dish ng SUMMER/FALL
WHAT’S IN THE FISHING GUIDE’S COOLER? A look at some of the most interesting riverside lunches p.12
THE ABC’S OF SPICES & SAUCES How Jackson chefs use flavors from the Old West to enhance their dishes p.20
FARM-FRESH How a local navigates the Saturday Farmers Market p.78
A food-lover’s guide to great dining around Jackson Hole and Teton Valley
For breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only boot you’ll ever need.
The Jackson Bootlegger 36 East Broadway • Jackson, WY 83001 • On the Square (307) 733-6207 • www.thebootlegger.com • www.theclogstore.com
dish ng ISSUE 2 | SUMMER/FALL
What’s your favorite food item that you can only get in the summer? Tomatoes
Editors
Allison Arthur Cara Rank
Art Director Corn & Watermelon Zucchini Blossoms
Rhubarb
Peaches
Kristen Joy
Peas & raspberries from my garden Strawberries
David Agnello Lettuce Alice Bever from a Meg Daly friend’s Kelsey Dayton garden Jennifer Dorsey Annie Fenn Elizabeth Clair Flood Tristan Greszko Meagan Murtagh Ashley Wilkerson Carrie Patterson Edythe Pollack Leine Stikkel Huckleberries David Stubbs Brian Upesleja
Susan Gibbs Durkin Amy Hatch Caroline Romanosky
A look at some of the most interesting riverside lunches
20 The ABC’s of Spices and Sauces
How Jackson chefs use flavors from the Old West to enhance their dishes
24 Rolling into the Tetons
Food truck owners find ways to bypass town regulations.
34 Mountain Dining
Top to bottom at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
36 Restaurant Listings
A guide to some of the best places to dine in and around Jackson Hole
68 Grand Vins
Where to find great wines at any price in the Tetons Jackson’s homemade gelato and ice cream carve their own niche.
78 Farm-Fresh
How a local navigates the Saturday Farmers Market
Columns 7 9
Letter from the Editors Ask For It
Recipes for some of our favorite dishes from the valley’s restaurants
16 Heirlooms
The legend of the Victor Emporium huckleberry milkshake
27 Liquid
Spotlighting great cocktails around the valley
Pamela Periconi
Sales
12 What’s in the Fishing Guide’s Cooler?
73 Freshly Frozen
Contributors
Copy Editor Morel Mushrooms
Features
30 A Lesson In Indian Food Okra
Contact
editors@dishingjh.com Cover photo: Huckleberry milkshake from Victor Emporium, David Agnello This page: Spices from the Cowboy Steakhouse, David Stubbs
Jeff Leininger teaches us how to make some traditional Indian dishes.
66 Dining Map 82 Eat Your Way Through the Off-Season
Plane stuck? You are in luck! There are great eats to be had in connecting airports.
85 A Jackson Classic Nora’s Fish Creek Inn
Letter from the editors It’s been a year since we decided to delve into Dishing. The idea and name came easily. The magazine, and ensuing website www.dishingjh.com, took a little more effort. (Actually, for two women still working other jobs, it took a lot of effort, but it was worth every early morning, late night and weekends.) We’ve been so grateful for the support, from the restaurants and advertisers who took a chance on us to the writers, photographers, videographers and copy editors who took restaurant credit in lieu of cash just to help us launch. We could never have done it without that encouragement. And a big thanks goes to our designer and Web guru, Kristen Joy, who is the main reason the magazine and blog look so good.
Rather than look at Dishing as a quick dinner, we approach it as a never-ending feast. Meaning, though we are now onto our second issue and have a website that’s updated daily, we hope the meal will never come to an end. We aim to continue to serve our readers the best of what Jackson dishes up and keep our stories fresh and interesting. In this issue, we explore artisan gelato and ice cream makers. We take a look at what the wine scene is like in Jackson and peer into the coolers of some of the most interesting fishing guides in the Tetons. We get a lesson in how to make one of the toughest Indian delicacies by an at-home chef, and we explore one of the Tetons’ favorite summer treats — the Victor Emporium’s huckleberry milkshake.
Since the first issue came out in December, we’ve had so much great feedback. One 90-year-old woman told us she ate every burger in the first issue because they looked so good. The bank teller pulled Dishing out of her drawer when she noticed our name on the check: She said she uses it to find a restaurant every time she gets hungry. Quentin Tarantino was spotted reading it in Il Villaggio Osteria. And two people from the James Beard Foundation said the magazine looked like it had been published for years. But mostly, it’s been awesome to hear from readers, who tell us they’ve used Dishing to decide where and what to eat.
On our website, specifically this summer and fall, you will find “What’s Fresh This Week” at the Farmers Market. You will also find gardening tips for high-altitude growers and a dining calendar that highlights special events, happy hours and other foodie-type things not to miss. While we love this magazine and hope readers use it as a coffee table resource, we also urge you to go to our website daily for the best information about food news, exciting restaurant dishes, drinks and an array of other foodie-type posts. The magazine and website are like the main course and side dish: You can’t have one without the other. Bon appetit!
For daily posts, full restaurant menus and a calendar of events, go to:
www.dishingjh.com
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Contributors Meg Daly
has written for Homestead, Jackson Hole News&Guide, JH Weekly, Images West and other publications. She makes a mean coconut curry and an amazing meatloaf but has yet to perfect the art of baking a whole chicken. Her favorite recipe to date is Allison Arthur’s Salted Caramel Apple Cake.
MORE THAN JUST A GREENHOUSE
Kelsey Dayton
moved to Jackson Hole for the Snake River Brewery’s s’more. She misses it dearly now that she writes for the Casper StarTribune in Lander, so she drowns her sorrows in beer at the Lander Bar.
David Stubbs
is an award-winning photojournalist and commercial photographer, based in Jackson Hole for the past 13 years. David has worked in 20 countries and been published in more than 30 for clients ranging from the National Geographic Society to The New York Times, from the Rockefeller Foundation to Toyota. 8 | dishingjh.com
208.354.8816
GARDEN CENTER, LANDSCAPING, GIFT STORE, CAFÉ
2389 S. Hwy 33 • Driggs, ID www.mdlandscapinginc.com info@mdlandscapinginc.com
Ask for it This column is modeled after one of our favorite reads, Bon Appétit’s RSVP. If there is a recipe from an area restaurant you’d like to see in our next issue, please let us know. We will try to get it for you. Write us at: editors@dishingjh.com.
Pica’s Mexican Taqueria Chicken Posole When I first moved to Jackson nine years ago, I worked one block away from Pica’s Mexican Taqueria. At least once a week, I walked over there to grab a quick lunch. Even today, my go-to dish there is the chicken posole. I never tire of this smooth, rich, red broth loaded with chicken and hominy and topped with veggies. With a fried tortilla on the side, it makes a well-balanced, flavorful meal that tides me over through the afternoon. And sometmes, I’ll grab one of their killer margaritas and sit outside in the sun all afternoon. — Cara Rank, Dishing editor
Pica’s Mexican Taqueria Chicken Posole 2 onions, julienned 1 ancho chile 2 guajillo chiles 8 cups chicken stock 6 cups salsa roja 1 onion, julienned 3 cups hominy (canned or dried) Saute onions in oil. Roast chiles over charbroiler, take out the seeds and add to onions. Saute for five minutes. Add chicken stock and salsa roja (recipe follows), and cook for 30 minutes. Blend until smooth. Saute third onion in oil for five minutes. Add hominy and onions to pot with soup base, and cook for 20 more minutes. Salsa Roja 8 cups fresh tomatoes 2 jalapenos 6 garlic cloves 3 cups water 1 yellow onion, diced Salt and pepper to taste Cut off tops and take out the seeds from the jalapenos. Rough-chop jalapenos and onions. Saute onions, garlic and jalapenos for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and water, and cook for 45 minutes. Season and blend with mixer. Additions: Fresh cabbage, cilantro, yellow onion, Mexican cheese, fried tortilla
Brian Upesleja Photo
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Kelli Baxendale Photo
Persephone Bakery Bread Pudding For five years running, I did the 206-miles-in-aday bike race, LOTOJA. It starts in Logan, Utah, and finishes — about 10 hours later at my pace — in Teton Village. Each year, it was somewhere around Montpelier, Idaho — which is less than halfway to the finish — I’d start thinking about the bread pudding at Rendezvous Bistro. I could think of no better reward for finishing the race than the Bistro’s chocolate bread pudding. It’s made with croissants rather than regular bread, making it extra, extra buttery. It was the best thing I had ever eaten ... until I met Persephone Bakery’s take on bread pudding last summer. The 1-year-old bakery, run by the husband-and-wife team of Ali and Kevin Cohane, manages to make the Bistro’s use of croissants look restrained. Persephone’s pudding uses croissants and then also adds cinnamon rolls. It’s almost too much. But it’s not. Unless you mean too much deliciousness.
Persephone Bakery Bread Pudding 1 pound bread, cubed (Persephone uses a combination of chocolate croissants and brioche cinnamon rolls, but any brioche-type bread would be great. It’s really the cinnamon rolls that make this outstanding.) 2 cups whole milk 2 cups cream 1 1/2 cups good bittersweet or dark chocolate (we like Valrhona) 4 eggs 6 egg yolks 1 cup sugar
— Dina Mishev, Jackson
Heat oven to 300 F. Cut bread in 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes and set to the side. Heat the cream to a low boil, then add chocolate, whisking till combined. Add two cups of milk and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Temper the eggs by pouring about a quarter cup of your warm chocolate/ cream/milk mixture into the eggs. Keep whisking. Continue adding the cream mixture to the eggs, slowly, while mixing/whisking until completely combined. You’re done whisking when it’s a custard consistency. Transfer (if necessary) the custard into yet another bowl; this one big enough to hold the custard and all the cubed bread. Place bread in the custard, making sure each piece is fully coated, and leave covered in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Pour the bread pudding into a greased dish, and place in oven for about two hours. Why the long baking time at a low temperature? Allowing the custard to set up slowly in the oven gives you deliciously moist bread pudding. Insert a toothpick in the center to see if it’s finished. It’s done when the toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow to cool before cutting. Serve with ice cream or a chocolate bourbon sauce (recipe available at www.dishingjh.com).
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Thai Me Up Brewery Larb Salad I love all ethnic food and am particularly fond of Thai and Indian. Luckily, in Jackson, we have great Thai options. The dumplings with fried garlic at Teton Thai is one of my favorite dishes in town. My husband calls the tom yum soup at Bon Appe Thai “the best hangover cure,” and I can never get enough of the larb salad at Thai Me Up Brewery. Thank you, Jeremy Tofte, for sharing the recipe and story with us. Tofte says larb salad, which means chicken salad, is one of the few Thai dishes without sugar. It is typically eaten with “cabbage wedges.” Though some ingredients may be hard to find, “If anyone needs any of the ingredients, they can stop by and we will give them some,” he says. — Allison Arthur, Dishing editor
Thai Me Up Brewery Larb Salad 1/2 pound ground chicken or tofu 1/2 cup red onion 4 kaffir lime leaves 1 tablespoon dry rice pan-fried without oil, then ground in a coffee grinder 1 cup green cabbage Dry Thai chiles (not too much or too little) Fresh green chiles (same as above) Cilantro to taste 4 to 6 mint leaves 4 tablespoons lime juice 2 teaspoons fish sauce Lime wedges for garnish Fry the chicken or tofu. When it’s half-cooked, add the onion and chile. Sprinkle the chicken or tofu with enough dry rice powder to cover the top. Cook until the rice powder starts turning brown. Add the rest of the ingredients within one minute. Use more lime for more tang and more fish sauce for a more savory flavor.
Q Roadhouse Truffled Creamed Spinach 1 pound blanched and squeezed spinach 1/4 pound butter 1/4 pound all-purpose flour 1/4 cup minced shallot 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1/4 gallon whole milk 2 cups half-and-half 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 cup black truffle oil In a heavy bottom pot, melt butter. Add garlic and shallot mixture, and cook until tender. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Next, add the milk and half-and-half to the roux, and simmer until thick (about 10 to 15 minutes). Mix in Parmesan. Next, pour in the truffle oil. Blend with a hand mixer until incorporated and the consistency is uniform. Add spinach. Brian Upesleja Photo
Q Roadhouse Truffled Creamed Spinach I’m obsessed with spinach — spinach salad, sauteed, creamed, souffled — even juiced. I’m from the South and have had plenty of creamed spinach, but I am so dead serious when I say that the Q Roadhouse has the best creamed spinach I’ve ever had. I have pumped all my friends who work for Gavin Fine (owner of the Fine Dining Restaurant Group, which runs Q Roadhouse) for the recipe, and have even called the Q itself to get the recipe (am still waiting for them to get back with me). So if that’s something you could nail down, I’d be so grateful. (I’ve even written Bon Appétit to get the recipe!) Thanks! — Ashley Merritt, Jackson dishingjh.com | 11
What’s in the Fishing Guide’s Cooler? By Allison Arthur Photos By Leine Stikkel
M
ost fishing guides offer lunch with a guided trip. And many take the easy way out and buy standard sandwich fare. It’s quick, convenient and appeals to the masses. When they’re also responsible for cleaning their boats and preparing their gear for another long trip, day after day, who can blame them?
Dan Oas preps for a day on the river.
But the average fishing guide spends 75 days a year eating lunch on the river, and that can add up to a lot of turkey sandwiches. Open a random fishing guide’s cooler on any given day and typically you will find fixins for sandwiches, fruit, chips and cookies mixed in with water, beer and sodas. That’s what my husband, who guides part time, serves for lunch. The meal, however, is an important aspect of the day. “The better the meal, the happier the client, the bigger the tip,” says Spencer Morton, who guides for Jackson Hole Anglers. So we searched for a few examples of those who are mixing things up and offering clients something different. A little research led us to unique guides who each offer individual dining experiences.
Happy to be Healthy Dan Oas, 34, has been a guide for WorldCast Anglers since 2000. He leads trips up to 85 times a summer and says the job can be physically and mentally taxing. A self-trained cook, Oas quickly realized that he was better off preparing the meals himself so he could take control of what he puts in his body every day. “It mainly started off with personal needs,” he says. “I wanted something healthier. The fact is that you are out there being physically and mentally focused every 12 | dishingjh.com
day. Having food that weighs you down doesn’t help your focus.” So Oas starting planning his own meals rather than buying sandwiches and says the result keeps him healthier and his clients happy. “It became very obvious to me that most clients are older. They have changed their diets to be healthier and live longer and seem very receptive to having a healthier option,” Oas says.
His menu plan on a hot day generally consists of a salad with homemade vinaigrette. To make it satisfying, Oas often adds fruit, goat cheese and grilled chicken or steak: “The portion can stay small, but you get everything you need and walk away feeling energized.” He preps the meal the night before the trips and puts everything in individual containers so nothing gets smashed along the way. Everything is portioned out so the salad will be well balanced, and the veggies and meat are cut and ready to go. “One of the drawbacks is that after a long day of work I have to fix the food,” he says. “It takes a lot of forethought, but for me it creates a peace of mind that I know I will have a good lunch. It is the one thing that you can
control throughout a guiding day.” After the salad, Oas will always include something sweet, too. He often makes brownies or cookies because, “The salt and sweet help balance people out.”
“It takes a lot of forethought, but for me it creates a peace of mind that I know I will have a good lunch. It is the one thing that you can control throughout a guiding day.”
Over time, Oas has collected a selection of jam jars to use for the river. These perfectly portioned glass jars offer the vehicle to hold a yogurt and fruit parfait. On colder days, Oas will make a big thermos of soup and grab a loaf of organic bread and a wheel of brie cheese. “The feedback has always been very positive. There are always going to be those clients who want something starchy, fattening and beefy, but I tend to guide a lot of women, and they seem to really appreciate the lighter lunches.”
