5 Vail Valley restaurants named to Michelin-recommended eateries while Colorado adds a new star
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Five restaurants in the Vail and Beaver Creek area that landed on Michelin’s list of recommendations last year retained their status when the newest list of the revered guide dropped on Monday.
Sweet Basil and Osaki’s in Vail, Mirabelle and Splendido at the Chateau in Beaver Creek, and Wyld in Avon were among the 31 restaurants on the state’s recommended list. All five restaurants made the inaugural Colorado list in 2023 as well. Only two newcomers stepped in line with good culinary company: Brasserie Brixton and Kawa Ni, both in Denver.
The state added a new single-starred restaurant with Alma Fonda Fina, which serves high-end Mexican fare in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood. Chef Johnny Curiel began in his family’s restaurant in Guadalajara, and opened Alma Fonda Fina in December 2023. The starred list now comprises Alma Fonda Fina in Denver, Beckon in Denver, Bosq in Aspen, Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, and The Wolf’s Tailor in Denver.
“As we celebrate year two of the MICHELIN Guide in Colorado, we can see the passion and momentum continue to grow in this culinary community,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guides. “We are very excited to welcome Alma Fonda Fina into the family of MICHELIN-Starred restaurants. The famously anonymous Inspectors were also eager to shine a light on the growing talent in the local community, with a handful of new restaurants added to the selection.”
The Michelin guide also recognizes restaurants with good food at a great value. AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q in Denver’s Overland neighborhood is no longer on that list, and Denver’s MAKfam on South Broadway has now been added. Nine total restaurants are now recommended on the Bib Gourmand list. MAKfam started as a small pop-up in NYC, where owners and married couple Doris Yuen and Kenneth Wan first met. The couple moved to Denver and began a stall in Avanti Food and Beverage in Denver LoHi’s neighborhood where they amassed a loyal following. Now, they’re a much-lauded staple on South Broadway.
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Over the years, the guide has also started recognizing special awards, and two High Country restaurants made this special list. Jessenia Sanabria of Sweet Basil in Vail won the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award, and Chris Dunaway of Element 47 in Aspen won the Michelin Sommelier Award.
Sanabria is managing partner of operations at Sweet Basil, where she has worked since 2017. She cut her teeth in the bars of late 2000s Miami and focuses on creating simple and classic cocktails.
Anna Suszynski is a staff editor at the Vail Daily. She can be reached at asuszynski@vaildaily.com. Follow her on Instagram at annasuszynski or on Twitter at anna_suszynski.
