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Game Creek Restaurant

Laura A. Ball
Dan Coffey/Special to the DailyGame Creek Club sits in a pine grove on Vail Mountain.
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Game Creek Restaurant wishes you to eat adventurously. The quest begins the moment you step aboard the gondola, sweeping you to the top of Eagles Nest. There, a snowcat awaits to take hungry souls over snowy mountains under starlit skies to Vail Mountains premiere restaurant.

Greeted with a glass glasses of NV Pol Roger brut, our waiter James Holmes set the standard for impeccable service that did not waver from champagne to Dolce toast. The first delicious morsels came in the form of the amuse bouche, smoked trout on a crispy wafer with a splash of tomato. Happily amused, the surprisingly hearty tiger shrimp served as my first course in harmony with avocado parfait and pear tomato confit au aspic (cold jelly-like cubes). My date dined on the sea scallops prepared in a traditional Tuscan style relished with eggplant caponata. Light and crisp, the 2003 Simi Russian River Valley Reserve chardonnay paired seamlessly with the shellfish.The braised Kurabuto pork belly included a caramelized onion glace de viande and gorgonzola cheese fondue. I enjoyed the tender sampling in between sips of the light, yet smoky 2002 Belle Pente pinot noir. My date chose the soft herbs chevre, tarragon-mustard dressing drizzled over butter lettuce and frisee served with a sweet, crisp 2003 Trimbach riesling. For the third course, I indulged in the beef tenderloin rossini. A red beet and apple crusted foie gras and black fig conserve perfectly balanced the tender cut. I was in heaven with my steak and glass of 2002 Amiral de Beychevelle. My date feasted upon the dry-aged bison, a lean New York strip served with ancho chili glace and habanero cornbread pave. The earth and spice of 2003 Joseph Drouhin pouilly-fuisse made for a perfect medley.Chocolate lover that I am, we shared Pastry Chef Paula Turners sweetly divine double chocolate terrine. But I would be lying if I said he got more than a bite. A glass of 10-year tawny port in hand, I toasted my Dolce-drinking friend, a journey indeed. Vail Colorado


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