7 Best Restaurants in Vail Valley, Colorado

One of the memorable experiences during a trip to Beaver Creek is traveling in a sleigh to this former hunting lodge. In summer you can get here on horseback or by wagon. During the journey, your driver will undoubtedly fill you in on some local history. The pine-log cabin, warmed by a crackling fire, is an unbeatable location for a romantic meal. On the prix-fixe menu, choose from entrées such as potato dumplings with bing cherries and chanterelles, or a wood-grilled Rocky Mountain elk chop with sweet corn–rabbit belly hash. The menu changes seasonally.

The stately appearance of this Pines Lodge restaurant belies its friendly, welcoming attitude. The fresh, farm-raised, cage-free food philosophy makes for quality ingredients, and the chef here truly knows how to make the food sing. There's live music most nights. If you get chilly on the patio the waitstaff brings out blankets.

Dive is all about seafood, flown in daily from Hawaii and both coasts. This oyster and crudo bar also offers the likes of Carolina grits and charred tomato sauce, and calamari and squid ink pasta with lemon beurre blanc cioppino. Check out Wednesday's "hump day" oysters and champagne special, all night long.

At the Ritz-Carlton, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant is housed in an expansive dining room whose vegetable-dyed wood paneling and enlarged black-and-white photographs achieve a sleekly modern look without contradicting the resort's rustic mountain sensibility. Puck's seasonal menu often favors Asian accents and regional ingredients. In late autumn the menu's butternut squash soup is deliciously intensified with cranberry chutney, spiced cream, and pumpkin-seed brittle. The Colorado lamb chops spiced with Hunan eggplant and cilantro-mint vinaigrette is not to be missed and for dessert the kaiserschmarren, a souffléd crème fraîche pancake with strawberry sauce, is otherwordly. Service is impeccable, if a touch formal; those who prefer a low-key (or less bank-breaking) meal might consider dining in the bar area.

With elegant marble columns and clean Italian linens, this posh eatery is the height of opulence. The tasting menu is a perfect sampling of the chef's new American cuisine improved only by the on-site sommelier's perfect wine pairings. Retire for a nightcap to the classically elegant piano bar.

Good vino is not hard to find at Vin48, a casual, upscale wine bar in Avon. Enjoying the benefits of Vin48's Enomatic preservation system, you can explore wines by the glass or half glass (with help from an on-staff sommelier) as you go. Choose from a selection of small plates, or sink your teeth into heartier fare that complements the wine. A wall of glass doors folds open in the summer for fresh air, and young and old wine enthusiasts can savor their pours on the outdoor patio.

Zino has earned a loyal fan base for its house-made pastas and wood-fired pizzas. The two-story restaurant has a large bar, ideal for lighter bites or a cocktail. In summer, dine alfresco on the riverside patio or keep busy with a game of bocce on the regulation-size court.