Let’s Go Places Dinner: An Evening in Italy.
In recent years, Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, Colorado has been working with Toyota to bring us the Beaver Creek Culinary Weekend, a weekend where some of the best chefs and winemakers come together to bring us some of the most incredible dinners and food events that Colorado has ever seen.
And just last night (February 3rd, 2023), I was lucky enough to experience one of the incredible dinner events that the weekend had to offer, the Let’s Go Places Dinner.
Taking place at the Grouse Mountain Grill, located at the elegant Pine’s Lodge at Beaver Creek Resort, the Let’s Go Places Dinner featured a trip through the beautiful country of Italy and most of the flavors that it has to offer.
The event was hosted by guest Chef of Hickory & Ash in Denver, Frank Taylor, Grouse Mountain Grill’s Executive Chef, Frank Blea, and wines brought by master winemaker, Carlo Deltetto, from Italy's Piemonte Wine Region to bring us an evening of fantastic food and wine that any foodie would die for.
And today, I would like to share with you, my readers, how that night went down.
Before I move on, here’s a funny story. There was a separate banquet going on at the other end of the hotel from Grouse, which featured a slider bar.
I made the mistake of walking into that banquet first, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw a buffet line full of sliders instead of the fine-dining meal that I expected.
Once I made it to the right location, I was met by about 100 other diners who appeared to be as ready for the evening as I was and a guitarist who provided music for the evening.
I was then treated to a taste of Brut Rose de Noirs, a sparkling rose wine from Deltello winery. You can already guess that it was going to be an amazing night as it started out with sparkling wine.
We were then led into the dining room by Grouse owner, Dan Schoenfelder, which had a beautifully sophisticated appeal that combined beautiful Colorado paintings with a bit of simplicity one would expect from a fine-dining restaurant.
From there, I met my five tablemates, a charming family who I had the pleasure of sitting with, talking to, and eating with.
We were then treated to an amuse bouche that was half of a California grape wrapped in goat’s cheese, toasted almonds, and topped with a drizzle of olive oil.
For those who don’t know, amuse bouche means mouth amuser in French. It’s a single bite of food that awakens your palate and gives you an idea of what the rest of the meal has to offer.
It was a small bite, but it was powerful. The fruity grape blended perfectly with the tangy, creamy goat’s cheese and the nutty almonds and got me excited for what was to come.
In fact, there were two empty seats at my table, so the diner next to me and I got to have an extra serving of that grape. A bit of a shame for those who couldn’t make it, but it worked out well for me!
We were then introduced to the chefs, restaurant owners, and Carlo, the winemaker, who explained to us the different wines that we tasted that evening.
He then poured us a small glass of Langhe Favorita, a white wine that was as bright and refreshing as one would expect.
From there, we were given a wonderful salad of winter harvest greens, pickled pears, candied nuts, and a lemony vinaigrette dressing.
There’s not much to be said about it, but it was amazing! The fresh, crisp, peppery greens, the sweet and tangy pears, the nutty sweetness in the nuts, and the citrusy, beautifully blended dressing all came together to form a wonderful salad.
Salad done, the next wine was a Nebbiola d’Alba, a red wine that had a light, fruity flavor that served as a palate cleanser for the next dish. For those unaware, Alba is a city in Northern Italy famous for it’s wines and for being one of the few places in the world where white truffles grow.
From there, we were served the best dish of the evening, in my opinion. It was little ricotta gnocchi with brown butter sauce, crushed hazelnuts, Brussels sprout leaves, and a drizzle of a balsamic glaze.
It was a dish that I will be remembering by this time next year. Crisp, tender pillows of love, a rich and nutty butter sauce, tender sprouts, and that fruity acidity from the balsamic to tie the whole dish together. I could’ve eaten at least four servings of that dish, it was that good!
Even now, as I am writing this article, my mouth is salivating as I’m thinking about the love and flavor that went into that small plate of food.
Amazing gnocchi aside, the next wine that we sipped on was a full-body red wine, Barolo, which was different from the Nebbiola but also good as it had a wonderful roasted flavor that tied in perfectly with the nutty flavors in the gnocchi dish.
From there, it was time for our entrée. There was a lot on the plate, so I will make this brief for you.
There was a seared lamb loin that was perfectly cooked, a ball of fried, cheese-stuffed polenta that was a beautiful blend of crispy and creamy, a pinwheel of chard filled with a cheese that I was unable to identify but was still incredible.
For sauces, there was a mint puree that complimented the lamb beautifully, a ragu made with pancetta and tomatoes that was salty but delicious, a reduction sauce that had as much flavor packed into it as possible, and small leaves of fried potato slices.
I got salty, creamy, crispy, minty, and about every adjective you can imagine, all on one stunning plate.
Here is a bit of an extra moment that made the night even more special.
The family I sat with knew Chef Frank and Chef Ryan, so the two came over to my table, and I got to meet them! That bit was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome as both chefs were a delight to talk to.
The finale of our sipping pleasure came in the form of Roero Arneis Passito, a sweet wine made in the hills of Roero, northwest of Alba. The sweetness of the wine helped to relax my stomach a bit to get ready for the grand finale of any good meal, the dessert.
This dessert could not have been more indulgent. A chocolate mousse bomb with raspberry sauce, chocolate cake crumbs, and a leaf of tempered chocolate.
The rich chocolate mousse encased in a firm but breakable chocolate shell could’ve served as a dessert on it’s own. Then you get the tartness of the raspberry and crumbly texture from the cake crumbs, all of which blended together to form the perfect ending to such an incredible night.
The Let’s Go Places Dinner made me feel like I flew to Italy when I only had to take an hour’s drive from my house to experience it, and anyone who is obsessed with food will no doubt want to have tasted everything that I had.
