Aspen Farewell Ends With Inspirato and Eight K

It was the final day of the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. My friend Lisa and I headed down to the Grand Market for one last run of tasting, and then were off to a most unusual brunch.

Inspirato invited us to one of their Aspen condos for a Sommelier Brunch. Many don’t realize how hard these wine experts work all weekend and it was a chance for them to unwind a bit. Capture Wine Ben Shapiro brought some of his wines (including the delicious Sauvignon Blanc) and grilled cheese egg sandwiches permeated the air.

It was a beautiful day and the views of Aspen from the duplex we great. We enjoyed the wine, food and company for a few hours before taking off with the last swag bag of the trip.

Inspirato definitely out did themselves with beautiful tote bags, NIKE Jackets and hats, as well as a water bottle, though the entire week had been filled with gifts from sponsors like I had never seen before. Among the treats we went home with were Godiva Chocolates, Riedel Wine Glasses, Wusthof Kitchen Shears, an AT&T Adapter, a Kitchenaid Blender, shirts, bar utensils and assorted bottles of wine, spirits.

We took an afternoon break before riding up to Snowmass for dinner at Eight K. The restaurant is just magnificent, with a fireplace and glass bar, and breathtaking views from the mountain at 8,000 feet.

One of the reasons I had chosen this place for our only Aspen dinner out was the cocktail menu and I wasn’t disappointed. From a Pineapple Caipirnha to a Blue Moon (Leopold Brothers Gin, Crème Yvette, lemon juice, simple syrup and Charle de Fere Floater), it all sounded great. I settled on a Ginger Peach Mojito (Cruzan Rum, peach puree, house made mint syrup, house made ginger syrup and lime) and was not disappointed.

At the end of the cocktail menu was something that caught my eye. It was in a box by itself under the heading “Viceroy Margarita.” I’m always intrigued by original drinks, so I read the ingredients… Casa Dragones Tequila, Cuvee du Cent Cinquentenaire-Grand Marnier and Peach Street Distillers Eau de Peach. As I began to think about that delicious combination of expensive liquor, I realized that thought was not lost on 8K. The margarita was $75!

I’m sure many are wondering if a margarita can possibly be worth that much money. All I can say is it was the smoothest, most unusual and tasty margarita I ever had. The food proved to be just as interesting, starting with a creative bread basket that we nibbled on with our cocktails.

The chef brought us Gran’s Deviled Egg with country ham, truffle, tarragon and prosciutto to taste before the Crispy Stuffed Squash Blossom arrived. They were both great and we chatted a bit about the fresh ingredients he uses and unusual touch, like the Lamb Ribs (excellent) which are smoked by the pool using fruitwood and then served with Tszatziki sauce.

I really enjoyed the Potato Gnocchi with mushroom consommé, spring onion, truffled crème fraiche and black, while Lisa liked her first taste of Elk. Dessert was just phenomenal as it combined two of my loves – sweets and cocktails. Eight K actually put together a dessert and cocktail menu that cannot be beat. Our favorite was the Peanut Butter Chocolate, a chocolate and peanut butter semifreddo with salted peanut butter caramel, fluffernutter, pretzel peanut crunch and malted vanilla ice cream, served with The Jelly, blackberry whiskey, Chambord and Drunken Blackberry.

The other combination Lisa and I really enjoyed was the Honey Lavender Cheesecake, made from Avalanche Chevre with roasted vanilla peaches, hazelnut brittle and sweet cream, accompanied by Lemonsicle, a house-made Meyer lemoncello with cream.

It was nice to end our final night in Aspen celebrating the food of this beautiful Colorado city. In the morning we would be off to discover another place I had never been – Lumiere Telluride. 

Partying Away at Aspen Food and Wine Classic

Food and wine festivals are always busy days, but I took on quite a bit for Saturday at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. I had five parties to get to and I was determined to see, taste and listen to as much as possible.

We started the day at the Whole Foods Fishmonger Face-Off, which certainly wins the prize as the most unusual event at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. There were 11 fishmongers from Whole Foods Market stories around the country competing to cut their fish quickly and accurately, as well as answer trivia questions by Chef John Besh that helped educate the audience on making responsible choices on seafood.

