Tapas at the Tiger

VAIL — When Emily Dunn moved to the valley from New York a year ago, she suffered cuisine shock more than culture shock. In the city, Dunn ate dinner around 10 p.m. or later on most nights.

Enter Vail.

Unless a 10-piece chicken nugget or a Denny’s burger is your idea of a solid late-night meal, dinner options are severely limited in the Vail Valley come 10 p.m.

“The transition at first was extremely difficult — we ended up at Denny’s a few more times than we wanted,” Dunn said. “Night would just come really quickly, and we’d be out of options.”

Rich Kellogg, general manager of Blue Tiger in Vail, understands Dunn’s dilemma all too well. Last week, he popped into a local Italian restaurant he’d been craving for a late dinner. It was 9:15 p.m., and even though the restaurant’s hours claimed a 10 p.m. close time, business had been slow, so the staff decided to close early, they told Kellogg.

“We don’t do that — we don’t close early,” Kellogg said. “We stay until the bell rings; we don’t close 10 minutes early. We’re pretty religious about it because we’re chef run.”

Right now, chef Dario Santelli cooks the restaurant’s signature world tapas until 11 p.m., and when the mountain opens and tourists start pouring into town, he’ll cook until midnight or later, Kellogg said. Often a group from the Tap Room or the Sonnenalp will stop by for a bite after work, he said.

“Restaurant people are pretty turned on by it,” he said. “And it’s perfect for late-night dining because you’re not gorging yourself full of food.”

Ta-what? According to Blue Tiger’s menu, tapas — pronounced tah-pahs — are small plates of food usually shared and consumed with various spirits.

The philosophy

Kellogg was the executive chef at Blu’s in Vail Village until he took over Blue Tiger. He reopened the restaurant in December with his current, hand-picked crew — Santelli, who used to cook at Blu’s as well, and Dina Ramstead, bar manager and mixologist.

Before Kellogg came on board, Blue Tiger was known almost exclusively for its sushi, he said. It has paired down the sushi offerings to include only the best fresh fish, he said, and added more tapas to the menu.

“Tapas are traditionally Spanish, which means any small plate of food consumed with alcohol,” he said. “All the restaurants (in Spain) are open late and get busy late. Some of them don’t even open until 9 or 10. We’ve taken that philosophy for Blue Tiger.”

“World tapas is a great way to dine,” he added. “It’s healthier because there are smaller portions, so you have a little fattening food along with some healthier foods. And it’s not a huge plate of food. You know when you get a big plate of food and you feel like you have to eat it all because you paid for it?”

Instead, the tapas concept lets you order a few small plates and try a few different dishes. Sharing with dinner companions is encouraged, if you’re inclined.

If you go ... What: Blue Tiger restaurant Where: 1310 Westhaven Drive, beneath the old Cascade Theater. When: The restaurant is open from 5 to 11 p.m. during off season, and 6 p.m. to midnight during the winter. Specials: During off season, the restaurant is offering 50 percent off entrees, all night. More Information: Call 476-1115.

The food

Along with some Spanish-style tapas and the sushi side of the menu, Kellogg and Santelli added Mediterranean-, Italian- and Asian-inspired food.

“The white truffle tuna tartare is great — a chef brought that to the table during the winter,” Kellogg said. “He said, ‘Hey, I got this dish.’ We happened to have some great ahi around that we were trying to figure out what to do with.”

There’s also chicken satay served with peanut dipping sauce and crispy vermicelli. The Mediterranean olives are marinated in sherry vinegar, herbs and roasted red peppers. Prosciutto-wrapped scallops served with pomegranate molasses is one of the most popular items on the menu, Ramstead said. And if Italian is your bag, try the chicken and gnocchi, listed under “Grande Tapas.” Tender nuggets of potato pasta are sauteed with chicken, mushrooms and crispy pancetta and topped with sweet basil cream sauce.

“Why should any restaurant be defined?” Kellogg asked. “We’ll define what’s best in the world.”

Keeping with that theme, the menu often changes. Kellogg’s source for some knockout seabass just ended, he said, so he’s been on the phone with seafood purveyors on the coast trying to figure out what else to add to the menu. Customers have been asking for salmon lately, he said.

“We took it off the menu out of pride — everyone has salmon on the menu — but once again I found a great source, so we’ll probably put salmon on the menu for a month or so,” he said.

How will it be prepared?

“I don’t know — not even close, but we’ll put it down on a piece of paper and sell it tonight,” he said.

And it’s likely that Kellogg will be out on the floor talking about the salmon dish with customers and getting their feedback. Is it the right price? Does it have the right flavor?

“People love to get involved with the menu-development process,” he said.

Arts & Entertainment Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.

A taste for tapas — Lime-marinated scallops with coconut sesame dipping sauce — $9 — Crab cakes served Asian style with lime salsa — $8 Grande Tapas: — Chicken and Gnocchi, sauteed chicken with potato gnocchi, exotic mushrooms and crispy pancetta in a sweet basil cream sauce — $12 — Grilled pork loin with adobo paste, served with sweet potato hash — $10