Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro

Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro Restaurant Review:

The fact that the Aspen Highlands ski patrol shares space with this graciously warm on-mountain ski hut-cum-bistro doesn’t deter the fans that congregate for some of the best Alpine cuisine in Colorado, served at 10,740 feet. The menu, a collaboration between European traditions and local ingredients, changes as quickly as Colorado’s weather. But you can always count on wild game --- elk and trout, for instance --- and strudels. On Thursday evenings during ski season, when the restaurant is open to the public, guests arrive via snowcat to enter a candlelit dining room complete with frosty window panes and a wood-burning fireplace. The multi-course feast begins with warm drinks to chase off the chill and passed appetizers, followed by an intimate sit-down meal that lasts nearly four hours. In between courses, behold views of Maroon Bells and 14,000-foot-high peaks from the wooden deck. If you're a skier, make sure to take a break from the slopes to indulge in daily lunches that might include wood-fired venison or stuffed pheasant, and absolutely must involve raclette.