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It's Fall in the Rockies  It is September in Colorado. My sister Catherine said the Aspens were at their fall peak and we should drive to Vail for lunch and view the fall foliage along the way. We agreed. By this time, our other sister, Elizabeth, had joined us for the birthday celebration weekend, and the five us set off on Interstate 70 (West) for a leisurely drive through the Rocky Mountains. The skies were typical for the area. Bright blue, white clouds and sunshine. The mountains were darkly carpeted with evergreens and sprinkled with patches of golden Aspens. The drive was, indeed, beautiful.We reached The Wildflower Inn at The Lodge at Vail at about 1:00 p.m. It was our choice because we like the food, the outdoor ambience, the Rocky Mountain backdrop, and the wildflowers. However, before we had even finished sitting down, we had managed to knock over a glass of the iced table water. That might have been a sign of the water jockeying to come. Let's Pair Food and Water The waiter asked for our drink orders, and I asked about types of bottled water available. There was one still, Evian (France), and one sparkling, San Pellegrino (Italy). Given that they are fairly common bottled waters in the US and did not need describing other than their classifications on the Fine Waters Balance, I focused our tasting efforts on food pairings. Evian is a FineWaters Balance Still, and San Pellegrino is Classic, or next to the highest in terms of the power of its bubbles. The task for our group of diners was to determine which foods paired the best with the still bottled water vs. which foods tasted better with a sparkling water. My sister Catherine and my mom thought I had gone overboard. My daughter just said, "Get used to it." And my sister Elizabeth joined me with gusto. Where we actually did go a little overboard is with the amount of food we ordered. That's because we wanted to taste a variety of dishes in order to do the sparkling vs. still fine water evaluation. Plus, it's much more fun to graze and get small bites of different flavors than focus on just one big entree. Too Many Water Glasses? In this process, table space immediately became a central issue. Already, there were five of us at a table for four. Then four people ordered their alcoholic drinks with their respective and distinctive glasses. Plus, there were five typical iced water glasses on the table, the waiter having immediately replaced the one we knocked over. Then I ordered a bottle of Evian and a bottle of San Pellegrino and the necessary glasses (one for still and one for sparkling) for the four of us, adding another eight glasses. (My mom opted out, content to stick with her vodka on the rocks.) The table was now more than full. To avoid knocking over the bottles of water we moved them to the floor, much to the consternation of the waiter. We spent a good portion of the meal playing the water glass game, moving them to and fro out of the way and working to keep them from being knocked over. This was hard on a very professional waiter who was trying to keep our glasses full, the bottles of water on the table and off the floor, and trying to be of service. Plus, we were faced with the daunting task of remembering which glass was sparkling and which was still and whose glass belonged to whom. Hint: Next time remove the glasses not in use, such as the regular water glasses filled with tap water. Every time he went to fill a water glass, we would shout "no, no," and he would leave the table with a smile on his face saying, "Whatever you ladies want..." The communication and table confusion was compounded by a slight language barrier. Our waiter was from Chile and his associate from Brazil. Although both spoke English, describing the intricate process of fine waters tasting seemed to push the typical dining boundaries, so we didn't. Appetizers Need Both Still & Sparkling Fine Waters For starters, we selected four appetizers to share creating a new set of logistical issues. On our already-too-small-table, we tried to set four appetizer plates in the center so we could split them up. With some shuffling we managed the table logistics and tasted the following foods and their bottled water pairings: Eagle Smoked Salmon with Caraway Seed, Cucumber Relish, Creme Fraiche; Duck Confit Spring Roll with Peach Relish and Mesclun Greens; and Sweet Pea Ravioli with Tomato-Ginger Water. First the salmon (and when we asked about "Eagle" smoked salmon, my sister Catherine explained that Vail was in Eagle County and that seemed to be enough information). My sister Elizabeth immediately felt the sparkling Pellegrino worked best to balance the oiliness of the smoked salmon and to provide a nice contrast in textures. She said the movement of the bubbles balanced the smoothness of the salmon. Also, the smoked salmon had a strong flavor that held up to sparkling fine water. Elizabeth also felt that the sweet pea ravioli called for the still Evian bottled water. It