By
Linda Hayes food editor
La
Tour
Vail, Colo
Four years ago, Paul Ferzacca and his wife, Lourdes (he cooks, she’s
“the boss”), took over La Tour. Inspired by restaurants they
had visited in Provence, they painted the walls burgundy, blue and sunflower
yellow, turned a brick patio with a river-rock fireplace into an enclosed
bistro, printed menus and fired up the stoves. Today, the lovely little
restaurant is one of the valley’s best-kept culinary secrets.
While Ferzacca’s food is not “100 percent French” –
it’s lighter and more contemporary than the traditional style –
it is influenced by time spent working under French master chefs at The
Ritz Carlton and Hotel Continental in Chicago. “Anywhere you go
in the country, the food you find is influenced by French techniques,”
he says. “The difference is the use of regional American products.”
Ferzacca was most recently executive chef at the Game Creek Club on Vail
Mountain.
While Ferzacca’s emphasis is on flavor, his dishes are beautifully,
yet simply presented. Salad Lyonnaise with duck confit is topped with
a delicate “sunny side up” quail egg. Veal sweetbreads come
surrounded by wild mushrooms and cipollini onions. Dover sole is accompanied
by haricot vert and a lemon-brown butter sauce. Créme brûlée
flambé arrives with a flourish at the table.
Equally
impressive is La Tour’s French and American wine list, which has
earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. It’s created
by four staff sommeliers, Ferzacca included, who, along with his chefs
and waitstaff, pass their passion for food and wine on to guests.
"Once people find us, they come back again and again,” Ferzacca
says. “That’s where may gratification comes from.”