Vintage

Vintage is a small restaurant in Sun Valley that we had the fortune of learning about and getting a reservation at while we were there. 

Jeff Keys is the owner and chef.  He came from California and found himself in Aspen during the time when Hunter S. Thompson was running for mayor.  He got into cooking and never looked back. 

The restaurant is small and quaint.  The menu is tiny since he is literally a one man band in the kitchen with an assistant.  The food is excellent.  Lucky for us, Jeff was discovered by an editor who was out in Sun Valley and he has a cookbook coming out in June with all of this own recipes.  I will be one of the first in line to pick up the book.

You start out with warm rolls of the Parker House variety.  We began with salads and soups.  I had a bibb lettuce salad with warm sugary walnuts, bits of Gorgonzola cheese, sliced pears and a light orange vinaigrette.  Light and not too citrus.  Really good.  Jessica had the dinner salad that gives the options of about 4 different dressings.  She went with the Asian one.  If it was bottled, I would have picked up a jar.  Fred split with Emily a spicy rock shrimp tamale.  This came stuffed in a corn husk.  Layers of tastes but nothing too overwhelming and just the right spice.  They literally licked the plate clean.  Josh chose a mushroom soup.  Wow!  I looked for the recipe in the cookbook and am glad it is there.  Rich, creamy with a hint of sherry. 

Dinner came next.  Fred had the pork chop.  Cold smoked pork chop with spicy fixings.  I can't remember them all but it was fantastic.  Emily went with the tenderloin that was served with a small piece of frois gras over the top and a mushroom Madeira sauce.  The sauce was rich with just the right amount of Madeira to give the sauce a zing.  This dish was also served with creamy mashed potatoes with Parmesan.  Not too cheesy just enough to change the flavor of the potatoes.  Nice accompaniment.  Josh, Jessica and I split 2 duck dishes 3 ways.  Wow!  I love Duck and this is one of the best duck dishes I have ever had.  The skin was crispy and the meat was cooked perfectly, even the leg wasn't overcooked which tends to happen in duck.  He served this with roasted plums and a roasted plum sauce with an Asian bend.  Over the top were 2 large Asian latkes.  That is what I call them.  Carrots, bean sprouts, cut up bok choy, egg, scallions and a few other veggies made into a pancake.  Clever and delicious.

Dessert was a must do although we were busting at this point.  There are a variety of handmade ice creams.  Jessica went with the coffee which was rich and tasty.  Josh and Emily split a rich chocolate cake topped with a raspberry chocolate sauce.  All good but one bite was enough.

If you get out to Sun Valley, this is one worth checking g out.  Personally, I'm counting the days for the cookbook.