New York –You can try, but you can’t get much farther from the slopes of Aspen than Aspen, a trendy new restaurant and lounge in New York City’s Flatiron District.
Sure, they have some things in common. For one thing, the place takes its name from Colorado’s most famous celebrity-ridden resort. For another, it’s definitely reaching for the same glitter set.
Well, sort of. Aspen probably would rather see Kate Hudson at the bar than Goldie Hawn.
Actually, scratch that. Who they really want to see here is Lindsay Lohan.
Aspen, the restaurant, hasn’t yet officially thrown open the doors, but it’s deep into its “soft” opening. Which means you can get past the bouncer for a drink and a bite if you’re insistent enough.
And what do you see there?
Picture a wood-paneled 1970s ski lodge (well, OK, aprés-ski lodge), complete with hot toddies, buffalo steaks and deer heads on the wall. Colorado stuff.
But this is New York: The hot toddies feature orange zest-infused Scotch, the buffalo is served in miniature “slider” burgers, and the deer heads are clear Lucite. Backlit.
Takes you right back to the slopes, doesn’t it?
Like the real Aspen, everyone here looks fabulous. Only, there’s no shearling. No bulky knits. No furry winter boots. At this Aspen, skirts are short, collars open, slingbacks high.
You know, the Colorado look.
Low, amber light colors the corridor-like bar area up front, flattering every skin tone in the house. A huge wall-sized photoprint of aspen trees covers one wall, raw planks of pine the opposite. A 16-seat bar and prominent DJ booth face each other at the far end. John Denver? Forget it. The beats here are electronica, dance hall reggae and Usher.
An authentic Colorado soundtrack.
Those Lucite deer heads, three of them, hang like the Maroon Bells above a crew of gorgeous bartenders. To kill time before becoming supermodels, they’re here mixing $12 cocktails like the Nyota (African rum with acerola, a Central American berry) and the Shooting Star (Brazilian sugar cane liquor with starfruit purée).
Classic Colorado libations.
Beyond the bar is a whitewashed dining room with smoked-glass pillars and planked floors. Here a willowy, well-coiffed waitstaff sells you on small plates like Bison Sliders ($10), Jalapeño Elk Sausage ($9) and Pan-Fried Brook Trout Tacos ($12).
The food is – well, certainly authentic to 1970s Colorado: It’s bad. But who cares when you’re busy feasting your eyes on the lookers at the next table?
If you’re lucky, you’ll be invited to a private party in the Gonzo room. Here, chic groups of P. Diddy and P. Hilton wannabes huddle over cane-sugar cocktails, gazing at a big photograph of Hunter S. Thompson and reminiscing about the good old Gonzo days they aren’t anywhere near old enough to remember.
Come to think of it, maybe Aspen really isn’t so different from the real Aspen after all.
Next time you’re on West 22nd Street in New York City and have $12 and 15 minutes to throw away on a Shooting Star cocktail, drop in at Aspen. You’ll chuckle to see just how far from the tree this apple has fallen. But give a big smile to the bartenders anyway. They’ll smile back, and they’ll look great when they do.
Just don’t ask them to find Colorado on a map.
Staff writer Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-820-1958 or dining@denverpost.com.