As you can imagine, there wasn’t much to eat for someone with a fish allergy, but I had Lisa to do the tasting (she raved about everything, especially the Rockfish Pontchartran with Chanterelle and Blue Crab) and I knew there would be plenty of things to save my appetite for and nibbled on some scrumptious mushroom tarts.

Aspen Peak Magazine definitely knows how to throw a party and I was glad Lisa and I got an invite to the Carte Blanche event. It was a private event and we had our own musical entertainment by the phenomenal Bella Betts. At 11 years old, the daughter of famed sommelier Richard Betts decided she wanted to make it on her own and made an album funded by Kickstarter.

Less than a year later, she’s playing her music everywhere, including songs she writes herself. I was just blown away by the talent of this young girl.

It was an A-list crowd that included singer John Oates , an Aspen resident who Lisa couldn’t wait to meet. We dined on everything from falafels to lobster rolls, with some terrific Carte Blanche wines.

By the time we got back to the Bed and Breakfast, we had just enough time to shower and change for the evening’s festivities. We drove up the mountain to the Swine at the Mine party.  It was quite a view from Smugglers Mountain and we walked around for awhile just taking in the views.

Although I was content on the outside, Lisa actually even got me to go inside the mine, which turned out to be more interesting than I thought.

We posed for some photos and had some wine. The Infinite Monkey Rose in a can was a unique idea and very refreshing. Since I’m not much of a beer drinker, I loved the idea of making wine as casual and portable. We showed our approval for it by getting matching Infinite Monkey Theorem tattoos!

They certainly made use of the swine at this party. We enjoyed the Roasted Pork Belly Tacos and Handmade Garlic Sausage. There was also Pork Rilette and additional side dishes to complete the “Pork Six Ways” presented by Masterpiece Delicatessen.

I left Lisa at Smuggler’s Mountain while I headed to the Food & Wine Classic 30^th Anniversary Party and Elvis Costello concert. I didn’t make it in time for the actual party, but I did get seated before the concert began. It was a wonderful concert, with the whole audience signing along through most of it and the chefs down in the front row dancing in the aisles!

The night ended at the Belvedere After Party, where I definitely danced the night away. The place was packed with celebrity chefs like Andrew Zimmern, journalists (I finally got to meet Food & Wine’s Dana Corwin and dance a bit with my Aspen Peak editor Erin Letz) and lots of Aspen regulars. I discovered Belvedere Lemon Tea and tonic, a drink I would soon not forget.

I was more than ready to call it a night when the party was over, but I had made it through the biggest partying night of the year and the next day was going to be a lot easier. 

Tastes of Aspen Food & Wine Classic

I walked around Aspen for a while enjoying the warm day deciding what to do with the two hours I had free. Since I’ve been to a few of these food and wine festivals I know that it’s pretty impossible to do the Grand Market all at once. There’s just more food and drink than any person can consume. I decided to make more than one trip and headed downtown for my first.

The Food & Wine Classic market wasn’t nearly as big as South Beach, but there was certainly plenty to try. I stopped at the British Airways table to find out more about how the chefs prepare food that works well with the plane’s altitude. I can’t say I fully understood the process, but it seemed to come together on my recent trip to London on that airline.

Can you think of a better combination than Godiva Chocolate and ice cream? Godiva Chef David Funarc took it one step further by giving his Godiva Ice Cream Parlor Truffles flavors like Banana Split, Pecan Caramel Sundae and Rocky Road.

The Wines of Spain tent included not only a fantastic selection of Tempranillo, Albariño and other Spanish varietals, but also cheese tasting.

The Best New Chefs named by Food and Wine Magazine had their own tribute and area to cook some of their award-winning recipes.

If you see Kay wine not only has an interesting name and intriguing bottle, but I liked their fruity Cab blend from Italy. For an entirely different take on “boxed wine,” try Volare, which comes in a pocketbook case. The Pinot Grigio wasn’t bad and the pocketbook holds the equivalent of two bottles for $14.99.

Kitchen Aid had their entire Cook for a Cure appliances on display. These pink items acknowledge the relationship between the cookware company and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer for the Cure organization.

I didn’t want to eat too much because I had a luncheon to go to, but did take a few of Green & Black Organic Chocolates to go (love the real cherry pieces in the Chocolate-Cherry, as well as the Ginger one). The StellaArtois Best of Belgium Press luncheon started with Hoegaarten with an asparagus, scallops and lobster dish. My friend Lisa was with me and she hard at work tasting the beer (it’s not my favorite beverage), as well as eating the seafood. She didn’t seem mind the task and also enjoyed the sushi dish with Stella, while I checked out the cheese and fruit platter.