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Game Plan An avid hunter since his youth, Jason Moore loves a good elk burger. The 27-year-old guide for Jackson Hole Anglers is in his fifth summer as a full-time guide and puts in up to 100 days on the river every year. He has developed a lunch that never fails to enhance his clients’ trips. His boat is stocked with a propane grill, and halfway through the day, he pulls over to fire it up. Moore then treats his guests to grilled elk burgers with an array of fresh toppings to go along with it. “For most people visiting the area, eating wild game is on their checklist,” he says. “Visitors want to eat buffalo and elk while they are here. Offering that on the river makes the overall experience one notch higher.” For a man who at the age of 10 was having elk jerkymaking parties for his friends, offering wild game for lunch comes naturally. “Occasionally, I get a woman or kid that won’t do elk,” Moore says. “I make them one anyway, ask them to take one bite and if they don’t like it, it won’t hurt my feelings. Usually, the woman who didn’t think she would like it will chow it down and say, ‘It’s the best burger I’ve ever had.’ ” Along with the burger, Moore stocks his cooler with fresh fruit, pasta or potato salad, and homemade cookie bars, which hold up well. He says that he doesn’t get sick of eating the burgers every day: “I like that they are lean. They are hot, so they warm me up when I am cold.” As for his clients? Moore says that people are “blown away” by the experience. “When you pull out a rolledup table and chairs on a gravel bar of the Snake River, looking at the Tetons, eating an elk burger and a bald eagle happens to fly by, it’s hard to beat. We have a lot of clients that say lunch is the best aspect of the day.”
The Five-Star Experience When Grand Fishing Adventures guide John Hooven, 39, takes his Four Seasons guests fishing, they don’t leave the luxury of the resort behind. These guests are treated with a three-course riverside meal served on china and complete with a glass of fine wine. 14 | dishingjh.com
Raspberry Streusel Bars Makes twenty-four 2-inch squares
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon table salt 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons, cut into 1/2inch pieces and softened to cool room temperature 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark 1/2 cup rolled oats, old-fashioned 1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine 3/4 cup raspberry preserves 3/4 cup fresh raspberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 F. Cut 18-inchlength foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch-length foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. (If using extrawide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width.) Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. 2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, granulated sugar and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine on low, add 16 tablespoons butter one piece at a time; then continue mixing on low until mixture resembles damp sand, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (If using food processor, process flour, granulated sugar and salt until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter 16 tablespoons butter pieces over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles damp sand, about twenty 1-second pulses.) 3. Measure 1 1/4 cups flour mixture into medium bowl and set aside; distribute remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan. Using hands or flat-bottomed measuring cup, firmly press mixture into even layer to form bottom crust. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes. 4. While crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats and nuts to reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in remaining 2 tablespoons butter by rubbing mixture between fingers until butter is fully incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-size clumps; set streusel aside. 5. Combine preserves, raspberries and lemon juice in small bowl; mash with fork until combined but some berry pieces remain. 6. Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours; remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Using chef’s knife, cut into squares and serve. Recipe courtesy Jackson Hole Anglers
When you book through Grand Fishing Adventures, this is the kind of riverside spread you’ll get.
A store with thoughtfully selected items for everyday as well as dinner out.
“Everything is up to the Four Seasons’ standards,” Hooven promises. “It is a five-star experience.” While the clients fish, Hooven sets up an impressive spread that often begins with a Caprese salad drizzled with a balsamic reduction that he calls “liquid gold.” The salad is followed by the client’s choice of options, which includes citrus-poached salmon, thyme-roasted Snake River Farms beef tenderloin or colossal shrimp. Still hungry? There is a mixed berry salad and homemade energy bars for a snack. “Our lunch is pretty spectacular,” Hooven says. “I call it ‘culinary bliss on a fly-fishing trip.’ ” The hourlong production is usually followed by the question, “Where are the hammocks?” he says. In Four Seasons style, guests who are fishing more than one day will be served a different meal the next day. The chefs are always asking for feedback on how to make it better, Hooven says. “They make things that carry well, and we do a good job of keeping things right at 41 degrees. They have it down to a science.”
Hazel Brown • Raquel Allegra • Humanoid Enza Costa • Aesa • Giles and Bro Faliero Sarti • Lars Andersson • Avant Toi Lena Skadegard • Pas De Calais • Cotelac 35 W. Deloney Jackson, WY • 307.733.5665 • www.habitsjh.com dishingjh.com | 15
Heirlooms the legend of the huckleberry milkshake By kelsey dayton • Photos by david agnello
Sidling up to the soda fountain at the Victor Emporium is a little like stepping through a portal back in time. Much of the chrome shining back at you — the decorative and the practical, ready to whir to life and whip up something sweet and delicious — is the store’s original equipment, which is more than 60 years old. And the drink you are most likely to order: the huckleberry milkshake. This elegant, purple store tradition tastes distinctly of the area and is made from berries grown on the same bushes that early settlers scoured for a tart treat. Huckleberries are unusual ingredients, says Kim Keeley, one of the owners of the Victor Emporium. They aren’t cultivated, or mass-produced. Instead, they are found only in the wild and have a short summer growing season. People guard their secret huckleberry-picking spots with national security-like care to avoid having to share the limited bounty. Their scarcity and taste make them special. “They’re unique, but they’re also just delicious,” Keeley says. The challenge in finding the berries has led most soda fountains and milkshake makers to rely on huckleberry syrup for their blends. Not the Emporium. What makes the store’s shakes so distinctive, flavorful and renowned is the use of actual berries in each drink. While huckleberries are found throughout the country, each region’s berries have a distinct flavor. The ones found in and near Teton Valley are more tart than others, Keeley says. They have a taste you won’t find elsewhere. The store tries to keep its berry supply for shakes from the area. Each summer, the Emporium buys gallons of berries from professional pickers, who travel the region spending weeks picking in the woods, as
16 | dishingjh.com
well as from local kids who bring in a bucket, she says. The store tries to stockpile up to 350 gallons of the berries to get it through the year. The result, when blended into a shake, is something sweet — with a little punch — decadent, while still refreshing. The Emporium first opened its doors 62 years ago. When it started serving huckleberry shakes isn’t clear, but Keeley, who along with business partner Kathy Ferris bought the store 12 years ago, thinks it was in the 1980s. The recipe has stayed the same through the years and different owners.
Though the Emporium offers other shake varieties, more than half of the milkshakes the store sells are huckleberry, Keeley says. In the winter, when milkshake business is slower, they still can sell between 30 and 100 a day, she says. Fourth of July is the busiest day for the Emporium. Last summer, they sold 800 huckleberry shakes — a store record — on the holiday. Customers range from visitors, who want to try something unique to Teton Valley, to dedicated locals — Keeley herself used to have a shake a day at the store. Now she doesn’t indulge quite as often, but if she’s going to order one, it’s always the huckleberry. Every year, the list of loyal customers grows to include those from far away who make it a point to visit the Emporium if they’re anywhere near it.
The Victor Emporium makes their shakes the oldfashioned way, with handpicked huckleberries. Each shake, which is about 20 ounces, gets three tablespoons of real huckleberries, along with milk and ice cream. But that’s as specific as Keeley will get in divulging the details about what makes the Emporium’s shake special. “We can’t give away all our secrets,” she says. Huckleberries are certainly not a new thing. Keeley likes reading diaries and accounts of the area’s early settlers talking about adventures out huckleberry picking, eating the berries right off the bushes. But in recent years, the use of huckleberries has seen a resurgence in popularity. In the Emporium, huckleberry products line the shelves: huckleberry chocolates, huckleberry pancake mixes and huckleberry jams. “The variety of huckleberry [products] has exploded,” she says. “They’re kind of the ‘in’ thing right now.” Visitors might take home some of these specialty products, or other items the Emporium sells, like clothing, postcards and souvenirs. But it is the promise of the shake that lures most people in the first place, Keeley says.
One such man comes to Jackson each summer for a conference, Keeley says. Several years ago, he came in and tried the shake. The next year, the store received a call ordering 100 milkshakes. It was the same man; he thought the shake was so good he wanted everyone at the conference to try it. It has now become a tradition for him each summer to make the order and drive the shakes back to Jackson over Teton Pass for participants to enjoy, Keeley says.
The Shakedown - Allison Arthur 10,000: the number of milkshakes (all kinds) the Victor Emporium expects to make in July 800: the record number of shakes sold in one day (July 4, 2011) 400: the average number of milkshakes the Emporium sells a day during the summer months 350: the gallons of huckleberries the Emporium needs to get through a year of shake-making 100: the largest order of milkshakes by one person 30: the approximate percentage of locals who order the shakes 8: the earliest in the morning the Emporium has ever sold a shake 4: the celebrities the Emporium remembers serving shakes to, including former President Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O’Connor, Jessica Biel and John C. Reilly 2: the number of consecutive shakes that owners have seen a person consume 1: the number of minutes it takes to make a milkshake
“Once someone gets a huckleberry [shake], they’re sold on it,” Keeley says. That’s what happened to Robert DiGrappa, of Wilson, who 10 years ago stumbled onto the huckleberry shake when he stopped at the Emporium while in the area for work. He’d eaten huckleberries off the bushes and huckleberry pie, but he’d never had a huckleberry shake. Now it’s all he drinks. “That’s the only milkshake I’ve ordered there in 10 years,” he said. A horseshoer, he often visits clients in Victor. In the summer months, he’ll stop in up to three times a week. The rest of the year, it’s only about once a week, he says. “I’ve had two in a row before,” DiGrappa adds. “I don’t do that too often.”
Can't Get Enough Huckleberry? Just down the road from the Victor Emporium is another option to quell your huckleberry craving: Corner Drug in Driggs. The store has been selling huckleberry shakes “since the beginning of time,” says Aaron Myler, who owns Corner Drug with his wife, Sally. Sally Myler’s family has owned the store for four generations, and almost all of the more than 100 years it has been open. It’s unclear when the store started selling the shake, although it has always had a soda fountain — pieces of the original are still in the shop, while the back bar is in the museum in Driggs. Like the soda fountain where they are served, the shakes have stayed fairly consistent through the years. Corner Drug uses huckleberry ice cream, with real huckleberries in it, as well as huckleberry syrup. But once in a while the recipe is tweaked, such as the year the shop bought huckleberries from local pickers to add to the shakes. While Myler has arrived at work at 9 a.m. to find people lined up for the shake — in the winter — it’s not the store’s signature drink. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, people seek out Corner Drug’s lime freeze. – Kelsey Dayton 18 | dishingjh.com
He can’t — or really won’t — describe the taste other than to say it is “rich,” “energizing” and “never gets old.” “You need to try a huckleberry shake. It’s different. It’s unique. It has huckleberries. You just have to try it. I would use my powers of persuasion to get you to try it yourself rather than try to tell anyone about the flavor.”
The ABC’s of Spices and Sauces How Jackson chefs use flavors from the Old West to enhance their dishes By Meg Daly • Photos By David Stubbs
The summer season means the reappearance of backyard barbecues, which begin as soon as we scrape the snow off our grills, refill the propane tanks and invite friends for dinner. In the Tetons, grilling season often means that locals pull out elk and other game meats they hunted in the fall and dress up their goods with homemade sauces or a simple spice rub. So Dishing turned to several local chefs for their take on the essentials of how you can use sauces, spices and rubs to make your grilling even better. Valley chefs say they gravitate to basic flavors that highlight the hearty meat dishes redolent of the Old West. Salt, pepper, chiles, vinegar, caramel and smoke infuse many of the mainstays at local restaurants. A good sauce or spice has one main purpose: to enhance the flavor, not mask it. Spice Rubs
At Lotus Cafe, seasoning is crucial for a well-balanced dish. 20 | dishingjh.com
Chef Don Van Remoortere believes in the power of a spice rub. He founded Punx Rock Spice Co. in 2008. “It’s something I do well, and it’s easy to get into,” he says. No need for a commercial kitchen; Van Remoortere grinds and packages his spice blends in his apartment. “I specialize in blends for grilled meat,” he says. “My blends are definitely a translation of what I would do for my own taste when grilling. That’s the enjoyment of it.” Van Remoortere, a chef at Pizzeria Caldera, caters to the adventurous palate. His best-selling blend is the Str8 Edge Steak Seasoning. Comprised of French sea salt and pink peppercorns, the seasoning brings out the natural flavor of beef and other red meats, Van Remoortere says. He sells his rubs and blends at the Jackson Hole Farmers Market. If you want to really rock out with your steak, try Punx Xtreme-o Xpresso Rub, which mixes peppercorns and ground espresso beans. “The acidity of the coffee cuts the fattiness and lets more flavor come forward,” Van Remoortere says. “And the pepper, along with salt, opens up the taste buds.” Punx’s Punky Pork Rub blends allspice, coriander, turbinado sugar and cinnamon. And the St. Diablo Smokin’ Hot Seasonin’ features chipotle pepper and smoked salt. Van Remoortere sources his spices through an Arizona wholesaler. He chooses only all-natural spices, organic when possible. The spices come to him whole and dried. He grinds and mixes them himself, never adding preservatives or anti-caking agents.
The Cowboy Steakhouse blends their own spice mixtures.
For some chefs, the spice rub is only the beginning of getting fabulous flavor. Layering spices with sauces can enhance food even more. Kevin Gries, executive chef of the Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse, says he starts with a good spice rub, which he whips up inhouse. Then, he’ll add one of his homemade sauces he uses in the steakhouse tailored for the regional cuisine he cooks there (they’re also for sale to the public). “The layered flavors of the sauces highlight the flavors of the meat in different ways,” Gries says. “Also, some people like the spiciness of a rub or sauce in and of itself.” Gries’ spicy Rustic Rub has a Southwest influence. It features classic flavors of cumin, chile and garlic. His Grilling Rub is similar, with rosemary thrown in for some aromatics. “We use the grilling rub on rib-eyes,” Gries says. “The rosemary goes with beef. It brings out a freshness and delicious aromatics.” Then, Gries will use one of his homemade, simple, flavorful steak sauces, one is Worcestershire sauce, based with only a handful of other ingredients. He also makes huckleberry barbecue sauce that provides a regional flair; the bright, tangy sweetness of the berry pairs perfectly with game meats like elk and bison. Saucing In the barbecue sauce world, there’s perhaps no better expert locally than Roger Freedman, executive chef of Q Roadhouse. Prior to opening the Q Roadhouse in 2006, Chef Freedman took a barbecue tour of the U.S. His trip included key stops in Memphis, Kansas City, North Carolina and Texas (the four regional styles
of barbecue). After sampling them all, his top vote went to sauces found in the Memphis and Kansas City styles. Both rely on a tomato and vinegar base, with Memphis using molasses rather than sugar for sweetness. Freedman says he combined the best of both regions to concoct a truly “Jackson sauce.” The tang bursts on the tongue like a burst of Rocky Mountain sunlight. “The smoky flavors of bacon and chiles play off the hickory flavor,” Freedman says. His house-made barbecue sauce at Q Roadhouse is rumored to have at least 30 ingredients. Though he kept mum on the full range of spices in the sauce, he did offer up a few of the key ingredients, including Dr Pepper. “The caramel base of the soda adds sweetness and rounds out the spiciness,” Freedman says. He also touted the tongue-pleasing tastes of celery seed, chili peppers and bacon, mixed with the tomato vinegar base. “A lot of people say that true barbecue doesn’t need sauce,” Freedman says. “But I’m a big barbecue sauce freak.” Freedman says he learned many secrets from barbecue pit masters, and for them, it’s all about the spices and the slow cooking. “Our barbecue rub contains 15 or so spices,” Freedman explains. “There’s something harmonious that happens when you get the combination of a good spice rub complemented by a good sauce.” Adds Freedman: “Spices bring out the best of your food.”
The Q Roadhouse barbecue sauce has more than 30 ingredients. Less is More Meanwhile, Chef Ryan Brogan at Snake River Brewery prefers the less-is-more approach. “We keep it simple,” he says. Brogan’s award-winning chicken wings are a case in point. Blanching the wings before frying dishingjh.com | 21
keeps them juicy. The house-made dipping sauce blends tomato, vinegar, butter, molasses and a few other key ingredients. Paired with the crunchy, deep-fried wings, Brogan calls it the perfect example of a well-balanced dish: There’s enough acidity to cut through the fattiness. He doesn’t see a need to add spiciness. “Our sauce was good when it started,” he says.
Lotus’ Indian dishes involve a variety of Indian spices such as turmeric, cumin, mustard, coriander and chili powder.
Added Bonus For Lotus Cafe owner and executive chef Amy Young, spices not only enhance flavor but also deliver health benefits. “The right flavor and aromatics from properly seasoned food is crucial to a well-rounded dining experience,” Young says. Like Gries and Freedman, Young takes a hands-on approach to her spices. “For our mole sauce, we roast an assortment of dried chiles until we achieve a mellow, smoky flavor,” she says. Lotus regulars can attest to the inviting spice aromas that waft in from the kitchen, evoking India or Mexico or Vietnam, depending on what’s cooking. Young draws on Ayurveda, the indigenous system of Indian medicine, to blend health and flavor. Lotus’ Indian dishes involve a variety of Indian spices such as turmeric, cumin,
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mustard seed, coriander and chili powder. “Together, these spices create the flavor harmony and texture contrast that define traditional Indian curries,” Young says. Meanwhile, the spices go to work curatively. Young says turmeric may slow Alzheimer’s; cumin is reported to fight cancer; and chili can aid in cardiovascular health. Whether you prefer harmonious or hair-raising intensity, spices and sauces enhance natural flavors, enliven evenings and may even give well-being a boost.
