Editor’s note: This story first ran as a paid feature in EAT magazine.<\/p>\n
Anyone who knows Vail knows that Garfinkel’s is one of the best apr\u00e8s spots in town, but not everyone realizes that the restaurant is also a great dinner destination where you can get a lot of bang for your buck.
“Apr\u00e8s-ski is not all we do,” shares Mike Dunlap, Operations Officer. “We do lunch and dinners and have a very affordable menu. People can come in and get hand-cut steaks or freshly cooked prime rib for $23, fresh-cut salmon or lobster and shrimp ravioli, bison meatloaf or beef stroganoff.”
This is an ideal place for families and larger parties. Garf’s can accommodate group sizes up to 20 people during the winter season, and the dinner menu starts at 5 p.m. Guests can still order some of the “greats” from Garf’s all-day menu, including nachos, lettuce wraps, burrata cheese, the Buffalo chicken salad or Baja fish tacos, along with any of the upscale dinner options.
Kids have a lot to choose from as well, from mac and cheese to chicken fingers and pita pizzas. Don’t want the fries on the side? Substitute just carrots and celery sticks to make sure your little ones get their veggies.
Dunlap says the bison meatloaf dinner entr\u00e9e is a house favorite for guests and the staff as well.
“It’s kind of a sleeper on the menu,” he says. “An order of that never comes back with anything left \u2014 people clean the plate every time.”
As the apr\u00e8s scene winds down around 6 p.m., dinner brings an easy and welcoming vibe. Order a drink from the house-made cocktail list or choose from a variety of bottled and draft beers, including the best craft options from Colorado. A drink go-to on the menu for many is the Garf’s Bloody Mary. Made with chili vodka, it’s as hot in flavor as it is in popularity.
For dessert, order apple crisp \u00e0 la mode or Lynsey’s Lava Cake, or perhaps stick to a warming libation like the Fernet About It with Fernet-Branca Menta, Irish cream and cocoa.<\/p>\n
If you go \u2026
What: Garfinkel\u2019s, a lively slopeside watering hole serving lunch, apres-ski and dinner.
Where: 536 E Lionshead Cir. | across from Eagle Bahn Gondola.
Cost: Starters and Shared; Plates: $7-$15; Dinner Entr\u00e9es: $17-$23.
Signature dish: Hand-cut steaks served with sauteed vegetables choice of potato: baked, mashed or fries
More information: 970.476.3789 | garfsvail.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n