THE FEAST

September 27th, 2006 at 03:03pm Jeannine Kadow 49

WHO TURNED ON THE 'OFF' SWITCH?  

     I returned to Aspen this weekend after a short absence – two weeks in New York where urban reality stripped bare the fantasy of fun in the fashion-centric cultural mecca of Manhattan.  Reality bites – hard.  The first weekend there, the crush of humanity seething down the avenues, the stench of garbage left to linger in the Indian Summer heat, the thunderous metallic grind of trash trucks, shattering sirens, did me in.  Not to mention the humidity, arch enemy to outdoor activity and manageable hair. 

     The second weekend I escaped to ‘the country’ seeking solace in the woods in search of good hiking and clean air in the Hudson Valley.  I hiked the Ute to the summit of Ajax 23 consecutive days in August but I was done in on a beginner trail in the Hudson woods after ten meager minutes.  Insects, heat and humidity left me as ill-humoured, cursing and gasping as a boot camp recruit on the first day’s run through a sado-masochistic survival course.  That evening, in an attempt to console myself at the table, I went into one of the small ‘quaint’ Hudson river towns in search of a fine country meal.   Homemade breads, I imagined, good soups, and country vegetables.  I found few options and of those the least objectionable was not up to any one of the dozen divine dining spots in Aspen.

     I fled the Hudson Valley and the city, longing for my mountain as if it were a lover.  Stepping off the plane, I felt more like Rip van Winckle than Lady Chatterly.  Had I somehow slept through autumn?  Had I inadvertently missed the fall?  Aspen was a winter wonderland – a fairy tale fantasy blanketed in white.  The Gondola was running and I was certain my ski locker was full of the usual boisterous bunch booting up for first tracks.  Of course, I was wrong.  The snow was a fluke of nature, a freak storm.  Far from being The Season, it was no longer summer in Aspen.  It wasn’t even fall.  It was simply ‘OFF’. 

     After the culinary purgatory of United Airlines with its trans-fat filled boxed snacks and the long bleak concourse in Denver where Real Food is not an option, I craved lunch at the bar at Ajax Tavern - could taste the Tuna Pressata and smell the truffle fries.  Up the Gondola plaza stairs I skipped, heart bursting with anticipation, only to find the outdoor chairs stacked, umbrellas cinched, the dining room locked and lights out.  The Tavern was CLOSED for the OFF SEASON. 

    Unfazed, I hopped on the Gondola dreaming of lunch at the Sundeck where I had feasted all summer on wonders from the Wok station, and if not that, then the salad station where sumptuous field greens were topped with grilled chicken, crispy wontons, tomatoes and heaps of parmesean cheese.  A sign warned me this was the last weekend for the Gondola and Sundeck.  Come Monday, they would close for eight weeks until Thanksgiving Day when the season turns back ON.  That alone should have warned me – I should have taken note.  In the final two days of serving, how fresh and full could a restaurant’s pantry be?  Not very.  One half of the Sundeck was indeed closed, the wonderful Wok turned OFF for the off season.  Even my salad bar had not escaped the final countdown.  There were no field greens and no wontons.  No hot tea or cold beer either.  The sun was setting early at high noon Saturday on the sundeck.

    I rode the Gondola down, intent now on lunch at Pacifica.  I could taste the chilled heirloom tomato soup piled high with lumps of iced peeky-toe crab, craved the heirloom tomato and truffle salad topped with a crusty golden hot crouton and creamy goat cheese, all washed down with a glass of good California Chardonnay.  Pacifica was open for the off-season, but the menu had changed, the menu had literally and figuratively shrunk!  Lunch and dinner downsized!  The menu even had a new log-line:  OFF SEASON.  The wine list had been hacked as well!  Gone was the good California chard replaced by a cheaper option of lesser quality.  And, there were only two choices for white and two for red by the glass.  In season, it had been a lush list offering four or five high quality options for each color.  But that was then and this was now.

     There was no lunch or dinner to be had at Genre - not now or ever.  Genre sold out, Genre is gone for good. There was no sleek dinner to be had at my beloved Hotel Jerome either – no fine fireside fish feast, no desert, no appetizers, no drinks in any of the more refined locales.  Only the raucous boozy beer-laden J-Bar was open.  The Century Room and Library and Garden were all closed, lights OFF for the OFF season. 

   I stopped by Piňons pining for dinner at the bar, where I was warned away by a sign that announced Piňions is closing on the 30^th for the OFF season.  I could not bear to think about the dwindling larder so I passed on Piňons. 