Rolling into the Tetons
Food truck owners find ways to bypass town regulations By Annie Fenn
In cities across the country, a food truck serving a fast, quality meal can be found by checking Twitter. With any luck, you can be enjoying short rib tacos or kimchee quesadillas after a brisk walk in the sunshine. Lower overhead and startup costs have fueled the trend for entrepreneurs wanting to bring their cuisine directly to eaters. In this dubious economic climate, their cuisine bridges the gap between pricier farm-to-table food and the local McDonald’s, and food enthusiasts are happily lining up.
a fleet of them, there are a few food trucks if you know where to find them. And on the other side of Teton Pass? There’s another world of curbside cuisine to be found in Victor and Driggs, Idaho. A roster of special events draws a handful of mobile kitchens throughout the summer where you can find well-priced, tasty meals. Pica’s Mexican Taqueria Pica’s Mexican Taqueria is truly the local’s favorite restaurant for fresh, California-style Mexican food and bracing margaritas. Owner Andy Parazette plans to use his brightly colored taco truck mostly for special events, but he hopes to park it in the summer at a convenient downtown location, if possible. Offerings will be a riff on fusion street food, such as kimchee tacos, corn on the cob with chili and cheese, and watermelon juice. If you can’t find the truck, go to the restaurant. Pica’s taco al pastor was rated one of America’s Ten Best Tacos by Food and Wine magazine.
Take Kogi, the Los Angeles-based Mexican-Korean fusion taco truck. It’s arguably one of the most famous mobile food concessions in the country. Although the scene was well established before Roy Choi parked his first truck in 2008, Kogi’s use of Twitter drew a cult following. But the Tetons might just be the food truck’s final frontier. While fans point to the plethora of empty lots in downtown Jackson that could serve as “pods,” or a venue for mobile kitchens to gather, town code prohibits the parking of mobile eateries except on private property (and even then, there has to be access to bathrooms within 400 feet). Moreover, rent-paying restaurants may not appreciate a food truck parked on their block. And, let’s face it, the food truck season would be brief — a heated restaurant serving a steaming bowl of soup would be more enticing than standing on the street when the winter winds blow. Even so, in recent months, businesses have brought food trucks here anyway. While Jackson Hole may not have
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Maho Catering If you spy a tall, yellow food truck buzzing around town, chances are that a lucky group of people will soon be enjoying Maho Hakoshima’s amazing cooking. As one of the valley’s most sought-after caterers, Hakoshima uses his food truck to offer on-site cooking at special events such as weddings. “Old Yeller” is as well equipped as any small restaurant to serve full-course dinners and party food. Fried piquillo peppers, clams with chorizo, lamb chop lollipops and veal marrow crostini are some of the delicacies that emerge from the tall yellow truck.
Firebelly Pizza The valley’s only mobile wood-fired pizza oven, Firebelly Pizza, is run by Karen Hogan. A dancer by profession, Hogan started out by making pizza for droves of friends and neighbors from her Jackson kitchen. Her unique thin-crust pizza then went to town, to the Jackson Hole Farmers Market, where she offered her artisan-quality pies cooked over a charcoal grill under the name of Mama K. But when she saw the Maxey trailer outfitted with a Forno Bravo wood-fired pizza oven, capable of heating up to 900 degrees and able to cook a pizza in 90 seconds, she knew Firebelly Pizza would be the next step. Until town regulations loosen, she will be using her unit for catering and special events. Hogan longs to pair with nonprofit organizations to bring classes for children and parents to cook real food together. Her favorite pizzas include the elk sausage with peppadew peppers and fresh mozzarella, and the garlic cream, arugula, fresh mozzarella and balsamic reduction drizzle. Tacos at the Mountain At Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, curbside taco cravings can be indulged at the Tin Can Cantina, which serves hungry Village-goers from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (or 8 p.m. Fridays). Chef Wes Hamilton — an avid biker — launched the concept and menu last summer. It has since taken off. The Cantina serves fresh tacos (fish, beef, chicken and pork), house-made salsas, guacamole, chips and churros from the resort’s big black food truck. Parked at the base of the Gondola, the Tin Can Cantina is the perfect place to grab a snack and a beer after a day of cruising around the resort’s mountain biking trails off the Teewinot lift. “We’ve got cool tunes playing,” says Jay Brewer, the resort’s director of food service. “You can sit at wood tables, under an umbrella, and watch the bikers coming down the hill while you grab a couple of fish tacos and a Baha Fog. It’s a good way to spend an afternoon.”
Can’t find a food truck in the Tetons? Then check out a few roadside restaurants instead. These small establishments are about as close as you can get to eating at a food truck. Just pull right up to the curb and place your order. Down on Glen 25 S. Glenwood St. The hungriest locals choose Down On Glen for a legendary D.O.G. breakfast burrito, purported to cure anyone in crapulous condition. You don’t have to be hungover to get your D.O.G. burrito fix, but it helps to be patient. Order at the counter (mild or spicy, meat or veggie), and enjoy the mild summer breeze on the deck as your burrito barista makes yours to order in his 5-footby-5-foot kitchen. On weekend evenings, Down On Glen transforms into another favorite: Everest Momo Shack. Owners Rita and Sange, transplants from Katmandu, serve their Himalayan specialties to a troop of loyal fans, who line up for momos (Nepalese dumplings), chicken tikka curry and fresh naan bread. Kim’s Corner 970 W. Broadway Kim Degman sells killer, made-to-order Korean specialties at her tiny counter eatery, Kim’s Corner. Situated in a small corner of the Jackson Whole Grocer plaza, Degman draws a cult following in search of healthy, worldly cuisine. Kim-paps are a favorite hand-held lunch: purple Korean rice wrapped in nori and stuffed with spicy pork, ginger beef patties or spicy tuna. Order a refreshing honey citron tea, hot or iced, which has shreds of tart citron at the bottom. For something more hearty, order a bibimbop salad bowl with spicy pork on the side. Kim’s has a few cozy tables outside. Big Hole BBQ In Victor, Idaho, make a stop at Big Hole BBQ. Nick Jacob, owner and barbecue master, started his roadside stand in Driggs four years ago. Trophies and ribbons adorned the old barbecue stand, won at competitions across the country. Although frequent travel to competition meant his stand wasn’t always open, it enabled Jacob to learn techniques from the best champions in the country. Now Jacob is taking the plunge with a permanent 20-seat brick and mortar restaurant in Victor, which will serve his customers yearround, even when he is off winning trophies. Stop in for smoky pork sandwiches, beef brisket, baby back ribs, fresh cole slaw (with partner Lindsey Bennett’s celery seed dressing) and addictingly delicious baked beans (at roadside stand price points of $8 to $10). With outdoor seating, the new Big Hole BBQ will be reminiscent of the original.
Leine Stikkel Photo
Firebelly’s mobile pizza kitchen
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Asian Treats Thaidaho Asian Treats is a must-stop-and-eat food truck if there ever was one. Allen Stewart serves Thai, Japanese and Korean specialties made in a self-contained mobile commercial kitchen licensed in Idaho and Wyoming. This seasonal concession enables Stewart to split his time between Victor, Idaho, and Thailand, where he operates a bed and breakfast, restaurant and retreat. “We do Asian food in Idaho and Idaho food in Asia,” he says. Thaidaho Asian Treats is a popular fixture at music and art festivals in the summer. Featuring many original items you can’t find around here, such as Japanese mochi ice cream and Philippine dried mango, Stewart takes pride in the quality of his ingredients. “All our sauces and som tam dressings are homemade, and we don’t cook with MSG,” Stewart says. Maintaining a favorable price point is key to successful mobile kitchens, and Stewart compounds the challenge by choosing to use recycled and biodegradable single-service items. For Stewart, it’s a formula that has brought him success: Year after year, peo-
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ple stand in line for Korean bibimbap, yakiniku, Thai chicken green curry and rice, and homemade freshsqueezed lemon-lime gingerade. Dining In On Thursday nights for several weeks in the summer, the best street food scene happens in Driggs at Music on Main. Locals come out for great live music; food vendors provide inventive global options for enthusiastic foodies. Bill Boney, Teton Valley’s talented caterer, is usually there with his Dining In truck (really a full-service catering trailer that he brings to many Jackson events, too). Boney’s menu runs the gamut, from Pacific fusion or carne asada tacos to his “Vietnamwich” to a Greek bamwich pita wrap. “We want the items we serve to have color and texture pop, flavor pow, a little sexiness and practical eatability for a pedestrian, hopefully with a beer in their other hand,” he says. Though, it’s not all prepared on-site. Boney does preliminary prep at his 2,800-square-foot kitchen and fires and finishes on-site to order.
Liquid
Hungry for a drink? Good food isn’t the only thing that Jackson has to offer. Check out one of these cool cocktails on a hot summer day. (Recipes on next page.) Blue Lips Jackson Whole Grocer
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Elderflower Martini Snake River Grill
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English Delight Ignight
The Keegan Bradley Cellar’s Restaurant, White Buffalo Club
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Liquid English Delight Ignight
Blue Lips Jackson Whole Grocer
• 2 ounces cucumber-infused gin • 1/2 lime • 3 slices of English cucumber • 1/2 ounce simple syrup • 3 mint leaves • dash of salt • bitters
• 1/2 cup organic blueberries • 1/2 cup organic bananas • 1/2 cup organic yogurt • 1/2 cup R.W. Knudsen’s pomegranate juice • ice
Muddle cucumber and mint. Add dash of salt, 1/2 lime juice, gin and simple syrup. Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Float mint leaf with 3 drops of bitters.
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Add the ingredients in a blender and mix it all together until it has a smooth consistency.
Keegan Bradley Cellar’s Restaurant, White Buffalo Club
Elderflower Martini Snake River Grill
• 2 ounces Ciroc vodka • 1 ounce freshly muddled strawberries • iced tea • lemonade
• 3 ounces frozen Hendrick’s gin • 1 ounce fresh lime juice • 3/4 ounce St-Germain Elderflower liqueur
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add vodka and muddled strawberries. Fill the rest with 1/2 lemonade, 1/2 iced tea. Garnish with a lemon slice and mint sprig.
Add all ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a frozen glass.
a lesson in indian food Jeff Leininger teaches us how to make some traditional Indian dishes. By Allison Arthur Photos By Carrie Patterson About the only cuisine lacking in Jackson’s food scene is good Indian cuisine. So when longtime Indian food lover Jeff Leininger, 34, came to Jackson 11 years ago, he decided not to let that stop his hankering for the intense curries, fluffy breads and rich chutneys. A trained tandoori cook, Leininger now imports huge boxes of hard-to-find Indian specialties such as mustard oil, cane sugar, chickpea flour and, of course, spices so he can make his own. “Every spice I use is grown and milled in India,” he says. “They are completely different spices when they come from India. I never use a spice unless it is from there.” Originally from Pittsburgh, Leininger first tried Indian food when he was 15 with a friend “because we were into weird, different things.” Though it took him until college to develop an affinity for the cuisine, once he loved it, he never looked back. Leininger hung out at his college’s local Indian buffet, Preet, so often they eventually offered him a job. “The food was so intoxicating. I actually failed a class because of it,” he says. “I would go eat before class and fall asleep in class.” As a dishwasher making $7 an hour, Leininger tried to pick up what the cooks were doing to make such tantalizing 30 | dishingjh.com
They are completely different spices when they come from India. I never use a spice unless it is from there.
Jeff Leininger demonstrates to Allison Arthur the proper way to fold a samosa. food. “The whole time I was washing dishes I was looking over my shoulder trying to see what they were doing, and they would try to hide it from me,” he says. Gradually, the Indian cooks came to trust the only white guy in the kitchen and let him do prep. They even included him on the daily afternoon chai tradition, serving him the piping hot brew as soon as he walked in the door. “Unless I drank it while it was still steaming, they would take it away,” he says. Though his fellow cooks knew little English, Leininger grew to consider the ethnic crew his friends. When the restaurant opened a new location, Shalimar, he was advanced to cook. Though, when they turned him down to run the tandoori oven — a respected task in the kitchen — and hired a man with no thumbs, Leininger threw in
the towel and moved on. He went on to work for several more Indian restaurants and eventually landed the coveted position of tandoorian. These cooks, he said, have the scars to prove it. They stand over a 900-degree oven baking bread and grilling meat. Mastering the task, he said, was an accomplishment he earned while garnering a few burns in the process. Leininger’s stints in Indian kitchens proved to sharpen his cooking talents. In Jackson, he has worked as a sous chef at the Amangani, among other jobs. Now he is a special education counselor at Jackson Hole High School. He never got to walk away from a restaurant with a recipe, though. Nobody ever followed one. “Everything was by the eye,” he says. dishingjh.com | 31
Leininger spends countless hours re-creating his favorite dishes, as well as learning new ones. He cooks Indian food at least three times a week at home. He toyed with the idea of opening an Indian restaurant in Jackson but now primarily cooks for friends and family. Though, if tempted enough, he would be willing to do occasional in-home dinners for hire. “If people are lucky enough, they might get me to come to their house,� he says. At Dishing, we were lucky enough. After stumbling upon Leininger through friends, we convinced him to demonstrate his skills and teach us a couple of his favorite dishes to share with our readers. He chose to teach us samosas, a chicken dish and Kerala Porotta. Find all the recipes online at Dishingjh.com.
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The finished product with four homemade sauces. Recipe for the tamarind chutney on facing page.
For in-home Indian catering, call Jeff at 307-203-2239. Remember, it takes a great deal of time to prepare, and he imports all his ingredients from afar. For other available Indian food catering in Jackson, contact Rupa and Darshan Shah at 408-759-2956 or shahrupad@yahoo.com.
Tamarind Chutney 1 brick tamarind – 1/2 brick Aeroplane brand (you can put some dates, too, if you like) Water Desi Gur or Jaggery – to taste or about 1/3 cup 2 tablespoons oil 1 large cinnamon stick 4 large Punjabi black cardamom (smoked) 4 large cloves 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Flavors from around the world including American, Asian, Indian, Thai & Latin Organic meats, vegetarian, vegan & raw choices Entrées, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, pizzas & salads Endless gluten-free choices Full bar & house infused botanical cocktails Bakery, smoothies, juice & tonic bar • Espresso & premium tea Bakery, breakfast, lunch, dinner • Deck seating
Break up the brick of tamarind and lightly boil with the dates in water until very tender (about 10 minutes). [Use about 4 parts water to 1 part brick tamarind.] Cool, remove seeds, briefly puree, and strain the pulp. It should be thick. Set next to stove. In a saucepot, add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and oil. Heat the oil to medium high, and fry the whole spices. When the cinnamon stick opens up and cardamoms pop, add the cumin seeds. Fry the cumin seeds until they slightly darken (about 5 seconds), then immediately add the tamarind puree. Add the sugar, bring to a vigorous boil, cool and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature with vadas, pakoras, samosas, etc.
145 N. Glenwood St. Jackson, WY www.tetonlotuscafe.com • 307.734.0882
*As with any recipe somebody else makes, you’ll need to experiment on your own to get it the way you like. This is simply a general guideline.
The Dishing editors enjoy the feast. dishingjh.com | 33
MOUNTAIN DINING
TOP TO BOTTOM BY CARA RANK Once the snow melts from the slopes, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton Village transforms into a bustling summer destination. With dozens of activities — from a pop jet fountain to paragliding — there are numerous ways to work up an appetite. And with seven restaurants to choose from, both casual and upscale, you’ll have a new place to eat every day. Award-winning Executive Chef Wes Hamilton oversees culinary experiences at the resort’s restaurants and strives to create menus that offer a variety of comfort foods and healthy options with highquality ingredients. Sixty percent of menu products come from within a 500-mile radius, no small undertaking for this outpost. Expect that most of the items are created with the best-quality, regionally supplied ingredients, which means better-tasting and fresh food options for you and your family. Just like the mountain itself, every dining location is worth exploring. Visit an old favorite, or discover a new culinary experience. Here’s how to work up your appetite and satisfy it at the resort.
