T.Cook’s Experience

He Said   Looking back on my very first trip to T.Cook’s last night two words kept popping in my mind, service and balance. At times, I feel like restaurants are more interested in turning over tables then in indulging the guest in a truly memorable dining experience. This was not the case last night when T.Cook’s hosted us at dinner to promote their new menu and recently renovated dining space. Comfortable but classy, elegant yet relaxed, these are strange bed fellows for one restaurant to have but it is exactly how I felt enjoying dinner. It is a resort after all so a lot of the guests are on vacation and looking for this blend of an experience. Never once did I feel rushed, in fact, the pace was spot on, allowing us the opportunity to talk to one another and never go hungry. Just when I thought it’s time for the next dish they would be walking up with another beautiful presentation. The old adage that you eat with your eyes before your mouth was nothing but true here. The organic corn agnolotti with puffy white pillows filled with a corn cream was soft and heavenly. The roasted corn provided the crunch and snap to counterbalance this delight. Least we not forget about the butter lobster sitting in the brown sugar sauce that provided just the right amount of sweet. Just when you thought it might have gone too far you bite into a melody of sautéed mushrooms providing yet another balance, this time of salt. Sharing this appetizer was difficult but remained calm and collected as we spilt the last agnolotti. The Corn Bisque incorporated dehydrated corn and almost crunchy corn bread in a creamy white bisque. The pictures we took don’t do it justice, as everything was covered in the white wash of the bisque in a matching white bowl. It arrived with the corn and corn bread and then we watched as the bisque was poured into our bowl from individual carafes. Gone in a minute I wondered if I was overdoing the corn focus but I quickly put that out of my mind after one spoonful. The beet salad was small and simple but our wonderful waiter provided great instructions to not eat each item separately but each forkful should be a combination of each item on the plate. A beet, blue cheese, and a peanut brittle with a little greek yogurt was a simple act of bliss. Thankful for the tip I made sure to make each bite as complex as possible. I typically am not a purveyor of beets and avoid them at all cost, but if they all tasted like this dish I might have to rethink that position. My main course was the Colorado lamb placed on a bed of wheat berries which were mixed with eggplant, tomatoes, and feta. The lamb was cooked perfectly to my direction and instead of being encrusted or extremely seasoned this serving was simple and basic lamb. Having spent time working months in New Zealand I find myself a lamb aficionado of sorts. I have had amazing and not so amazing lamb and this was a solid beautiful piece that let me go back to the basics of just enjoying the tastes of the meat without being distracted by sauces and rubs. Given the boldness of our last few plates it was a perfect complement to the meal. We did enjoy a side of the forest mushrooms with garlic and herbs. Honestly, I could have had the full accompaniment of these mushrooms. Absolutely wonderful side that I would recommend for any dish, although definitely something I would have loved on top of a filet. Full and satisfied we of course ordered desert. Again, at the wonderful direction of our waiter we went with the Chocolate Praline Torte with a salted pretzel ice cream and these amazing rice crispy peanut chocolate treats. It pained me not to gobble the whole plate down. My stomach was beyond stretched to the max so I controlled myself and simply savored every little bite of this desert. We joked that the crispy treats could be bagged and eaten all day. I also would have gladly taken an entire bowl of their homemade ice cream. After all of that we finished it off with a digestif. It wasn’t my favorite thing in the world but it is perfectly made to settle the stomach after such a long night of indulging in some of the best food this valley has to offer. It worked and I left feeling happier than when I arrived. T.Cook’s; Perfectly executed, wonderfully plated, beautifully described, and happily accepted by my stomach.

She Said   Coming Soon!

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