We had the least expensive tea pot which was a chrysanthemum at ¥18. We ordered the shredded duck with bean curd sticks ¥25 and we didn’t like the smoked duck or the bean curd shreds or the taste of the dish. We ordered the sizzling stir fried eggplant with soy sauce ¥26; the eggplant was stuffed with meat. It was a tasty dish and large. We had one steamed rice ¥1 and 4 steamed buns with stuffing (4 for ¥6). The buns were deep-fried and stuffed with an egg custard that wasn’t tasty. It wasn’t our best meal.
2. Dong Cheng District (around Oriental Plaza)
2.1 Breakfast
2.1.1 R: Eatery at the corner of Xiawei Hutong (small street that has one or two restaurants on it ) and Dong Dan San Tiao (bigger street), Dong Cheng District Beijing. We spent ¥20 for three different kinds of buns (bao) that were no better than the cheaper ones in our old neighborhood. For our ¥20, we also had one of the ubiquitous millet soups that was no tastier than any of the others we’ve had in Beijing.
2.2 Lunch
2.2.1 R: Hang Heung Kitchen (Roast Restaurant), CC36 B1, Oriental Plaza, No. 1 East Chang An Ave., Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. (010)8515-2378. We spent ¥53 for a dish we used to eat in Hong Kong. It is steamed egg white pudding-like dish that came with assorted seafood. This rendition was very good and plenty of food for lunch for two.
2.2.2 R: Food Republic, Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall, in space CC36, No. 1 East Chang An Ave., Dong Cheng District, Beijing. This is a good place for foreigners to try different foods. We walked around and found people eating a dish with big fat noodles that looked good to us. The eater showed us where to get the dish and how to get a debit card to use in Food Republic so we were all set. We’ve eaten lunch there several times and each time it is good enough. This is a link to a photo of one of the eateries inside Food Republic: http://www.fototime.com/3808CCA2C60A43A/standard.jpg
2.2.3 R: Eatery at 27-1 Nanluoguxiang, Dong Cheng District, Beijing. We spent ¥50 and had a surprisingly good lunch at this unassuming place (in a very touristic area). We had a huge bowl of hot and sour soup (¥15) and then saw some people inspecting a live fish before agreeing to order it. We decided that this place had fresh fish and ordered the scallops in garlic (¥24 for 6). They were very good. We also ordered deep fried peanuts (¥8) that was a huge plateful. We enjoyed ourselves.
2.2.4 R: Noodle Eatery at Exit B of Dongsi Subway Station, Dong Cheng, Beijing. It’s a small place with only noodles. The people are friendly and very nice. We had one plate of noodles with beef ¥14 that was kind of like a beef bolognaise and it was good. We had a plate of pickled cucumber ¥5 that was delicious.
2.2.5 R: Pearl Restaurant, Marriott Beijing City Wall, No. 7 Jian Guo Men South Ave., Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 5811-8200. It’s a beautiful room and the service is very good. We spent ¥115 for 4 dim sum dishes (¥25 each), plus ¥15 service. The dim sum were good and we enjoyed ourselves after our walk along the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relic Park and looking at the exhibit at the Corner Tower. Check out a photo of us sitting in the restaurant with this link: http://www.fototime.com/8D7BD142F820E32/standard.jpg
2.2.6 R: Restaurant at Glory Mall on Chongwenmen, Shop B1-29, tel. 6718-1205 We spent ¥78. It’s a simple and pleasant space, just fine for soup on a cold day. We had two soups. One was a pumpkin (¥28) that was huge and good. The other was an “Old Chicken Mushroom Stew” (¥48) that was delicious. The old chicken was tough but the soup tasted was very good. The service was very good too. They serve hot water (with a lemon slice in it) without asking.
2.2.7 NR: Golden Siam Thai Lotus Restaurant, Oriental Shopping Mall, CC07, tel. 8518-6391, web: www.lotusthai.cn. We spent ¥112 for two for a disappointing lunch. The restaurant looks nice and inviting. We wanted a small, light lunch. We ordered 1 order of Vietnamese rolls which were terrible. They were rolled correctly in rice paper but they were filled with lettuce, with one tiny shrimp. The traditional tasty ingredients were missing and for that we were charged ¥48. Ridiculous. We also ordered a soup with a coconut cream base. It was ¥58 for a small pot (enough for the 2 of us, however). There was kafir lime, lemongrass, chicken and mushrooms in it. However the soup was watery and uninteresting. We don’t recommend this restaurant, even if you must have a fix of Thai food.
2.3 Dinner
2.3.1 HR: Liu's Family Restaurant (aka: Liu Zhai Shi Fu), 8 Jiangjia Dayuan Hutong, E. Jingshan (Outer NE Forbidden City), Dong Cheng, tel. (86-10) 6400-5912. We spent ¥109 for the two of us. This was a traditional courtyard dining experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it (although we weren’t the only foreigners). We sat in a small room on the side of the courtyard that was air conditioned (and no one was smoking). The service was good, although the food came when it was ready, not all at once. We ordered the Jasmine tea (¥20) and a (00162) fermented bean soup with crisp rings (¥5) that was stinky, unusual and not to our liking (although the rings were crunchy and good). For our main we had the (0014) stewed rabbit with Chinese herbs (¥48) that was described as “The pseudo-ginseng a kind of precious medicinal materials is stewed with rabbit meat which can nurture the liver, improving eyesight, supplement the Qi, activate the blood and benefit the kidney. The ingredients are pseudo-ginseng, yams, codonopsis, Chinese wolfberry and red dates.” It was huge and it was yummy. The rabbit was on the bone and the stew juice was excellent. We also had (0100) quick fried assorted vegetarian delicious (¥28) that was also tasty. For dessert we had (00159) dates in honey sauce (¥8) that were perfect.
We had a delicious but expensive (for us) second dinner. We ordered the Jasmine tea (¥20). For our main, we ordered the “Sole in the vinegar sauce #00003” which we didn’t see was sold by the kilogram. It turned out to cost ¥134 for a scrumptious fish (that may have been turbot, actually). Another expensive dish we ordered was ¥50 and called “Liuzhai style special (Not Dipped with chopsticks, tooth or plate)” The description said: “Raw materials: pure egg and minced chicken with delicious smooth and tender mouthfeel which belongs to a traditional old Beijing dishes, a famous dish of Cuihua Restaurant of old Beijing.” It was amazing with a “smooth and tender mouthfeel;” it was a cross between a glutinous egg pudding and cake but not sweet (it was a very nice accompaniment to our fish). We also had “Sautéed Bean Curd Peking Style #00070” (¥22) that was actually bean sprout and was very good. We also ordered the “Rice fried with soya sauce” (¥10) that wasn’t special. For dessert we had (#00159) dates in honey sauce (¥8) that were perfect.