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PARAGLIDE FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD Take the Aerial Tram (adult tickets $23-$29) to the top, where in Corbet’s Cabin you’ll find a popular, laidback hangout (open daily at 9 a.m.). Go in the morning for breakfast, and grab homemade waffles filled with a choice of brown sugar, Nutella or fruit. Made-to-order and topped with whipped cream, these “top of the world” waffles are the perfect start to the morning or an afternoon treat. For an exhilarating ride down, try paragliding from the top of Rendezvous Mountain all the way down to the valley floor. You’ll experience the breathtaking beauty of Jackson Hole while you float to the bottom. No experience is necessary to fly tandem with a professional pilot from Jackson Hole Paragliding. Call 307-7392626 to make a reservation.
MOUNTAIN BIKE TO AUTHENTIC TACOS AT THE TIN CAN CANTINA
SPEND THE DAY AS A COWBOY AT THE RANCHER COOKOUT
HIKE TO A COLD ONE FOR HAPPY HOUR ON THE DECK
A network of downhill mountain biking trails for all ability levels will thrill any rider and leave you hungry after a day on the dirt. Options abound for every level, including wide, easy trails for the novice biker as well as eye-opening, advanced trails with banked turns and cool wooden features. Sail over tabletops, flow around corners and then catch the Teewinot lift for a five-minute ride back to the top (tickets from $35). Afterward, hit up the Tin Can Cantina, a food truck at the base of the gondola where you can grab authentic tacos, burritos, house-made salsas, chips and guacamole. Of course, there are also ice cold beers and margaritas to wash it all down. Open for lunch service daily from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
It’s not a trip to the Wild West without experiencing a bit of the cowboy lifestyle. Teton Valley Trail rides offer scenic horseback rides in Teton Village. After washing off the trail dust, you can keep your boots on and enjoy a classic chuckwagon dinner at the Rancher Cookout. Ride horseback or in a wagon out to a historic barn at the base of the Tetons and take a step back in time. The night includes wagon rides, a cowboy dinner and entertainment, but this isn’t your ordinary barbecue. Chef Wes Hamilton and resort staff create a night of fun and great grub. The menu includes barbecue chicken, slow-roasted tri-tip, cowboy beans, cornbread, salads, grilled corn, dessert, water, lemonade and coffee. Tuesdays through Saturdays from June 15 to Sept. 15. Call 307739-2654 for reservations (kids from $50, adults from $70).
Take a late-afternoon hike and reward yourself with a refreshing drink on The Deck. Trek down the Cirque Trail from the top of the tram until you reach the Bridger Gondola summit. Or, for extra cardio, hike from the Village base. (If hiking isn’t your speed, enjoy a free gondola ride to The Deck instead.) Kick back on The Deck’s high-altitude outdoor patio with drink specials from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and an outdoor grill menu. The Happy Hour menu offers two-forone margaritas, mojitos, draft beers and wine by the glass. The creative summer menu offers a selection of appetizers and shared plates. Enjoy a platter of fries and sliders. You’ve earned it with the hike. Open June 24-September 12 (closed Saturdays). For a fine dining option, don’t miss Couloir Restaurant, also located at the gondola summit.
FAMILY DAY OF FUN AND FOOD Teton Village boasts an array of fun activities for families, including a climbing wall, bungee trampolines, a cool pop jet fountain and a Frisbee golf course. Whew, that’s enough to work up an appetite. The free, 10-hole Frisbee golf course starts just uphill from the gondola and winds its way up the Eagle’s Rest cutoff and over to the top of Eagle’s Rest lift before descending to the bottom of Lower Werner. Picnic tables are available along the course for a rest. When you’re done with all the fun, stop in to Nick Wilson’s Cowboy Kitchen & Bar or the new General Store. Nick’s offers grill favorites, freshly made salads, pizzas and a kids menu. The restaurant offers a full-service bar with cold local brews, cocktails and wine to enjoy with your friends and family. The General Store, opening in July and centrally located next to the Tram building, is a great stop for ice cream, gourmet milkshakes, coffee drinks, grab-and-go items, beer, wine and liquor, and souvenirs. Both open daily.
Go to www.jacksonhole.com or call 307-734-2654 for more information on JHMR restaurants and activities.
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DISHING RESTAURANT
LISTINGS
Our market features delicious prepared food, an authentic butcher, fresh produce, and a wide assortment of grocery items to satisfy any kitchen or pantry. Stop in for affordable and fast hot lunch specials, served starting at 11am M-F until supplies last. Call ahead for special orders, lunch boxes for fishing trips or trips to the park, and catered events.
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A guide to some of the best places to dine in and around Jackson Hole
The Alpenrose Cozy mountain dining at a Teton classic Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner | In the Alpenhof, Teton Village
307.733.3242 | www.alpenhoflodge.com When you think of your classic mountain setting and cuisine, the Alpenrose is it. This Swiss-inspired Jackson classic will make any trip to the mountains complete. Think fondue, Raclette and Wiener schnitzel, among other classic favorites. With a menu like this, how could you ever go wrong? Plus, it is located at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and offers an excellent view. Add the European elegance and Tyrolean charm, and you’ve picked the right spot to transform your meal into an alpine experience. Relax in the cozy dining room, or better yet, enjoy great views from the sunny deck. The Alpenrose is open for dinner daily while the Bistro is open for breakfast and lunch. Hours are seasonal, so please check for more specific times and days.
Menu Sampling Raclette - slices of Raclette cheese melted at your table, served with speck, pearl onions, cornichons and boiled potatoes Alpen Fondue - Gruyere and fontina cheeses blended with white wine, completed with Kirschwasser, served with bread and apples Wiener schnitzel - breaded veal medallions with a porcini sauce, served with braised red cabbage, homemade spaetzle and vegetables Jägerschnitzel - pork loin medallions, sauteed, with a wild mushroom sauce, rösti potatoes and vegetables Warmer Apfelstrudel - homemade warm apple, cranberry and almond strudel served with creme anglaise dishingjh.com | 37
The Blue Lion Fine dining situated in a historic home in Jackson Open nightly at 5:30 | 160 N. Millward 307.733.3912 | www.bluelionrestaurant.com Situated in a historic home downtown, The Blue Lion has been a popular locals’ favorite since 1978. Ask people their favorite meal in town, and you will often hear the roasted rack of lamb. This dish keeps patrons coming back: The New Zealand lamb is rubbed with Dijon mustard, seasoned with bread crumbs, baked and served sliced with a peppercorn-rosemary cream sauce and jalapeno mint sauce. But you’re encouraged to sample from the array of other items, including fresh fish and game. And do save room for one of The Blue Lion’s long-standing regular desserts, either mud pie, tiramisu or Russian cream. If you dine before 6 p.m., enjoy 20 percent off when you mention you read it in Dishing. Reservations are recommended, and try to get a seat on the shady deck and dine al fresco if you can.
Menu Sampling Santa Fe duck cakes served with chipotle mayonnaise Wild Alaskan salmon stuffed with goat cheese, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, finished with lemon-chive butter Mixed grill of elk tenderloin, served with a wild mushroom port sauce, and a half rainbow trout fillet, finished with herb butter Chicken Frangelico - chicken breast encrusted with toasted hazelnuts and topped with a Frangelico-Mandarin cream sauce Risotto Florentine - sauteed spinach, mushrooms, leeks and bacon served in risotto, finished with fresh basil and Asiago cheeses 38 | dishingjh.com
Cafe Genevieve Breakfast, lunch and dinner in a historic log cabin 135 E. Broadway 307.732.1910 | www.genevievejh.com Pig Candy. This novelty menu item is more than a catchy name. It is the dish people will be talking about long after they snack on it, and the item people should always order, whether on top of a salad, the burger or as a starter. It’s that good. But don’t stop there. Inspired by the history of its location, Cafe Genevieve specializes in home cooking. This southern-inspired menu offers classics that can be hard to find out West, such as fried chicken and waffles, and crawfish etouffee. The restaurant is open all day, every day. Cafe Genevieve gives its customers what they like by serving breakfast all day from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and by offering the earliest Happy Hour in town from 3-5:30 p.m. Weekend brunch has become a local favorite. Cafe Genevieve lures with its plentiful outdoor seating with tables set up on the front porch and the deck. Cafe Genevieve is rumored to have the best fries in town.
Menu Sampling Huevos con chili verde with house-made green chili, refried beans and flour tortilla Cajun eggs Benedict with house-made Cajun sausage and homestyle potatoes Smoked barbecue pulled pork sandwich with slow-roasted pork, house-made peach barbecue sauce and hand-cut fries Fried green tomatoes with crawfish remoulade Pork belly lettuce wraps with pickled carrots, cucumber, basil, mint and cilantro dishingjh.com | 39
Cascade Restaurant and Bar Regional cuisine served in a cozy setting Open breakfast, lunch and dinner | Teton Mountain Lodge 307.732.6932 | www.tetonlodge.com/opentable Named “Best Chef in Jackson” four years in a row, Cascade’s Executive Chef Kevin Humphreys strives to use local and organic products in creating his incredible dishes. Whether dining in the restaurant, or enjoying a glass of wine and the mountain air on a newly remodeled and expanded terrace, you’ll experience dining at its finest. For lunch, try the fried green tomato sandwich or a salad that may include Wyomatoes, locally grown tomatoes from Big Piney. To fuel up before an afternoon hike, try the “Twisted Reuben” with grilled salmon and Teton Valley Creamery Havarti or buffalo steak sliders. In addition to a full dinner menu, Cascade offers a three-course menu for only $38 nightly. With a great kids menu, make Cascade your first or last stop of the day.
Menu Sampling Gnocchi with peas, roasted mushrooms, duck prosciutto and Lark’s Meadow Farms Dulcinea cheese Roasted beet salad with mache, Amaltheia goat cheese, toasted pecans and toasted pecan vinaigrette Zonker stout-braised buffalo short ribs with Anson Mills grits, Beehive creamery SeaHive and onion marmalade Country natural beef hanger steak “lomo saltado” with onion, tomato, Peruvian chili and fingerling potatoes Corn-crusted Idaho trout with haricot vert, fingerling potatoes, pancetta and smoked tomato sauce 40 | dishingjh.com
Cellar’s Restaurant at The White Buffalo Club Casual fine dining in an intimate setting Open nightly at 5 | 160 W. Gill Ave. 888.256.8182 | www.whitebuffaloclub.com This dimly lit restaurant offers an atmosphere where you can huddle into a booth with a glass of wine, reminisce about your day and enjoy an amazing meal without feeling rushed. This 16-table steakhouse and dining bar has been a well-kept secret in Jackson, only open to club members until last summer, when the public was finally allowed to enjoy the sophisticated but simple steakhouse menu. The corkwood flooring, stone walls, wood wainscoting and luxurious leather upholstery will remind you of a classic New York City standard. Cellar’s features a selection of 1,100 bottles of vintage wines and USDA Prime steaks that are 28-day, dry- and wet-aged, and butchered in-house. Don’t miss the pear and brie salad or any of the side dishes, especially the mac and cheese, which is served bubbling out of a Crock-Pot.
Menu Sampling Beef tartare with USDA Prime beef tenderloin, diced and mixed with capers, cornichons, shallots and herbs and served with crisp grilled bread and Dijon mustard Wedge salad layered with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and applewood smoked bacon, ranch dressing and crumbled blue cheese Ahi tuna marinated in yuzu vinaigrette served in crispy gyoza taco shells with Napa cabbage slaw finished with Asian guacamole and mango chutney Seared steelhead trout on a bed of sauteed fresh sweet corn, bacon, shiitake mushrooms and a Wyomato-chipotle relish dishingjh.com | 41
cocolove A European-style chocolate, pastry, gelato and coffee bar 55 N. Glenwood | Wort Plaza 307.733.3253 | www.atelierortega.com Walk one block west of the Town Square, and you’ll think you’ve crossed the Atlantic and landed in Paris. This sophisticated coffee and dessert bar by world-famous pastry chef Oscar Ortega is a retreat from the typical western vernacular of Jackson. With pastry-lined cases brimming with beautiful treats, fresh gelato and savory delights, you will be hard-pressed to order just one item. Not to worry, you can sip a perfectly made latte while you contemplate your choices. The cafe’s soothing atmosphere is the ideal setting for the beginning of your day, an afternoon break or your post-dinner indulgence. Master Chocolatier Oscar Ortega also runs Atelier Ortega at 150 Scott Ln. There you’ll find many of the same great offerings plus some world-class food items including sweet and savory crepes, quiche and salads. And, who knows, you might even catch a glimpse of Chef Ortega in action!
Menu Sampling Asparagus or spinach souffle with applewood smoked bacon and potato hash, oyster mushroom sabayon drizzle Hot cereal made with steel-cut oats, brown butter financier, foamed milk and berries Artisan chocolates including balsamic and honey, chipotle-chile, cabernet reduction, cardamom, caramelized ginger and white tea, coconut-lime, almond-praline … almost 40 amazing flavor combinations Gelato and sorbet flavors ranging from basil-pear, hazelnut-praline, coconut-yuzu, pistachio, espresso, mango to the award-winning cactus fruit sorbet 42 | dishingjh.com
Couloir Restaurant Fine dining with altitude Open 4:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday for dinner 307.739.2675 | www.jacksonhole.com This could be the most unique table in Jackson – after all, you’ll be dining at 9,095 feet and a 1/2 mile above the valley floor. Recognized with a 2011 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, dining at Couloir is an incomparable experience. The evening starts on the Bridger Gondola, where you can watch the sun set during the ride to the top. Then, let Executive Chef Wes Hamilton wow you with American cuisine with Rocky Mountain roots. Unique entree options include diver scallops with pork rib hash, smoked tomato and house-made barbecue sauce or the grilled Snake River Farms Wagyu with creamed arugula, heirloom potato and red onion marmalade. While this is dining with altitude, it’s also dining with a conscience. Couloir adheres to a sustainable policy, promising the majority of ingredients come from within 250 miles. Open June 17 through September 12.
The Deck The perfect spot to unwind outside after an adventurous day, The Deck offers the same amazing views and good food as Couloir in a more casual setting. A daily happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (closed Saturdays) sells two-forone margaritas, mojitos, draft beers and wine by the glass. The creative summer menu, prepared in an al fresco kitchen, contains numerous appetizers and shared plates: portobello fries, a Wyomato salad, braised Kurobuta carnitas and Snake River Farms Kobe sliders, to name some of the best. Ride the Bridger Gondola to The Deck, or take the Summit trail for a workout. With sweeping views of Sleeping Indian and the valley floor, you might just park it here every afternoon. Open June 24 to September 12. dishingjh.com | 43
Dolce Hand-roasted coffee, desserts, doughnuts, breakfast tacos and frozen yogurt
Open daily from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. | 160 N. Cache 307.200.6071 | www.dolcejh.com Dolce is the perfect place to begin and end your day or to grab lunch in the middle of it. Start the morning with a cup of gourmet coffee — pick from 14 types of beans, and staff will roast it while you enjoy the handmade doughnuts, cooked to order and served with three dipping sauces. Breakfast is served all day, but if you’re there for lunch, choose one of nine gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, like the Granny, with sharp cheddar, bacon, tomato and grilled onions. Just add an egg to any grilled cheese, and turn it into a breakfast sandwich. With a variety of items to satisfy any sweet tooth, stop in after dinner for one of the exquisite gourmet desserts. For a healthy, sweet treat any time of day, opt for frozen yogurt, which contains health-supporting probiotics and uses only wholesome sweeteners.
Menu Sampling Coffee drinks, including cappuccino, Americano, cafe au lait and espresso Doughnuts with a trio of dipping sauces Assorted frozen yogurt flavors, including tart, vanilla, chocolate, cake batter, strawberry, mango, and cookies and cream Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches Cakes, cupcakes and pastries 44 | dishingjh.com
e.leaven Food Company All-day breakfast, lunch & assorted breads and decadent pastries Open daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. | 175 Center St., One block off Town Square
307.733.5600 | www.eleavenfood.com Take advantage of the warm summer months to enjoy e.leaven’s enormous salads, filled with all kinds of goodies and topped with homemade croutons made from the restaurant’s own loaves and bagels. While the salads are hearty, the deli sandwiches are massive and stuffed with delicious fillings, like the BLT with goat cheese layered on sourdough or the chicken with roasted chiles and jack cheese. They are served with a choice of coleslaw or homemade potato chips. E.leaven is one of the few places where you can order breakfast ALL Day. The deli and bakery offers what’s arguably some of the best corned beef hash and eggs this side of New York City. On your way out, don’t forget to buy a fresh, house-made loaf. The breads make the best sandwiches for mid-hike snacks.
