Salmone Affumicatta: Ora King salmon, elderflower, asparagus, Meyer lemon and smoked roe.
Dominique Taylor/EAT Magazine
You don’t have to be on your best behavior, but you’ll want to be. Tavernetta Vail is just that sort of place. From the personalized service to the lively atmosphere, the staff conspires to elevate the mood and it’s easy to rise to the occasion. Fresh off of an intensive redesign that took a dark, voluminous restaurant shell and transformed it into a chic series of intimate spaces that flow one into the other, Tavernetta Vail walks a fine line that’s equal parts Italian-inspired hospitality and Four Seasons Vail’s cultivated aura of luxury. And the “Buzz for Spritz” window, connecting the restaurant’s bar to the lobby via pass-through window, is a nice touch, reminiscent of Italy’s “wine windows.”
Created by the Michelin-recognized Frasca Hospitality Group, the team at Tavernetta Vail embraces the Northern Italian ethos of developing relationships with small farmers and purveyors, and building a menu, building an experience, with them. The cuisine, beautifully executed by Chef de Cuisine Ethan Diamant and the rest of the kitchen team, is a sweeping embrace of Italian regionality studded by high-alpine accents befitting Vail’s locale. The dishes offer nuanced layers without becoming precious — and they absolutely delight.
There’s an understanding in Italy that you don’t have food without a little wine, and you don’t have wine without a little food. And thus the wine list — and the greater beverage program — are as compelling as you might guess. The list is almost exclusively Italian, but Senior Sommelier Rylan Bonaccorsi makes an exception for champagne: Italians are noted for being the largest consumers of the French bubbles, so when in Rome… or, rather Friuli… And Tavernetta’s amaro program is worth calling out. Special vintage bottles occupy a corner of the wine room, and are occasionally replenished through a broker who roams the old estates of Europe and buys entire collections. Why settle for a regular negroni when you can have a ’70s negroni?
Superior Farms lamb rack and sausage, porcini, fava and sirk cherry.Dominique Taylor/EAT Magazine
But wherever you begin your Tavernetta experience — on the terrace for Après-Tivo from 3-5 p.m. or at a table inside — start with a festive Spritz.
Order some nibbles for the table, perhaps some salumi, pickled vegetables or the staff-favorite burrata with a flourish of Trapanese pesto. Antipasti options are also good to share, like Vitello Tonnato, a Piedmontese dish that tops sliced veal with an exclamatory tuna sauce studded with capers. The Salmone Affumicatta looks deceivingly delicate, a vibrant display of Ora King salmon encircled by asparagus and flowers. But a hint of smoke widens the flavors.
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Tavernetta’s Primi section includes several pastas made in-house daily, in addition to a verdant risotto created with aged carnaroli rice, green garlic and other essential ingredients such as patience and time. Seafood studs a couple of pasta options — uni, crab and caviar with spaghetti, for instance — but perhaps the height of decadence is the Creste di Gallo, named for the coxcomb shape of the noodle that perfectly catches the saucy shredded duck and foie gras butter.
Aged Carnarolir Rice, Esoterra green garlic, horseradish and ricotta affumicatta.Dominique Taylor/EAT Magazine
Secondi courses celebrate proteins, with choices such as seared Alaska halibut and milk-braised pork. Chef Diamant gets playful with the Agnello: He carves the medallion off of a lamb rack, and then presses lamb sausage onto the curved bone. Serving them side by side with fava beans and a porcini puree, it’s as though the chef is winking at you. At the end of the evening, it’s not uncommon to see patrons thanking their servers warmly. It’s a testament to the serving staff’s one-two punch of education and personality, and a compliment to the whole Tavernetta team for a special night — whether or not it’s a special occasion.