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New Stoke & Rye restaurant opens at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon

New concept by chef Richard Sandoval focuses on the guest experience

Stoke & Rye boasts over 160 whiskeys on the menu.
Stoke & Rye/Courtesy photo

Get stoked to try the creative menu at Stoke & Rye, a new American modern grill concept by internationally acclaimed chef Richard Sandoval at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon.

Stoke and Rye blends the flavors of the Rockies with alpine inspired cuisine with dishes like the grilled peach salad or the wild mushroom ravioli with rainbow swiss chard, watercress, garlic confit and trumpet jus. Or, enjoy a classic like raclette that pays a nod to skiing’s alpine heritage.

Techniques like slow roasting in wood embers, braising and smoking are prevalent at Stoke & Rye. From smoked oysters with pine to the 52-ounce Tomahawk from the grill, the dishes offer familiar cuisine with an elevated twist.



The smoked oysters are a great way to start off the meal at Stoke & Rye.
Sean Naylor/Vail Daily

That twist can be found in the presentation. The American modern grill concept is a new one for The Westin Riverfront. Richard Sandoval and his team created all the recipes and came to Avon to teach the team how to make the recipes, how to plate them and oversee the quality of the food to ensure the guest experience.

Angel Muñoz, Jr., executive chef at Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa, likes the challenge of a new restaurant concept. Muñoz, Jr. had been with Maya, another Richard Sandoval concept for a number of years before the switch to Stoke & Rye.

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“It’s a fresh start and the opportunity to grow and I think more about the execution and how to make it a dining experience you are going to remember for years,” Muñoz, Jr. said.  

Speaking of presentations, cue the 52-ounce Tomahawk, this table-side presentation is memorable and Instagram-worthy. The server rolls out this big steak, pours moonshine whiskey over it and lights it aflame as the dinner guests gasp in amazement. The Cacio de Pepe pasta dish is also done tableside. You may start to drool as they spoon in the bacon, pecorino and black pepper.

The 52-ounce Tomahawk steak, with it’s tableside presentation is a show stopper. Have your cameras ready but don’t get to close.
Stoke & Rye/Courtesy photo

Although steaks are a big part of the menu, give the cast iron chicken a try. It’s served with creamy grits, glazed cippolini, broccolini, heirloom carrot and chili-basil vinaigrette.

Make sure to save room for dessert. Stoke & Rye has an extensive dessert list from a classic maple pecan pie served with salted caramel ice cream to a flourless carrot cake with vanilla cheesecake, carrot compote, pineapple and almond. The bread pudding is good for sharing complete with bourbon sauce, berries and vanilla ice cream.

Save room for dessert at Stoke & Rye where the sweets take center stage.
Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily

Speaking of bourbon, there are over 160 whiskeys on the menu and nearly a dozen different types of Old Fashioned cocktails.

“We designed 11 signature Old Fashioned drinks which are all very different from one another whether it’s plum or chamomile bitters or hellfire bitters with habanero or vanilla simple syrup mixes that we make, there are a lot of different varieties just for being an Old Fashioned. We even have one rum Old Fashioned that we smoke as well,” said Nicholas LoFaro, a bartender at Stoke & Rye.

In addition to the Old Fashioned drinks, there are bright-colored cocktails on the menu like the Fantasy and Escobar’s Island.

“The inspiration for the Fantasy was Mariah Carey,” LoFaro said. “It’s a summery, easy-to-drink patio slammer.”

For the Escobar’s Island drink, LoFaro imagined what Pablo Escobar would drink.

“It’s fun because it has crème de violette, which gives it that green or blueish color. You have crème de violette, but he was a violent person, so just a play on words with the ingredients,” LoFaro said.

The wine list spans from France, Italy, Austria and Germany to California, Oregon, New Zealand and Argentina.

Stoke & Rye serves breakfast and dinner daily and for more information or to get reservations, go to RiverfrontDining.com.


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