Through details small and large, the St. Regis’s flagship restaurant conveys a vintage mountain man (and woman) vibe—line illustrations on the menu, leather placemats, a good selection of meat and seafood, and 30 kinds of whiskey. Chef Laurent Pillard’s menu ranges from cinnamon quinoa waffles at breakfast and lunch fare like chilled corn soup and salmon belly and kimchi tacos to more complex dinners, including citrus-brined chicken with a local squash medley, nduja potatoes, caramelized onion, and chicken sausage or seared trout with pea and ricotta scarpinocc, butter-glazed heirloom carrots, baby turnips, sweety drop peppers, and piquillo coulis. 

Inspiration for Signature Dish

 I like to cycle, and when I saw the pebble rocks on the side of the river, it inspired me to use something similar to cook on. We used to do this in France when I was younger. 
I wanted to create a high-end version of steak and eggs, which is why I use bison and a duck egg.
I selected bison because it’s found in Colorado, and my focus is to have as much local product as possible on our menus.
The tataki style allows for guests to prepare the dish to their desired temperature.
The duck egg in a skillet presentation also allows for creativity—you can either put the egg on your plate or break the yolk and put it on the bison.
Placing the rock on top of fresh thyme and rosemary that is smoking creates wonderful aromas.

Ingredients

Bison tenderloin, tataki style (6 oz)
Duck egg, sourced from a farmer in Paonia (Farm Runners—he calls us every Sunday, and we pick what we want from what is most fresh from local farms)
Herb butter, thyme, rosemary, and bacon
Salts—fleur de sel from France and black lava salt from Hawaii

Presentation

The rock is placed in the oven at 450 degrees first thing in the morning and warms up for several hours 
Wood—Douglas fir from a vendor in the valley