Exploring Aspen’s new dining scene
EMP Winter House, a snowy pop-up from the team behind New York’s three-star Michelin restaurant Eleven Madison Park, is the talk of the winter town. But if you can’t score one of the highly coveted reservations — available only to American Express Card holders, it opens Dec. 15 at the St. Regis hotel’s Chefs Club (315 E. Dean) — for chef Daniel Humm’s take on fondue and schnitzel, there are plenty of other exciting new dining concepts to choose from in Aspen this season.
Gorsuch Ski & Café (555 E. Durant) is a nice addition to Aspen’s vibrant coffeehouse scene. Located conveniently on gondola plaza near the ticket window, skiers can pop in for an Illy espresso and boot fitting en route to the slopes. A retail space sells the stylish ski brand’s helmets, goggles, gloves and other accessories, and the café is done up in shearling-covered seats and wood tables for shoppers to enjoy Louis Swiss pastries or a low-key glass of après bubbly.
Skiers who love a hearty breakfast mourned the loss of Over Easy and Main Street Bakery,
but the new Aspen Public
House (328 E. Hyman Ave.) in the Wheeler Opera House is filling the void with morning dishes such as chili bernaisetopped Eggs Benny and avocado toast, plus a late-night menu of
gussied-up gastro-pub favorites, including wings, burgers and steak frites.
An outpost of Austin’s hit oyster bar, Clark’s (517 E. Hyman) has taken over the space that formerly housed local mainstay
Little Annie’s. For the Aspen crowd, the restaurant has introduced a menu of sustainable caviar and champagne. East Coast and West Coast oysters, as well as lobster rolls, make it feel like summer even on the coldest
winter days. Named for Aspen’s elevation,
7908 (415 E. Hyman) is a buzzy new supper-club concept from Roger Wilson, an alum of legendary NYC restaurateur Keith McNally. Snack on duck-fat fries topped with Parmesan or ahi tuna tacos at the bar or dig into a 24-ounce bone-in cowboy ribeye and chopped salad for dinner. Once resident DJ Bryan Normand (aka Kid Kamillion) starts the spinning, the entire Alpine-chic venue is free game for dancing, even the banquettes.
The Jerome Bar’s burger remains the stuff of Aspen legend, but the historical hotel isn’t one to rest on its laurels. This summer, the Jerome debuted a number of additions and enhancements, including Bad Harriet (310 E. Main), a speakeasy-style bar named for the wife of hotel founder Jerome B. Wheeler. The dimly lit, swanky underground space is just next door in the renovated former Aspen Times building. Classic craft cocktails — think negronis and Manhattans — are the star, expertly mixed and accompanied by light bar bites.