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The Met comes to Beaver Creek

Special to the Daily/David Campbell
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BEAVER CREEK – There’s a new restaurant in Beaver Creek. Local restaurateur John Shipp, president of Dionysus Group LLC, opened the The Metropolitan this week. Called The Met for short, the restaurant offers one of Beaver Creek’s only non-hotel breakfast menus along with a high-end espresso bar, at affordable prices not normally found in the Vail Valley. It also has one of three Enomatic Wine Dispensers found in Colorado, and will serve as a wine and tapas bar at night.

The concept came easy to Shipp, who as owner of the Dusty Boot restaurants, discussed restaurant needs in Beaver Creek with friends.

“We thought Beaver Creek needed a coffee shop besides Starbucks – one that was more warm and comfortable, one that you could hang out in,” he said.



Open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., the Met is located in the St. James Place condominiums on the east end of Beaver Creek Resort below the Dusty Boot. Patrons will be able to use free high-speed wireless internet and plug in computers sitting in just about any seat.

A dark roast, light roast and decaf coffee from Colorado’s Dazbog Coffee Company will be served daily and will be used in all espresso drinks. Shipp invested in La Marzocca’s Super Grinder and espresso machines to ensure the perfect grind and the most delicious espresso drinks in the Vail Valley.

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From breakfast to tapas

The Met uses ingredients like Wolferman’s English Muffins, applewood smoked bacon, and authentic Wisconsin white cheddar cheese in its breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast offerings range from $4 to $7.

At night, The Met will change over to a wine and tapas bar, with more than 80 U.S. and International wines on its list. Chosen especially by bar managers Darryl Slate and Jeff Anderson who collectively carry 50-plus years of restaurant experience, the Met’s wines range from $10 to $375 per bottle. “The wines will change often but will always have something to offer everyone, from the wine novice to the wine expert,” Slate said.

The Met has an Enomatic Wine Dispenser, a wine serving machine that fits up to 16 bottles at one time, has four temperature zones for various wine types, and serves exactly a 1.5-ounce, 3-ounce or 6-ounce serving. “This is the most incredible machine I’ve seen,” Shipp said. “It’s a great way for people to compare and taste wines to which they wouldn’t normally have access.”

Executive Chef Mike Bickelhaupt, a well-known chef in the Vail Valley culinary industry, will prepare approximately 15 to 20 different tapas nightly using the finest and freshest ingredients, including those from local farmers as available. Prices will range from $5 to $25.

Interior designer Michelle Anderson created the relaxed environment where “urban meets mountain with an old warehouse effect,” Shipp said. Using only local business partners such as Marmot Electric, Rocky Mountain Creations, Avon Plumbing, Arrigoni Woods and others. Brick walls are paired with Austrian reclaimed wood flooring, beetle kill trees from Colorado for the bars, dark steel details, and modern lighting fixtures and furniture.

The Metropolitan will sponsor the children’s area at the base of the Audi World Cup races in Beaver Creek through Sunday. It will also host the local fundraiser for Art for Orphans on Dec. 9, and is available for group reservations ranging from 5 to 100 people.

For more information, call 970-748-3123.


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