Vail has plenty of celebrity visitors during ski season, but it will get one more this winter when Tyler Florence brings his high-end steakhouse to the resort for a six-month residency.
The Food Network star will move his San Francisco-based steakhouse, Miller & Lux, into the former Flame Restaurant at the Four Seasons Vail from Dec. 14 to April 15. His partnership with the hotel group also includes the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, and Florence recently opened a Miller & Lux pop-up in Chicago as well.
“I’ve been friends with the Four Seasons group for a while, and we’ve been trying to figure out what would be a good strategic partnership,” Florence said. “This is our first foray into expansion of Miller & Lux before we start opening new permanent venues because we want to test-drive the cities and see if there’s any public enthusiasm.”
Florence is a 26-year Food Network veteran, captivating millions of viewers on numerous hit shows, including Emmy-nominated “Tyler’s Ultimate” and “The Great Food Truck Race,” which is on its 16th season. He’s also authored 16 cookbooks, with a new one on the way called “American Grill” that offers 125 recipes for the grill and will be partially shot in Vail.
The two-time James Beard Award nominee opened Miller & Lux in San Francisco last year.
Florence plans to be in Vail at least once a week, and he’s bringing chefs from San Francisco to join him, including a general manager, his pastry team and his sommelier team. “We built this San Francisco location to be top heavy so we could take on these opportunities to begin with,” he said.
The Vail location will have 120 seats, and the menu will focus on 45-day dry-aged steaks, a fresh raw bar and tableside service.
“We reinvented cart service in San Francisco,” Florence said. “That was really popular in the dining scene across America in the 1950s and ’60s. You get greeted with a champagne cart with some of the world’s finest bubbles when you sit down, and then our caesar salad cart comes out, followed by our dover sole cart, where we debone the fish tableside and finish it off with a meunière butter. Last but not least is our dessert cart, which is like a carnival that roams around the dining room. It’s like dinner theater, and we can’t wait to bring that to Colorado.”
After Miller & Lux’s four months are up, Florence said he’ll consider staying in the Four Seasons Vail permanently if it proves successful.
“When thinking about where we want to expand our restaurant, we’re always looking for spots we can imagine ourselves living in,” Florence said.
“Vail is just on that list of dream spots. We’re avid skiers and part of the fun is being able to enjoy where you work and go on a couple of runs together as a team. We’re excited to sink into the hillside for the ski season and be a part of the fabric for that amazing ski experience.”
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