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David Krause / The Aspen Times
When the Pitkin County Board of Health voted to go all in on Red level COVID-19 restrictions last week, restaurants shouldered the brunt of the changes. Effective Sunday, indoor dining was out of the question; last call was bumped up to 8 p.m.
Under the previous “Orange-plus-plus” restrictions, indoor dining was limited to 25% capacity with a 9:30 p.m. last call within Orange level guidelines while most other sectors of business were already subject to Red level restrictions.
The new restrictions applied to all restaurants in Pitkin County. But not all eateries have the same ability to accommodate the rules: some venues fared better than others when Sunday rolled around, their fate contingent in part on the circumstances of their location.
In mid-October, the Aspen Skiing Co. and its East West partner in Base Village learned that one of their highly visible, slopeside restaurants was going to be dark for the winter with the closing of State 38. In three weeks, they put together a concept, purchased new stemware and a few other accoutrements, hired staff and opened Village Tasting Room in that same location.
âThis was a real last-minute decision,â said Jim Butchart, SkiCoâs culinary director for the mountain division.
âWe really had about three weeks to get things cranking up, but luckily itâs a beautiful space.â
Now, if youâre in the mood for a delicate gamay noir from Burgundy, a racy, complex semillon from Argentina, a blonde lager from Italy or probably the best canned cocktail youâve ever had, you need to pop in and talk to master sommelier Brandon Tebbe at the Village Tasting Room.