Menu Sampling Nova lox platter with smoked salmon, tomatoes, capers, red onions, bagel and cream cheese Mediterranean omelet with spinach, tomatoes, onions, feta; served with homemade potatoes and a choice of bagel with butter The Reuben on rye - corned beef or turkey, Swiss, sauerkraut, deli mustard, side of Thousand Island dressing French dip on soft baguette - piled high roast beef with au jus dipping sauce Tarragon chicken with poached pear - mixed greens, tarragon chicken salad, poached pear, raspberry vinaigrette dishingjh.com | 45
43 North At the base of Snow King with expansive decks and rooftop trattoria
Open daily at 11:30 a.m. (seasonal hours may apply) | 645 S. Cache 307.733.0043 | www.43north.net Reclaimed barnwood floors, a 100-year-old walnut bar, a rock fireplace and expansive decks showcase the cuisine at 43 North, located at the base of Snow King. Since changing hands two years ago, Chef Richie Billingham has been serving up an eclectic array of dishes to satisfy the foodie in you. Try a hot buttered lobster claw BLT, a crispy chicken black-and-blue wedge, or spicy black bean-wrapped shrimp tacos for lunch. For dinner, make it the French onion soup, veal medallions with candied-bacon pappardelle noodles, Dijon-crusted rack of lamb with apple fries or the fresh catch of the day. The Wine Spectator-awarded wine list has something for everyone. Offering 17 beers on tap and an extensive wine-by-the-glass program, 43’s Happy Hour on the deck is a local institution. A seasonal wood-fired oven on the roof serves up Neapolitan-style pizza and other Italian favorites.
Menu Sampling Jumbo scallops and lobster biscuits and gravy Spinach salad with warm beer bacon-apple dressing, turkey, Gorgonzola and toasted almonds Steaks by the inch, served with buttered mushrooms and onions, Yukon mashers or steak fries Dijon-crusted rack of lamb with apple fries, minted demi-glaze and grilled asparagus Citrus honey-glazed char-grilled salmon with lemon-scented crabmeat rice 46 | dishingjh.com
The Garage A family restaurant in a downtown cornerstone building
Open nightly at 5 | 72 S. Glenwood 307.733.8575 | www.thegaragejacksonhole.com From Chevrolets to burgers and fries, this downtown cornerstone building has been serving local and adventurous types for decades. Welcome to The Garage, the modern version of the Livingstone Garage, with dealership car parts adorning the walls. Make sure to order the signature house-smoked ribs. They are sweet, spicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. The ribs are house-smoked and then served with a barbecue bourbon sauce. The buffalo and hamburgers also are outstanding. The house martinis are a must-try (order a huckleberry lemondrop or blackberry jalapeno). With an extensive drink list and eclectic menu that offers something for everyone, this casual, relaxed spot is great for families or a quiet date night. They also host one of the best happy hours in town. Don’t forget the steak, either. Chef Michael Burke is known for his chops.
Menu Sampling Smoked baby back ribs, a full or half-rack, mopped with a house bourbon barbecue sauce Filet of Wyoming beef wrapped in applewood bacon, served with a roasted garlic butter Baked lobster penne and cheese, peas, carrots and celery in a lobster and smoked Gouda-infused cheese sauce Wyoming-raised organic buffalo burgers served with home-prepared sweet fries The Big Bleu Salad with crisp romaine hearts, applewood smoked bacon, Italian onions & heirloom tomatoes tossed in a bleu cheese dressing dishingjh.com | 47
The Gun Barrel Family-style steaks and game Open nightly at 5:30 | 862 W. Broadway 307.733.3287 | www.gunbarrel.com Almost everyone who visits Jackson Hole wants to try elk or buffalo at least once while here. And while other places offer it, no one does steak and game like the Gun Barrel or offers a larger variety. Jackson’s legendary dining establishment has the town’s largest selection of high-end beef and game – all slow-cooked over an open river-rock mesquite grill – at prices you can afford. The popular restaurant also offers a great selection of fish, chicken and rib dishes. Take in the Old West in the Gun Barrel’s rustic lodge atmosphere, and check out their extraordinary collection of mounts and western memorabilia. As one of Jackson’s largest restaurants, the Gun Barrel is the perfect place for large groups, rehearsal dinners and parties of all sorts. Save room for dessert so you can try the restaurant’s mud pie of the day!
Menu Sampling Mixed game grill - the ultimate game experience. A combination of elk steak, buffalo prime rib and a venison bratwurst Teton Rib-eye - the most popular steak is a mesquite-grilled, bone-in rib-eye steak Velvet Elk - elk medallions pan-seared in a red wine demi-glaze sauce, served with garlic mashed potatoes River Rock Salmon - mesquite-grilled and brushed with a dill butter topped with garlic caper aioli Buffalo or beef prime rib - lightly seasoned and slow-roasted for the best flavor 48 | dishingjh.com
Ignight Grill Sushi and an array of options Open nightly at 5 | 945 W. Broadway 307.734.1997 | www.ignightjacksonhole.com Walking into Ignight, you’ll think you’re at a New York City club where bottle service is a must. Don’t let the sleek look fool you. Blue Collar Restaurant Group makes good food accessible to everyone with Ignight. You’ll find specialty cocktails made with freshly squeezed juices, sushi and an array of options, such as sliders, pizzas and sandwiches. It’s great for a date night or a leisurely dinner with friends. Begin the evening with the not-to-be-missed Elk Hunter, a cocktail of tequila, grapefruit and agave syrup served in a sea salt-lined glass. If you like sushi, you can’t go wrong with any one of the rolls that can be made with white or brown rice. Do yourself a favor, and order the signature Ignight Roll, which comes with sesame-seared albacore tuna, avocado and soft shell crab. Dining with someone who doesn’t like sushi? Choose the chicken sliders with fries.
Menu Sampling Chicken sliders served on fresh baguette with roasted sweet peppers, Asiago cheese, arugula and chipotle aioli Sopressata and prosciutto flatbread with sauteed onions, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, Asiago and arugula Hamachi and spicy salmon tartare topped with scallions, mango and tobiko Seared albacore, avocado and cucumber, topped with salmon tartare, Sriracha aioli, scallions, tobiko and sprouts Meyer Ranch’s all-natural New York steak with a whiskey butter compound dishingjh.com | 49
Il Villaggio Osteria Part of Fine Dining Restaurant Group Rustic Italian bistro in Teton Village Open for dinner every day in the summer | In Hotel Terra
307.739.4100 | www.jhosteria.com Osteria, as locals call it, is one of the best summertime dining spots nestled hillside in Teton Village. Ask to be seated outside for dinner (an outdoor fireplace means you could linger all night). The restaurant’s rustic, European feel encourages you to enjoy a multicourse menu, leaving you with an experience, not just a meal. A wood oven fires perfect pizzas in unique combinations (think fig and speck or braised rabbit and mascarpone cheese), and the menu offers a great selection of starters, homemade pastas and seasonal salads. Sit at the wine bar and nosh on plates of house-made sausage, salami and imported cheese. Whatever you order, accompany it with a side of Brussels sprouts, which are washed in a tangy pomegranate sauce. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions from the extensive wine list. You’re sure to be impressed.
Menu Sampling Guido Sarducci pizza with mascarpone, button mushrooms, house-made sausage, Swiss chard, caramelized onions and arugula Pork tenderloin wrapped in porchetta with a pea potato cake, braised red cabbage, caramelized cipollini and taggiasca olives Shaved porchetta and wild arugula with roasted grape tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, charred celery and Parmesan salad Italian-style “corn dog” with fontina fontal, San Daniele prosciutto, semolina batter and Calabrese pepper ketchup Porcini-infused spaghetti with braised rabbit, cannellini beans, San Marzano tomatoes and marjoram, and mushrooms 50 | dishingjh.com
The Kitchen Part of Fine Dining Restaurant Group Modern American cuisine Open nightly at 5:30 | 155 N. Glenwood
307.734.1633 | www.thekitchenjacksonhole.com If there’s a dish that’s a must-try at The Kitchen, it’s Jarrett Schwartz’s specialty from the crudo bar: truffled tuna. This dish — featuring ahi sashimi rolled around tuna tartare and drizzled with an Asian truffle sauce — is a favorite of anyone who tries it. Diners have been known to order one. Then another. But don’t stop there! The cuisine at The Kitchen embraces various culinary techniques — from crudo to pasta — that come together in a seamless, refined way. The menu utilizes all-natural, small-farm meats, seasonal vegetables and sustainable, fresh fish, all of which are complemented with an interesting cocktail and wine list. Save room for dessert. The fresh-baked cast-iron cookie topped with vanilla ice cream is worth it. The food here is clean and natural, and so is the atmosphere. Think modern comfort, with bamboo, warm light and a natural color scheme. And it gets better in summer, with one of the best decks downtown.
Menu Sampling Fried shishito peppers tossed with olive oil and sea salt Luxury shrimp - a crisp fried rock shrimp with sweet aioli Ceviche with the freshest market fish, fresh lime and jalapeno salsa Pan-seared red deer with shiitakes, sherried cherries, garlic, sage and sweet brown rice Blue cornmeal-crusted trout with pasilla chile-pecan slaw and a smoky ancho-brown butter sauce dishingjh.com | 51
Merry Piglets Fresh Tex-Mex food Open daily from 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. | 160 N. Cache 307.733.2966 | www.merrypiglets.com Warning: You may be tempted to eat too many of Merry Piglets’ fresh chips and homemade salsa. Add the creamy queso dip, and you’ve surely ruined your dinner. It’s happened to many. Save room. Inside the bright walls of this 42-year-old eatery, you’ll find standard, delicious Mexican fare at great prices. Once you sip a margarita, you’ll be glad you stopped. Everything on the menu is made in-house and fresh to order. The diverse menu offers enough options for the family. Meats are pasture-raised and hormone-free. Fish for the incredible fish tacos is line-caught. The chicken fajita salad is a good alternative to one of the combo meals, but all are good options depending on your appetite. For vegetarians, choose the spinach quesadillas, loaded with fresh spinach and jack cheese. The margarita options will keep you in your seat long enough to digest it all.
Menu Sampling Baja Roll with chicken or shrimp in a flour tortilla with jalapeno cream cheese, fresh spinach, chopped tomatoes and guacamole. Served with creamy salsa verde and black beans Tamales filled with beef and cheese and topped with green chile sauce Fish tacos with flame-grilled mahi mahi served in a corn tortilla, topped with ginger slaw, mango salsa, green onion and cilantro aioli Piglet Sampler, a choice of “old school taco” (lettuce, cheese, tomato) or “street taco” (cilantro and onion only), one enchilada and one chimichanga 52 | dishingjh.com
Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse Steak and game in a historic Town Square building Open nightly at 5:30 | 84 E. Broadway 307.733.4790 | www.cowboysteakhouse.net When you think of Jackson cuisine, steak and game certainly come to the top of your mind. There is no better place to kick up your boots and enjoy a casual but fine dining experience than at the famed Cowboy Steakhouse. Located downstairs from the Million Dollar Cowboy bar, the restaurant’s cozy booths are covered in knotty pine wood, and the setting is as western as the movie “Shane.” There is an underground “burger special” locals won’t always tell you about, offering a special deal if you are seated before 6:30, but you may not want to pass up the buffalo rib-eye, which is a whopping 22 ounces but worth every last bite. This Town Square classic can accommodate families and intimate parties as well. Don’t forget to finish the meal with a creme brulee or a strawberry shortcake.
Menu Sampling Crispy buffalo-stuffed ravioli with light basil pesto cream sauce and tomato and arugula salad Lager-battered onion rings with chipotle ranch and bleu cheese dipping sauces Cornmeal and almond-crusted rainbow trout with horseradish-spiked potatoes, garlicky spinach and sweet corn salsa Prime sirloin, herbed garlic fries, caramelized onions and house-made steak sauce Petit elk filet with herb-roasted potatoes, asparagus and lump crab bearnaise dishingjh.com | 53
Nikai Asian Grill and Sushi Bar Sushi served in a casual, contemporary atmosphere Open nightly at 6 | 225 N. Cache 307.734.6490 | www.nikaisushi.com For all those sushi snobs out there who think you can’t get good sushi in the mountains, here are two words that will prove you wrong: Nikai Sushi. This downtown hot spot is hard to get a table at for many good reasons, not the least of which is their exceptional sushi. The fish is flown in fresh daily from all over the world and what they do with it will rival anything you’ve ever had. In addition to sushi, Nikai offers Asian-inspired cuisine such as Vietnamese ribs and miso-glazed black cod. The contemporary yet casual atmosphere is also a perfect spot to enjoy one of their signature tropical cocktails. Reserve a booth, or try to grab a spot at the sushi bar for a front-row seat and watch them roll your specialties. An award-winning wine list and extensive sake list complement the menu. Kids and gluten-free menus are available.
Menu Sampling Snake River Farms Kobe beef New York steak, wasabi mashed potatoes, tempura green onions and sweet soy Crab and lobster Rangoon - house-made crispy crab, lobster and cream cheese purses, sweet and spicy plum sauce Kobe beef sliders - Snake River Farms Kobe beef, shiitake mushrooms, teriyaki sauce, kaiware sprouts and wasabi aioli Crispy rice soup - Asian vegetables, shrimp, bay scallops and crispy rice Sashimi blossom - red tuna, yellowtail, escolar and salmon “flower” with tobiko and yuzu ponzu 54 | dishingjh.com
Pinky G’s Pizzeria Award-winning New York-style pizza under the Pink Garter Theatre
Open daily from 11 a.m.-2 a.m. | 50 W. Broadway 307.734.PINK | www.pinkygs.com Plenty of critics have moved to Jackson declaring that no pizza can compare to their hometown favorite. That’s until Pinky G’s opened last summer underneath the Pink Garter Theatre. Already voted Gold for the best pizza in Jackson Hole, you can find this hidden gem for unique pies such as the Abe Froman, with spiced Italian sausage, buffalo mozzarella and fresh, chopped basil. You’ll leave claiming Jackson’s pizza can compare with any big-city pie. You’ll find more than just delicious slices in this charming downtown spot. Families and the lunch crowd will be satisfied with the diverse sandwich and salad options, too. The list of not-to-be-missed items include the Porky G, a southern-style pulled pork sandwich and Chicago-style hot dogs. This is also a late-night mecca; get here early before the bar crowd. Sit on the outdoor patio, or try take-out or delivery.
Menu Sampling The Powder Hound pizza with buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, whole-milk ricotta, garden-fresh basil with a garlic olive oil sauce The Porky G pulled pork sandwich, North Carolina-style, with barbecue sauce and crispy slaw Made-to-order strombolis and calzones with the toppings of your choice and marinara on the side Original Philly cheesesteak with seared rib-eye smothered in American cheese with sauteed veggies Kid-friendly choices including mozzarella sticks, french fries, chicken fingers and grilled cheese sandwiches dishingjh.com | 55
Q Roadhouse Part of Fine Dining Restaurant Group Eclectic roadhouse fare Open nightly at 5 | Happy Hour 5-6 and 8-9 at bar | 2550 Moose Wilson Rd.
307.739.0700 | www.qjacksonhole.com The peanut shells peppering the floor of this west bank restaurant are but one of many nods to good ol’ southern comfort. The owners scoured the best barbecue joints in the country to develop the menu — an eclectic mix of down-home staples, roadhouse food and yes, upper-crust cuisine. Even if you’re not a southerner, you’ll love the fried dill pickles served with a spicy remoulade; the hot, peel-and-eat shrimp; or the hush puppies with honey butter. For dinner, go for what this place is known for: meat that’s smoked in-house using hybrid fuel and wood. You can’t go wrong with the brisket or the ribs. The Q gets even better in summer, with a large outdoor deck where you can sip a glass of wine, watch the sun set behind the Tetons, and let the kids play in the adjacent grassy lawn.