didn't compete with the subtle pea and very light tomato-ginger water. The duck spring roll and salad were a little more complicated. Although not spicy (according to California tastes), the duck in the spring roll made it a little heavy and the spring roll seemed to go better with a sparkling water (and probably even better with a lighter sparkling water rated Light or Effervescent on the FineWaters Balance). The accompanying salad of mesclun greens and the peach relish definitely needed a quiet, still water in order to fully taste the peaches and the tartness of the greens. Sparkling Waters Match Strong Food Flavors On to the entrees: Lobster & Bibb Lettuce Salad with Haricot Verts, Artichoke Sherry Vinaigrette; Turkey & Avocado Club Sandwich, Rosemary Bread and French Fries; Sun Dried Tomato and Smoked Mozzarella Ravioli with Baby Arugula, Pine Nut Salad, Balsamic Vinaigrette; and Sauteed Salmon with Curried Hummus, Pea Shoots and Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette. First the salmon. I was a little concerned with Elizabeth's verdict of sparkling fine water with the smoked salmon appetizer (and I agreed), because at an earlier tasting at Colette in Paris (See "Colette, Paris"), I definitely felt that the salmon worked best with still bottled water. What would work with this sauteed salmon? Still bottled water was still the verdict. First, the salmon wasn't smoked, so the flavor was subtler. Second, the cooking and lack of smoking had reduced the oiliness. Thus, we wanted more of the salmon flavor, and the still Evian provided that compliment. The water pairing changed when we took a bite of the salmon with the curried hummus (which was delicious) and the twist of orange peel. The spiciness of the curry called for the sparkling bottled water. Elizabeth said the sparkling water released the curry spice into the bubbles and kept the flavor alive. With the lobster and bib lettuce, we only tasted the lobster for a water pairing. The lobster texture was chewy, and the flat Evian water just tasted flat - a pairing that detracted both from the lobster and the water. The sparkling Pellegrino was better. But my sister Catherine wasn't sure either worked. I agreed, and suggested bottled water with the FineWaters Balance of Light or Effervescent (that is, less carbonation) would work better. She then looked at me and said, "I'm starting to believe there's something to this water tasting." The sun-dried and smoked mozzarella ravioli had a definite spicy taste and clearly paired well with the sparkling water. The ravioli was served with a baby arugula and pine nut salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and that salad positively called for a still water. I love balsamic anything and wanted a subtle water complement for the balsamic taste to come through. And the turkey and avocado club sandwich? Stephanie said that neither of the waters worked. It seemed to me the sandwich called for a beer. Still Bottled Water Lets the Dessert Flavor Linger on Your Tongue Last stop desserts. By this time the other guests in the restaurant had cleared out and most of the staff had taken their break. Our waiters, however, remained patient, kind and helpful, even though it was now 3:00 p.m. and their quitting time. Our waiter kept repeating, "Whatever you ladies want..." Ordering desserts: The waiter had recommended the Palisade Peach Tart Tatin with Caramel Sauce and Peach Ice Cream, which was delicious. My daughter, Stephanie, ordered Warm Chocolate and Raspberry Fondant Cake. My mom, a Creme Brulee fan, stuck with that, and I chose a Raspberry Marjolaine with Saffron-Lemon Reduction and Juniper Ice Cream. Overall, the lighter desserts worked best with the flat Evian water. The desserts were lightly sweetened and had delicate flavors and textures. They needed more of a background water to allow us to savor the subtleness of the desserts and let it linger in our mouths. The exception was the creme brulee. It was heavier, richer and fattier and called for a sparkling water. By this time, the Pellegrino had sat and breathed and was slightly flatter, so it worked well. My guess is that the creme brulee would have worked best with a FineWaters Balance of Light or Effervescent. After finishing that wonderful meal and only knocking over only one water glass, we were very satisfied with the food, the ambience, and the service. We enjoyed our drive back to Denver getting a terrific view once more of the Aspens in all their golden glory. Restaurants The Wildflower Inn The Lodge at Vail 174 East Gore Creek Drive Vail, CO 81657 Tel: (01) 970-476-5011 Fine Waters Evian (France) San Pellegrino (Italy) FineWaters Balance Photo: Stephanie Ervin
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» Waiting and Water at LAX » Shopping for Water at Galeries Lafayette » La Tour d'Argent, Paris » Colette, Paris » Taillevant: A Three-Star Experience » Le Bar e Bulles, Paris » Paris Prep: Recommended Reading
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