Dessert from Cowboy Ciao
Food & Wine
Top Mountain Restaurants
Two hot spots to experience the high country's local flavors, cuisine and culture
STORY
Eliza Cross
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy Cowboy Ciao

SIX 89 Kitchen/Winebar, Carbondale, CO

The Setting: an old house on Carbondale’s main street, with a friendly staff and a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere.

What You'll Love: both small and large plates are offered, giving diners an opportunity to share and explore new tastes and flavors. Chef owner Mark Fischer was one of the first to advocate using local growers and producers, and his menu highlights unusual pairings of the area’s freshest vegetables, cheeses, fresh eggs, grains, herbs and meats. Feeling adventurous? Take a group for one of Fischer’s ‘Random Acts of Cooking’ dinners. After chatting with everyone, Fischer will prepare a special menu of dishes he thinks you’ll like based on your preferences.

Dish to Try: the ‘badly cut’ pappardelle: irregular ribbons of pasta with Milagro Ranch beef sausage and artichoke cream, served with roasted artichokes and asparagus.

Vitals: Dinner entrées (“Larger Plates and Bowls”) start at $16; 689 Main St., (970) 963-6890, six89.com.

COWBOY CIAO, Scottsdale, AZ

The Setting: A lively and brightly colored space with murals and campy black-and-white photos on the walls, in downtown Scottsdale’s hip arts and shopping district.

What You'll Love: the restaurant’s light-hearted approach. The grazing menu offers appetizer-size portions of items like bruschetta, ahi tuna antipasto, and buffalo carpaccio served with a red onion-honey marmalade and fresh chevre cheese. The exotic mushroom stir-fry served over polenta is a perennial favorite, and wine connoisseurs will enjoy perusing the weighty wine list, which offers an astounding 2,200 selections. It won’t be easy, but try to save room for a dessert like the mandarin orange and pistachio cake accompanied by one of the restaurant’s extensive offerings of dessert wines and port.

Dish to Try: Slow-roasted short ribs served with a zesty dried-cherry barbecue sauce, Southern-style grits enlivened with crunchy pecans and pan-grilled vegetables.

Vitals: Dinner entrées start at $22; 7133 E. Stetson Dr., (480) 946-3111, cowboyciao.com.

For 12 more of our favorite places to wine and dine, check out the January 2008 issue of Mountain Living.