2.3.2 HR: Jin Ding Xuan (Golden Tripod Attic), 77 Hepingli Xijie, Lama Temple (Outer N 2nd Ring Rd), Next to Tango; south gate of Ditan Park, Dong Cheng tel. 6429-6888, http://en.jindingxuan.com.cn/. By the south end of Ditan Park, this place is ginormous. This is a link to a photo of the building from the outside: http://www.fototime.com/CBEA672C162E2DF/standard.jpg
We spent ¥162 and ate far too much but it was delicious and fun. The menus are ginormous too. And they are fascinating. One of them has pages of Cantonese cold dishes, followed by Shandong cold dishes, Sichuan cold dishes, Huaiyang cold dishes and then the different cuisine types repeat with seafood dishes and meat dishes and poultry dishes. Yes, the menu goes on and on. Then there is a shellfish menu too. We decided to try some Huaiyang cold dishes: “lotus root, stuffed with glutinous rice and syrup” ¥19.8 and “dried bean curd with vegetable” ¥19.8. The lotus root was very good and not too sweet. The dried bean curd was a bit dry but the taste was very good. We also had some dim sum: a rice flour roll with vegetables ¥9.8 that was very good and shrimp rolls ¥9.8 that were filled with delicious shrimp. We had one order of inedible Sichuan noodles—they were too spicy to eat. We had a Shandong cold dish: black fungus Anhui style ¥19.8 that was good and so was the sauce. We had one order of fried clams with ginger and spring onion ¥28.6 that were very tasty and tender. As for sweets, we had 3: black sesame cream ¥9.8, deep-fried peanut and walnut deep fried cake and a deep-fried glutinous rice flour stuffed with red bean. All were good but the black sesame cream and deep-fried glutinous rice flour cake stuffed with red beans were stand-outs.
2.3.3 HR: Laohuji, 12 Zhushikou Dong Dajie (near the intersection of Qinian Dajie), Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 6707-2803. We spent ¥107. We happened on this restaurant by chance and we were very happy we did. It describes its food as “Old Beijing” and we enjoyed it. The room is large and there are traditional dark wood tables with (non-padded) chairs in the center. Along the sides are booths. We learned that they were having a special on Peking Duck for ¥58 but we decided to have other dishes. We ordered a “Braised chicken in crock” for a very reasonable ¥26. It came first and was absolutely delicious. It was full of chestnuts and the chicken and the sauce were excellent. We ordered a “Fried Diced Flour with Soy Sauce” for ¥12 instead of rice and it turned out to be a very good spaetzle. We also ordered “peanuts in crusted [which we think means aged] vinegar” for ¥6 that we really liked. We have seen this item on other menus but hadn’t tried it. We were glad we did. The peanuts are crunchy and have cubed sweet pepper with them adding another kind of crunch. The vinegar adds to the flavor. The order was huge and we had enough to take home. For many days the peanuts stayed crunchy and good. Another dish we ordered we had never seen on a menu. It was called “Beijing Flavor Jelly in Big Bowl” for ¥15. It was a large bowl of cubed pieces of dense jelly-like things. They were in a chili sauce and it was good but not good enough to take what we couldn’t eat home with us. The last dish to arrive was a magnificent cauldron of mushrooms in a delicious soup called “Assorted mushrooms with chrysanthemum” for ¥48. We were so full by the time it arrived that we could hardly do justice to it. We took most of it home and had several mushroom soup lunches afterwards that were wonderful. A great place!
2.3.4 HR: Kong Yi Ji (Zhejiang cuisine), 322 Dongsi No. St., south of Dongsi 6th Alley (Dongsi area, Inner E. 2nd Ring Rd.), Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 6404-0507, web: www.kyjjl.com. We spent ¥146 for two and had 6 dishes. We went because we wanted to try Zhejiang cuisine and we had a great meal. We kept ordering dishes (from a menu—without pictures—in English) because they sounded so interesting and different. We were rewarded with new tastes that were delicious. First we ordered a pu’er tea (¥20) that was good. We saw the most charming holders on most tables for wine—Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine, as it turned out. We were given a taste and it was good.
To start we ordered the “Braised Pork Brisket with Brown Sauce” (¥10). It is served in a tiny ceramic pot and has 4 small pieces of pork belly in it that were excellent. It was the perfect amount of that very rich dish for the two of us. We saw on the menu that there was a “Stewed crab with rice wine sauce” (¥15) and had to try it. It was one small cold crab cut in half. To eat it, you sucked on the crab and there was a succulent crab taste accented by a slightly sweet, winey flavor. Yum! For our main, we ordered “Xihn Lake Fish” or Stewed (West Lake) Fish with Vinegar (¥38). It was a large river fish (with small, but manageable bones). The sauce was exquisite. It was a thick sweet vinegar sauce that was almost glutinous. It was not sweet; it was made with sweet vinegar, if you know what I mean. It was a triumph and we had enough to take home for a second meal. With the fish we had “Braised Bamboo Shoots” (¥28) that were very good. We saw a dish we love on the menu and decided to order that too. It was “Steamed Clam with Egg” (¥25) and we usually find it on Cantonese menus. This one was really good, light and flavorful with enough sweet clams to be interesting. For dessert, we had “Glutinous Rice Balls with Wine Sauce” (¥4 x2) was a good, sweet soup. This was one of our best and most interesting meals in Beijing.
The restaurant has an inviting exterior and a traditional design for the interior. There is a bust of Sun Yat-Sen in the entry way. Very pleasant (although it was chilly inside--until we started eating). The service was great and the food came quickly and was hot. There are No Smoking signs on the walls (although people violated them) and “Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee” No Smoking Plastic signs on the tables. When asked, our neighboring table, quickly put out their cigarettes.
2.3.5. HR (with a caveat): Beijing Minghao, Noble Seafood, No. 1 Chaoyangmen N. St, New Poly Plaza, Dongsishitiao area at the southwest corner of Dongsishitiao Bridge (E 2nd Ring Rd), Dong Cheng, tel. 6408-2399, web: www.shnoble.com. We would never have gone to this restaurant had we known how expensive it was. Our companions said it could be the most expensive restaurant in Beijing. We were very careful in our ordering and managed to keep our bill to ¥460 for four people. Having said all of that, the food was fabulous and the place is beautiful. (Our Chinese friends said it looked to them like what a French restaurant should look like.) The restaurant wanted to put us in a private room but we don’t like that so we sat in the front room of the restaurant that had other tables (but was not full on a Saturday night). Have a look at us at our table by going to this link: http://www.fototime.com/34D0874918898CE/standard.jpg.
