Aspen’s five-star hotel The Little Nell’s newly-updated Element 47 restaurant officially opened last night, but last weekend I was lucky enough to get to sample the menu before it opened (in a town as small as Aspen, however, I’m pretty sure most of the locals were as lucky too).
The new decor is a massive upgrade, all silvers and greys and clean. As I mentioned in my radio show, one of my favorite things is the new banquettes in the elevated area: they’re like old-school minivan bench seats, complete with moveable armrests. Hilarious! The typical Nell guest might not have the same appreciation for this throwback, however.
For food, the small and medium plates are absolutely phenomenal. The house-made tortellini is easily in the top five of the best dishes I’ve consumed in Aspen.
The shaved lamb sandwich is excellent. I ate it too fast for a picture. The beef tartare—described as “not at all cat food consistency”(?!)—was standout as well.
Drinks are unique and beautiful.
I didn’t love the large plate offerings. Pictured are a bouillabaisse and Key West shrimp over spaghetti squash—an idea I love. These are both good dishes, but nothing to write home (or on a blog) about.
Desserts? Yes, we’ll take the sampler. I didn’t care for two kinds of brownies: chocolate and apple, because they were too cake-y for me, but the cookies—macarons and peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal raisin—were delish.
It won’t become a mainstay for me, but for an impressive dinner, Element 47 is, like its namesake, a silver mine …