Menu Sampling Treehugger Salad - kale, heirloom lettuces, spiced pumpkin and sunflower seeds, roasted tomatoes, red onion in a tahini-soy dressing Fried green Wyomatoes with spicy crab remoulade Grilled Georgia quail with corn, bacon, chipotle peppers and cream in a huckleberry gastrique Sliced beef brisket or St. Louis ribs smoked over apple and hickory wood Blackened catfish with shrimp and scallion sauce, served with Creole red rice 56 | dishingjh.com
Rendezvous Bistro Part of Fine Dining Restaurant Group Classic bistro fare with a worldly twist Open nightly at 5:30 | Happy Hour at the bar 5:30-6:30 | 380 S. Broadway
307.739.1100 | www.rendezvousbistro.net Since opening a decade ago, this West Jackson establishment is the place to see and be seen in the valley. Locals call it “The Bistro.” You may just find yourself a few booths away from part-time residents Sandra Bullock or Harrison Ford, but this upscale restaurant is so unpretentious, you probably won’t even notice them. More than just a celebrity hangout, The Bistro has made a name for itself with its appealing cuisine: a creative take on classic bistro fare. Favorites include elk tartare served with hand-cut potato chips and the croque madame. If you like fried chicken, go on a Wednesday, when the dish is the nightly special. Make sure to book a reservation, as this place draws standing-room-only crowds most nights. A new deck is one of the best spots in the house. And don’t miss The Bistro’s sister restaurants, Il Villaggio Osteria (pg. 50), The Kitchen (pg. 51) and Q Roadhouse (pg. 56).
Menu Sampling Seared sea scallops - ginger-soy butter, tobiko vinaigrette, crispy red onions Pork adobo - coconut milk, soy sauce and rice vinegar, jasmine rice, pickled vegetables Indian vegetable plate with curried vegetables, jasmine rice, red lentil dahl, cucumber-tomato raita, pear chutney Croque madame - an open-faced sandwich with prosciutto cotto, Gruyere, fried egg Tuna tartare with avocado, shiitakes and chili garlic sauce dishingjh.com | 57
Sidewinders American Grill and Tavern All-American sports bar Open daily from 11:30 a.m. | Hillside Building on Broadway 307.734.5766 | www.sidewinderstavern.com With a game room for kids, 40 televisions for sports fans and 15 salad options for ladies, you can’t go wrong coming to “The Winder” — as it’s known among locals — for lunch, dinner or a snack. The extensive bar offers 30 beers on tap and many appetizers to munch on in front of big-screen sporting events. The comprehensive menu will give you so many choices you may not be able to narrow it down. So don’t. Share a few plates of appetizers such as barbecue nachos, hot wings and cheese fries. Or, opt to build your own whole or slices of pizza (the carne asada is to die for). The menu offers 13 burgers, which can be made in Angus, turkey or buffalo, in many unique combinations. Try The Avocado, two patties topped with cheddar and avocado. If you come on a Sunday during football season, prepare for a party, and pick your seats carefully based on your favorite team’s fans.
Menu Sampling Sidewinders pretzel, a jumbo, homemade, soft pretzel stuffed with your choice of cheese, pepperoni or jalapenos Barbecue ranch salad with avocado, black beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and fried onion slices Smoked pork ribs, 1 pound of smoky, succulent ribs served with two sides of choice Black and Blue burger, blackened and covered with melted blue cheese Carne asada pizza with grilled skirt steak, mild green chilies and mozzarella cheese, then topped with fresh cilantro 58 | dishingjh.com
The Silver Dollar Bar & Grill Sophisticated mountain cuisine Open daily, breakfast 7-11 a.m.; lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner 5:30-10 p.m.
800.322.2727 | www.worthotel.com/dining-entertainment There’s no better place to dine, people-watch and enjoy the balmy summer weather than at The Wort Hotel’s Silver Dollar Grill in downtown Jackson Hole. One of the few restaurants with outdoor seating, grab a bartender’s margarita and enjoy sophisticated mountain cuisine prepared by Chef Scott Rutter, former “Top Chef” assistant producer. For lunch, try the Snake River Farms Kobe Burger. For dinner, order up Rutter’s signature bone-in rib-eye. One item not to miss any time of day: Rutter’s award-winning smoked pheasant soup. Inside at the Silver Dollar Bar, you’ll find the same great food but a more casual atmosphere at this famous watering hole, a must for any Jackson Hole experience. Sit at the bar, where 2,032 uncirculated 1921 Morgan Silver Dollars are inlaid in its surface. You can select from the full Grill menu in the bar or the bar menu.
Menu Sampling Buffalo filet with a rosemary-garlic rub and topped with a balsamic compound butter Snake River Farms American “Kobe” tenderloin - Wagyu-style beef served with a Gorgonzola-sage compound butter and juniper berry demi-glaze Sesame Tuna Tartare - No. 1 grade, sustainably caught ahi mixed with cucumber, red pepper and ginger. Served with wonton chips, wasabi aioli and a citrus emulsion Blackened, sustainable farm-raised trout with Chieftain rice dishingjh.com | 59
Snake River Brewery Classic neighborhood brewpub with award-winning beers Open daily for lunch and dinner | 265 S. Millward 307.739.2337 | www.snakeriverbrewing.com Just a few blocks off the Town Square, Snake River Brewing is a great place to go any time of the day or night. Twice recognized as the Small Brewery of the Year, this award-winning neighborhood hangout known as “The Brewpub” has an incredible blend of diehard locals and tourists alike. Dine and drink either upstairs or on the main floor, inside or on the decks. Can’t decide on a brew? Order the sampler tray to get a taste of what’s on tap before diving into a wide range of handcrafted cuisine items. No place in town beats the $7 lunch deal, happy hours and all-day menu items including giant soft pretzels & award-winning wings along with soups and salads. For the main meal, a bevy of wood-oven pizzas, pastas, burgers and pub favorites are bestowed upon you. Don’t miss the handmade smore’s for dessert before asking your server for beer or retail items to go!
Menu Sampling Caprese - ripe local Wyomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and balsamic reduction House-made Italian sausage pizza with mushrooms, oregano, onions, marinara, mozzarella and Asiago cheese Thai chicken pasta - fire-roasted chicken, zucchini, peppers, carrots and green onions in a spicy peanut sauce Chipotle barbecue ribs - St. Louis-style pork ribs, slow-cooked and fire-finished, served with fresh coleslaw HD Dunn Ranch, Teton County beef topped with bacon, house-made pickles, special sauce and a choice of three cheeses 60 | dishingjh.com
Snake River Grill Modern American Grill Open nightly at 5:30 | 84 E. Broadway, On the Town Square 307.733.0557 | www.snakerivergrill.com After nearly 20 years, The Snake River Grill is still the local’s favorite go-to place. Whether at the intimate bar, featuring 300 wines and a signature cocktail list, in the rustic-elegant dining room or al fresco on the outside deck, it is a “must” for visitors who want at least one amazing meal while in Jackson. Its James Beard-nominated chef keeps things fresh, simple and seasonal. The menu is varied and always offers something unique, even for a seasoned foodie (think exotic mushrooms, green chickpeas or artisanal American hams). While there are standard favorites (potato pancake with smoked salmon, steak tartare pizza), The Snake River Grill keeps things interesting with frequent menu changes and offers nightly specials that prevent regular diners from ever getting bored.
Garth Dowling Photos
Menu Sampling Branding iron of sweet onion rings with Snake River Pale Ale batter and two dipping sauces Prime New York steak with wood oven-roasted wild mushrooms and zinfandel-horseradish sauce Seared rare ahi tuna BLT with basil, butter lettuce, heirloom tomatoes and garlic aioli Crispy pork shank with red chile barbecue sauce, roasted corn-black bean salsa and crispy white corn tortillas Cast-iron roasted elk chop with sweet potato couscous and fresh Bing cherry relish dishingjh.com | 61
Sweetwater Restaurant Cabin restaurant serving “cowboy comfort� food since 1976 Open daily for lunch and dinner | 85 King St. 307.733.3553 | www.sweetwaterjackson.com Visitors always want to know where they can get a good salad or sandwich. And locals always give them the same response: Sweetwater Restaurant. This historic downtown lunch staple offers a number of hearty sandwiches and a dozen salads to select from. With shady, outdoor seating that offers views of Snow King Mountain, and a cozy interior, plan to linger over your lunch at this log cabin. Start by ordering The Sweetwater, a refreshing combination of sweet tea vodka, lemonade and 7UP. Make sure not to miss the gyro (the only spot in Jackson for a gyro). If ordering a salad, choose the feta, herb and garlic salad dressing, which is as old as the 36-year-old restaurant. But Sweetwater is about more than just lunch. The dinner menu offers an upscale twist on traditional comfort food such as fried green tomatoes and buffalo sloppy Joes. And dessert is amazing, too.
Menu Sampling Baja chicken salad - grilled or blackened chicken breast, Monterey Jack cheese, avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions and crispy tortilla chips over fresh salad greens Elk melt - an 8-ounce fresh elk patty on sourdough with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and a side of house-made au jus Spinach and feta souffle - our famous layered spinach, tomato and cheese souffle Mustard and roasted garlic-marinated pork tenderloin with green chile mac and cheese and Jack Daniels au jus 62 | dishingjh.com
Thai Me Up Brewery Jackson’s original Thai restaurant Open daily from 11:30a.m.-midnight | 75 Pearl St. 307.733.0005 | www.thaijh.com This downtown spot has the notoriety of being the first Thai restaurant in the state of Wyoming. The extensive menu highlights offerings from all regions of Thailand, where the owner learned to cook — sometimes on a train — hence his Train-Style Fried Rice. In addition to the standard Thai favorites, Thai Me Up offers a unique twist — an in-house brewery with a rotating selection of unbelievable West Coaststyle microbrews. You won’t find beer like this anywhere else. The bar area also offers a great selection of appetizers such as pot stickers, Thai wings and spring rolls as well as $6 curry specials. If you really want a special evening, start the meal with the flaming 45-ounce Bamboozled. Since you might be here for a while, Thai Me Up serves dinner and snacks until about midnight.
Menu Sampling Evil Jungle Prince curry - a kaffir and red bell pepper reduction with broccoli, Thai chile and Thai basil G-13 - with wide rice noodles and vegetables simmered in a house-made coconut curry sauce Fresh spring rolls with cabbage, rice noodles, mint and cilantro wrapped in rice paper and made within the hour Drunken noodle - rice noodles tossed with oyster sauce, Thai basil and tomatoes Bar menu includes a Thai burger, fries, a curry of the day and shishito peppers dishingjh.com | 63
Trio American Bistro Serving a variety of cuisines in a relaxed atmosphere Open nightly at 5:30 | 45 S. Glenwood 307.734.8038 | www.bistrotrio.com Trio is a downtown favorite. The atmosphere is hip, lively and inviting, like dining in a corner bistro in any big city. And the food? Some of the best in Jackson. Start dinner with a specialty cocktail like the blood orange margarita. Then, wait to be impressed by chef/owners Will Bradof and Paul Wireman, who pack the restaurant nightly with crowds seeking innovative dishes like the prosciutto and watermelon salad. The welledited wine selection shows that Bradof and Wireman are just as good with their pairings as they are with their food. Reservations are a must, but if you find yourself without one, try to score a seat at the bar, a favorite spot for splitting a pizza, arugula salad and a bottle of Spanish red wine. There, you’re close enough to watch the action.
Menu Sampling BLT soup - a tomato soup with arugula pesto, applewood smoked bacon and sourdough croutons Grass-fed Montana buffalo carpaccio with arugula, capers, pickled shallots, fried lemons, olive oil and shaved Parmesan Sauteed steelhead trout with sage-infused gnocchi, crispy prosciutto and Brussels sprout salad Pan-roasted pheasant with roasted chestnut, prosciutto, apple and foie gras stuffing over parsnip puree with a sour cherry reduction Grilled lamb T-bone with sweet pea and mint pesto, and a baby carrot, arugula, watermelon and radish salad 64 | dishingjh.com
The Wild Sage at The Rusty Parrot Intimate dining in a AAA Four Diamond Award winner
Breakfast, dinner nightly at 5 | 175 N. Jackson St. 307.733.2000 | www.rustyparrot.com This cozy, 32-seat restaurant was first known to be the best breakfast in town for its hotel guests. While it may still be hard to get a seat if you don’t have a room key, outside guests are now welcome — when space is available — to enjoy the home-baked treats and amazing daily specials. Dinner at The Wild Sage has become the newest, best-kept secret in town with an inventive menu that incorporates game, meat and seafood while sourcing organic, sustainable and regional ingredients as much as possible. The ever-changing options offer seasonal cuisine and suggested by-the-glass wine pairings with each course. Questions about the food? The chef is working within sight in the exhibition-style kitchen and is available to discuss dishes. Also enjoy the small, sophisticated bar and den area, where you can enjoy a drink, or reserve the space for private dining opportunities.
Menu Sampling Pan-seared Wagyu beef filet with confit mushroom ravioli, toasted garlic asparagus, onion jus, fried mushroom Sweet pepper crab cakes with prawn-sherry cream sauce and fresh herb oil Pistachio-poached chicken breast with sun-dried tomato couscous, spinach and honey-beet jus Organic field greens with vanilla-poached baby carrots, shaved shallots and white balsamic vinaigrette Hazelnut cake with brown buttercream, Feuilletine, raspberry gelee, hazelnut brittle and raspberry coulis dishingjh.com | 65
To Teton Village
7 Bri
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Teton Village
Four Seasons Resort
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ola Bridger Center
30 20
Aeria
l Tram
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2
r McCollist e
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2 ay hw ig
Teton Mountain Lodge
14
Teton Villag
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46 (In Victor)
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ad Bro 31
Restaurant Listings 11 The Garage
21 Rendezvous Bistro
2 The Blue Lion
12 The Gun Barrel
3 Cafe Genevieve
13 Ignight Grill
22 Sidewinders American Grill and Tavern
17 Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse
d.
26 Sweetwater Restaurant 27 Thai Me Up Brewery
8 Dolce
18 Nikai Asian Grill & Sushi Bar
9 e.leaven
19 Pinky G’s Pizzeria
10 43 North
20 Q Roadhouse
29 The Wild Sage at the Rusty Parrot
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Crabtree Ln.
25 Snake River Grill
28 Trio American Bistro
S o u th Middle School
High School Rd. Colter Elementary School
Pa
High School
rk
Hidden Ranches
U.S. Hwy. 26-89 26- 89
7 Couloir Restaurant
16 Merry Piglets
Meadowlark Ln.
24 Snake River Brewery Lo op R
6 cocolove
15 The Kitchen
Gregory Ln.
5 Cellar’s Restaurant at The White Buffalo Club
14 Il Villaggio Osteria
Maple Way
23 The Silver Dollar Bar & Grill
South Park Loop Rd.
4 Cascade Restaurant and Bar
21
Buffalo Way
1 The Alpenrose
33
35 (In Moose)
Mercill
Teton
National Elk Refuge
24
Alpine Ln.
Cree
k Dr.
Library
POWDERHORN PARK
Flat
Virginian Ln.
37
Scott Ln.
Powderhorn Ln.
12
Gros Ventre
Moran
Jean
Simpson
Hansen
Karns
Teton County Fair Grounds
Hall
MIKE YOKEL PARK
Kelly
Snow King Ave.
10 Aspen
BALL FIELD
Cache Creek Drive
PHIL BAUX PARK
Pine
Sno
wK
Spruce Maple Way
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Dr.
