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Il Poggio
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
3 reviews for Il Poggio
I came here with my dad on a ski trip a few years ago, and it was awesome.
Everything was delicious-- I remember awesome pastas and salads and other small dishes to share. And outstanding desserts. Really, everything I had was good, and I left satisfied.
It's a little bit out of the way, which I liked. No ridiculous crowds, though that may have changed. It's really warm and casual and friendly with outstanding food. Lovely.
Oh my, where do I start. This small, elegant Northern Italian Bistro, tucked away in the resort town of Snowmass, is everything that the Med in Boulder is not.
It's quiet. It's somewhat spendy, though not truly outrageous. The clientele seems to be mainly the golf-tennis-and-executive set. The wine list will blow your doors off. It's worth every penny. I particularly urge you to go if money's no object or you're on an expense account so that you can really indulge in the higher end of their wine list... oh my god was I ever craving an Amarone I saw on there... but I digress.
For starters, the menu is a simple affair offering pared-down, seasonal fare that makes the most of the freshest available ingredients.
For my meal, the highlight was a crab, spinach and artichoke bisque, which was easily one of the best cream soups I've ever tasted. The mildly citrus-cumin seasoning was warm and bright but perfectly moderated, leaving enough room for the enormous, delicately flavoured lumps of crabmeat to stand on their own merit. The spinach salad was dressed in a light balsamic that didn't overwhelm the huge shavings of fresh asiago, the softly sweet blanched pears, and the gloriously thick strips of applewood-smoked bacon. The pasta entree I shared with my boyfriend was a heartily-seasoned robust red pepper and sausage cavatappi, with - get this - hand-made Italian sausage.
The chef. Hand. Makes. his own sausage! And let me tell you it was absolutely glorious.
We had a little difficulty selecting a wine to go with all the diverse tastes on the menu, but settled on a very fine, and not too spendy '05 Marshall Pinot Noir. For a moderately bargain-priced selection, it was stunning with the meal, and I'll for certain be tracking this one down at West End Wine.
The wine steward at this restaurant is outstanding, though I failed to catch his name. The waiter was also charming, extremely knowledgeable about the menu, unobtrusive, and only after dropping off the check did he spark a conversation about bikes (he's a mountain biker, as are we, and he'd noticed my boyfriend's Hayes t-shirt) ... so to top it off, we got some great local trails recommendations!
For a true, classic, sit-down haute cuisine experience, without being required to don a dinner jacket or heels, I strongly recommend you try this place out when you're in the Aspen area.
When I go to the mountains, I want hearty food and that usually means pasta. And Il Poggio fulfills that urge with class. Tucked away on the top part of the Snowmass Mall, I was worried that this place (like a lot of places in a resort) would be pretentious, expensive, and have bad service. But it was reasonable and the service and food were fantastic. The gamberi (jumbo shrimp with grapfruit and arugala) and gnocchi with veal tenderloin were fantastic. It's worth making a reservation on the weekend but even without one, there's plenty of room at the bar for a drink while you wait for a table. This place is definitely worth checking out if you're ever out here.