The first dish we ordered was a pan seared fois gras (¥99, I think) that was exquisite. We managed to cut it in 4 pieces and each of us tried the sublime morsel. You can see the dish by going to this link: http://www.fototime.com/087F1CA6D452280/standard.jpg.
We also ordered a prawn dish that was delicious. Have a look at this dish by going to this link: http://www.fototime.com/3A60A83D831CB15/standard.jpg. The next dish to arrive was a tender and tasty meat casserole. It is pictured on this link: http://www.fototime.com/91AF9A2055DB334/standard.jpg. Man, that dish was good! This is a link to a picture of our vegetable dish that everyone liked very much: http://www.fototime.com/97456377C3B4B98/standard.jpg. The last dish to arrive was the rice dish (Imperial style, we think, to arrive at the end of the meal). It may have been our favorite dish. This is a link to the photo of that dish (in the process of being prepared by the server): http://www.fototime.com/70DA7F53CF550F9/standard.jpg. It had very crunchy rice on the bottom of the pot (which we love and have, in the past, only found in the Korean dish bibimbap) and delicious ingredients. It was a very yummy dish.
With our dinner we were served very reasonably priced tea (¥5 per person) that was good. After the rice dish was finished, with a flourish the servers brought 4 plates under silver domes of carved fruit for us (complimentary) that had ripe and sweet fruit for each of us. We recommend this restaurant highly but be careful ordering. The restaurant could bankrupt you.
2.3.6 R: Hang Heung Kitchen (Roast Restaurant), CC36 B1, Oriental Plaza, No. 1 East Chang An Ave., Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. (010)8515-2378. We had a good roast dinner for ¥84 for 2. We ordered the “two barbecued items with rice” for ¥32 (we chose steamed chicken and honey barbecued pork), the braised vegetable combination with tofu (¥32), and, for dessert a red bean ice cream float with shaved ice (¥20). It was all good enough. Fortunately no one was smoking near us. Another time we went, we ordered the barbecue sample for ¥108 and it was great. It comes with Honey Barbecue Pork, Roast Pork, Soya Chicken and Barbeque Duck. The plate was more than enough for 2 and each item was delicious. We also had a mixed vegetable with tofu that was very standard and good (¥32) and rice (¥6). Another time that we ate there we had the suckling pig. It was fabulous! Each other time we’ve eaten at this restaurant we’ve had a good, honest and inexpensive meal.
2.3.7 R: My Humble House, Beijing Oriental Plaza, Podium Level (Sky Avenue), W3 (Office Towers Unit 01-07), No. 1 East Chang’An Ave., Dong Cheng District, Beijing, Tel.010-8518-8811, web: mhh@tunglok.com. This is a restaurant that we typically would not go to, thinking that it’s too expensive. We decided to try it and we were glad we did. We spent ¥102 (including 10% service automatically added to the bill) and had a delicious meal and plenty of food. The space was large and beautifully designed. We sat in the non-smoking area at one end of a large, long table. The other tables looked uncomfortable. Those tables were for two people and were low and had easy chairs draped with an animal skin to sit on (that were too far away from their tables). The room was lined with bookshelves and was a pleasant space. We shared everything, as usual. We had one #69 “I’d Hold Your Hand Again Tonight” for ¥38. It was described as “fried homemade vegetable bean curd with braised honshimeiji mushrooms and dried scallops”. It was a delicate dish with excellent flavor. For our other dish we ordered #58 “Stardust in the Willowing Wind” for ¥52. It was described as a “marinated fillet of fish steamed with spicy black bean chili sauce”. The fish was a little on the dry side but the taste of the dish was very good. We found the service to be a little “disconnected:” the dishes did not come out together and we had to wait too long for the rice after our food arrived. At such a “refined” restaurant, the kitchen should get all dishes for the main course out at the same time. The service should have been better too.
2.3.8 R: Jinyangshuang Lai, 100 Dongshikou, Dong Cheng District, tel. 6513-2668. We spent ¥86 and enjoyed ourselves. We really liked this restaurant. It is lit-up outside and it looks inviting. There are private rooms in the front. In the back there is a large room with booths (the tables are uncomfortably far from the seats so they have pillows). It has brick walls with art work and the place looks like a courtyard house. We had the only real table with chairs. Each table has a red salvia plant on it and that looks great. It is a Shanxi restaurant and the noodles were fabulous. Each dish that we ordered had a different kind in it and it was difficult to choose a favorite. For our main we had “Assorted delicious with Shanxi flavor ¥36” and it was assorted delicious. It had meat balls and pork belly in it as well as noodles and vegetables. We also had “Fried noodles with Shuanglai flavor ¥16” which was really good. We also had “Fried vegetables with unique flavor ¥22” that was very good too. Upstairs is an art gallery and an artist willing to write a guest’s name in Mandarin on a scroll for free. It was a lovely dinner and very easy to get to on bus 108 or 111.
2.3.9 R: Long Yuan Tang, 6-1 Xiang'er Hutong, Jiaodaokou area (Inner N 2nd Ring Rd.), Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 8404-9502 (First hutong southwest of Beixinqiqo Subway Station). We spent ¥92 for 2. This is an atmospheric courtyard house with nice decorations on the walls. We were going to sit in the main dining room but there was a big table of 6 very loud men drinking. We chose to sit in a private room at a big table (no one joined us there). We went because we wanted to try food from Guangxi. We liked the food and (unlike the reviewer on the mobileNative website) we did not think it was too light or lacked flavor. We also liked that tea was served without charge (an usual practice in Beijing.) We chose the eggplant slices (¥26) which were stuffed and fried. They came out hot and were very good. We also ordered the frog in a casserole (¥48) which was truly delicious and the fried rice (¥18) that was very good. We had a lot of food to take home and enjoyed eating it again the second time. This is a link to a photo of the dishes we ordered: http://www.fototime.com/F3AF44B02BA86C9/standard.jpg.
2.3.10 R: Restaurant called something like Big Porridge Pot, 25 Deng Shi Kou Dajie near the corner of Dongdan Street North at the Deng Shi Kou Station on Line 5, Dong Cheng District, tel.400 660 6629, 6512-8016 . We spent ¥71 and had a good meal in a simple restaurant. We had “Soybeans with Potherb Mustard” for ¥3 (the mustard greens were too bitter and they got stuck in our teeth), “marinated radish in sesame paste” for ¥6 that was crunchy and tasty, Dragon Well tea (¥20) that was not flavorful, fried black fungus with lotus root and green pepper (¥18) that was good enough, Stewed Yellow croaker (3 small fish) marinated with corn cake (¥26) that was very good in a thick and delicious sauce. Even though they fish had small bones, it was easy to eat and quite tasty. (We had originally ordered another fish that cost (¥20) but they were out of it (“mayo”) so we ordered this dish instead and were not charged the additional cost.) The corn cake must have been some breading but it wasn’t obvious. We ordered ice sago and mung bean with lily congee (¥8) that wasn’t sweet and wasn’t particularly good for dessert. We also ordered one chicken with mushroom congee to take home (“da bao”) for breakfast for the next day that was very good ¥6.
