Vail Valley, Colorado

I was surprised not to find anything here on the Vail area.

This might be explained as evidence of wide board adherence to Mike G's rule, which states, "if there's a reason to eat somewhere besides the food, the food's no good." The wearing of lead-heavy, rigid boots while carting skis and poles with the potential to impale or deliver a concussion to passersby might cause one to eat just about anything within shuffling distance of a ski lift. (A friend of my parents once shocked me as a young child with tales of her ski-bum days subsisting on soda-cracker/ketchup sandwiches.) However, visiting as I did in May, I had no such excuse for seeking dinner in Vail Village. My excuse: Mother's Day.

Sweet Basil is my mother's favorite restaurant. So, it was out of a wish to indulge her that, this Mother's Day, we braved the curvy I-70 corridor with its tanker trucks zooming past us at 85 mph to arrive at the cavernous Vail Parking structure (a somewhat smaller version of the Grant Park Garage) and trek with Mom on a walker down the mall-chic streets of Vail Village in search of Sweet Basil.

My expectations were low.

While my Mom cooks a mean spaghetti sauce, I was a young teen when I decided to assume control of the family menus. In Phyllis-Dillerian style, she used to point out that her favorite food was anything cooked by someone else, and laugh aloud. (Thank goodness she gave up the cigarettes a long time ago). In short, Mom's idea of a wonderful dinner has more to do with the atmosphere than with the food. Sweet Basil's understated, thoughtful decor and view onto the river only raised my suspicions that we were going to be underwhelmed.

WAS I WRONG.

Sweet Basil's menu was the first clue to careful cooking, with its descriptions of ingredients that only careful shopping or good suppliers can offer. Still, these days, "locally sourced and organic" have become so common on menus that they are almost caveats. Nevertheless, the best materials can be mishandled, and often are, IMHO, with oversalting and ingredients that fight one another being the most common problems.

The spring vegetable salad was exquisite. Pea tendrils, peeled favas, radishes and ricotta were outstandingly fresh and perfectly dressed with a balanced preserved lemon vinaigrette that let the greens shine through. I was suspicious about the inclusion of sunflower seeds, which initially seemed a 1970's cliche, but WAS I WRONG. They were few, fresh and picked up the sweetness of the favas.

My husband's grilled octopus starter was tender and enlivened by both herbal oils in the accompanying potatoes, and the smokiness and salt of very thin strips of chorizo. A smash. I worried that his scallop entree would pale in comparison, being composed of more delicate flavors of asparagus (green and white). But the outstanding freshness of the enormous scallops, atop an asparagus puree with deep flavor and the whimsical topping of crunchy lemony breadcrumbs carried the dish into prominence even after the bold flavors of his starter.

My entree of Colorado sturgeon with haricots verts could not have been better prepared. Moist, flavorful, just right. Herbal notes in the saucing were judicious.

Desserts were also outstanding. A Meyer lemon semifreddo came with macerated strawberries, basil oil, and strawberry pate de fruits on clearly just-baked shortbread of a delicate crunch. The pineapple upside-down cake was an haute-couture version of the classic, accompanied with a delicious lemony pineapple mousse blintz-like thing topped with a few shreds of fragrant lemongrass. Outrageously good.

Service was professional, with perfect timing, as well as accommodating, in spite of what must have been a long day serving people with the inflated expectations of a special occasion meal.

My impression was the the wine list leaned toward expensive, but I do not make any claims of expertise in this area. However, I felt the overall value was outstanding. This was a fine-dining experience with bistro portion sizes at $42 for a three-course prix-fixe.*

In sum, Sweet Basil offers an experience that, while not challenging and innovative, has hit a sweet-spot that could be described as interesting based on fundamentally good ideas, quality ingredients and flawless execution. Oh, and the atmosphere is nice, too.

THANKS, MOM. I guess I am not too old to learn a thing or two from you.

* I don't know if this is a May promotion price. Many of the local restaurants close at this time of year. However, I would happily pay more for such a dinner.

Sweet Basil
193 East Gore Creek Dr # 201
Vail, CO 81657
(970) 476-0125

Stating the obvious here: the Vail Valley and the Evergreen area (on the way from Denver to Vail) seem to have good options for vegetarians and for gluten-free diners. Here are two places we found:

Cuisine of the Himalayas
1262 Bergen Park Way E100
Evergreen, CO 80439
303-670-3370
Lunch Buffet 11AM-3PM
Dinner: 3PM-9PM
http://www.cuisineofthehimalayas.com

Cuisine of the Himalayas met our need for something interesting to eat, close to the highway on the way to Vail. The menu reminds me of the Indian-Nepalese-Tibetan place in Evanston. Chicken momos are on the menu. What I liked about the lunch buffet was the wide variety of veggie-but perhaps not vegan- choices. These included veggie biryani, saag paneer, a curry of mushroom and potato, aloo gobi, cabbage with jalapeno, two daals, spinach fritters, and a salad bar with raita. Standards with standard buffet spicing (too mild for me), but a nice change from burgers on the road. Lunch for two including tax= $18. There was a Thai place and a frozen yoghurt shop in the same strip mall.

The Bookworm
295 Main St.
C101
Riverwalk, Edwards, CO
(970)926-READ
http://www.bookwormofedwards.com

In Edwards, which is located between Eagle-Vail Airport and the other towns eastward that make up the greater Vail area, there is a rambling mixed-use commercial and residential mall that Louise Nevelson might describe as her own personal hell. Aesthetic considerations aside, this might be a good place to stop with a family group. (WATCH YOUR KIDS very closely in the parking lot-confusing through streets and narrow one-ways create chaos, as do restaurants that spill out, disguised by parked cars.) Anyway, the mall is situated next to a nice paved walking trail along the river, there is a reasonably good small grocery, and there are lots of shops and a movie theater, as well as salons.

The Bookworm is a bookstore-cum-breakfast and lunch cafe with wi-fi. I was impressed because they serve both wheat-based and gluten-free buckwheat crepes. (I did not ask if they have separate crepe surfaces, so you might want to check their practices if you have celiac disease.) I had the Green Eggs and Ham buckwheat crepe with egg, ham, spinach and gruyere. This made a filling breakfast. I might have chosen from a long list of fillings that allow one to customize the crepe. A good latte was also available. It was early, but based on the menu, I felt sure that a friend with dietary restrictions could find a dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free option in salad or smoothie territory. That alone makes the Bookworm a good place to know about. That and a New York Times. They open at 7AM.

One more note on Cuisine of the Himalayas (see above). If we had wanted to wait for our food to be prepared, (rather than trying the buffet) I would have ordered their "Sherpa Stew." This is a bowl of spiced broth with vegetables, potatoes, and chicken momos aka dumplings ($10.95) and a choice of chicken ($12.95) or lamb ($13.95). If you are a momo fan, there is also a "Momo Plate" billed as "Dumplings steamed with a mild chicken puree and served with a special chutney." Both sound like good options if you are headed out on the mountain later in the day.