Editor’s note: This story first ran as a paid feature in EAT magazine.
Everyone knows that on a powder day there is no time for lunch, so get in those turns and save your appetite for après. Just as your legs are taking on the last burn of the afternoon, Fall Line Kitchen & Cocktails starts to come to mind. You imagine yourself walking into the inviting and fun atmosphere, from the vintage ski town photographs on the wall to great tunes turned up on the speakers.
The balanced bourbon cocktail Uncle Buck’s Punch or a cold draft beer is a great way to celebrate a perfect day on the mountain, along with a round of small plates to share. Roasted beets with goat cheese, pistachios, pomegranate molasses and arugula hits the spot in a healthy way, and skewers of beef satay aren’t heavy but fully satisfying, ready to be dipped into a peanut-lemongrass sauce. Warm up from the inside out with a bowl of carrot curry soup, drizzled with coconut creme fraiche and topped with cilantro.
Larger appetites can head straight for a noodle bowl, pizza, sandwich or burger. Shawn Miller is the new Executive Chef at Fall Line, and has expanded the menu to create an even more extensive appeal. Hunger is readily met by the steak frites or pan-seared chicken large plates, and Miller has added a Vietnamese noodle bowl as a lighter-yet-satiating option that will fill you up but not weigh you down.
Order a carbonara pizza for the table, complete with pancetta, a farm-fresh egg, green onion, parmesan, mozzarella and white sauce, or dive into your very own Tennessee hot chicken with house-made hot sauce, tarragon aioli, sun dried tomatoes, honey and slaw.
Fall Line has maintained a solid reputation in town for its artisan cocktails. It’s always worth a stop to see what the bar is crafting, from well-done classics to really special combinations like a Tequila Old Fashioned or a vodka and cava combination that has been named Skiing In Jeans.
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For those not-so-deep snow days, come into Fall Line for a leisurely lunch or plan to come back to Vail Village for dinner. With its international appeal on the most iconic corner in Vail, this restaurant is emerging as one of the best in town.
“We want our guests to walk away having experienced awesome food and a great atmosphere,” explains Ben Wanner, Director of Operations, “while at the same time feeling that the level of service here is on par with anything you’d expect in any major city in the world.”
If you go …
What: fall line kitchen & cocktails, a fun and inviting restaurant and bar.
Where: 232 Bridge St. | Vail.
Cost: Small Plates, Soups and Salads: $9-$20; Large Plates, Pizza and Sanwiches: $16-$38.
Signature dish: Vietnamese beef noodle bowl with chilled vermicelli noodles, peanuts, grilled steak, sweet and sour chili sauce, pickled green papaya and crispy garlic.
More information: 970.470.4803 | falllinevail.com