And now for my second installment of recent additions to my Vail Valley City Guide: Juniper Restaurant in Edwards, Colorado.
I love Edwards. And not only because it houses the closest movie theater to my house (not to mention the most quaint movie theater ever!). Edwards is also home to a few of my favorite restaurants in the Vail Valley: Zino Ristorante, Sato, Larkburger, and – obviously – Juniper Restaurant.
Now for WTF we ordered:
To drink, my parents and I split a bottle of the 2012 Domaine William Fevre Chablis. A stunning French wine from a region known particularly for its Chardonnay wines, the 2012 Domaine William Fevre Chablis is young but powerful.
When I sipped on the wine last weekend, I tasted notes of citrus – particularly lemon and lime – and flowers (for some reason, I couldn’t get the picture of daisies out of my head when drinking this wine, so let’s go with notes of daisy). The 2012 Domaine William Fevre Chablis retails for under $40 – though pricey, definitely worth it for a wine this good!
As our appetizers, my mother and I each ordered the night’s special (top) and my father ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Poke (bottom).
First to discuss the special: oh my gosh this was amazing. Polenta and chanterelle mushrooms with arugula. Juniper Restaurant had a fancier name for the dish, but that was the gist of it. And seriously: it was amazing. Up until a few months ago, I loathed mushrooms… and now I can’t get enough of them! The chanterelles were fresh and teeny tiny and delicious. This dish was the highlight of the evening for me.
Now, the Yellowfin Tuna Poke: presented surrounded by wonton chips, wakame salad, guacamole, and pickled fresno chillies. I didn’t get to have a bite of the dish (partially because my father wolfed it down so quickly!), but I have reason to believe that it was quite the delectable start to the meal (again, due to the wolfing).
For our mains, we ordered (from top to bottom) the Organic Atlantic Salmon, the Alaskan Halibut, and the Veal Scaloppini. My parents pseudo-split the Alaskan Halibut – presented with grilled asparagus, a tomato-cucumber salad, and a whipped chick pea puree – and the Veal Scaloppini – veal with angel hair, caprese, asparagus, lemon beurre fondue, and a veal reduction. And I solo-ate the Organic Atlantic Salmon. Without sharing. With anybody. Even when they asked.
My dish, the Organic Atlantic Salmon, was served atop a bed of Israeli couscous (oddly, I didn’t have any Israeli couscous when I was in Israel…) with chopped zucchini and summer squash, all topped with a yummiful hazelnut pesto. It was so good. And now you know why I didn’t share.
Juniper Restaurant is open for dinner, dessert, and drinks, daily from 5:30PM until 10:00PM. Though it’s a pretty busy spot, Juniper Restaurant employs the use of OpenTable for reservations – so it’s easy to double check for a table before you arrive. As with the majority of restaurants in the Vail Valley area, reservations are definitely recommended at Juniper Restaurant.
Have you ever eaten at Juniper Restaurant? What’d you order?