Chicken and pheasant pot pie at The Tenth in Vail (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

The best chef-driven restaurant in Vail is still, hands-down, Kelly Liken. That’s a point that almost every chef in town is begrudgingly willing to concede. But the former Top Chef contestant has some fierce new competition this year. Here’s what’s new in Vail: 

The Tenth; mussels and fries; short rib ravioli; s’mores pudding; creme brulee (photos by Brad A. Johnson)

1. The Tenth
You’d be stupid to ski Vail Mountain and not call ahead to book a table for lunch at The Tenth, a fabulous new on-mountain restaurant located at the base of Look Ma run, accessible via three different chairlifts. But seriously, don’t forget to call ahead. I watched the hostesses turn away dozens of hungry skiers who hadn’t booked in advance. There’s a reason this place is so popular. It is quite simply the best new restaurant in Vail, with head chef Paul Wade (formerly of Aspen’s Little Nell and the Four Seasons Maui). There’s an awesome lamb chili made with local Colorado lamb and smoked green chiles, topped with Humboldt Fog chevre. The chicken and pheasant pot pie will put your grandmother’s to shame. The beef short rib ravioli, holy crap. And the s’mores pudding will have you in tears, I promise. Mid Vail Mountain, 970-754-1010

The dining room at Block 16; foie gras; kampachi crudo; agnolotti; sea trout (photos by Brad A. Johnson)

2. Block 16
The two-year-old Sebastian hotel in the heart of Vail Village is picking up steam with Block 16, a small but mighty restaurant with an incredible wine program and a new rising-star chef, Ezra Duker, formerly of French Laundry and The Truffle Pig in Steamboat. Duker balances pristine slivers of kampachi with hearts of palm and kumquats. He marries uni with potatoes for a beguiling union that tastes like a cross between soup and soufflé. Local steelhead trout is bathed in mustard jus with bok choy and maitake mushrooms. 16 Vail Road, 970-477-8050

Matsuhisa Vail’s sashimi; the sushi bar; jalapeno scallop; chocolate cigars (photos by Brad A. Johnson)

3. Matsuhisa
Capitalizing on the enormous success of his restaurant in Aspen, Nobu Matsuhisa has launched another Matsuhisa, this one in Vail. Is it as great as the one in Aspen? Well, not quite, but the Aspen location is perhaps the best restaurant in the celebrity chef’s entire empire. This one’s still really good—really, really good—and it’s got the best view of any fine dining restaurant in the Village. The scallop with jalapeño salsa is truly kick-ass. And save room for desserts because they steal the show. 141 E. Meadow Drive, 970-476-6628

The burger at Sonnenalp’s Bully Ranch (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

4. Bully Ranch
There’s a new chef (Steve Topple) at the legendary Sonnenalp (home of the best maître d’ in Vail), and in the resort’s casual pub he’s introduced what is easily Vail’s best line-up of burgers, made with freshly ground beef, buffalo or elk — stacked higher than a Dagwood. (Feeling lucky? And hungry? If you review all seven of the pub’s new burgers on their Facebook page, you’ll be entered to win free swag from the resort’s spa!) 20 Vail Road, 970-476-5656

5. Elway’s Steakhouse
This first-rate steakhouse from former Denver Bronco great John Elway is precisely everything a great steakhouse should be: a testosterone-fueled ode to big-ass steaks and even bigger red wines. Plus shrimp cocktail the size of Chihuahuas. 174 East Gore Creek Drive, 970-754-7818

This article originally appeared on Food Republic. 

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I took this shot from the balcony of my living room at Lumiere (an amazing condo hotel), overlooking Mountain Village, the resort community that’s connected to Telluride by the local gondola. The sun had just set but the mountainside was still illuminated by 14 inches of fresh snow. I love the amber glow of the lights, and the way it reflects on the sidewalk and snow. Even way off in the distance, you can see the faint amber glow of porch lights from other houses and cabins. God, I love Telluride. It’s one of the most beautiful places on earth.

