Best meal of 2008

Ladies, Gentlemen, Romans, Countrymen, Presidents and Presidents-elect,

It has been a long time coming, but the words needed time. The ideas needed to be collected and the thoughts given plenty of gestation in the same way a fine lager would spend a winter under a mountain.

For Thanksgiving, 2008, I traveled with a good friend to the mountains of Arapaho National Forest in search of a last hurrah. When I say "last" I don't mean forever, just for a while. For three days we braved blizzard like conditions to experience epic riding in a hallowed environment among the throngs of revelers. Truly, it was going out with a bang.

We planned well. We went to the giant box store to secure our lunch meat and other vitals to sustain us and offset the cost of the meal we planned for the evening of the middle day. Many of you know of Breckenridge, Colorado. That sleepy mining town turned ski resort nestled into Summit County like a jewel of touristy trapping. Perhaps you have been there and experienced the fare of Mexican food, brewery food, and the Americana style menu of Downstairs At Eric's.

Last March, for my 30th Birthday we celebrated much the same. A guy's trip to Keystone and a chance trip to Breck on the eve before my actual birthday that lead us to the doors of Modis. Last March 30 I had a lamb shank, blue cheese mashed potatoes and wild mushroom saute that made my pallet happy to be coming of age.

This time, we knew we were going back. We set it into the plan to ride the middle day of three at Breck, change in the car, and have a mind blowing dinner at this temple of gastronomy. We were pleasantly delivered to culinary heaven and delight.

Here is what I ate:
Roasted Free Range Chicken Fettuccine ~ trio of mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts, sherry cream sauce.

Normally, I stay away from pine nuts. And, to be honest, I didn't recognize that they were actually included in the description. I just new that I wanted chicken, pasta and mushrooms in some sort of creamy goodness. I doubt if I will ever experience them in such excellent juxtaposition. For what its worth, I had no choice but to put my fork down between each bite. It was completely involuntary. Almost compulsory. My mind's focus was immediately encompassed by the flavours of a chicken that had been slow roasted and torn apart so as to be mixed among aldente fettuccine, woody mushrooms and savory, decadent sherry cream sauce. All the world disappeared and the only existence in the universe were my taste buds, that food, and the sound of my vocal chords "oming" in complete enlightened nirvana.

Think I am being dramatic? Go there.
Think I am reaching? Try it.

When you have finished your meal, tell Eric what you had and what you thought. You cant miss him, he will be there behind the host stand. He is a true restaurateur. He answers the phone, oversees the menu, greets and seats the customers, and, if the men's room needs more paper towels, he is the guy changing them. That is what will make his venture a success and also, carry his vision over to the food.