Restaurant Critique

Bistro Toujours
Deer Valley, Utah
Bryan Moscatello couldn't help but become a chef. "I'm from a family of big cookers and big eaters," he says with a hearty chuckle. "I learned the basics from my mother. My grandmother made pasta and incredible pineapple cheesecake. It was natural for me to work in a restaurant."

The restaurant was The Pampered Pancake in Moscatello's home state of New Jersey-a far cry from Deer Valley's Bistro Toujours, where he's executive chef.

Opened last season, Bistro Toujours is operated by Chicago-based Levy Restaurants (which also owns Spiaggia and Bistro 110). When Levy went in search of a chef for its first ski-town venture, Moscatello fit nicely. Except for a brief stint at The Bristol in Panama City, Panama, he has spent the past dozen years in top Aspen kitchens, most notably The Little Nell. "I've had a knack for being in the right place at the right time," Moscatello says. "Opening a restaurant of this caliber gave me the chance to round out my résumé and to cook the food I love."

The food he loves? Classical dishes prepared in the French style, but presented with a flair. When diners fill the room, which features bistro chairs and tables, mirrored walls and a mural of the French countryside, it's often for steak au poivre and frites, mussels braised in Chablis and tomato water, and crème brûlée. In November, Moscatello cooked at the James Beard House in New York City, and several of the dishes he offered there are now on his menu. Aim for tender veal cheeks and loin with lobster and Yukon Gold potato "salad," chestnut-glazed partridge on duck liver sausage, and sugary poached pears filled with currants, figs and mascarpone.

Save room for cheese. Moscatello is passionate about it, and he imports more than a dozen varieties, mostly from France. "Word about what we're doing here has spread," he exclaims. "In addition to a nice dinner, people come in just for cheese."

Tastes Of The Games
If you make an Olympic effort, you can try them all during the 2002 Games.

What's Cooking

Gold-Medal Chefs
Since the ancient Games in Greece, the arts have been synonymous with Olympic ideals. At the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival will take place in conjunction with the events. As part of the Festival, 45 celebrity chefs from across the nation will cook at special James Beard Association Arts & Culture Dinners at Salt Lake's Abravanel Hall. The chefs-Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in NYC, Allen Susser of Chef Allen's in Miami and Charles Dale of Renaissance in Aspen, to name a few-will prepare dishes that represent the excellence of American Regional Cuisine. While the dinners are intended for Olympic Arts Festival patrons, word is that a few tables will be available for general attendance. For information on the Olympic Arts Festival, visit www.saltlake2002.com.

The Medal Martini
From Buvez! in Deer Valley

1/2-ounce of Granny's Apple & Cinnamon liqueur topped with 1-ounce of chilled Grey Goose vodka and a 1/2-ounce of Blue Curacao.