Post Office
Elk Run
Flat
Simpson
Hansen Kelly
13 22
Redmond
27 26
St. John's Medical Center
Gros Ventre
36 25
Broadway Jean
43
11 19
3 Willow
34 28
Deloney
King
Millward
Jackson
Pearl
42
39 Town 17 Square
Glenwood
38
King
8 16 32
9 Center
MILLER PARK
Gill
Gill
6 23
Clissold
Fla
t Cr
eek
29
5 15 2 40
Moose
18
Rancher
DINING MAP
Town of Jackson
Cache St.
dish ng
Perry
U.S. Hwy. 26 - 89 To Grand Teton National Park
k
Cree
Other Eateries 30 Aspens Market
36 Häagen-Dazs
42 Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream
31 Blue Bird Yogurt
37 Jackson Whole Grocer
43 The Rose
32 The Bunnery
38 JH Organics
44 Terra Café
33 Cafe Bohéme
39 Local Restaurant & Bar
45 Teton Thai
34 D.O.G.
40 Lotus Cafe
46 Victor Emporium
35 Dornan’s
41 MD Nursery Cafe
47 Village Cafe
Snow King Mountain
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GRAND VINS BY JENNIFER DORSEY PHOTOS BY ASHLEY WILKERSON In the 1940s after World War II, wealthy East Coasters spent part of their summers on Jackson Hole’s dude ranches. While they could find a Western adventure, what they couldn’t find was good wine. “A lot of them drank French wines,” says Bob Dornan, whose father, JP, started Dornan’s in Moose. “The light bulb went off in dad’s head.” JP Dornan decided to open a wine shop, “the valley’s first good wine shop,” says Bob Dornan. His father got his start befriending many of the wine families in California, who were at that time just getting their businesses started, too. Their families — Mondavi, Martini and Krug, for example — helped the Dornans get a foothold in the importing business. “There were no wine reps then,” Bob Dornan says. “You had to go out and make your own contacts.” The Dornan family became pioneers in the Jackson Hole wine scene. Fast forward to 2012, and wine lovers now have a choice of shops, whether they want to spend $5 or $500. Here’s a sample: Dornan’s Wine Shoppe In Moose, before the Grand Teton National Park entrance • 307-733-2415
Dennis Johnson and Bob Dornan show off a bottle from their collection. The Dornan’s cellar isn’t just for storing reds and whites until there’s room in the shop. Some lie downstairs in the cool air for years until, in the words of longtime manager 68 | dishingjh.com
A GUIDE TO FINDING GREAT WINES AT ANY PRICE IN THE TETONS Dennis Johnson, “they become what they’re supposed to be.” “You don’t see a lot of 10-year-old wines on shelves anymore,” Johnson says, pointing to a 2011 California Cabernet as an example of what’s available for purchase. “I’ll put away 30 to 35 cases of good vintages of California Cabs and pull them out after 10 years.” Maybe it’s not surprising that Dornan’s takes the long view on wines. Established in 1949, it’s the granddaddy of Teton wine shops. Connoisseurs drive out to Moose to sit in Dornan’s Spur Bar, sip wine and gaze at the mountains, and then buy bottles to take home. France, Hungary, Argentina, Oregon and Washington — Johnson’s taste runs the gamut, and he doesn’t like to sell anything he hasn’t tried himself. He can offer a good $10 bottle, a $524 St. Emilion Grand Cru Cheval Blanc or something even pricier, as long as its time has come. “We specialize in older vintages and harder-tofind wines,” Johnson says, “and we have a hell of a view.” The Liquor Store/Wine Loft 115 Buffalo Way • 307-733-4466 Walk into The Liquor Store/Wine Loft with thoughts of a basic white wine, and you could leave with new global perspective. Stephan Abrams and staff might suggest Le Jade Picpoul de Pinet from France’s Languedoc region, or a Don Olegario Albarino from Spain. Perhaps a Torrontes from Argentina, a Chilean Viognier or a Vinho Verde from Portugal. “We try to cover as much of the world market as possible,” Abrams says. Of course, the world isn’t limited to whites, and many great wineries are closer to home. Malbec fans who want to stay in Argentina can enjoy a Bonarda, once the top-producing grape in that country. Domestic options for reds include Zhoo Zhoo Syrah, from Idaho’s Snake River Valley, Lauterbach Cellars (Calif.) Syrah, Sangiovese from Niner Wine Estates in California and Malbec from Dusted Valley in Washington. The store can also reacquaint you with rosés. “Everybody has an image of blush wines as sweet,” Abrams says, “but they’re beautiful wines and can be quite dimensional as well.” Prices at The Liquor Store/Wine Loft run from about $5 to a couple hundred dollars. Regular tastings allow customers to broaden their horizons at a range of price levels. “We want our customers to be exposed to different products,” Abrams says. “That’s the fun part about wine.”
Westside Wine & Spirits 4025 W. Lake Creek Dr. in The Aspens 307-733-5038 Three-digit and two-digit price tags are perfectly comfortable neighbors on the wine racks at Westside Wine & Spirits. Among the reds, a collector’s eye might go to the 2007 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru ($500), for example, or the 2007 Clos de Tart Grand Cru ($470). Close by, though, are a Les Cles du Paradis from Mas de Gourgonnier for $30 and a Frederic Magnien Bourgogne Pinot Noir for $27. “We’re focusing a lot more on the mid-range wines, $25 to $50, but we still have a lot of high-end wines, too,” owner Katrina Ryan says. Catering to both ends of the price spectrum makes sense for the west bank shop, a 15-year-old family business that Ryan bought from her dad three years ago. With its MooseWilson Road location, anyone could walk through the door: affluent second-home owners looking for a particular wine for Christmas dinner, a vacationing couple looking for a nice bottle to share back in their rented condo, Jackson residents heading back to town after a day of skiing at Teton Village, or hikers looking for something to sip with lunch up in the mountains. Westside groups lower-priced bottles ($11 and up) in front, where they’re easy to grab, sells Bota Box wines and half bottles, and is always willing to take special orders or point out a hard-tofind vintage that just came in. Members of the store’s
wine club get a 10 percent discount. “We like to help customers find a new favorite wine,” Ryan says. Jackson Whole Grocer 974 West Broadway • 307-733-0450 Organic and conventional items mingle on the food shelves and produce stands at Jackson Whole Grocer, and the same goes for its wine racks. For oenophiles who are super eco-conscientious about what they pour, Hailey Morton, wine and specialty cheese manager, can point out certified biodynamic and organic options, like a 2009 Frey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon priced at $16.99. She hopes to dispel lingering notions that organic wines are pricier than others or not as good. “I’m trying to educate people,” she says. Within a small space, Morton organizes bottles — organic and non — to target different price points and to present fresh options to repeat customers, including regulars at her Friday afternoon wine tastings. Vintners Picks are higher-end, though not sky-high. The price tag on a Perrin & Fils 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, for example, is a not-outrageous $46.99. The Tastes Under $10 display recently included a 2010 Dos Fincas Cab/Malbec blend Morton described as a “nice, versatile wine.” There’s always a Wine of the Week, too. “I always try to have something that’s at a good price and is a little different for people,” Morton says.
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Jackson Hole Wine Company 200 West Broadway • 307-739-9463 Jackson Hole Wine Company and its sister business, Koshu Wine Bar, offer a nice synergy for wine lovers. Customers can sample varietals by the glass at Koshu and then go next door to pick up a bottle or two of what they like to take home, or they can browse the Wine Company’s 800-plus offerings and buy something to go with their meal. Koshu diners who BYOB from the Wine Company pay the retail price plus a $10 corkage fee, for a total that’s “significantly less than what’s on most restaurant wine lists,” wine store manager Eric Lippert says. Prices range from about $7 for a Broke Ass red to $350 burgundys and $1,000 three-liter bottles. Jackson Hole Wine Company opened in 1997, though under a different name, and Lippert has been tasting and buying wines since 1996. In a nod to wine drinkers’ evolving tastes and willingness to cross international borders, racks give shoppers a mini world tour, with a mix of foreign and domestic labels, including selections from Cinder Wines in Snake River Valley, Idaho. “People are definitely expanding their horizons, which makes it more interesting for people like me,” he says.
Alpine Wines Bistro 15 S. Main in Driggs, Idaho • 208-354-WINE Alpine Wines has done a lot of growing up since it opened its doors in 2007 as the only specialty wine shop in Teton Valley, Idaho. The business changed hands four years after its launch, evolving last summer into Alpine Wines Bistro under new owners Denis DuNann and his wife,
Jackson Whole Grocer offers a large selection of organic wines. Linda. Beyond food and wine, the Driggs shop stages wine tastings, musical acts, dance parties and special events with guest speakers. Alpine Wines Bistro sells a range of imported and American wines — its offerings include a rack of Idaho wines — and serves soups, paninis, dips, cheese plates and more for lunch and dinner. Outdoor seating is available during the warmer months. Wine drinkers can sip by the glass or buy a bottle and, for a $5 corkage fee, have it at their table. “You can drink exactly what you want,” employee Stacy Heiliger says. “Our selection is pretty extensive considering this is such a small community.” 70 | dishingjh.com
WESTSIDE WINE & SPIRITS
The best selection of fine wines, beers and liquors on the West bank 307-733-5038 AT THE ASPENS ON TETON VILLAGE ROAD WESTSIDE@WYOMING.COM WESTSIDEWINEANDSPIRITS.COM
Freshly Frozen
Jackson’s homemade gelato and ice cream carve their own niche By Alice Bever Photos By David Agnello
The entrance to Oscar Ortega’s kitchen at Atelier Ortega is laden with 3-foot-tall chocolate showpieces. It’s a melting pot of tastiness — a busy laboratory full of technical machinery, unpronounceable details and a hard-working staff that runs around, anticipating Ortega’s steps and completing them. Their work creates a product that can only be found at Atelier Ortega and its sister shop, cocolove: artisanal gelato. Minutes away, on the Town Square, locals and tourists queue up daily outside Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream. On busy summer days, lines wrap around the corner as crowds seek a scoop (or maybe two or three) of Rick Bickner’s ice cream. The neighborhood shop — with bright murals on the walls and soda fountain stools — is anything but common. Exotic and original flavors keep customers curious and coming back for more. Jackson Hole, a town of about 9,500, boasts not one, but two chefs creating artisanal frozen desserts that have garnered worldwide notoriety. Ortega and Bickner have people eating their frozen delicacies out of their hands — figuratively speaking — even during the valley’s seven months of winter. With the dedication of alpinists, they spend their days working in the cold, devoting their culinary passions to the art of crafting unique delicacies. dishingjh.com | 73
A Sophisticated Mixture For Ortega, who in January won first place in Italy’s 2012 Gelato World Cup, becoming an award-winning gelato crafter was just another step toward perfection in his high-caliber dessert-making career. While he’s famous for his collection of chocolate and acclaimed in the culinary world, his gelato has recently risen to center stage. There’s more to Ortega’s gelato than its milk product. Every small, seemingly minor step requires complete precision. Ortega’s gelato is made from milk; a concentrated flavor base such as strawberry, chocolate or espresso; sugar and sugar-based stabilizers, all of which contribute to the product’s unparalleled texture: smooth and light, without being icy. The process has many seemingly effortless steps. It’s a nuance of mixing, heating, cooling and freezing. And then there’s the micronizing. Two flavors of Ortega’s gelato Gelato World Cup winner Oscar Ortega demonstrates the art of gelato making.
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Ortega is just one of 20 people in the world to utilize a micronizer in gelato production. The high-powered machine, which resembles a blender, uses technology only made available this year. The machine shrinks each molecule in the mixture. That, he says, is what makes his gelato stand out. Glucose, dextrose, glucose syrup and inverted sugar help the frosted treat maintain a cool (not cold) feel to the palate and a perfect amount of sweetness. The process ensures a more refined taste and enhanced consistency as opposed to using straight sugar, which can be overpowering and prevent experiencing the flavor-packed purity in the taste of the gelato. Still, it’s not the machinery that makes the product stand out but the technique behind it. “That’s the number one thing,” Ortega says, “the knowledge in ingredients.” By knowing the integral properties of each element, he manipulates a sophisticated mixture, layered with years of experience committed to excellence in the kitchen. After hours of creation comes the magic moment when the gelato reaches the perfect temperature. That’s the point when Ortega smiles, saying, “It’s ready.”
A Natural Blend Leaning against a stool in his art deco shop, Bickner smiles when recalling how he got into ice cream. When he was 13, Bickner started cooking with Peter Stiegler at The Alpenhof. What started in that kitchen led to a career as a chef, taking Bickner to The Culinary Institute of America in California, and interacting with many top chefs including Alice Waters. His heart brought him back to Jackson. While working in different restaurants in the valley, Bickner learned to make desserts and ice cream. Shortly after learning the basics, he started to experiment with which ingredients could produce optimal texture and flavors. Since returning to Jackson in the late 1980s, Bickner has been sharing his ice cream talents with all who live here and travel to the valley, distributing Moo’s flavors in area supermarkets, restaurants and national park properties. Each day, Moo’s cycles through its freezer — hosting more than 100 kinds of ice cream — to offer 16 fresh flavors of ice cream and sorbets to customers. Most of them are made with just four ingredients: cream, cane sugar, egg yolk and the main flavor component. One thing Bickner stresses is simplicity. His process is straightforward: heating the cream — which comes exclusively from a dairy in Utah — Moo’s huckleberry and chocolate ice cream in waffle cones ready to eat
and cane sugar, tempering the yolks and blending the mixture with the chosen flavor before it goes through the freezing process. This is where Moo’s production sets itself apart from standard ice cream- making techniques: The key to Moo’s ice cream is that Bickner finds the freshest local and exotic ingredients. For example, the hibiscus sorbet is made with hibiscus flowers from Japan. The Zonker Stout ice cream is made from Snake River Brewery malt. The Wild Huckleberry ice cream is made from locally harvested huckleberries. Bickner emphasizes purity: He eschews extracts and fillers such as guar gum. It’s all organic or “old school,” as he likes to call it. Although he’s serious about quality ingredients, it’s also about fun and whimsy. Nuts for Bickner’s butterpecan ice cream are sauteed in butter before being incorporated. The rum raisin contains dried grapes that have spent six weeks soaking up Myers’s and Captain Morgan rums. Even the vanilla is more than, well, vanilla: There’s Bourbon, Java and Tahitian to choose from. So while you’re out seeking a glimpse of Jackson’s world-class wildlife, make sure to grab a taste of its world-class desserts. Your palate will thank you.
Looking for other frozen treats? Jackson has a variety of places to get your sweet, cold fix. The national chain, Haagen Daz, just off the Town Square, draws hordes every day for its all natural ice cream and non-dairy sorbets. Smoothies, sundaes, shakes, ice cream cakes and espresso drinks also available. With local ownership, you’ll find friendly service with each cone. 90 East Broadway At Dolce, longtime locals Joe and Denise Rice serve up several flavors of artisan quality frozen yogurt. Their’s is made with health-supporting probiotics and uses only wholesome sweeteners (no corn syrup — just pure, raw cane sugar). And that means less guilt when you load up on the unlimited toppings. 160 N. Cache Situated inside Albertsons, Blue Bird Yogurt is a self-serve frozen yogurt stand that sells six flavors at a time. You pay for your fro yo, and more than a dozen toppings, by the ounce, ensuring you get your yogurt just the way you want it. The kiosk is often staffed by owner Ashley Watson, who was the 2011 Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Wyoming Small Business Administration. 105 Buffalo Way South of town in the Smith’s plaza is Mix, another frozen yogurt bar. Serve yourself and choose from assorted toppings. Mix also sells soups and sandwiches. 1325 S. Hwy 89 To get your ice cream fix in Teton Village, stop by The Village Cafe. They offer a number flavors of Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream, all hand-dipped. 3275 McCollister Dr.
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Ride. Train. Play. • Great music, a friendly vibe and dynamic classes taught by Schwinn Performance Certified Instructors • Schwinn MPower Consoles prodiving watts, speed, distance and calories for motivation • Beginners to avid cyclisits will flourish in this fun environment using the latest technology
See the complete schedule and reserve your bike at:
revolutionindoorcycling.com Movie Works Plaza | 870 South Highway 89, Suite A 307.413.0441 | julie@revolutionindoorcycling.com
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Meet Jackson Hole’s hungriest Realtor Is your Realtor hungry?
In this ever-changing market you need a motivated Realtor who knows the landscape, who navigates through banks, and who presents value. Let me show you I’m not just hungry, I’m insatiable. Brett McPeak, Broker/Owner 110 E. Broadway, Jackson, WY 307.690.4335 • 307.739.1234 BMcPeak@Wyoming.com
www.Facebook.com/JacksonHoleRealEstate www.JHObsidian.com
Thanks to Pinky G’s and Tom Fay.
Farm-Fresh
how a local navigates the Saturday farmers market
By Cara Rank Photos By Annie Fenn In every place I visit, I try to visit the farmers market. I ogle the fresh produce and dream about what I would make if I lived there. My favorites include the market in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, where I found rows and rows of olives. The market at The Ferry Building in San Francisco is another amazing one, where I covet the squash blossoms but leave with more transportable items like cheese and infused salts. Don’t let my produce envy fool you. For its size, Jackson has an impressive market. Every Saturday morning, I’m out the door by 8 a.m. with $100 in my pocket. I have the same strategy week after week, to spread my money out and buy something from most of the vendors there. Here’s how I tackle the market: I bring an appetite and a travel mug for coffee. Each week a different nonprofit gives out coffee, only asking for a donation in return. In a nearby tent, a local restaurant (it rotates) cooks free samples, so grab a bite and start your browsing.
