Bucket List

I wouldn't consider myself a reality tv show junkie, but there are a few shows that I do not miss. Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance and Top Chef are those few. I have watched all 6 seasons of Top Chef in its entirety. I love seeing how creative the chefs are and I wish I could taste their creations. But looking at them on the television screen and drooling really is a close second.

It may sound cheesy, but I have always wanted to eat at a Top Chef's restaurant. Not any chef in particular, just one that makes it onto the show and gets past the first elimination challenge. Believe it or not, there aren't many top chefs who hail from Oklahoma. I know, I couldn't believe it either.

This past week, we were in Vail and I had heard there were some amazing restaurants in the area. I had also heard of Kelly Liken and begged my loving husband to let us have dinner at her restaurant one night. Kelly was a competitor on Iron Chef a few weeks ago and is on the current season of Top Chef, which debuted this week. And she made it past the first elimination challenge. Success. (I mean for her.)

So, let's review: Kelly makes it onto Top Chef + she makes it past first elimination+ I get to eat at her restaurant on Friday= Lisa crossing off an item on her bucket list.

Now let's get to the good stuff. The meal was AMAZING. I am still dreaming of my first course. No really. I am.

Sidenote: I think I may need therapy over how happy food makes me. I love preparing it, I love eating it. I love thinking about it. I love planning occasions to eat it. I love reading blogs about it. I love looking at pictures of it. I don't really know what that says about me other than I will undoubtedly weigh 6,000 pounds someday. My apologies in advance to my loving husband. Just know I will be 6,000 pounds of happiness.

Back to the meal. I had this ridiculously good cocktail creation of homemade blackberry syrup, muddled thyme, gin, Cointreau and a splash of ginger ale. If I could figure out how to quickly grow blackberries and recreate her syrup, I would so make this drink every day.

The amuse-bouche was a creamy, cool cucumber-y soup. Pretty good. The first course was basically the cheesy, gooey filling of a ravioli that was pan seared and smothered in truffle vinaigrette and morel mushrooms. This is the stuff I am still dreaming about. Loving hubs had elk carpaccio. It was pretty good too and I am fairly confident it was the first time I had tasted elk.

For dinner, I had a steak, which I felt was perfectly prepared and a blue cheese stuffed squash blossom that was so good, it made me want to grow squash blossoms and squash blossoms alone. Loving hubs had a potato crusted trout. I don't really like fish, but this was pretty good as well.

Finally, I had a panna cotta with a strawberry rhubarb compote for dessert. Deeeee-lish. And loving hubs had a sticky bun sundae with spun sugar on top. He felt the sugar resembled fiber glass and pushed it to the side. I couldn't help but laugh, as I helped him inhale the sticky bun buried under ice cream and caramel sauce.

All in all, a fabulous meal/dining experience. I mean, it was so good I blogged about it. And now I am back in Oklahoma and left to eat some homemade mac and cheese. Not quite the same, but it will do.