Chef Daniel Joly prepared the food for the event to pair with the beers. I thought the gnocchi with lamp was a great combination, and the Open Chicken Crepe was delicious. The Stella Artois party ended with a Decadent Chocolate Dessert and miniature crème brulees. A few bites of two of my favorites were all I could manage after the morning of eating.

We headed back to the B&B for a short nap before the Zonin Prosecco tasting at Casa Lua. I really enjoyed the sparkling wine and wished we had time to sample some more of the company’s Italian wines, but we had another party to get to.

Fly, Drive and Reside was sponsored by Mercedes, Veuve Cliquot and Timbers Resorts. We were on the rooftop of the Dancing Bear in time for a beautiful sunset and lots of champagne. Lisa and I mingled for a while and enjoyed the scenic views. The night was just perfect, not too hot and not a chill in the air. It was hard to leave, but I had another party to get to.

Gail Simmons’ Last Bite, Late Night Dessert Party was at the Hotel Jerome and it was as sweet as it sounds. Even the drinks at the Late Night Dessert Party were decadent. I went for the Espressotini with Patron XO Café Dark Cocoa, Patron XO Café and Fonte Espresso. It certainly woke me up!

Harry & David supplied a selection of Moose Munch and Bark, with flavors such as Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroon and Cherry Vanilla. The mini cupcakes and mini doughnuts (bittersweet chocolate, yum) were on a looking like they would be rolled around the room. The Roasted Vanilla Peach Hand Pies made me glad I hadn’t had any dinner before I came.

It was pretty late when I got out of there, but I was on quite a sugar high and not ready to hit the sack. Before calling it a night, Lisa and I met up with a friend at Belly Up to hear some great live music. It was a comfortable venue and I wish I had the energy to stay until the end of the show and the closing of the club, but I was coming down from the sweets. It had been a long day and I had an even longer one to come. 

Intro to Aspen Food & Wine Classic

I’ve been attending the Food Network South Beach Food &Wine Festival and the Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival for years, so when the opportunity came up to cover the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, I was excited. I had heard nothing but good things about this event and was ready for my first trip to Aspen.

It wasn’t easy getting to Aspen. I had to take three flights just to get to Vail, where I was meeting my friend Lisa. She had decided to drive up and the timing worked out perfectly to pick me up at the airport and make the scenic one and a half hour trip to our bed & breakfast in Aspen.

We didn’t arrive until about 9:00 pm and had to change quickly to get to two of the first night’s parties. The first was downtown on the rooftop of the Dancing Bear. We saw Rick Bayless, but most of the other guests had already departed by the time we arrived, so we just stayed a short while before getting back in the car and heading up the mountain.

The Jose Andres Wines of Spain Party was at a private mansion (currently listed for sale at $28 million) that was as spectacular on the inside as it was when we pulled up to the valet in the driveway. We went to the bar to try Jose’s Sour before sampling some wines and the barbecue of chorizo, skirt steak and some of the best pork sliders I’ve had.

Lots of the celebrity chefs were at the party, including Marcus Samuelsson, Giada de Laurentis, Tom Cocchlio and Andrew Zimmern, who I had met in South Beach and interviewed recently for an article. It was a fun atmosphere as the “official” festival had not started and everyone was pretty relaxed.

We left the party around midnight to get some sleep for a very early wake up call. Lisa had agreed to run the 5K with Bobby Flay charity run and I was in charge of taking the photos.  Despite the fact that she hadn’t been running regularly and hadn’t really adjusted to the altitude, she did pretty well in the race. The real winner, though, was Samuelsson, who was the first chef to cross the finish line.

After the race, the runners were treated to a breakfast of Pure Protein bars, Figi Water, bagels and champagne.  Lisa hung out for a bit while I went down to a local breakfast hangout called Poppycock for a fun interview with Belvedere head Vodka’s Head of spirit creation and mixology, Claire Smith. We had a great time and I left ready to face a full day (and night) of Aspen Food & Wine Classic activities – after a downed some of Poppycock’s famous Old Fashion Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes.