Colorado cuisine at Vista at Arrowhead

Sometimes, sophisticated, upscale cuisine doesn’t allow for a lot of customer input or substitutions, but at Vista at Arrowhead, you choose your own taste adventure: Customer-composed entrees are literally on the menu.

In addition to Vista’s spectacular signature entrees, ranging from seafood and steak to lamb, pork and beyond, all exquisitely accompanied by chef-selected sides and sauces, guests can pair their favorites. So while choosing a main, such as pan-seared halibut, yellowfin tuna, Angus filet or Rocky Mountain lamb shank, you also select from nine different sauces, 12 different sides, four pastas and 10 varieties of potatoes and rice.

This season, the blood orange butter sauce, which pairs phenomenally with the baked Chilean sea bass, as well as the cherry port and green peppercorn sauces debut, rounding out nine gluten-free options. Fresh summer sides include the popular wasabi mashed potatoes, succotash, grilled zucchini medallions, snap peas, broccoli florets, red pepper and crab mashed potatoes and Pepper Jack grits, in addition to standards, like sauteed spinach, herbed wild mushrooms and more.

Vista’s sweet pea ravioli — and oh, how sweet it is — has been a longtime favorite, so this summer, Vista pairs it with another favorite: fresh and ample portions of lobster in a white wine and lemon garlic sauce (Hint: Save some of the fresh bread to soak up the mouthwatering sauce). Other unique offerings include a light and refreshing panzanella salad flavorfully filled with fresh mozzarella, onions, olives, cherry tomatoes and more, and the fried green tomatoes accompanied with sweet vinaigrette and black bean hummus, which adds a little kick.

Each course, from savory small plates and salads to sweet desserts, is artistically presented, like a sculpture on a plate, with a variety of colors, textures and heights. It’s just one more aspect of creative dining at Vista that stimulates all the senses: Tastebuds tingle with a range of flavors, eyes feast on the lush greenery of the golf course punctuated by the rolling hillside and ears delight in Micky Poage’s piano-playing, from the Beatles to “Rhapsody in Blue” and just about anything in-between. After playing in the valley for well over 35 years, Poage has garnered a reputation as Vail’s Piano Man, so if you want more of a concert experience from 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, reserve seats close to his grand piano early, as they go quickly.

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Of course, any establishment worth its salt offers a wide variety of cocktails, beer and wine, but Vista stands out with its selection. Cocktails might include lavender CBD bitters, local spirits, house-made specialties like limoncello or Tin Cups served in copper mugs with Fever Tree ginger beer. One of the favorites, Pentti’s Painkiller, goes down smooth with rum from Crested Butte, pineapple, orange juice and cream of coconut for a relaxing summer sip, whether you’ve just finished playing a round of golf or not. But, you’ll want to pace yourself: Dessert cocktails, wines, ports and cordials are mighty tempting, along with the desserts themselves, from a twist on traditional crème brulee with a smooth chocolate flavor, topped with fresh berries and a candied orange, to the refreshing Key lime mousse napoleon, with its perfectly blended crunch and creamy textures.

With its wraparound terrace filled with flowers and spacious indoor seating, Vista at Arrowhead delivers some of the finest dining in the Vail Valley.