2.3.5. R: Xiao Nan Guo (Shanghai Spring), Oriental Plaza, LG, CC18, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, service center: 400-820-9777, web: www.xiaoanguo.com. We spent ¥103 for two. There were lots of foreigners (but we were eating in a mall, so what should we have expected?) This is a branch of the same restaurant that we ate at in Hong Kong as well as in Shanghai. Both of those meals were very good. In Beijing we thought that the food was too expensive and the restaurant was a little pretentious. We were careful in ordering so that we didn’t spend too much. We had Grandma’s Meat Pot for ¥58. The menu said: “It is made in traditional and ancient cooking method without any excessively touch of greasiness”. We also had gluten pot with chicken feather vegetable for ¥28, Rice for ¥5 and Chrysanthemum tea for ¥12. It was a good meal.
2.3.6. R: Spicy Grandma, apm mall, 6th floor of Beijing APM Plaza (or Sun Dong An Plaza), 138 Wangfujing Dajie, Dong Cheng District, Beijing tel. 6468-7480, , www.lapopo.net or www.tcsl.com.cn. We spent ¥124-ish and it was very good. We had a nice table with comfortable chairs. Not all of the seating would have been comfortable. The restaurant is huge with lots of comfortable private rooms. The décor is very pretty, delicate and original, with traditional flavors. There is a large paper dragon hanging from the ceiling as you walk into the main dining room. The walls have uncomfortable banquettes with sofas instead of seats. In the second row are tables that have very designy chairs that are very uncomfortable wooden seats and backs that rock. In the middle, on a raised platform, under wooden structures that look like traditional house roofs are more tables. We ordered Poached fish with chili sauce (¥58). The fish dish was huge and full of Sichuan peppers that exploded with flavor. We also ordered Fried Chinese yam (more like water chestnut) with black fungus (¥18), rice, Jasmine tea (¥18), deep fried steamed bread for ¥6 (just bread with sweet condensed milk to dip it in) and Ciba black sesame crust around chewy rice ball for ¥6. It was a good meal with very good service (and lots of leftovers to take home).
2.3.7. R: Ao Xin Garden Sichuan Restaurant, Shuaifuyan Hutong (across from Quanjude), Wangfujing Daijie, Dong Cheng District, tel. 010-6523-6318. We spent ¥71 and it was okay. It’s a very simple place and we had an eggplant dish called Fish Flavored eggplant pot for ¥18 and Cumin (onion explodes the lamb) for ¥38, rice and tea. We were disappointed because the lamb dish had no cumin taste and the onion didn’t explode.
2.3.8. R: Xinjiang Feng Wei, on the corner of Chaoyangmen North Alley and Donsi 5th Alley (Area Donsi (Inner E. 2nd Ring Rd.), 100010 Dong Cheng District, no telephone). We spent ¥55 and had a very good meal. It’s a hole-in-the wall with indoor and a few outdoor seats in the alley. The grill is fired up and most people have kebabs. We spent ¥55 and had a delicious meal in an air conditioned indoor room (with not too much smoking). We had the grilled mutton gigot (2 x ¥12) that were full of meat and wonderfully spiced. They were tender and meaty legs. We had the corn dish with pine nuts that was delicious with a hint of sweetness (¥16) and 3 other sides: sautéed Xinjiang Fengwei pancakes (¥4) that were herbed bread, ban luobasi (¥5) that was a shredded radish and tasty and we had cold flammulina (¥6) that was cucumber with straw mushrooms in a good dressing. It was much too much food for us and we had lots to take home.
2.3.9. R: Le Zhi Shan Town Fashion Leisure Restaurant, Oriental Shopping Plaza, CC10A, Dong Cheng District, tel. 010-8518-0568, web: www.xishu.cc. We spent ¥126 and had an enjoyable meal with very good service. The restaurant is modern with gaudy Cantonese chandeliers but avant-garde lights over each table. The booths are comfortable only because you can move the table close to the banquette (and we sat on only one side to be comfortable that way). The service was good but the kitchen sent the food out as the dishes were ready which meant that we were trying to wait until everything arrived and covering dishes with plates to keep them warm. Because tea was so expensive on the menu (¥ 38) we asked for hot water which was free and just fine for us. We had #2220 “Sautéed eggplant with shredded meat from Hubei province” ¥36. It was delicious. The other dish we ordered was #2112 a “Cantonese Baked fish head with satay sauce” for ¥48. It was a stew of breaded fish in a sauce that had no peanut taste at all. The sauce was, however, very good. We had one rice and enough food to take home for another meal. For dessert we had the #4119 “crisp black rice pancakes” for ¥24. They were a bit greasy but good and kind of like Thai sticky rice without the mango and without the coconut cream. We ordered two of the congees on the menu to take home for breakfast the next day. One was a traditional preserved egg and pork congee (¥9) and the other was a slightly sweet pumpkin congee (¥6) both were good.
We returned because we remembered that they had a fish head soup on the menu and that’s what we wanted. This is a restaurant with Hebei dishes on the menu. We started with “Hebei Steamed Small Cakes” #4139 (¥18). These were actually deep-fried but were good and crunchy nonetheless. For our main, we chose “Steamed Fish Head with Mixed Flavor from Hebei Province” #3124 (¥88) and were told it was spicy. We asked for it to be medium spicy. It was outrageously spicy. It was gigantic but we could eat only a little and we ended up leaving most of it. We also ordered the “Braised Eggplant with Wax Bean” #2245 (¥32) which was good and a little spicy. This wasn’t our best meal.
2.3.10. R: Ri Chang (also known as Otto's Restaurant), 72 Dongdan Beidajie, Dong Cheng, tel. 6525-1783, web: www.bj-rc.com. This restaurant was recommended to us by someone who worked in the area. It’s a tiny place with 40 seats downstairs and a line of people waiting (it has an upstairs too). We waited 35 minutes and ordered before we were seated. We spent ¥71 and had a delicious meal. It is described as Cantonese on the Native Beijing website [http://www.mobilenative.com/]. It looked a little different from standard Cantonese to us. We had one Spareribs in iron pot ¥32 that was full of bite-sized pieces of meat (that were very chewy), onions, garlic and a superb sauce. With that we had a cauliflower, bamboo pith and gogi berry dish ¥32 that was covered in a gelatinous seaweed. It made for a very good and unusual dish. We had 2 rice as well. We ordered a drink that we saw on the other tables. Its base was coconut milk and it was filled with fresh fruit (melons and bananas), tapioca pearls and jelly cubes (¥16). It was served in a pitcher with a ladle and bowls. It was wonderfully refreshing and both a drink and a dessert. The meal was worth waiting for (and they have other outlets around the city).
