The review. An in-depth analysis of new and existing restaurants in the Vail Valley.

This past weekend we tried. Mirador at Cordillera.

When the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera was recently renovated, there was a
complimentary upgrade to the restaurant that had originally been named Picasso.

The setting for the dining room is really quite attractive, and the views are spectacular with panoramic scenes of the Sawatch Range from almost any table in the house.

Our primary disagreement (before the meal) was simply the time and distance involved in getting here. A long down valley drive from Vail through the congestion at edwards, followed by a further journey along old U.S. 6, and then up the winding road to the resort entrance and further to the lodge rules out any thought of making this a regular dining spot. 

Unhappily our meal could only be described as a major disappointment.

Highlights:  The scenery around the facility can best be described as the primary highlight, as was the crème brulee at the end of the meal. everything else was basically mediocre.

Lowlights: Where to begin. Our Austrian wait person was friendly but obviously inexperienced and way out of her depth when it came to attempting the type of service that should be offered here. The courses arrived slowly and food had obviously sat on the prep table too long as the plates arrived with cool vegetables instead of piping hot ones. 

The crusted sea bass was probably the best entrée choice of the evening. Our beef tournedos were severely undercooked based on our request and frankly the meat was tough - something hard to comprehend when considering that these simply are cuts of  the tenderloin. The piled, mashed blue squash was also cold. Appetizers were nicely presented but marginally flavorful.

So what's to recommend this place?  Unfortunately not much from our perspective. Had the meal been a "memory" we'd think about returning once a year despite the long drive, but that will never happen based on this experience.

Reviewed by ORP on 5/8/2006

Back to "The Best of Vail" or the Main Page.