On Sunday Finn and I dined at Ludwig's, a restaurant in the Sonnenalp in Vail. Sonnenalp is a beautiful resort, with Bavarian roots and a rich history that you can read about on their website (Mom, I know you'll find this interesting). We had been here once before and had a wonderfully entertaining experience. It was a very snowy night and the restaurant had been reserved for a large party that cancelled at the last minute so we had then entire restaurant to ourselves. Our very attentive waiter (appropriately from Austria) wore a cute Bavarian costume and had a very thick accent. I had a hard time understanding him and inappropriately got the giggles every time he came over to help us. The traditional Bavarian food was good but quite not our style.
We were expecting a similar experience on Sunday when we went back to use a Travelzoo voucher for the meal (which was deceptively for 1 rather than 2, which is what we had expected), but were surprised to find that it has been updated In addition to more modern waiter uniforms, the menu has been completely changed and the style has gone from traditional Bavarian to contemporary American. Steve Topple is their new executive chef and has created a menu that highlights seafood and wild game. He has a catch of the day that is flown in from as far as Hawaii and Maine and served within 24 hours of being caught. While it wasn't quite as entertaining as our first meal there, the food was much more memorable. The extensive wine list has stayed the same - we found it to be very expensive, but expected nothing less in Vail Village. The Sommelier was very helpful to us as we chose a bottle for dinner.
I was especially impressed with the first course, Georges Bank Sea Scallops on a bed of white bean ragout with a bacon vinaigrette.
I had the grilled Hawaiian spearfish with coconut rice and pineapple reduction. My only complaint of the meal was the rice. It was undercooked and a little crunchy. The flavors of the dish were good, however.
Finn had the Elk Wellington. It was served with yellow squash gratin, brussel sprouts (which they were kind to substitute for the carrots), and huckleberry sauce. I'm not usually a fan of wild game, but it was very good - the elk was surprisingly tender.
Dessert was AMAZING. We shared Fig Carpaccio with Lemon Cheesecake. The presentation was beautiful. The lemon cheesecake was really the star of the dish - I would have called it lemon cheesecake with fig carpaccio, as it wasn't quite what I expected. The cheesecake was light and creamy and the graham cracker crust was delicious. As I'm writing this now, I'm wishing I was eating it again!
We were expecting a similar experience on Sunday when we went back to use a Travelzoo voucher for the meal (which was deceptively for 1 rather than 2, which is what we had expected), but were surprised to find that it has been updated In addition to more modern waiter uniforms, the menu has been completely changed and the style has gone from traditional Bavarian to contemporary American. Steve Topple is their new executive chef and has created a menu that highlights seafood and wild game. He has a catch of the day that is flown in from as far as Hawaii and Maine and served within 24 hours of being caught. While it wasn't quite as entertaining as our first meal there, the food was much more memorable. The extensive wine list has stayed the same - we found it to be very expensive, but expected nothing less in Vail Village. The Sommelier was very helpful to us as we chose a bottle for dinner.
I was especially impressed with the first course, Georges Bank Sea Scallops on a bed of white bean ragout with a bacon vinaigrette.
I had the grilled Hawaiian spearfish with coconut rice and pineapple reduction. My only complaint of the meal was the rice. It was undercooked and a little crunchy. The flavors of the dish were good, however.
Finn had the Elk Wellington. It was served with yellow squash gratin, brussel sprouts (which they were kind to substitute for the carrots), and huckleberry sauce. I'm not usually a fan of wild game, but it was very good - the elk was surprisingly tender.
Dessert was AMAZING. We shared Fig Carpaccio with Lemon Cheesecake. The presentation was beautiful. The lemon cheesecake was really the star of the dish - I would have called it lemon cheesecake with fig carpaccio, as it wasn't quite what I expected. The cheesecake was light and creamy and the graham cracker crust was delicious. As I'm writing this now, I'm wishing I was eating it again!
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