Though ranching has gone the way of mining in this valley, in recent months Aspen has surprisingly become a steak-lover's haven.
Looking for something with Argentinean flair? Walk no farther than the one-month-old Buenos Aries Grill.
But if it's top-of-the-line Waygu beef you are seeking, try the Crystal Palace Grille.
Or, if it's a good ol' fashion tenderloin for which your tastebuds are watering, there are another couple restaurateurs who will happily serve it up with side dishes, salad bars and all the fixings.
Navigating through Aspen's beefy restaurant menus is no longer a task of which one makes the grade, but what kind of meat it is that you're wanting. And because restaurant owners are aware of the increasingly competitive market, they're each trying to carve out their own stake in the scene.
The new guys
When the Crystal Palace, a historic dinner theater on E. Hyman Ave., was purchased by a Michigan businessman Linden Nelson, he and chef Brad Smith made the decision to turn it into a steak house with the same name. The pair traveled the country touring ranches and meeting with various butchers, until they settled on a niche type of meat for this market. The two they selected are a Piedmontese cattle from a ranch in Montana (yes, as in the Italian region), and a domestic Kobe beef from Texas, which is a direct descendant from Japan's infamous line.
"Other steak houses are aiming for a different clientele than we're trying to hit," says Smith. "We're paying a little more for the quality of meat."
Steaks at the Crystal Palace Grille will cost a diner anywhere from $38 for smaller portions of the Piedmontese to $68 for the 14-ounce Waygu steak.
Smith says people who know their meats appreciate the Piedmontese brand for health reasons, which can sometimes be as low in cholesterol as salmon or chicken. And instead of specialty preparations, he says they're letting the meat speak for itself.
But, even with the same name, Smith says it's been hard to convince people that the Crystal Palace is a place that can exist without the dinner theater.
"It's been slow," he says. "It's a battle to convince people that the Crystal Palace is still open, but once people come in I think they've been pleasantly surprised by the experience they've had."
Just a couple of blocks away, the Buenos Aries Grill opened its doors a little more than a month ago. With a restaurant already in Denver, owner Francis Carrera says he chose Aspen because he loves the town. Though the food isn't strictly steak, its Argentinean cuisine is innately beef-heavy.
They've also added traditional twists, such as skirt steaks (the diaphragm of a cow) and sweet breads (the thymus gland).
In the month they've been open, he says they're doing well so far. Because of Aspen's tourism-based economy, much of it being foreign these days, he says he isn't worried about the competition.
Competition isn't something that Ruth's Chris General Manager Norm Word is concerned about either. The name Ruth's Chris is synonymous with quality steak, and the chain has 125 restaurants worldwide. The Aspen location opened in January 2007.
"Most of the people coming in here have dined at a Ruth's Chris before," he says, noting that their name recognition is a market they have a hold on in Aspen.
From a 4-ounce petite cut for $30, to a 40-ounce porterhouse steak (meant to be shared by two) for $85, Ruth's Chris serves USDA-certified prime, corn-fed meat from the Midwest.
"People do ask where their meat is coming from, and how we age it," he says. "Some really do care."
The old guys
Arguably Aspen's oldest restaurant (excluding the J-Bar), the Steak Pit has been an Aspen staple since 1960. Though it's changed ownership in that time, the eatery is doing something right, and owner Bob Glowacki says they'll keep operating under a business-as-usual motto, even though there are more options in town.
"I think there's a trend toward more high-end steak houses in town," he says. "But I think there's room for both kinds of places, and a lot of the new places are specializing in a certain kind of beef."
The Steak Pit gets theirs from farms in Kansas and Nebraska, and it's all corn-fed. While he says the meat is good, the secret has been catering to the locals. At the Steak Pit, the least expensive entree is $28 and that goes up to $43, but he says the difference is that includes a full salad bar and cheaply priced side dishes - items that are add-ons at other restaurants.
"Of course any new restaurant is competition for everybody because it cuts the pie a little smaller for everyone," he says. "Some come and go, but the key is to keep longevity."
He's been in Aspen for more than 20 years, and says this is the most steak houses he's seen in the city in that time: four with the aforementioned, and Jimmy's An American Restaurant and Bar makes for five. (By comparison, there is one vegetarian restaurant in Aspen, three sushi joints, five Italian eateries and three Mexican restaurants - all of which, except for the vegetarian restaurant, offer their own steak entrees as do many other eateries.)
Though Jimmy's serves up a potpourri of food, its focus is steak and seafood. They dish out Angus-certified beef that starts at $32 for a filet mignon. Owner Jimmy Yeager was unreachable for comment.
Just like most commodities, the price of beef continues to rise and it's something that's continually passed onto the customer.
But, in this town the market is a clear indicator that it's a place for discerning meat-eaters - both for those who are watching their pocketbooks and for those who are willing to fork over the extra cash for particularity.
christine@aspendailynews.com
