You’ve had a hard day. Bluebird skies, untracked powder in the Back Bowls and perfectly executed turns on groomers. You feel good. You look good. It’s time to hit the après scene and celebrate, but a basket of wings and a beer just won’t do. You need black cod with sweet miso; rock shrimp tempura with a creamy, spicy sauce; some spicy tuna hand rolls and a cold Kirin Ichiban draft with a side of sake to wash it down.
Luckily star chef Nobu Matsuhisa likes ski towns. His 28th restaurant and second ski town restaurant (the first is in Aspen) is now open in Vail. Located on the second floor of the stunning Solaris, a new luxury residential and retail project set in the heart of Vail Village, Matsuhisa Vail is primed to handle this season’s après ski crowd.
Floor-to-ceiling sliding walls of glass separate the restaurant’s chic loft-like interior from a covered terrace, the perfect perch on sunny days.
“You can sit on the terrace, order hand rolls and champagne and watch your kids skating on the ice rink below,” says Todd Clark, one of four investment partners in the restaurant. “Solaris, with its shops and galleries, has become a central gathering place in Vail, and we want to be part of it.”
Inside, the soaring space, created by Vail-based designer Sharon Cohn, is warmed by rich dark woods, red upholstered chairs and stone walls and columns. There are rows of intimate tables, some lounge-inspired seating and a private room with a fire pit. A long, sleek bar divides the room and offers the best views of Vail’s most powerful asset – its mountain. Settle in, order a Dark and Snowy cocktail – a mix of potent Pampero rum, coconut and house-made ginger tonic – and watch skiers making their last runs down Pepi’s Face.
Matsuhisa will be open for après ski from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., offering reduced prices on drinks and a special tapas style menu.