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PrintDining on a Grand Scale
Enjoy ‘haute cuisine’ in a literal sense at Couloir
The dress clothes come out of storage for the annual Black Tie, Blue Jeans Ski Ball, held at Couloir.
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Couloir is not simply a place to eat. It’s a destination where diners can experience food possibly at its finest, along with a world-class display of presentation, service, and atmosphere.
With Vanity Fair magazine voting Couloir one of the top-ten best high-altitude restaurants just one year after its 2007 opening, the avalanche of praise and promise for the enterprise continues to cascade. Accolades from Food and Wine Magazine hail the restaurant as “the place to eat in Jackson Hole,” and Couloir also landed on the Conde Nast Hot Tables list in 2008.
This is an experience complete with high-rising adventure, yet doable even by the faint of heart, boasting an atmosphere unmatched in our area. With executive chef Wes Hamilton at the helm of the menu, and general manager Dave Eliason leading the professional team, the sky is the limit for Couloir’s future and reputation.
Located at the base of the Headwall at 9,095 feet above sea level on the slopes of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the restaurant is accessed by taking the Bridger Gondola from Teton Village. The rise up the mountain and over the treetops, three thousand vertical feet in all, is breathtaking for visitors and locals alike.
Hop aboard for lunch or dinner and spend the eight-minute ride up the mountain savoring the views, highlighted by the Gros Ventre Range to the east and Jackson Hole stretching to the north and south. Visitors not staying at the resort can take a quick ride on the public START bus from the town of Jackson to Teton Village.
Once seated, patrons are immersed in a buoyant atmosphere timed to the swirling dance of service staff and bartenders. The dining area holds a mix of large family groups, intimate couples, and après-work locals seated at the bar for appetizers and one of several specialty drinks. One side of the restaurant is lined with prints of skiing in the old days at the resort, while large windows adorn the opposite wall, opening on the natural bounty of Jackson Hole.
The restaurant sits above Rendezvous, a lunchroom serving quick soups and sandwiches for those exploring the mountain on skis, bikes, or foot. Couloir maintains a laid-back western feel with the casual attire common around the valley, but it is not a common restaurant. It is an education of the palate; a higher degree of food preparation and presentation culminating with the grand finale gracing your plate.
Each lunch and dinner menu is unique to the season—celebrating light and breezy summer fare or warm and cozy winter desires—though some favorites are ever-present. With Chef Hamilton’s delicate, deliberate approach from pan to plate, I promise you’ll close your eyes while savoring at least one of the courses at Couloir.