     Next up was Nobu.  The thought of my favorite executive chef at the main sushi bar downstairs cheered me.  I adore the Omakase, the special chef tastings he prepares.  I arrived only to find the main dining room dark -  lights OFF for the OFF season.  No Omakase.  No Tempura.  No elaborate lobster and shitake salads.  No seared salmon steaks from the grill.  Bar snacks only served upstairs in the lounge.  The TV was ON for the off season, volume cranked, tuned to a game.  I longed for low-lights and jazz, not the non-stop banter of a ball game commentator, so I gave Nobu the cold shoulder and left.

     I went down the block thinking of a healthy feast at Explore Bistro – but the ‘FOR SALE’ sign out front stopped me dead.  I shuddered from a chill that had nothing to do with the wild winter temperature.  Just the thought of the lights out for good at the Bistro and bookstore was enough to scare me away.

     I could not even take solace in a hot bag of popcorn in the square facing the Wheeler.  The Wagon was closed, lights and popcorn popper turned OFF for the off season.

     There is an upside to down – and the one thing that most definitely turns me ON about the OFF season are the downsized prices at many of the open eateries, all vying for a a slice of a very limited off season market share.  No deal with the devil these – but real dining dollar bargains.  Range invites diners to roam the menu offering up two courses for twenty-two dining dollars.  Next door, Elevation comes down to low altitude with a three course dinner for thirty-two; Takah tempts with half-priced Atomic Shrimp and hot sake; The Hyatt’s Wine Spot wows with half-off the entire wine list; L’Hostaria comes up with Down Valley pricing serving three courses for twenty-eight even; come October1, nesting at the Nell goes Marriot with a very cool $110 for a one night stay (before room service charges or dinner at Montagna, that is); Syzygy straddles the off season serving up a thirty-five dollar three course special Wednesdays through Sundays – until October 14^th when they turn the lights OFF for the off season; And, Gusto greets the off season with gusto, serving up a second season of the Power Dinner at the bar where a crips twenty buys two courses and a glass of wine or beer.

    The rest of the best battle it out on reputation alone – D19 does not compromise nor does it have to.  With drop-in seating in the bar easy and accessible  now, a half order of hand-rolled Ceppe pasta tossed with Calabrese sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic and pan roasted potatoes comes in at eight dollars even, before wine, desert or taxes.  The true Off-Season wonder at Dina’s divine creation is the welcome quiet.  After a summer where hungry hoards packed the tiny space, where waits were sometimes agonizingly long and the bar scene busting past frenetic to something far less enjoyable, the low lights, light dinner crowd, and soothing jazz make it my top dinner destination until the hungry hoards descend again come winter.

    The boys at the bar at Campo are veterans, knowing how to play to the players who eat here across seasons; Giuseppe’s cooking is always a draw, but the bar scene is the real star.  The entertainment value alone of Johnnie is worth the full season price of the check.  Rustique takes such good care of regular clients, there’s no need to advertise.  Word of mouth suffices and the gently priced bar menu endlessly entices.  Ryann Hardy at Montagna earns every penny of the pricey menu, serving up original dishes that highlight the beauty of perfect product – a menu that changes in keeping with the four natural seasons.

     And, last but not least, let it be known that there is never an OFF season at Specialty Foods of Aspen.  Hungry hikers and bikers go shoulder to shoulder with local business-folk at Marcos snug eatery at lunchtime, devouring his outrageously good pannini and salads on picnic benches with a straight up view of Ajax in its full autumn glory.  Gourmet goodies fly off Kylie’s well stocked shelves as well, and the autumn cheese choices are the prize of any picnic or party.  

  Still, I am perplexed at the semantics of the seasonal shift here.  In my mind, this should be an ON season – after all, the fall colors, compromised somewhat as they may have been by Rip van Winckles’ freak storm, are ON; the autumn sun casts a golden glow over mountain and valleys; sports options are ON full wattage – the biking and hiking are honestly never as good as now.  Riding to the Bells in a confetti of cascading aspen leaves, hiking the Ute over a carpet of frost, sitting lakeside at Cathedral gazing up at peaks in high relief against a blistering blue sky; strolling through town at sundown; these priceless pleasures offer up a full-on banquet of all that is really good in this one earthly life.  

Olympus upended; the taste of Autumn in Aspen.

Entry Filed under: Food, Restaurants, Aspen, Fractional Post