2.3.11. R: Red Stone Restaurant, Hong Shi Tou Can Ting, 68 Dongdan North St., Dong Cheng, tel. 010-6526-8755. We have been to this restaurant several times and each time we had good food. The first time we went, we spent ¥132. It is Hangzhou cuisine and according to Wikipedia it “wins reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, smoothness of its dishes with mellow fragrance. A great poet of Song Dynasty once praised it as follows: there’s no food that can compare with the Hangzhou cuisine.”
We had Cold Blended wild caraway (¥16) which was an interesting dish. For our main we had Hangzhou flavor superior dish stewed chicken in stone pot (¥48) that was huge and delicious. With that we had the sautéed eggplant with mushrooms and broccoli (¥22) which was also good. For dessert we had boiled glutinous rice ball in fermented glutinous rice (¥16). This dish was huge and we had plenty of everything to take home.
2.3.12. R: Xi Shu dou Hua Zhuang, New Style Sichuan Cuisine--Western Sichuan, Oriental Plaza CC16, Dong Cheng District, tel. 010-8518-5288 . We spent ¥176 and had a nice meal. It was very crowded and popular with many Westerners. The food was good, not great. The service was good, although the food came when it was ready, serially, which we really don’t like. The table cloth was wet (no sense in spending time drying those things) which is very annoying. We ordered pu’er tea for ¥36, what we think of as an exorbitant price. We had (#2109) Hot and Sour Vermicelli (cold) ¥18. The noodles disintegrated when you tried to pick them up so they weren’t al dente enough for us. We also had (#4120) Fried Diced Veal with Yam for ¥58 that was delicious. The meat was tender and tasty. With that we had (#8109) crispy (fried) pancake for ¥28 and fungus and water chestnut ¥36.
2.3.13. R: Qin Tang Fu, 128 Dongsi Beidajie (North ) St., Dong Cheng District, tel. 010-6407-1211. We spent ¥52 and had a good meal. It’s a short walk from Line 5 Zhangzizhonglu station. There weren’t too many people in the restaurant while we were there. It is nicely decorated with atmospheric wall decorations from Shanxi. The tables are replicas of period tables (with no padding). We sat in front of the one air conditioner and it was comfortable. Each table has a wicker basket under it but we didn’t find out why. We spent a very reasonable ¥52 for one buckwheat noodle dish (served cold) and one dumpling soup. Both of which were good. We were also served two juice like drinks that were okay. It was fine (particularly for the price). We didn’t see any handmade noodle making (for which Shanxi is famous) while we were there.
The editor of Native said this about the wicker baskets: “The wicker baskets are for your bags (or jackets I suppose). Chinese people in general hate to have their things touch the ground. You've probably noticed that whenever they sit on a public bench, or anything that isn't a seat that is regularly cleaned, they will almost uniformly put down a plastic bag, newspaper, or something else to sit on. I haven't seen this at other restaurants, but I guess it's a way of keeping people from taking up seats with their bags.”
2.3.14. R: Hunan Restaurant, South of Lishi Hutong near Newubu Jie, 143-1 Chaoyangmen Nan Xiaojie, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 8165-6661. This restaurant is small and has very comfortable chairs and tables. Its card says that it serves “Hutong Specialities: Steamed Food and Hot Wok Dishes”. We ordered lots of dishes and still the bill was just ¥71. The stir fried rice noodles with vegetables (¥15) were good, the griddle cooked cucumber slices (¥16) came cooking on a brazier and were interesting and unusual—neither cucumber nor zucchini—we’re not sure what it was, but it was good). The deep fried yellow fish (¥12) were crisp and sweet. Served with the fish was “Spice, Salt, Pepper” that you can buy in a spice bottle at the supermarket. It is great (but a little too salty)! The house special braised pork (¥22) was awful. The pork was really fatty bacon on top of really salty stuff. The pancake with shredded shallot (¥6) was dry and had no shallots in it. We also had some meat kebabs from the independent operator at the doorway (¥5) that were very good. We were glad we found this restaurant.
2.3.15. R: South Beauty, Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall, Shop BB88, 1 Chang An, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 8518-6971. We went because as a resident of The Tower Apartments at Oriental Plaza we got a 20% discount. There are interesting design features and it’s a nice space. They ask if you want non-smoking and if you do, you are put in a private room. We didn’t want to be isolated so we sat in the main (smoking) area but were not bothered by the smokers around us. We had a very good dish called “Steamed Duck in home-made sauce served with lotus leaf pancakes” ¥88. It was a whole (small) duck which the server cut for us. The dish had lots of vegetables and the sauce was delicious. The duck was tender and tasty. The pancakes were actually tiny, soft bread-like things that didn’t add much to the dish. We enjoyed the meal (with water, not tea). With rice and a ¥10 service charge, the bill was ¥103 - ¥18 for the (20% discount) and so the total was a very reasonable ¥85 for a meal with enough food (even enough extra to take home).
2.3.16. R: Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant (Fei Cui Shan Fang), Room BB82, Basement Level, Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang'An Ave., Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 8515-0238. We spent ¥270 for two. We had a very nice meal in this restaurant. It is pretty enough that we had a photo of us taken there. We spent more than we typically do but we enjoyed our meal. We had “Baked Silver Cod with Gravy #1917” (¥48) that was very good. We also ordered the “Braised Mixed Superior Vegetables with Bamboo Shoots #2408” (¥75), “Rice with Seafood in Lobster Broth #2517” (¥42), and “Taiwan Dried #0203” (¥48) because we had no idea what that could be. They were all very good and pretty enough to take a picture of. You can see it by going to this link:
http://www.fototime.com/26422E1CFA764C2/standard.jpg
A pot of tea (called Dining Hall Tea) is available for a reasonable ¥5 per person (unusual in Beijing and we loved it at that price). We had “Chilled Mango Pudding with Sago Cream and Pomelo #0311” for dessert. It was good. There is 10% service added to the bill. The service was attentive.
2.3.17. R (with a caveat): No. 44 Private Kitchen, No. 44 Xiguan Hutong (50m west of No.5 Middle School south gate), Jiaodaokou (Inner N 2nd Ring Rd), Dong Cheng District, tel. 6400-1280.We spent about ¥146 and it was good but not worth repeating.
