Vail Restaurant: The 10th

A new, upscale ski-in, ski-out dining option is available at Mid-Vail for the 2012 ski season. The 10th is a spacious restaurant with amazing views of the Gore Range. At over 13,000 square feet, The 10th can seat 160 people in the main dining room, 40 in the lounge, and another 40 on the south-facing deck. The bar offers Express Lunch for skiers who want to eat and dash. The bar is definitely a focal point of the restaurant, made of translucent green onyx lit from below. The deck is the perfect place to enjoy a long, relaxing lunch after an early morning run - it gets sun from at least 11:30am to 5pm, even on a short day.

You'll find modern alpine classics and a creative kids menu. The 3 course kids meal starts with veggie sticks and dressing and offers gourmet comfort food for the entree, including kid favs such as mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, PB&J with strawberries and bananas, burgers, pizza, etc. The dessert course is a delicious mini chocolate milkshake and homemade donut.

The "modern alpine cuisine" draws inspiration from the Swiss and Austrian Alps regions and Rocky Mountain cuisine. You'll find gourmet comfort food, like chicken noodle soup, and more refined fare, like the short ribs braised in Gruyere sauce. They make everything from scratch, including breads, cheeses, sausage, proscuitto, mustard, pasta, dumplings, pastrami, chocolate and more. If you're just in the mood for a light meal, they  have great appetizers - try the French Onion soup, Parmesan truffle fries, and fried oysters. The sandwiches are created with the freshly baked bread, and desserts like the apple pie a la mode and in-house Nutella ice cream are not to be missed!

The 10th is open for lunch and "Morning Refresh" at 9 am, serving hot drinks and pastries only. Reservations are strongly recommended for lunch. Members of the Vail Mountain Club have the first shot at reservations a week in advance. Take the Vista Bahn lift, or ski in from Meadows or Over Easy (Beginners) and use Chairs 2-4.