Flame

Flame Restaurant Review:

Meat-and-potatoes types are more than welcome to settle into the rich wood-and-leather surroundings of the Four Seasons Vail’s signature steakhouse for a classic experience: shrimp cocktail, a bone-in rib-eye with lobster mashed potatoes and creamed spinach on the side, a bottle of Napa Cab to wash it down and chocolate soufflé to cap it off. But 21st-century foodies represent the restaurant’s bread and butter, so to speak, and it’s they who will have a field day of a meal here (starting with an après ski cocktail in the plush, gleaming lounge, The Remedy Bar). In fact, you could skip chops altogether, considering how the kitchen lavishes attention on playful appetizers like elk corndogs or seared foie gras garnished with citrus mascarpone and duck-fat granola; thoughtful entrées such as the sous-vide short rib with celery-root fonduta, sweet pea gremolata and carrot vinaigrette; and accompaniments that include kimchi-fried Brussels sprouts. But even if you did opt for a filet, the array of creative rubs and sauces adds a bit of novelty to the proceedings. No less fun --- and far cheaper --- is lunch service, built on a completely different concept: the Back of House Burger Bar, where gourmet burgers galore come with family-style sides and boozy milkshakes. Bonus: The views of the Vail Valley are free.