We went because of the write up on Native [http://www.mobilenative.com/record.php?poi_id=dYc7jzxwIIs%3D] and because the last time we had food from Guangxi, Guizhou we liked it. We did not have tea because the cheapest was ¥30 which we thought was too expensive for an unpretentious place. The courtyard house is atmospheric in a quirky way--it has Australian aboriginal art on the wall, along side of newspaper articles of Mao. We sat in the one heated room and it was very comfortable. The furniture was traditional and the seats had pads. We chose the small Sour Soup Stewed with fish (¥48). In Native it said: "Inside this quaint private residence, a humble chef cooks up unique, authentic cuisine of southern China's Miao people.
The "secret recipe" sour soup dominated our lunch-time meal. Now I've had Guizhou tomato-based sour soups before at hotpot places like Guizhou Luoluo, but this soup is just so much more complex than anything I've tasted previously. No. 44 Private Kitchen brews their soup over fifteen days, allowing a light fermentation and for the raw spice of the peppercorns to fully infuse the broth; there is no water added. We tried a large bowl of the sour tomato-based broth with mixed mushrooms (68RMB). At first we were blown away by the spice, asking our server for napkins to wipe away our tears and white rice to help our taste buds recover. As the endorphins started to wash over us in reaction to the first bowl's spice, the soup became more enjoyable. I was able to better appreciate the curious blend of fermentation, mala spice, and sour tomato broth. The mushrooms, saturated in the broth, were fantastically delectable as well. After about three small bowls each of the powerful soup, our sinuses were clear and our bellies were warm from the heat of the pepper."
It was tasty but for us ultimately too spicy to be enjoyable. The small size was large and large enough for our main course. We also ordered the House Potato Pancake (¥48) which was supposed to have meat in it but we couldn't taste any. For a humble potato pancake it was good but for ¥48 it wasn't worth the price. For our vegetable we ordered the Private Kitchen BBQ styled aubergine (¥48). It was an unusual roll of eggplant filled with vegetables. The only thing that resembled BBQ was a dab of barbecue sauce on top of the roll.
The rice we ordered was mushy. This wasn't our best meal but it wasn't our worst either.
2.3.18. NR: Macau Taste, Oriental Plaza, Dong Cheng District, tel. 8518-5456. It is extremely small and really a snack place. We had a disappointing dinner there. We ordered the Portuguese roast ¥52 that was a stewed duck. It was not good--too chewy. We also had Portuguese strains of fresh milk ¥39 that was a mushroom au gratin type of thing that was okay. For dessert we tried the Macau milk stew ¥12. It was okay.
2.3.19. NR: Chamate, FF12, Lower Ground Level in the Food Forum, Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall, 1 Chang An, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 85186067, web: www.chatea.cn. We had a non-descript meal in a corner of the Food Forum area of Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall. The restaurant has pretentions with respect to tea.
2.3.20. NR: Shun Fung, No. 34 Donghuamen St, Wangfujing (Outer E Forbidden City, 50m west of Wangfujing Street; south side of the street),Dong Cheng District, tel.65245833, 8008106108, 4008106108, e-mail:shunfung@shunfung.com, web:www.shunfung.com. We spent ¥228 and had a good enough meal. We wanted a no smoking section so they took us upstairs. It is a nice room upstairs, large with a high ceiling and there was a no smoking sign. Some people were smoking, however. They were far enough away and the room was large enough so it didn’t bother us. The service was okay and the food was very good. We started with a delicious Roast Pigeon (¥48) and the next dish to come was the Deep Fried Goose’s Liver (¥128). The liver itself was delicious although slightly overcooked. The sauce with it actually detracted. There was also a deep fried potato thing with the liver that was crispy and good. The last dish to arrive was “Lettuce with stuffing home style” (¥48) that was really good. You stuffed a piece of iceberg lettuce with the filling and chomped it down. The tea was a reasonably priced ¥6 for a pot of jasmine. So why don’t we recommend this restaurant. It was annoying but go try it for yourself.
2.3.21. NR: Guo Yao Xiao Ju, 58 Bei Santiao, Jiaodao Kou, Andingmennei Dajie, Dong Cheng District, tel. 6403-1940. Another disappointing meal recommended by Eileen Mooney (www.eileeneats.com). This is listed under her favorite restaurants. It is small: 3 rooms—2 rooms with one large table in each for 8 and one room with 2 tables for 4. There was a group in one large room and we had the room with 2 tables to ourselves. The room was nicely decorated and the chairs were comfortable enough. The traditional furniture was nice-looking. We wanted to have the specials of fish maw in rich broth (¥55) but the minimum order was 2 so we said “no” and ordered the Lionshead (meatball made from crabmeat and minced pork) for ¥20. We also ordered “Yasi Danjuan” egg roll filled with chives and shredded duck ¥19. Eileen Mooney described is as a crispy crêpe but it is more like an egg roll. It was good. The third dish was Dry fried French beans ¥16. The French beans came first and they were good. Then came the egg roll which was also good. Lastly a tiny ceramic bowl came with a big meat ball in broth. The broth was insipid and the meat ball tasted like spam with no crab taste whatsoever. For dessert we had the peanut paste ¥10 which also caused a huge discussion because the minimum order was for 2. We said “no” and insisted on having only one which finally was agreed to. The dish was a bowl of peanut milk and we had a few tastes and left the rest. We certainly would not recommend this restaurant.
2.3.22. NR: Hui Shang Gu Li (Huishang Birthplace), No. 2 Chaoyangmen S. St., (Chaoyangmen: Inner 2nd Ring Rd.), Dong Cheng, Beijing, tel. 5864-2222. We spent ¥168 for 2. We went because we wanted to try Anhui cuisine. The building and décor (elegant, even fancy) of the restaurant are impressive but the food was not. It appears to be a restaurant that is all show and little substance. We selected items from the portion of the menu entitled “Delicacies from Ancient Huizhou”. The food took a very, very long time to arrive. We had a fish stew with roe, fish stomach and a little bit of diced fish pieces (¥56) which was good and a little spicy. We ordered one jelly ball made of beans because the picture looked interesting(¥8) and was not in actually at all interesting. (We were brought 2 and charged for 2.) We ordered rice in a bamboo container because it, too, looked interesting (¥12) but was not. We ordered a vegetable dish that was recommended by Hui She, the sales manager. It was celery with string mushrooms (¥48) and it was not tasty. We were not going to order tea because a pot was more expensive than we wanted to spend. Hui She gave us a complimentary glass of their famous mountain tea (regular price ¥58 per glass). It was not special to us. We also ordered a pancake dish that we thought was for dessert but turned out to be a savory (¥12).
