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The bronze backbar at the sparkling new Tavernetta Vail casts incandescent honey tones across the 150-seat dining room. Light from an indoor fireplace and outdoor fire pits flickers and bounces off the glass panes that reveal a steamy hotel pool backdropped by snow-covered Vail Mountain. The restaurant’s sexy, warm aesthetic—complete with hand-painted ceilings and an Aperol spritz walk-up service window—keep the space filled to near-capacity nightly.
Tavernetta Vail opened in December on the third floor of the Four Seasons Resort & Residences, wowing guests with its effortless intersection of Italy’s timeless food and Vail’s buzzy European village vibe.
Diners are hungry to discover what the Frasca Hospitality Group’s mountain outpost has to offer. The Vail menu tosses a wider net than its senior siblings, Tavernetta near Denver’s Union Station and Boulder’s Michelin-starred Frasca Food and Wine, and draws on flavors from Italy’s alpine regions, seaside southern bounty, and points in between, along with delivering an all-Italian wine list and discerning bubbles program.“Our menu has been well received because it offers a fresh take on Italian cuisine, different from what guests typically expect,” says chef de cuisine Ethan Diamant.
Below, Diamant walks us through six of the dinner menu’s standout dishes.
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1. Vitello Tonnato
Vitello tonnato, a Piedmontese dish with a long history, is an unusual combination of thin-sliced veal and a thick sauce flavored with tuna. Diamant elevates his version with a sauce that combines egg, capers, tuna, anchovy, colatura (an Italian fish sauce), and citrusy calamansi vinegar for a velvety, less mayonnaisy version than traditional tonnato. Then, he finishes the plate with black olive crumble and bursts of finger lime pulp.
2. Canederli di Speck
These traditional bread dumplings hail from Italy’s famed Alto Adige region bordering Switzerland and Austria. Tavernetta’s version is served in broth bolstered by umami-packed prosciutto and savory, nutty Parmigiano, accompanied by thin-sliced speck and house-smoked ricotta. “Originally a humble, resourceful dish made with pantry staples, we’ve elevated it at Tavernetta Vail with ingredients like our smoked ricotta and the added touch of pouring the brodo tableside for a warm, immersive experience,” Diamant says.
3. Spaghetti
Far removed from recognizable red sauce and noodles, this squid ink spaghetti is tossed in a luscious sea urchin roe emulsion that’s paired with Dungeness crab and a bright lemon colatura sauce. The luxurious offering is finished with a crown of osetra caviar.
If caviar is the main draw of this dish for you, consider showing up early for happy hour (3–5 p.m. daily) and splashing out on 50 grams of Regiis Ova caviar (complete with traditional blini, crème fraîche, and chives), a product from the mind of California chef Thomas Keller.
4. Mafaldine
“In Northern Italy, buckwheat has long been a staple due to its resilience in the region’s rugged terrain, making it a key ingredient in traditional dishes,” says Diamant. As an homage to Italy’s agriculture, Tavernetta’s mafaldine is made with buckwheat, then topped with rich short rib ragù, sweet currants, and salty pecorino Romano. “This pasta is the perfect comfort meal for a chilly day in the mountains,” he adds.
5. Quaglia
Over the course of Northern Italy’s history, everyone from the noble Medici family to the average Italian hunted pheasants, quail, wild boar, and other game. Tavernetta Vail’s quaglia is a nod to the region’s rich hunting traditions—but no need to bring your 20-gauge. Diamant’s wild quail is stuffed with alpine sausage dressed in nutmeg, orange zest, and mortadella. He then glazes the quail with buckwheat honey and layers it with a crust of pistachio, poppy seed, and pink peppercorn for a playful crunch and pop of spice.
6. Cervo
Keeping with the game theme and leaning deeply into mountain flavors, lean venison loin (cervo is Italian for deer) comes dressed in huckleberry jam and shares a plate with maitake mushrooms glazed in fragrant pine-bud syrup from Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. Tying it all together is a comforting swirl of celery root puree, a northern Italian specialty that would be equally at home here or on the menu at Frasca.
Tavernetta Vail is located at 1 Vail Road, Vail, inside the Four Seasons Resort & Residences. Breakfast 7:30–11:30 a.m., après 3–5 p.m., and dinner 5–9:30 p.m.
