Remember the days when a ski vacation meant choosing between an overpriced burnt cheeseburger and a soft pretzel with fluorescent-orange cheese sauce? Two-time Olympic medalist Shannon Bahrke does. “I’ve been skiing since I was three, and food has come a long way,” she says. “You have an amazing variety of choice now.”
The U.S. moguls skier and owner of Silver Bean Coffee in Park City, UT knows a thing or two about refueling on the slopes. “I want something that is going to wrap me up like a warm, snuggly blanket. But it also has to be nutritious with a side of indulgence,” she says. What does the trick for her? The turkey chili at JG Grill in the nearby St. Regis Deer Valley.
That restaurant, helmed by avid skier and Michelin-starred super chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, makes our list of the best ski resort restaurants in America, which range from Top Chef–helmed Manzanita in Lake Tahoe, CA, to an Aspen, CO, glamazon with a world-renowned wine program, to a tasting-menu restaurant tucked in a snowbound Utah yurt.
And then, of course, there’s the après. “Skiing is not just about what you do on the hill. It’s what you do after,” Bahrke says. That’s why we’ve included spots like Michael Mina’s funky Handle Bar at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole with massive Colorado beers served in glass boots and haute pub grub like lobster corn dogs.
So slip into some furry boots and zip up your parka. It’s time to chow down on America’s best ski food.