2.3.23. NR: Before and After Restaurant, Nan Xin Cang, Dongmencang Hutong, Nanxincang Imperial Granary, Bldg 0 #A13 (near New Poly Plaza), Dong Cheng, tel. 6405-9598, web: baa-restaurant.com. We think that this is a Taiwanese restaurant. We had an okay, light lunch for ¥66. The room is okay too. It wasn’t crowded but the service lacked something. The server brought us peanuts and a pickled vegetable immediately. We like that. We ordered one Zongzi stuffed with braised pork Taiwanese style (¥10) which was like the glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf usually served at dim sum (zoa cha). It was good. We ordered 1 Intestine stuffed with glutinous rice (¥32) that was 6 or 8 slices of sausage filled with glutinous rice. This is a dish we hadn’t had before but it wasn’t something we’d seek out again either. The third dish we ordered was leek and pork buns (¥24). The buns were slightly sweet and the filling was okay. We drank hot water for free instead of paying too much for tea.
2.3.24. A: Crescent Moon Muslim Restaurant, Wangfujing, 16 Donsi Liutiao (100 m west of Chaonei Beixiaojie), Dong Cheng District, Beijing, tel. 6400-5281 (the Zhangzizhonglu No.5 Subway Station). We spent ¥101 and were totally disappointed. It was a fair distance from the Zhangzizhonglu No.5 Subway Station but it was on an atmospheric hutong alleyway. The City Weekend Magazine (Aug. 26-Sept. 8, 2010) said this about the restaurant: “Possibly the best Xinjiang joint in town, featuring delicious, homemade yogurt, this king of the kebabs also boasts a friendly all-Uighur staff and is as authentic as it gets.” …”Perfect for authentic Xinjiang.” The restaurant looked promising because the décor was “silk road-ish”. The servers were helpful and friendly but wait for our food was too long. The dishes came as they were ready. We ordered a yogurt ¥10 which we didn’t like because it was sweet. Then came the Xinjiang mixed vegetables which had a couple of pieces of a celery-type thing, a couple of pieces of green pepper and was mostly meat. It was very disappointing in taste and in ingredients. Then came the Xinjiang nan ¥5 which was hard and no matter how much sauce we dunked them in, the nan did not soften. A third disappointing item. Then came the main dish that we ordered: Stewed mutton with mixed potato and carrots (¥48). It was a good dish with lots of sauce but not good enough to make up for the other disappointing dishes. We accompanied our meal with the least expensive tea there; a black tea for ¥10. Based on the many delicious Xinjiang meals we had in Shanghai, we conclude that this is the worst Xinjiang joint in our experience.
3. Chaoyang
3.1 Lunch
3.1.1 HR: Najia Xiaoguan, West of 119 High School, Yong'anli Jianguomenwei, Yong'an Xi Li, Jianwai (Outer E 2nd Ring Rd), Chaoyang, Back side of the New China Insurance Tower, tel. 6567-3663 or 6568-6553, www.najia.com.cn. We spent ¥222 for 3 people and had one of our best meals in Beijing. It’s an atmospheric 2-story house on a small street next to skyscraper buildings. We were on the second floor at a table made of slate on traditional chairs (that had pads). This is a photo of ALE and our friend, Ben, at our table: http://www.fototime.com/77CF642EA908910/standard.jpg
The service was okay. There were little cards on the table with the pictures of the servers on them. You could give feedback on the servers by putting the card into the appropriate box. We had 1 unusual soup-like pudding thing with 3 condiments that we liked. It was called Pot-braised Delicacies ¥35 and described as “The sauce Najia made is stewed more than eight hours from chicken, duck with more than three ages and scallop, upper part of the leg of pork. The customers who had tried this dish have gave much compliments about its flavor.” This is a link to a photo of the menu description of that dish: http://www.fototime.com/9F931E240A1032C/standard.jpg
We had 1 unusual cold appetizer roll with radish inside (12 pieces) called Poek rolls with vegetables (¥18) described as cabbage, caraway, carrot self-made pork taste, salty and crispy. This is a link to a photo of that dish: http://www.fototime.com/7861BA0363E7AD8/standard.jpg
We had a morel mushroom and fungus vegetable dish and a venison stew that was excellent. The venison stew ¥68 was described as: “Pot-braised venison” “Ingredients: venison, preserved vegetables, mushroom taste, salty and spiced. King Guangxu fell into depression because cannot achieve his political aspiration during his era. According to the medical records, Guangxu had the symptom of black rheumatic jerks, spermatorrhea and hypodynamia. The imperial doctor Xigeng cooked deer’s meat meal as therapy diet in cooperation with the imperial chefs and achieve significant effects. According to these medical records, deer’s meat is moderate and has the function of invigorating the spleen and benefiting Qi and therefore good to human circulatory system and nervous system. The ‘Deer Meat Stewed in Pot’ made by Najia’s chef in according to the medical records is especially good in keeping you fit.” This is a link to a photo of the menu description of that dish: http://www.fototime.com/63D7B6C5CA01CD6/standard.jpg. This is a link to a photo of the vegetable dish and the venison stew: http://www.fototime.com/F1815BDABA2615F/standard.jpg
There was enough extra food to take home. We also had rice and, for dessert we had a deep fried milk ball. One of our best meals in Beijing!
On another occasion we had dinner at Najia with another couple. We were glad we made a reservation because on a Thursday night, it was packed. We spent ¥200 per couple and had a delicious meal.
3.1.2 R: Restaurant, 13-3 Huaweibeili, Chaoyang District, tel. 8777-1008. We spent ¥32 for a delicious, light lunch. This restaurant is down the street from Panjiayuan Glasses City—the eyeglass mall (Mingjing Yuan, East 3rd Ring Rd., 64 Nanlu, 43 Huaweibeili, Dongsanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District). It’s one of the few restaurants we have seen in the city that has live shellfish in Styrofoam boxes (or tanks). It’s a restaurant (with tablecloths). We had a combination of clams and snails in a very tasty sauce as well as cabbage in a tasteless sauce and rice. They served a liquid that tasted slightly medicinal (instead of tea and it was free). Our lunch was a very reasonably priced ¥32.
3.1.3 R: Yue Bei Hiro Cheng, Maison Mode, Gemdale Plaza Office, No.91 Jian Guo Road, Chaoyang District, tel. 010-8571 2366, e-mail: ybxc-008@sina.com. We spent ¥88 and had a lovely lunch with lovely service. The food is from Hong Kong and Guangdong. It’s a nice modern room. The chairs are cushiony and comfortable (if you are not seated on a sofa by the window wall). We had the soup special which was an okay chicken feet soup ¥16. We had three dim sums that were great: steamed honey bbq pork bun ¥12, steamed lia ozi stuffed with shrimp ¥22 and steamed rice rolls with bbq pork ¥22 and a steamed phoenix bun for dessert ¥12 that was very good.
