I enjoyed lunch at Sweet Basil yesterday and the meal was the best meal I've had in Colorado since moving to Denver about 2 years ago. An unassuming entrance reveals a clean and uncluttered modern decor and we were seated at a lovely table by the window overlooking the creek. My beet crostini appetizer was simply wonderful. Three colors of beets, each with a slightly different flavor, tossed in a light vinagrette and placed over small toast points with a thin layer of goat cheese. I'm not a huge goat cheese fan, but the combination was so appropriate that the flavor of the goat cheese never overpowered the delicate beets. The truffle oil french fries were mind-blowingly wonderful--in fact, I'd come to Sweet Basil just to eat them and drink the peach bellinis! For entree, I enjoyed the blue crab chile relleno which was perfectly cooked. Often, chile relleno dishes become oily messes of cheese and deep fried crust--but this was nothing of the sort. The filling was rich enough to stand up to the deep fried chile, but refined enough to show off the delicate flavor and texture of the crab. My companions ordered a perfectly-cooked pork schnitzel and the sumptuous mussels over linguine. The mussel dish was especially impressive because it was full flavored and garlicky, but the chef didn't lazily rely on a pound of garlic and butter to create the flavor. Rather, the flavor was delicate and fresh, with a hint of fennel. Portion sizes on all dishes was also excellent. My only complaint was that the sticky toffee pudding cake had a bit of the ""freezer taste"" which means that it was previously-prepared and then frozen. Otherwise, the food shows attention to detail and creativity on the part of the chef.
Pros: excellent food
Cons: you have to go all the way to Vail to get it
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