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I begin with vegetables, which means a first stop at Cosmic Apple. Their bags of basil are great for pesto, and I buy enough to make a big batch that lasts me through the year (I freeze it in ice cube trays). It’s important to get to Cosmic’s tent early during heirloom tomato season because these beauties sell fast. Jed Restuccia and Dale Sharkey grow the best Brandywines and Striped Germans at their Victor greenhouse. Their heirlooms are always ripe, ready to be sliced and layered between two pieces of white bread slathered with mayonnaise. I’ll also pick up bright orange, fat carrots for salads and fennel and leeks, which end up in a summery pasta dish. From here, I head to Snowdrift Farm’s tent. I discovered the Victor-based Snowdrift a few years ago, and they are fast becoming a favorite. Georgie Stanley, Sue Miller and Erika Eschholz grow radishes that are by far my favorite. They are great raw in salads or roasted and piled on a crostini. Being a tomato junkie (I have to eat as many as I can in summer), I’ll buy a pint of red, orange and yellow cherry tomatoes. They are perfect for my panzanella salad. Snowdrift is also a great resource for early season
braising greens, bok choy, Napa cabbage, Swiss chard and kale. Next, it’s over to Dick and Sandy Shuptrine’s Mountain Meadows Farm. I love their self-service bins: I dig in and scoop up as much spring greens and arugula as I want. If you ask, the Shuptrines may have some green tomatoes, and you can leave with several pounds. I coat mine in buttermilk and cornmeal and fry them up or I pickle them. While most vendors drive from Idaho — and some from as far away as Washington — the Shuptrines’ farm is the only largescale one in Jackson, located six miles south in Game Creek. They grow cucumbers and herbs in a greenhouse. Outside there is just under an acre where they grow an abundance of other veggies and raspberries. Grove City Gardens from Blackfoot, Idaho, has become a favorite, too. The Johnson family, who have seven children, staff their booth each week. They are my source for pickling cucumbers, English peas, peppers and the prettiest green and yellow waxy beans. I buy their cukes to make bread and butter and dill pickles. The peas are so fresh that I buy pounds every week. If we don’t eat them fresh in pastas or as pesto, I’ll freeze a bunch. At the end of the summer, their selection of bell, Anaheim, poblano and jalapeno peppers — along with their tomatillos — make a great green chile sauce. Whatever isn’t sold at the end of the market, the Johnsons donate to the Jackson Food Cupboard. In August, Morgan Family Garlic arrives. The Shelley, Idaho, grower specializes in cold-weather garlic, which they harvest in July and let cure for four to six weeks. The family grows 19 varieties, and anyone who thinks a bulb is just a bulb should talk to the Morgans. They’ll ask what you plan to do with your garlic and make suggestions. I buy a dozen, half-pound bags for $3 each at the end of the season to get me through the year.
Ways to Avoid Market Mania • Bring a travel mug for the donation-only coffee. • Stop by the Persephone Bakery booth early if you want a loaf of focaccia (which sells out). • Ask the farmers if you can try something; they are generally happy to oblige. • Go early. It starts at 8 a.m., and diehards will buy out items like local strawberries and tomatoes before you get there if you choose to sleep in. • Go for breakfast/brunch. Vendors such as Firebelly Pizza and Kim’s Corner offer pizza and waffles throughout the market. • Check out the unique items offered: regional cheese from Lark’s Meadow Farms, exotic mushrooms from Mountain Valley Mushroom and spices from Punx Rock Spice Co. • Pre-order large quantities of produce if you are in the mood to can or jar items. • Buy your flowers early but leave them with the vendor until you are ready to go home so they don’t get crushed. • Remember to be environmentally friendly by bringing your own travel bags. • Find a friend who is willing to run your delivery home if you bike (your basket may not hold all the goodies you buy). – Allison Arthur
The Details The Jackson Hole Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from July 7 to Sept. 22. It draws more than 30 vendors, mostly from the tri-valley area. Vendors donate 10 percent of the gross proceeds, and since its inception, the market has raised more than $130,000 for area nonprofits.
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Once the staples are purchased, I head to e.leaven for sandwich breads. The loaves, made in the 24 hours prior to the market, are my go-to for sandwich breads (appropriately so, as they are the same breads used for sandwiches in their restaurant). The huge loaves mean I don’t have to buy one every week. I usually freeze half. Owners Hunter and Molly Frobouck also use the market to introduce new items and sell muffins, cookies and other desserts. Because one loaf is never enough, I make a stop at Persephone, timed right when I start to grow thirsty and want some of their lemonade, usually infused with seasonal fruit. Here, Ali Cohane peddles the goodies that her husband, Kevin, makes in their bakery south of town. Often, I’ll buy a baguette to eat with dinner that night (and then let the rest dry for panzanella the next day). I’ll also ei-
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ther buy one of their delicious pies, tarts or bread pudding for dessert or a croissant to take home to my husband. If I don’t get dessert from Persephone, then it’s either to The Bunnery or Mr. MacGregor’s Garden. Both specialize in pies, regularly sized and minis (great for hiking or calorie-cutting). And both make their pies within 24 hours of appearing at the market. The Bunnery’s uses frozen fresh fruit while the guys from MacGregor’s get their fruit and berries every week from vendor Sloan Bergien. The Bunnery also sells breakfast croissants while MacGregor’s has a weekly quiche option. The Mead Ranch booth is one of my last stops, mainly to keep the load lighter. There, I’ll buy a pound or two of ground beef — one for eating, one for freezing. By the end of summer, I always have a good stockpile. I also look for
what’s on sale, and have scored great deals on short ribs and steaks.
SLOW FOOD IN THE TETONS
Fruit is usually the last purchase so it doesn’t get crushed. I am loyal to Sloan Bergien. Each week she trucks in fruit from farms throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. At her stand (called JH Farmer’s Market) I buy cherries, apricots, peaches, apples and plums. Sometimes I’ll buy flats of raspberries to make jam. Bergien assured me I shouldn’t feel guilty about buying fruit from out of state. “Our local farms are great for vegetables,” she says. “But as far as fruit growth, with our crazy weather, it’s just hard.” One last tip: Dress warm. Even though it’s summer, farmers market mornings can be brisk. If you’d rather spend your Saturday morning starting out on a day-long adventure in the mountains, then the Jackson Hole People’s Market may be more your speed. Held from 4 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday, the People’s Market gathers many of the same great vendors as on Saturdays but throws in arts, crafts, beers and even a lemonade stand. The market will begin its third season June 20 and will run through Sept. 19. It’s held in the parking lot of Redeemer Lutheran Church, at the corner of Gill Avenue and Willow Street. “Not everybody can make it to the Saturday market, so we wanted to open up another way for people to access local produce and local foods,” says Steve Michel, director. After buying fresh produce, grab a beer from the tent (Thai Me Up and Snake River Brewery switch off weeks serving their brews). Have kids? Weekly activities for them start around 5:30 p.m. Afterward, grab something from vendors selling dumplings or pizza and hang out on the lawn. Starting in August, the market will show movies on the lawn after 7 p.m. for the annual Bike-In Movies event. Other events throughout the season include an Iron Chef competition, an art week with Teton Artlab and Green Drinks with Friends of Pathways and Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. “The People’s Market really gives you a sense of what the locals have to offer,” Michel says.
Ongoing Projects on Both Sides of the Tetons Include: Locavore’s Night Out • Slowtober Fest The People’s Market • “Iron Chef” Competition Sustainable Living & Cooking Classes Regional Food Guide • School Lunch Initiatives Terra Madre, Torino, Italy • Food Policy & Legislation Connecting Local Producers w/Consumers Projects Initiated by Slow Food in the Tetons: Vertical Harvest • Full Circle Education
Slow Food in the Tetons supports good, clean, fair food through educational programming, events and initiatives. Learn more at tetonslowfood.org.
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Eat Your Way Through The Off-Season Plane stuck? You are in luck! There are great eats to be had in connecting airports. By Edythe Pollack There are those who complain about the scarcity of food on planes these days. I rejoice. It’s not like airplane food was ever good anyway. No longer presented with a pile of unidentifiable goo served to me in an aluminum tray, I’m now free to choose. And choose I do. Sometimes when booking a ticket out of Jackson, I’ll have a hankering for Mexican. So I’ll fly through Denver. Other times, I want my layover to be chock-full of cheese. I’ll route myself through the Twin Cities. Fried chicken and greens? Chicago O’Hare is my place. And then, of course, beer is always a good way to kill time when and if you get stuck. Here are some of the best spots at airports with direct flights to and from Jackson Hole to grab something on the go or kill time during delays.
SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
More often than not, I’m running through Salt Lake City International Airport to make my connection. Which really is too bad, as the airport has two brewpubs. That’s right. Utah’s main airport has two brewpubs. And the beers at both have a higher alcohol content than the state’s standard 3.2 percent. Concourse B’s Squatters Airport Pub is a child of Squatters Pub Brewery, which has been brewing and serving beers in Salt Lake since 1989. The airport Squatters has a similar menu of sandwiches, burgers (including a ground ahi burger), wraps, burritos, salads and pizzas as the original Squatters in the city. It also serves breakfast all day. And, of course, it serves its award-winning ales and lagers brewed at Squatters’ downtown location: Provo Girl Pilsner, Chasing Tail Golden Ale and Emigration Amber Ale, to name a few. Over in Concourse D, Wasatch Brew Pub is the airport version of Park City’s original brewery, Wasatch Brew Pub & Cantina. Except this one serves food from California Pizza Kitchen — pizzas, sandwiches and salads. Its beers — Polygamy Porter, Evolution Amber Ale and 1st Amendment Lager — are 100 percent original, though. The late Delta flight to Jackson often happens to leave from the gate immediately next door, too. Since I usually don’t have time to sit, what do I eat in Salt Lake’s airport? Krispy Kreme. And, when Pinkberry opens in summer or fall 2012, I’ll dash there, too.
Having yet to be blown away by anything inside LAX and having fully pledged myself to the cult of In-N-Out, this is the one airport I will leave during a layover. That’s right. I willfully walk out through security, dragging my carry-on bags behind, across Sepulveda Boulevard, and into the white and red yummyness that is InN-Out. A burger (animal-style, protein-style) in my tummy, I have no problem walking the short distance back to the terminal and TSA agents. Chances are, I’ll even be smiling as I wait in line to go through security.
It’s not at the gates, but it is on the correct side of security. That’s good since an entire wall of Surdyk’s Flights Wine Market & Bar is lined with bottles of wine. Surdyk’s Flights, an offshoot of Surdyk’s Liquor, which has been an institution in downtown Minneapolis since 1934, is a veritable haven for the food- and wine-obsessed like myself. I nearly missed my connection because I was so enraptured by its cheese selection. And perhaps also because I had a different glass of wine to go with each of the six cheeses on my cheese plate. Surdyk’s Flights isn’t just a market, but also a full-service café. The cheesestuffed figs are almost worth a Twin Cities trip on their own. Everything on Surdyk’s menu — from cheese and salumi plates to pot of chicken liver mousse with cognac, soba noodle salad and a Russian roast beef panini — comes with a suggested wine pairing. Or you can grab a long, sticklike baguette stuffed with prosciutto and arugula, a buttery croissant, a French macaron (or two), and even Minneapolis-made chocolate bars from B.T. McElrath to go.
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DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Two words: !Que Bueno! This Mexican place near Gate B52 isn’t the only reason I fly United, but it’s a main one. The six months the small eatery was closed for a remodel in late 2010 were difficult ones for me. I was in line for one of its ginormous, fresh-made, chock-full-of-goodness — pork, chicken, grilled veggies, beef — burritos within a week of its reopening. The remodeled space was worth the half-year of deprivation. It’s still cozy inside this place, but not quite so cozy as before (it grew from 1,100 square feet to 1,400). What else grew? The liquor offerings. !Que Bueno! now has a full bar. Its selection of imported beers from Mexico and beyond and also of tequilas is as awesome as ever.
MINNEAPOLIS
CHICAGO SALT LAKE CITY DENVER LOS ANGELES ATLANTA DALLAS
DALLAS/FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CHICAGO O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Fair Warning: I can’t remember the last time I flew through DFW. It is Mike Hiller of Escape Hatch Dallas who recommends the Grand Met, inside the DFW Grand Hyatt. “It’s your best bet,” he writes. I find it difficult to believe an airport that covers more ground than the borough of Manhattan has no decent eateries within it — the Grand Met requires exiting security — but Hiller’s the expert here. Looking at the menu online — Braised Veal Cheeks, Kurobuta Pork Belly with kimchee slaw — it is intriguing. You will have to be the judge if it is indeed worth exiting the airport for.
Chicago is a meat and potatoes kind of town. And O’Hare’s best eateries are meat and potatoes kind of places. I’ve got two favorites: 1) the Billy Goat Tavern in the Concourse C food court and 2) B.J.’s Market & Bakery in the K Concourse. Of course, the Billy Goat is about as legendary an eatery as you’ll find in Chicago. While walking into this airport one isn’t anywhere near as cool as descending the dark, dank stairs into the subterranean one downtown, the Italian Beef sandwich here is just as good. At B.J.’s, classically trained chef John Meyer serves up soul food: mustard-fried catfish, smoked chicken, smothered pork chops, turkey rib tips and greens.
Chef Duane Nutter has cooked for the president of Poland, President Obama and George H.W. Bush. He can cook for you, too, if you make it a point to stop into his cocktail bar/restaurant, One Flew South, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. And you should. Make it a point, that is. I’m always leery of saying any place is “the best” I’ve ever been to. Plenty of other writers don’t have that problem, though, and have called this the best airport cocktail bar around. I will say that the barbecue scallop I had here was among the best scallops I’ve ever had. It’s served with SweetWater beer foam (whatever that is, besides pure delicious) and slightly creamed corn flecked with hints of andouille sausage. There is also sushi and entrees, like braised pork with pappardelle and miso soup with cod, potatoes, rice crackers and clams. It’s in Terminal E.
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A jackson classic
Nora's Fish Creek Inn By Elizabeth Clair Flood Photos By Leine Stikkel The late Wilson rancher Virginia Huidekoper once described Nora’s Fish Creek Inn, the 30-year-old breakfast and lunch cafe, as “the heartbeat of Wilson.” Located at the center of the one-block town of Wilson, Wyoming, Nora’s draws crowds of locals and tourists for home cooking and ordinary Farmer Brothers coffee in a Fiestaware cup. Here in this 1930s log cabin with a giant trout on top, cowboys mix with preppies, ski bums with presidents. A good number of clients frequent the place daily; the cafe feels more comfortable than an old shoe. In May, Nora’s was one of five restaurants in the country to win the prestigious James Beard American Classics Award for “timeless appeal and food that reflects the character of the community.” I admit the allure of the cafe latte has taken me away from this famous spot, as well as the fact that a handful of my favorite Nora’s dining friends have either left the valley or died. But, I have frequented the place for more than 20 years. As a 20-year-old, I ate cheap breakfasts there before skiing; then it was mornings with my first boyfriend, business lunches with my publisher, birthdays, wedding parties, and my first date with my husband
when I was too nervous to eat the onions in case kissing was in store later. One morning I even ran into President Clinton and shook his hand. “My customers say it’s like walking into grandma’s kitchen,” says Kathryn Tygum, whose mother, Nora, opened her dream restaurant in 1982. The old place, built by local Wesley Bircher, had been Fred’s Market, the post office, Hungry Jack’s, Jack Dennis, Blackie’s Fish Creek Inn, an antique store and Dancers’ Workshop. dishingjh.com | 85
“It’s a place where people get up and help themselves to more coffee, and some of our customers even take messages for us when we are busy,” Nora Tygum says. As a young girl, Tygum fell in love with cooking while working on Jackson Hole’s Circle H dude ranch. “I always wanted to own a restaurant. I love food, and I love cooking,” says Tygum, seated for her regular lunch in her own cafe. Wilson turned out to be the perfect place. “There are no better people anywhere, and I love the scenery,” she says. “When we started this place it was just me and Marvin [her husband] and three waitresses. I was the dishwasher, baker and cook. We only opened one side of the place. On the other side was a 86 | dishingjh.com
pingpong table. At the beginning we were broke, but we sure got good at pingpong.” A far cry from the pingpong days, Nora’s pulses with life. Tygum’s son, Trace, and daughter, Kathryn, work hard to keep the place running as usual. People come for the special huevos rancheros, the platesize pancakes and pan-fried trout and eggs. Of course they come to meet friends, and maybe some like me come to sit by some memories, check in with the pulse of the town, eat bacon and eggs and drink ordinary coffee. So much more than a shot of caffeine.
Rustic Elegance
Open nightly at 5:30 | 84 East Broadway | 307.733.0557 | www.snakerivergrill.com