Jackson Hole – 1/2003

Jackson Hole, WY
Eat & Drink Well…

Snake River Grill has been open for 10 years and it’s still considered the best place in town. Reserve a table near the double-sided stone fireplace in the timbered dining room and start with a pizza. Then sample tender local game, fresh ahi tuna (flown in daily from Florida and Hawaii) over wasabi mashed potatoes, or bacon-wrapped salmon. Leave room for the warm molten chocolate cake. 84 E. Broadway, Jackson 307/733-0557; dinner for two $90.

Old Yellowstone Garage, despite its name, is a sophisticated Italian restaurant specializing in the owner’s native cucino piemontese. That translate to flavorful dishes such as halibut in an olive, caper and roasted garlic sauce; grilled quails in a honey-balsamic glaze; and house-made black linguine with scallops and pesto. Sunday is pizza night-just $15 for salad and all-you-can-eat slices from the wood burning oven. 175 Center St., Jackson; 307/734-6161; dinner for two $50.

Rendevous Bistro is where people keep returning for their raw bar and mussels simmered in spicy red curry-coconut broth. Find a seat at the always-busy bar; or book a more private leather banquette in the back. 380 S. Broadway, Jackson; 307/739-1100; dinner for two $65.

Sweetwater Restaurant is housed in a renovated 1915 log cabin,where midday shoppers stop for simple sandwiches and soups. In the evening the atmosphere is less frantic and the food more complex—risotto with artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, and shrimp; rack of lamb in port-wine sauce; Idaho rainbow trout in toasted-almond butter. 80 S. King St., Jackson; 307/733-3553; lunch for two $20; dinner for two $70.

Pato is where to have a drink at the bar; in addition to the traditional mojito, the bartender mixes South American–themed cocktails like the Timoto (dark rum, Cointreau, mint, and orange juice) and the Terjito (mango-passion fruit juice, orange juice, tequila, and triple sec). Then move to the dining room, where the pan-Latin dishes are equally inventive. Try the fish tacos ro shrimp Cubano, sautéed in olive oil, garlic, lime, and red pepper. 680 E. Broadway, Jackson; 307/739-9191.

Masa Shushi is in an unexpected location (the second floor of the Best Western) but that doesn’t prevent customers from finding a way in or from coming back. While chef Masa presides over the sushi bar, his wife, Kay, works the room– occasionally stopping to join a table for a quick cup of sake. 3345 W. McCollister Dr., Teton Village; 307/732-2962; dinner for two $80.

Vertical has mahogany and marble tables, dim lighting, a glass-encased fireplace—but is also hidden in the Best Western building and could just as easily be in San Francisco or Los Angles. The menu could be described as Far East Meets Wild West, with dishes such as miso-marinated bass with soba noodles. 3345 W. McCollister Dr., Teton Village; 307/734-2375; dinner for two $70.

AFTER DARK

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where you can actually saddle up at the bar—stools are fitted with stirrups. A little camp, maybe, but the place is always hopping with a good mix of weekenders, ski bums, and honest-to-goodness cowboys bent on finding a two stepping partner. On Thursday night the bar offers free dance lessons. 25 N. Cache Rd., Jackson; 307/733-2207.
Mangy Moose is where to have après-ski drinks and snacks. At night, there’s live music—everything from bluegrass to techno—from homegrown bands to such bigger-name artists as Little Feat and Burning Spear. 3285 W. McCollister Dr., Teton Village; 307/733-4913.

Snake River Brewery & Restaurant– better known as the Brew Pub, if you want people to know what you are talking about. On weekends tables fill up as early as five o’clock, with backcountry skiers filing in for pitchers of microbrewed Zonker Stout and Snake River Lager, as well as pizzas, pastas, and steak sandwiches. 265 S. Millward St., Jackson; 307/739-2337.
Silver Dollar Bar & Grill has two thousand thirty-two genuine silver dollars inlaid into the bar. Friday and Saturday nights, a bluegrass band named Steam-powered Airplane entertains the crowd. Wort Hotel, 50 N. Glenwood St., Jackson; 307/733-2190.

Koshu Wine Bar has 900 bottles of wine. Buy one and drink it here for a $5 corkage fee. The bartender can also shake up caiprinhas, apple martinis, and tangy gimlets. 200 W. Broadway, Jackson; 307/733-5283.

~Travel + Leisure, December 2002
Lift Lines – January 2003