221 South Oak, Telluride (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

221 South Oak is an ultra charming restaurant in downtown Telluride. Housed in a vintage cottage, with sultry jazz and vocals warbling from the stereo, this is the perfect spot for date night. Chef Eliza Gavin is one of the best chefs in town. She makes a half dozen different sausages in-house every week, using elk, pork, beef, duck, you name it. She serves an amazing Rocky Mountain trout. The grilled elk chop is brilliant. And there’s a pumpkin butterscotch pie that will have you licking the plate and begging for more. 221 South Oak St., Telluride, 970-728-9507

Take a look around…

Beano’s Cabin, Beaver Creek (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Beano’s Cabin is my favorite restaurant in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Hidden in a small mountain meadow, surrounded by towering spruce, at the edge of Larkspur Bowl more than halfway up Beaver Creak Mountain, this was one of the first ski-in/ski-out, fine-dining restaurants in America. The cabin is now celebrating its 25^th year with a brand new chef, Bill Greenwood (formerly of Aspen’s The Little Nell and San Diego’s Eddie V’s), who fills the wood-fired rotisserie with whole suckling pigs and beef tenderloins. 

En route to the cabin; the interior; fluke tartare; leek risotto; pork belly with polenta; roasted vegetables (photos by Brad A Johnson)

An appetizer of fluke tartare tastes like it was just yanked from the sea. Picture-perfect farmers market veggies (flown in from the Santa Monica Farmers Market in Los Angeles) are roasted en papillote. A snowball-sized chunk of pork belly sinks into a creamy, pillowy mound of polenta. The fireplace roars. The wine list is extensive. Lunch, which is ski-in/ski-out via the Larkspur Express chairlift, is open only to members of the private Beaver Creek Club (and their friends). Dinner, accessibly only by snow cat, is open to the public. Reservations essential, 970.754.3463

Tuna carpaccio with preserved lemon, fennel and harissa (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Executive chef Rob Zack at Eight K, the beautiful restaurant inside the Viceroy Snowmass, serves some of the best lamb chops and Rocky Mountain trout in the Aspen/Snowmass area. And, holy crap, the tuna carpaccio is amazing. Low-key glamour. Roaring fireplace in the center of the dining room. 130 Wood Rd., Snowmass Village, 970.923.8000

Take a look around…

The patio at Cloud Nine Bistro on Aspen Highlands (photo by Brad A Johnson)

New to Aspen this year is Cloud Nine Bistro, located at 10,740 feet, high atop Aspen Highlands mountain, with stunning views of the Maroon Bells (twin peaks in the Elk Mountains). Ski-in/ski-out from the Cloud Nine lift. Unbuckle your boots and feast on elk ragout with lingonberries and créme fraîche, pheasant sausages wrapped in pancetta, pristine scallops that’ll make you forget for a moment that you’re in the mountains, or some of the biggest Colorado lamb chops you’ll ever see (or taste). But first you’ll want to start with a big pot of fondue. (Chef Andreas Fishbacher is Austrian, natch). Aspen Highlands, Cloud Nine lift, 970-544-3063

Take a look around…

Fondue with a view; dining room; scallop; lamb chops; apple strudel; panna cotta (photos by Brad A Johnson)

Cowboy ribeye (photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Steakhouse chefs rarely garner much attention from the national press because, generally, if they’re doing things right, they’re not reinventing the wheel. Well, here’s one who deserves to be noticed: rising star chef Kathleen Crook at Aspen’s new Steakhouse 316. And no, she’s not reinventing the wheel, but that’s beside the point.

The dining room; iceberg wedge; mussels; onion rings; bread pudding; staff (photos by Brad A. Johnson)

Crook is an incredible technician who really nails this concept.She serves enormous, outrageously fine steaks from a nearby herd, perfectly cooked and dramatically presented still sizzling in cast-iron skillets that barely fit on the tabletops. The onion rings are epic. She serves insanely plump mussels, steamed with jalapeños and garlic, served in Staub pots. She makes an iceberg wedge like nobody’s business. A single serving of bread pudding is as big as your head. The dining room is sexy as hell, too, swathed in black-and-white wallpaper, exposed brick, black lacquered wood, dark red velvet and crystal chandeliers. 316 E. Hopkins Ave., Aspen, 970-920-1893