Eat, Learn, Live

Seared foie gras with french toast and a port cooked pear

Crisp Kurobuta Pork Belly with gala apple and celery root ravioli and crunchy apple-celery salad

Chikin' n Waffles: maple glazed Petaluma Quail, savory shallot studded Belgian waffle, wild mushrooms and sauce chausseur

Potato Crusted Trout Filets with caramelized Brussels sprout leaves, golden raisins, toasted pecans and brandied buerre blanc

Pan Roasted Duck Breast with duck confit studded farro, roasted cippolini onions, pomegranate gastrique and pain d'epice

All Natural Colorado NY Strip Steak with creamy braised salsify, romanesco cauliflower, shaved winter truffles and red wine jus

Sticky bun sundae

Flourless Chocolate Cake with mocha pastry cream, orange-scented espresso biscotti, coffee granita shooter and crunchy espresso meringue

Pistachio nougat terrine: spongy pistachio dacquoise with tart passion fruit gelee and frozen nougat

Vanilla-Orange Cheesecake with glossy port glazed figs, vanilla pear purée, caramelized white chocolate shards and a crisp hazelnut tuile

Caramel Apple Napoleon: walnut phyllo layers, vanilla custard, caramel mousse and poached apples

Me with Chef Kelly

Well, I finally did it, I went and ate at Kelly Liken. Kelly was my favorite on season 7 of Top Chef, and when I heared her restaurant was in the same state that I lived in, it was a mission to go. We started our meal with the chef's amuse, a creamy celery root soup. Sadly I was to busy eating it i forgot to take a picture. Now there was an argument on her season of Top Chef between Kelly and the head judge about her making thin soup. If Chef Tom had eaten this perfectly seasoned, creamy, and rich soup he would have gotten on his knees to beg for forgiveness. Next was that nights special, a fantastic seared foie gras dish. Not only was this foie gras cooked to perfection and seasoned by a god, the other components on the plate were great. The french toast added a great buttery chewy texture and the pear was not mushy. The pear, like all fruit with foie gras, cut the fat perfectly. The best part about this dish was it made my foie hating brother convert. Thank you Kelly. Next we had the crispy pork belly with apple-celery root ravioli. The pork belly was very nice, very crispy and tender. The ravioli were like little clouds, and the filling was like the soul of a little blond angel baby, sorry if I am getting a little dark, it was just great. Next we had some good old chikin and waffles. The quail was very crisp on the outside and was very tender. The waffles were nice and soft and were studded with shallots, oh god it was good. Now on to some entrees. First a potato crusted trout, Kelly's signature dish. The fish was very tender, moist and flaky. The potato crust was very crispy but fork tender at the same time. But the best park of the dish was the combo of the golden raisins and caramelized Brussles sprouts. It was out of this world. The bitterness and sweetness were in perfect balance. Next was a pan seared duck breast. When I eat duck I want my duck skin to be crispy. I hate when I get a piece of duck that has a little piece of raw fat on it. Though this duck had the fat on it, it was still good. The best part of this dish was a fantastic farro mixed with pieces of salty duck confit. Now I don't know what pain d'epice is but all I got on my plate was duck, farro, sauce and arugula. Next was the steak with black truffles. The steak was seasoned perfectly and cooked as well as I have had any steak. It was a perfect medium rare. As always fresh black truffles are good, and the sauce was rich and yummy. For dessert my family decided to order every dessert on the menu. They were all really good, but I want to talk about my two favorite. First the cheesecake. The cake was very floral and was baby smooth. I don't know if it was no bake or not but it was like a fantastic custard, I think it might have been made with goat cheese but I'm not sure. On the plate with it was a very bright pear puree with fresh vanilla bean, which was very fruity. The port glazed figs were so boozy and amazing. The caramelized white chocolate was very good to. My next favorite was a pistachio and nougat terrine. The pistachio cake was very spongy and super moist. It was sandwiched with a tart passion fruit gelee that was very nice and fruity and I think passion fruit is my new favorite thing. The frozen nougat was almost like an ice cream. It was very good. Everything was really good, get yourself up to Vail and go to Kelly Liken. The best part of the dinner was when chef Kelly came to visit our table!!!!