Oysters and a martini, steak frites and a nice Bordeaux blend or a croque monsieur sandwich with a beer is how to best describe La Brasserie, the new French restaurant in Vail Village. But don’t let the French concept make you shy away.
“A brasserie is a fun concept. It’s not as serious as people think, it’s more casual. Every brasserie and bistro on the planet has one thing in common: they’re all extremely busy all the time and I think that speaks to how much people love that sort of style of food,” said Tyson Amick, executive chef at La Brasserie.
“Brasserie in French actually means ‘brewery.’ It serves simple dishes, hearty dishes and alcoholic drinks, in an informal setting,” said Joseph Newton, the beverage director at La Brasserie. “Here you’ll find an approachable atmosphere and our staff is here to help you find that perfect drink to go with your meal or try something new.
The idea to open a French brasserie in Vail was the brainchild of two natives of Mexico City.
“Pablo Quiroga and Alejandro Ortiz grew up coming to Vail. They and their families have lived here for a few years now, their kids go to school here and they’ve seen the direction Vail has been going and they were tired of losing fun spots in Vail and wanted to create a fun experience and a place you want to go,” said La Brasserie general manager, Patrick Drennan.
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La Brasserie in Vail Village is located in the former Fall Line location on Bridge Street. Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily
Drennan, Amick and Newton are veterans of the restaurant scene in Vail, working at Matsuhisa, Root and Flower and other hot spots and quickly assembled a team to get the location open, which happened, fittingly, on Bastille Day, July 14.
“We added large awnings and flashing over the patio seating so everyone can stay dry even if it rains and the awnings also block out the heat from the sun,” Drennan said. “Lunch service is from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by dinner service from 4:30 p.m. to close during peak seasons.”
The menu consists of classic French staples like mousseline de foie gras, quiche Lorraine, cordon bleu, beef tartare and various specials.
“French is at the root of all cuisine, no matter where you look,” Amick said. “I think that the number one thing is ingredient sourcing. I’m an ingredient collector; I have a lot of experience over the past few decades of looking through what products are available, certainly in the past 10 years in the Vail Valley, and figuring out the best product to start with.”
“I went with one of the owners over to Aspen and we tried a bunch of French onion soups, we wanted to see what makes the perfect broth, not too runny, great flavor and just wanted our customers to love it,” Drennan said.
“I think my favorite thing on the menu right now is probably the new trout dish that we just did some R & D on over the past couple days. It’s a throwback to the 1800s. It’s a really interesting feature to put into the mix. We also have been featuring a bone marrow appetizer. That’s been fun to work with as well,” Amick said. “The desserts are a lot of fun, as well. My mother had a pastry degree, and I grew up on a farm in North Carolina where we raised all of our own livestock, vegetables, made our own sausage — just everything from scratch, and cooking is really my true passion in life.”
The drink menu is worthy of a trip to La Brasserie. Whether you are grabbing a drink before a concert at The Amp or lingering at the bar with friends, there are quite a few beverages to explore — and maybe even learn how to pronounce. The Canard to Pronounce drink is a play on words.
The steak frites at La Brasserie in Vail comes with your choice of a New York strip, a prime filet or wagyu ribeye. Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily
“The Canard to Pronounce drink is based on a classic cocktail called the vieux carré, which is essentially a New Orleans French-inspired Manhattan cocktail. Canard is the French word for duck and in the drink, we take duck fat and infuse that infuse that into the rye and the cognac, and then mix in our Carpano and sweet vermouth, which I think adds a little extra body, spice and deliciousness,” Newton said.
Newton then uses a little spray of black truffle distillate that he gets from Archetype Distillery in Vail Village.
“Archetype makes some fantastic distillates. We spray the top of the ice cube then add a little lemon. This is the pièce de resistance,” Newton said.
The Once in a Blue Moon martini is infused with blue cheese.
“This is another drink where we are using a distillate, this time a blue cheese distillate from Archetype. If you love blue cheese olives, this drink is for you,” Newton said.
On the lighter side for cocktails, La Brasserie is doing Après All Day which is a lower-proof spritz – perfect for sipping while sitting on the patio. Newton pointed out his mocktail list and is particularly fond of one drink that utilizes kava.
Enjoy the French onion soup, salmon crudo and warm goat cheese salad paired with the Picnic in the Woods drink, an elderflower and berry spritz. Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily
“Kava is a medicinal herb and it’s really gaining a huge following. There are kava bars popping up in Denver and it is a big craze on the East Coast,” Newton said. “We mix that with our house-made coconut cream, a little splash of non-alcoholic velvet falernum, non-alcoholic orange liqueur and pineapple, and they say it’s one of our best cocktails on the menu.”
The Branzino à la Plancha at La Brasserie in Vail is served with grilled vegetables, smashed potatoes and citrus herb sauce. Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily
Wine is, of course, a big part of the drink menu at La Brasserie, as well.
“France is the capital of the wine world, and we’ve been able to find really good quality wine for relatively affordable prices, which I love,” Newton said, but also added that they do have wines from elsewhere. “We carry some excellent Italian wines, and the big American options, and it’s fun to work with the staff and have them lead you to a new wine you have never tried. That’s what we love about this job, make it fun, make it educational, let it be an adventure, try something new, and we’re here to guide you through it.”
Dining and Cooking