Toro Kitchen & Lounge

Formerly: Eght K at Viceroy Snowmass

What's in a name: Toro is Spanish for “bull” and Japanese for “tuna belly.”

Zest appeal: Small plates and à la carte dishes (grilled meats, ceviche) with pan-Latin flair, notably Chinese (Chifa) and Japanese (Nikkei) influences on Peruvian cuisine

Star Chef: Celeb chef Richard Sandoval (Eight K executive chef Will Nolan, regrettably, decamped to Telluride’s Madeline Hotel)

Vibe: Part of the Viceroy’s $4 million revamp, the contemporary Latin dining room features blue, red, and beige leather; aged gray oak and American walnut, including a live-edge, 170-inch chef’s table; a Brazilian stone-wood granite bar top; aged, brushed-brass detailing; “hacienda-texture” walls; and handmade Mexican pottery.

Spirit of excellence: Tequila and barrel-aged mezcal—40 varieties—that may be stowed in custom-built lockers for rent 

Power Hours: Après-ski, dinner

Instagrammable dish: La Bomba, a chocolate sphere dropped and cracked to reveal ice cream, berries, cream cheese mousse, cookie crumbs, and edible flowers, then drizzled with three kinds of sauces

Domination theory: This is Sandoval’s second property in Snowmass (Venga Venga) and sixth in Colorado (including Maya, Beaver Creek; Tamayo, Denver).

Tasty soundbite: “It’s basically a slideshow of the foods of Richard’s travels through his native Mexico, Caribbean, and South America,” says culinary director Greg Howe.

State 38

Formerly: Ricard Brasserie

What's in a name: “Colorado is the 38th state, and we are a Colorado restaurant,” explains proprietor Dave Dugan.

Zest appeal: Rocky Mountain standards (dry-aged steaks, fish, wild game) plus a cornucopia of lighter, vegetable-centric fare

Star Chef: Joe Flamer, of Finbarr’s Irish Pub and Kitchen acclaim

Vibe: A “toasty” refresh, says Dugan, adds carpeting over ski boot–scary wood floors, reconfigures bar and lounge seating to better showcase an interior fireplace, softens lighting, and modernizes prime outdoor patio seating.

Spirit of excellence: Whiskey—25 varieties and counting

Power Hours: Lunch, après-ski

Instagrammable dish: Enormous elk and bison chops

Domination theory: This is Dugan’s fourth Base Village property (in addition to Base Camp, Slice Red Barn Pizzeria, and Sake).

Tasty soundbite: “Snowmass isn’t what it was in 1995—I want to put rattlesnake on the menu,” Dugan says.