In a town whimsically designed in the spirit of Alpine villages, the entrance to Root & Flower is about as unassuming as a storefront in Vail gets. A first-time guest would never expect that behind the glass door adorned with a signature flower logo, the art-deco mosaics gilding the underbar and the speakeasy teal of the dining room would transport them to another place in another time. Around a sharp corner from Joe’s Deli, across Bridge Street from Vendetta’s Pizza, and two-thirds of the way towards Gondola One from the Covered Bridge, a first-time guest would never assume bar seats packed to the brim. But one look at the wine list, and then a second and a third at the cocktail and food menus, it all starts to become clear. The best wine bar in Colorado might just be in Vail, but Root & Flower is much more than that.
“We originally opened in 2015,” explained Root & Flower’s owner and Sommelier, Jeremy Campbell. “We were at the old location at the time, and operating on a shoestring budget,” he continued, pointing down the alley past Vendetta’s towards what is now their sister bar, Two Arrows Coffee. “We then found this spot in early 2019 and pulled the trigger on it. It was a classic story – we went way over time, way over budget, and then finally got it open on February 28th, 2020. It was 17 days before the shutdown.”
It’s no secret that the service industry took an especially heavy punch during the pandemic. Bars and restaurants all over the country closed overnight with no sense of what the future may – or may not – hold. In a town like Vail that’s so dependent on tourism, the weight of it all was even heavier than most destinations. Locking the door to a new business less than three weeks after it opened – in a destination ski town, nonetheless – would be a hurdle far too high for most to overcome. And yet, Root & Flower found a way.
“I think the places that survived all had to pivot. Very few could just rely on their same business model going into that,” detailed Jeremy. “And that’s kind of what we had to do. I think luckily for us, we all come from a fine dining background. I’ve been a wine director at a lot of restaurants, chef was also an owner. And then Sam – we all worked together for Kelly Liken. That’s actually how we all know each other.”
The change to a larger space may have been ill-timed, but it did offer the opportunity to focus more heavily on the food menu, building on what they had already established with more than 20 by-the-glass wine offerings, and countless more uniquely curated bottle options. “All biases aside, Chef Matt is the best I’ve ever worked with,” Jeremy said, gesturing towards the kitchen where the window was quickly filling up, and quickly emptying out again with small plates headed to the private dining room where a tasting event paired with Ruinart Champagne was taking place.
That deep-diving, experience-driven programming has also become a part of what makes Root & Flower so unique. They offer cocktail classes where guests can learn how to make their favorite drinks. They offer wine and cheese courses where attendees can learn about pairings. They also offer tastings ranging from top-shelf liquor and whiskey to natural wine and champagne, all predicated on the idea that a guest experience is more fulfilling to them if they take knowledge out the door.
“Push them somewhere new and different. Introduce them to something, because that’s so valuable as a guest to have those experiences where you find something new that you love,” mused Jeremy as he poured me a taste of 2020 Pepiere Château Débaud Muscadet-Sevre-et-Maine, which though light and vegetal, gleamed with petrichor and notes of oyster shell. Looking down the Root & Flower kitchen menu, it would be a no-brainer to pair with the Hokkaido Scallop Aguachile served with shaved cucumbers, radish, onion, avocado, serrano and house-made tostada. It would have also gone beautifully with the Big Eye Tuna plated on crispy rice with green papaya, cabbage, pickled fresnos and a yuzu green goddess dressing.
If looking towards their offerings from land rather than sea, consider pairing their signature Beef, Pork and Veal meatballs with something classic yet not overstated like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Get a glass of Wavy Wines California Orange to cut through the decadence of the Queso Birria Quesadilla. There are seemingly no bad combinations on the menu, though we recommened you consult the sommelier.
If – fresh off the slopes and in for Après or down from a hike in the Summer – a guest is searching for a cocktail, Root & Flower also does that as well as anywhere else in town, and maybe even better than anywhere else in the state. “I always tell people to go to a wine bar and order a cocktail. It’s a questionable thing whether or not you’re going to get anything good. Go to a cocktail bar and order a glass of wine. That’s a terrible idea. They’re not gonna ever have anything good there. So, having this large selection of spirits here and the desire to always switch things up, we prioritize having the best of both worlds.”
The Saved by the Bell blends together mezcal and red bell pepper shrub with poblano and arbol chiles for a vegetal, earthy refreshment. The Smoke & Mirrors is a salted grapefruit mezcal negroni that can only be understood by a taste. And if it’s a classic you’re after, they can of course do that, too.
Root & Flower is located at 288 Bridge St., Vail. Their hours are from 3 p.m. to around midnight daily.