3.1.4 R: Jia Yu, 9th Bldg., Yard A, No. 54 South Rd. of East Third Ring, Chaoyang District (in the same building as the Puhua Outpatient Clinic, near the intersection of Huatengyuan), tel. 8779-5955. We’ve had lunch at this restaurant twice and both times it was good. This is a link to a photo of the Steamed fish dice with pine nuts that we had one of the times we ate at this restaurant: http://www.fototime.com/01B0140A2A72454/standard.jpg
It is large with marble tables set up for hotpots. The first time we went we had the pancake and the mapo tofu probably costing altogether about ¥40.
3.1.5 R: Bellagio Joy City, tel. 010-5971-6529 B120 basement of Huamao Shopping Center, 81 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District, www.bellagiocafe.com.cn We had a nice lunch for ¥71. We were pissed off, however, that 2 glasses of lemon-flavored water cost ¥32 and our main cost ¥33 for a spicy vermicelli with pork and mushrooms and cabbage; a stir fry that was good. We also wished we had known it was a Taiwanese chain that specializes in desserts. Beijing’s City Weekend magazine says this: “The classic of the late-night dessert scene really needs no introduction. We do wish the ices were more finely ground to justify the high prices.”
3.1.6 R: Hebei Restaurant, 798 Art Zone, 798 North Street, Chaoyang. It’s a pleasant place and well decorated. The chairs are too low for the tables however. We sat upstairs and had a delicious lunch for 4 people for ¥120. We had rabbit served on a brazier, egg pudding and green long beans in a garlic stir fry. We had rice and hot water.
3.1.7 R: Xiangzhuyan Restaurant, Tianzi Lu diagonally across from Lady's Street, Chaoyang District, tel. 8451-6099. The restaurant is nice looking and has large aquaria in the center with fresh fish. We chose the “Palace meat ball soup ¥58 which we thought was pricey. When it came it was huge and it was tasty. The broth was delicious and the meat balls and meat were good too. There was some dried fruit floating in it that added to the interest. We had (free) hot water with it.
3.1.8 R: Ji Wei Yuan Cantonese Cuisine, The Place B1, Shop 140 South Building, No. 9 Guanghua Rd. (Dongdaqiao Lu, Outer E. 2nd Ring Rd.), Chaoyang District, Tel. 5587-1500. We spent ¥39 for a light lunch for two. This space used to be a Thai restaurant and has the decorations from that incarnation. The chairs were comfortable. The service was not good and the kitchen was slow. We went for some dim sum (zao cha) and they had some (but not a lot). We had things that looked like gyozas (¥9) that we good, pan fried baozi stuffed with pork (¥9), fried glutinous rice ball stuffed with lotus seed paste (¥9) and barbecued pork pie (¥12). The barbecued pork pie was the best.
3.1.9 R: Wu Da Niang Dumpling, Shop 1001 at Auchan, 195 Dongsihuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District (close to Dajiaoting). We had a very good and reasonably priced ¥12 lunch next to Auchan (but we needed the help of an English speaker to order what we wanted). We had one noodle soup ¥7, 2 bao for ¥1.5 and a seaweed dish ¥4. All good enough—and at the right place, at the right time, before we went grocery shopping at Auchan.
3.2 Dinner
3.2.1 R: Xiao Wang's Home Restaurant, Ritan Park, Chaoyang District, tel. 8561-7859. We spent ¥122 and had a tasty meal with bad service (that may have been the fault of the kitchen). The restaurant is atmospheric in a lovely location. We sat on the roof and the weather and the area were lovely, even romantic. It was full of expats, however, and that turned us off. The manager was German and that turned us off too. The dishes were served serially which we really hate. At the prices of this restaurant and its pretentions, all of the food for the main course should be served at the same time. The food, when it came, was delicious. We had a stewed bean curd with black mushrooms (¥22) and a steamed pork rib in a fabulous crust of black beans (¥69). The ribs were full of flavorful meat and the black beans added a hint of earthy sweetness. It was a remarkable combination. There was a lot of food and we had enough to take home. With our meal we had Chrysanthemum tea (¥22) and rice (¥10). The service has a lot of room for improvement but the food was excellent.
3.2.2 R: Yue Lu Mountain Dining, Jizhuangli Bldg. 1, West of Gongti 100 Bowling, next to Hotel G, Gongti Area (Outer E. 2nd Ring Rd.), Chaoyang, Beijing, tel. 6551-0806. We spent ¥123 and had a good meal. The taxi had a very difficult time finding this place, even looking at a map in Chinese so by the time we got there, we were stressed out. The room is large, with a high ceiling and lovely art work. It’s modern, the tables and chairs are comfortable and it looks trendy (with trendy-looking people eating there). We had crispy bamboo shoots (¥38) which came almost immediately (with nothing else). We expected them to be crispy--as in deep-fried. They were crispy as in fresh and were very good, and spicy. We also ordered “fried mutton chop Hunan style” ¥75 and the dish took a long time to arrive. But when it did the chops were excellent. The meat was tender and delicious. There was a fabulous salt/five spice mixture with the chops to dip them in. It made for a terrific combination. We also ordered “Miluojing style glutinous rice cornet” (¥5) which came with a bowl of sugar to dip the combination of red bean and glutinous rice in. The mixture had a slightly medicinal taste but DM liked it and that was good. It was a very good meal and worth the wait for the mutton.
3.2.3 R: Middle 8th, 9 Guanghua Rd., The Place (South Building), Floor 4, #404, Dongdaqiao Lu (Outer E 2nd Ring Rd.), Chaoyang, Beijing, tel. 6587-1431, e-mail: enfo.mingphoenix@gmail.com We spent ¥168 for two. It calls itself “typical Yunnan cuisine” and it’s a large space with windows looking out on the mall with the big overhead screen in the center of the mall visible. This restaurant is designed in white with a red wall and some red upholstered chairs. All of the chairs are very comfortable upholstered ones, some in white and some in red. There is a non-smoking area where no one was smoking. We ordered a combination Pu’er tea and chrysanthemum tea (¥26) that was good. For our food we ordered Boiled Rice Noodle with beef in pot (¥18) which turned out to be the only dish that was spicy. For such a tiny pot, it had plenty of noodles. We also ordered the Fried Potherbs wrapped in leaf of banana (¥26) which was very good. The potherbs were a Swiss chard type of green and the flavors were delicious. The main dish we ordered was braised lamb chops with mushrooms (¥68, I think) and it was really good. It was in a tasty sauce and, in addition to mushrooms, it had potatoes in it. For dessert we had one ice cream with fruit which was not interesting (¥30, I think). It was a delightful meal with good service.
3.2.4 R: New Fei Teng Yu Xiang Restaurant, North Building, Shop L401, No. 9 Guanghua Rd. (Dongdaqiao Lu, Outer E. 2nd Ring Rd.), Chaoyang District, Tel. 6589-5588. We spent ¥360 for 4 people at this
