Colorado restaurant openings are common these days. It seems like every week, another new, exciting concept is ushering in guests for the first time, trying to beat the odds and join the ranks of established staples. Yet, for Frasca Hospitality Group – which has since its now Michelin-starred Boulder flagship’s opening in 2004, brought five restaurants to the Denver metro area including a Michelin Bib Gourmand for Tavernetta in LoDo – new openings are sparse, heavily planned and brimming with expectation. So, when Tavernetta Vail opened its doors in December, Bobby Stuckey’s award-winning, locally fostered conglomerate was taking a new, albeit calculated risk loaded with firsts.
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Venturing outside of the metro area for a ski town satellite was only the first gap to bridge. Collaborating with The Four Seasons to create a restaurant inside of a hotel was another new opportunity. Opening in the middle of ski season – only two weeks before the overcrowding holiday traffic – was perhaps the most daunting, and one that required some tapping into the veteran hospitality staff of Vail Valley to pull off. Thankfully, they weren’t completely starting from scratch, nor were they working alone.
“It’s a smaller pool of people up here,” General Manager Jay Havey said. “But being the newest spot is exciting. Frasca has a great brand. The Four Seasons has a great brand. There was so much interest from the jump, and we were able to retain some of the team that was with Flame before.”
Replacing the longstanding Flame steakhouse was a necessary step for The Four Seasons and for Vail at large to modernize its dining scene. A full renovation to bring the dated, dark layout to the standards of both Frasca and The Four Seasons saw a complete scrap and new buildout inspired by the warm architecture and decor of Northern Italy. Welcoming curves tie a throughline from the multicolored glass front door and the arched backbar to the rounded, dark wood wine cave and the high archways spanning the dining room. The tables, booths, chairs, sconces and chandeliers – like the pastas that highlight the menu – also defy sharp edges. The menu along with the Spritz Window – where guests waiting for their table can ring the bar for a cocktail – reenforce Tavernetta Vail’s throughline with its Alpine ethos, tying it firmly to Colorado’s own mountain culture.
“We want to bring Tavernetta to the Alps and give it that mountain feel. I think people see that with the menu, cocktails and obviously with the sense of place,” said Havey, pointing past a balcony overlooking The Four Seasons pool and towards the frontside of Vail Mountain. “We’ve had a ton of people that are very familiar with the Frasca group and dine at Tavernetta Denver all the time. They feel like Tavernetta Vail has its own personality while still having all the great parts of what makes Tavernetta in Denver special.”
There are some staple homemade pastas that made the trip from Denver to the menu in Vail. The homemade Focaccia and the Carpaccio alla Cipriani with Grass Fed Beef and Grana Padano are a memorable way to start a meal at either location. The Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu and Pecorino Romano fits any menu, any time of year, in any locale. The Maine Lobster with Calabrian Chili, Preserved Tomato and Celery is done with Linguine here rather than Tagliatelle in Denver, while new additions like the Mafaldine with Buckwheat, Short Rib Ragu, Pecorino Romano and Currant beckons for the hearty diet of the Italian Alps. The same can be said for Cervo – a cut of venison loin with celery root, huckleberry, pine mud and maitake.
It’s not only the dinner menu that pulls its inspiration from Northern Italy and grants it a unique identity from its counterpart near Union Station. Tavernetta Vail’s recently launched Après-Tivo celebrates the European ski culture, inviting guests for reasonably priced bites and drinks daily from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. An Amalfi Spritz with homemade Limoncello, Suze, Prosecco and Soda pairs perfectly with the Carnaroli, Parmesan Reggiano and Garlic Confit Arancini while resting one’s legs from a day on the slopes and taking in the views of Vail during Alpenglow from Tavernetta’s Four Seasons balcony.
“The name is taken from the Après culture of the Alps and Vail combined with aperitivo, which is the Italian custom of going out somewhere before dinner, getting a drink and a quick bite. It is a natural combination for us, and it’s just a perfect blend that should hopefully drive some afternoon traffic our way,” said Havey.
When ski season ends, Tavernetta Vail is also planning for how to keep things busy. The seasonality of a ski town is tough to navigate for staff and something that Frasca Hospitality’s other stores don’t have to confront. “For us, it’s maximizing what we can during the festive season and when the ski season is going,” Havey explained. “But then after that, things can decline a lot. How do we make sure to build those regulars? How do we make sure to keep it exciting in the sort of off seasons so that we’re not slow? Obviously, you’re not going to be as busy as you are during the couple weeks around the holidays, but it’s about making this a sustainable year-round thing.”
“The exciting thing about this restaurant is yes, there are some very high-end wines and really cool dishes that are on the higher end, but there are also some very approachable wines that are out of the glass. There are some very easy, light bites and dishes that are on the more affordable side. And I think for me, as sort of a local around here, it’s just as much about curating a restaurant that I would go to on a weekday, and not just for a birthday or a big celebration.”
In a town heavily populated by both the high-end, high price point brasseries and the divey pizza joints, Tavernetta is striking a balance between its Frasca Hospitality fine dining standards and the approachable Après hangout. Whatever a prospective diner, drinker or liftie is looking for, Tavernetta Vail can provide.
Tavernetta Vail is located inside The Four Seasons Hotel at 1 Vail Rd., Vail. Its hours are daily from 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. for Breakfast, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. for Après-Tivo and 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. for Dinner.
All Photography by Casey Wilson