Disclosure: I attended TBEX as the guest of Cottonelle which paid for my trip including registration, airfare, accommodations, meals and transportation. This post contains affiliate links and I may make a small commission.
“Life is good,” I thought while sipping champagne and drifting up Keystone’s North Peak in a gondola. Final destination was Keystone Resort’s The Outpost, which sits at 11,444 feet above sea level, for the opening of TBEX 2012 (Travel Blog Exchange) called “Taste of Vail Resorts.”
The trip took two separate gondola rides which provided spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and green spaces. Coming from Florida with a hectic work and life schedule, I appreciated the cooler temperatures (it was about 70° F) and relaxed attitude of the Keystone staff and visitors. For the first time in months, I felt as though I could forget about the chaotic craziness and just relax and exhale.
Ahhhh……
Don’t get me wrong. Being a travel blogger doesn’t mean we’re always on vacation being pampered. OK, in this case, maybe we were because Vail Resorts did an excellent job in spoiling us with artful desserts and savory entrée samples. But many of us took last night seriously – in that special travel blogger way – by networking and documenting through smartphone photos, what we consumed.
Regarding networking, I met Keystone Mountain GM John Buhlerwill who is pictured above with Dale & Michelle Bartlett of Have Kids – Will Travel. I also met Scott Jordan, creator of ScotteVest Travel Clothing. Yeah, really cool to meet him and here he is pictured with Glen Abbot of The Travelin’ Gringo. (In another post, I share what every TBEX attendee received from his company.)
Taste of Vail Resorts allowed us to sample Vail’s signature restaurants, led by Executive Chef David Scott and Executive Pastry Chef Ned Archibald. With confidence, I can say these chefs and their team are culinary artists creating both palate-pleasing and visually appealing bites. Just take a gander at some of the amazing dishes we sampled last night, such as Smoked Gouda Cheese and Crab Meat Fondu from the restaurant Der Fondue Chessel.
Bighorn Steakhouse served up tender Duck Confit with Stuffed Tenderloin of Beef topped with Foie Gras Torchon with Red Current Demi Glace. Sounds complicated but it’s simply delicious.
During the summer, you need to either hike or take a four-wheel shuttle to reach Vail’s Game Creek Restaurant (in the winter a gondola ride is needed) so it was awesome they brought along a lovely shrimp sample. I can’t tell you its official name all that it had a nice flavor almost like cilantro but it wasn’t.
And then there were the desserts.
Lots and lots of gorgeous chocolate desserts.
And believe it or not, I limited myself to two delicious, sweet little masterpieces.
Vail Resorts demonstrated they certainly know how to dazzle their guests which couldn’t have been easy at 11,444 feet above sea level. Whether vacationing in Keystone, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge or Vail, know you’ll be eating and treated very well.
Great photos and a great post Jennifer!
Vail Resorts, Keystone, Visit Denver and Tourism Colorado all did an amazing job hosting TBEX and Prebex this year but the Friday night opening party was definitely the crown jewel.
I think we could have done a lot of things wrong and still got compliments on the event based on that party alone.
Thanks, Rick!
It was definitely a joint partnership (with many partners) that successfully pulled off TBEX. Looking forward to 2013!
Wow! Those desserts look amazingly like savoury food.
I’m determined to be at TBEX next year if they serve such wonderful goodies.
The food was amazing! Hope you can make it in 2013 – it’s a great conference from content to networking to learning about a new destination.