Topic: Food & Drink

Things may be slow around these parts, but Vail still knows how to do Cinco de Mayo right. Several Valley restaurants, which have remained open for the off-season, are offering appropriately themed drink and dining specials.

Two of the Valley’s favorite (and similarly named) Mexican restaurants will be celebrating Cinco in style. Fiesta Jalisco, with locations in Avon, Edwards and Eagle, will be offering Cinco de Mayo dining specials all day long until 11 p.m. Fiesta’s New Mexican Café & Cantina, located in Edwards, will be offering $4 Absolut Bloody Mary’s, dining specials, giveaways and tequila sampling throughout the day.

Vail’s rowdiest institution, Sandbar Sports Grill, will be offering beer and margarita specials starting at 11 a.m. all day long into Open Mic Night. So if you’re a little timid about getting on stage, why not head to Sandbar, celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and imbibe some nicely priced liquid courage before performing?

Avon’s Agave restaurant is going all out for Cinco de Mayo with some fantastic dining and drink specials, and live music. Enjoy $1 tacos, $2 beers, $3 margaritas and $4 rattlesnake tequila shots (sounds dangerous!) on their outdoor deck from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Local favorites The M.T.H.D.S. will rock out for the assembled Cinco celebrators starting at 5 p.m.

If you’re taking more of a DIY approach to Cinco de Mayo and plan to picnic or barbeque at one of the Valley’s many beautiful parks, we should see highs in the mid-fifties with partly cloudy weather.

Celebrate the spring and have a safe and happy Cinco de Mayo!

It wasn’t just the mountain that closed last week. Several of our favorite restaurants and stores are taking a brief nap for the off season, typically mid-April to late May or early June. Still many of the Valley’s best are remaining open for the off season and are offering locals and visitors alike some fantastic deals on some truly fine dining. Below is our list of off season dining deals. Be sure to check back in with us as more deals are sure to be added as restaurants return from their off season naps.

Gashouse Restaurant: 50% off dinner entrees

Montauk Seafood Grill: $19.95 entrees

vin48: 48% off large plates and bottles of wine

Grouse Mountain Grill: Three-course dinner for $36

Matthew’s Restaurant: 50% off all entrees

Nozawa Sushi & Asian Kitchen: 25% off sushi rolls and entrees all day

Ray’s Restaurant & Lounge: 30% to 50% off chops and entrees; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

ZaccaZa!: Different off season specials nightly; check www.zaccaza.com

For all of the Valley’s fine dining, check Plum’s Restaurant Guide.

Ah, the winter of 2008 ... how could we ever forget it? Check out these instrumental highlights from the 2008 Bon Appetit Culinary and Wine Focus, the Honda Session and tidbits from Jackie Greene and other big names who passed through town.

Leading up to the 2008 Taste of Vail, Chef Tony Aiazzi of New York City's Aureole stopped by Fresh Tracks and taught Plum Vail how to make a delicious salmon salad.

Claire Smith of Belvedere Vodka enlightens Plum on some secrets about the clear tasty beverage and shows us how to make a hot pomegranate martini.

20 restaurants, several wineries and hundreds of patrons lined Gore Creek Drive on April 2, 2008 for Taste of Vail's Fourth Annual Colorado Lamb Cook-Off.

Alexandra Lapostolle, president of Marnier - Lapostolle, North America stops by Fresh Tracks to talk about the Grand Marnier Mixology Summit.

Andrew Seymour, mixologist and bartender extraordinaire shakes things up (like margaritas) on Fresh Tracks with Alexandra Lapostolle, president of Marnier-Lapostolle, North America.

The first sign of spring in Vail is not signaled by verdant blades of grass, blooming wildflowers or the flight of butterflies. We have months before we see any of that. No, we know spring has arrived at 8,150 feet when North America’s premiere spring food and wine festival, Taste of Vail, returns to the Valley. Well, break out the dresses and shorts because spring is coming to Vail this week (actually, you may want to keep dressing warmly, we did receive 13 inches of snow Sunday night.) The 18th Annual Taste of Vail kicks off Wednesday, April 2 for four days culinary excellence including special guests, seminars and crowd favorite, the Annual Colorado Lamb Cook-Off.

This year’s special guests include Executive Chef Tony Aiazzi of Aureole (New York City), Dietitian/Chef Diane Hendriks of Dietitian in the Kitchen (Oakhurst, NJ), Master Sommelier Guy Lenoir of Schott Zwiesel (New York City), Chef Curtis Lincoln of the Brown Palace Hotel (Denver) and Chef/Owner Joseph Manzare of Zuppa (San Francisco). These masters of everything epicurean will be leading seminars, dinners and tastings over the course of the festival. Other festival highlights include Cigar Aficionado’s “Cigars and Glenmorangie” tasting at the Tap Room, the Chef Showcase Dinner (featuring three local acclaimed chefs) and Live Auction with guest auctioneer Greg Quiroga, the Mountain Top Picnic (featuring local restaurants) atop Eagle’s Nest and the Grand Tasting Dinner and Dance.

Of course, it is the festival’s first event, the Fourth Annual Colorado Lamb Cook-Off, which will garner the most attention, and probably the highest attendance. Restaurateurs from across the Valley will line Bridge Street offering their best interpretation of one of Colorado’s signature dishes. Participating wineries will also be on hand to offer their best pairings for the dish. The extremely popular event has been voted “Best New Event” at Taste of Vail for three years running and is a must for Taste of Vail regulars and newcomers alike. The Fourth Annual Lamb Cook-Off will begin Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Show up early and stay late.

For a complete schedule and tickets of Taste of Vail events and venues, check www.tasteofvail.com or call 970-926-5665.

Enjoy Plum’s coverage of the Third Annual Colorado Lamb Cook-Off below.

Vail Ski Vacations co-owner Mark Cervantes talks about his favorite restaurant, Russell's, and reveals why he's been going there for 14 years.