The Best Ski Resort For: Dinner

Aspen, Colorado, USA

Skiing may be a hearty, sweaty activity, but a holiday's a holiday and most people want a few good dinners just as they would on a summer break. So the battle for the crown of best ski resort for dining is a hard-fought one. Zermatt, Switzerland, has a well-nourished reputation. But since heart attack is the biggest killer on the ski slopes, we could do without all that pork and cheese. Megève, France, has a claim, with Marc Veyrat's three-Michelin-starred La Ferme de mon Père.

However, for sheer volume of quality, Aspen rules. With an airport allowing fish to make it to your plate within 24 hours of being pulled from the Pacific, it's one of the few mountain towns where seafood is trustworthy. Hence the presence of a branch of Nobu, called Matsuhisa (001 970 544 6628). Its $100 (£65) omakase ("chef's choice") tasting menu features sushi, sashimi, tempura and beef from sake-massaged Kobe cattle, accompanied by exotic Japanese leaves and fungi.

Another international name is connected to Aspen restaurants, since the chef-owner of Mogador, Barclay Dodge, (001 970 429 1072) learnt his trade at El Bulli, the three-star restaurant on the Catalan coast where Ferran Adria has revolutionised cooking with inventions such as savoury foams. Mogador has a Spanish/North African feel but twists it in such dishes as Florida Stone Crab in Cumin Butter with Ribbons of Shellfish Consomme, Cebollitas and Toasted Almond; or Calamari a la Plancha, Black Ink Leeks in Sauce Gribiche and Tomato Hearts Vierge.

These two are the culinary vanguard, but other restaurants back them to the hilt. Rustique (001 970 920 2555) offers classic French dishes such as Cassoulet of Duck or Pot Au Feu of beef and horseradish. Olives (001 970 920 7356) at the St Regis Hotel is a hotel restaurant that would stand up on its own in New York and serves a perfect Martini. There are dozens of others and, with competition so fierce, it's difficult to find a poor meal, whether you are looking for a quick burger or pizza or something clever involving a tuna

Information on eating in Aspen can be obtained on 001 800 525 6200 or by visiting www.aspen-snowmass.com/intown/dining