It’s cold outside.  Very cold.  So cold that no matter how many silk layers or how nice your down jacket is, you can still feel the chill penetrate your bones.  Solution?  Go inside.  In Aspen, there’s little else to do about the high elevation weather.  Sure, you can deck yourself out in the latest mountain cat furs or drink yourself silly with locally fermented alcohols but in the end, the temperatures will still be freezing.  So take that well dressed arse to your nearest locavore-friendly establishment and warm up where the eats are good.

Examples?  How about a lunch at Escape and dessert at Ink?  Escape is the recently refurbished “veggie-centric” restaurant on the second floor of Explore Booksellers.  Though I’ll openly admit that I would’ve voted to keep the old version alive as long as possible in the stead of this more swanky addition, the food is decent and the tree-top view worth the walk over.  For your après-meal, try Ink! Coffee, just around the bend.  The small shop is physically connected to a sporting goods store, which makes sitting down for a treat and warm drink a little bit more exciting.  Plus, the coffee beans there are roasted by the company itself, allowing for a much richer cup.  To top it all off, the crumb-topped coffee cake and gooey brownie at Ink! are both more flavorful and satisfying than most coffee house snacks.  Overall?  Yet another memorable mark has been made in my foodie-based notebook.

-Serena

I found this ad for Escape at Explore Booksellers while reading edible Aspen.

Let’s face it: eating out gets old.  Some people may be okay with eating out at restaurants for more meals than others but eventually, the excitement dwindles down or stops completely.  For some, that’s when the pocketbook begins to feel slim or the love handles become thick.  For others, it’s when sitting down for a lengthy dinner no longer fits into the daily schedule.  For me, it’s when those gourmet grocery stores sell goods so enticing that I can’t bear not buy the most delicious items in sight and cook them up at home, on my own.  And, let’s not forget about when the farmer’s markets are in season…  Those months practically tie me to my kitchen counters.  (For growers, look into North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association Convention right now.  The 2010 gathering is taking place from February 5th through the 12th in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.)

At The Butcher’s Block in Aspen, several cheeses had been made locally.

But back to business: Western Colorado’s groceries were full of enticing eats.  In the five, short days that I had, it was a must for me to try all that I could.  And, after one great dinner party done locally, I’d say that it was the appetizer that was most astounding.  The local (of Carbondale) goat cheese tasted more nutty in flavor and brie-esque in consistency than any goat’s milk cheese I had ever tried— it was most definitely a winner.  When spread upon Nita Crisp spelt crackers that had been made in Fort Collins and then hand-packed by individuals with disabilities, the result was good enough to have spoiled the courses to come.  To recreate this effect, go on down to The Butcher’s Block in Aspen and ask for their regionally made cheese and cracker availabilities.  When shopping there, I also had my eye on a raw milk Belford cheese out of Durango that I didn’t happen to get.  If you can beat me to buying it, you get a gold star.

-Serena

These spelt crackers were made in Fort Collins.