Each issue of Covered Bridge we, your brave culinary explorers Russel Reuben and William Montecristo, search the valley for inspiring burgers, sandwiches, tacos, snacks on a stick, second breakfasts and finger foods.
For the fourth issue, we wanted to highlight our love of food with a purpose. Today, we raise our mimosas toward those bleary-eyed brave souls that took their extreme après a little too deep. Are you even able to call yourself a local if you haven’t fallen madly in love on the 2 a.m. bus a few times? We’ve tried hair of the dog, the half hour sit-down shower and the Sunday morning street sweeper. Some days you have to take your vitamin I and call in the big guns …
Hangover elixirs, potions and egg sandwiches. Paired with black coffee, sweatpants and sunglasses.
Gold: Egg Sandwich, Hovey & Harrison — Edwards.Reuben: Long time listener first time caller here for me, but when William Montecristo says jump, I ask, ‘How high?’ The real question is, are you Team Sausage or Team Bacon on your morning after meal? Because I’m Team Tot! Between the buns was spectacular, but these little potato croquettes were sensational; I’m salivating just thinking about them.
Montecristo: I’d like to apologize for telling rookie Russel to order the “Hung dog Millionaire with HashLeBrons” from the secret menu. Yeah, they didn’t think it was funny either. Thankfully, the nice team behind the counter didn’t deny us service and treated us to the most wonderful prescription breakfast known to man. Fluffy soft bread cradling avocado, eggs and your favorite breakfast meat. Yellow cheese glues it all together unpretentiously and lets the yolk drip down to sauce the show stealing tots.
Silver: Steak and Eggs Wedge, The Little Diner — Vail.Reuben: There’s nothing ‘little’ about this Italian stallion; it’ll either have you loving or hating your decision to make one last stop at The George the night before. Belly up with your brown bottle fever and witness kitchen wizardry! Don’t make plans after grubbin’ down this sanducci; you’ll want to get home and go full horizontal. But, wasn’t that the point?
Montecristo: Waking up sideways, you might be tempted to stray from our advice and order the aptly named Hang-over Helper Wrap. Yes, it’s delicious and has some medicinal properties, but we’re not talking about a little wobble noggin. When you’re fully goosed, you need tender steak and fried eggs piled on an authentic Amoroso roll. Salt. Fat. Yolk. Reminiscent of a Philly steak but with a much friendlier disposition to help you get yourself put back together.
Bronze: Breakfast Sandwich, Sunrise Minturn — Minturn. Reuben: What’s more classic than a Disney sequel? A bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Duh. At $7 a pop, naturally Billy Cristal and I ordered two each, because absorption is key after running the pool tables all night at Route 6. As we took our first bite in absolute synchronicity and witnessed that perfect egg explosion happening and the liquid chicken spill onto our plates, we realized sometimes the right path is the easiest one.
Montecristo:Stripped down and delicious. The perfect morning after antidote for when your check engine light is on, and you don’t know where your phone is. A couple splashes of Sendy Sauce for a little extra kick, and you’ll be ready to start remembering the night before. You might want to order a burrito, too. You’re going to need it when I tell you about what you said to your ex on the dance floor.
Fried bologna, garlicky, buttery deliciousness on an everything bagel toasted with a cracker crunch. A totally capable anti-venom for those difficult mornings.
Disclaimer: These rankings are absolutely anecdotal samplings of some of the food we ate with our hands and is by no stretch of the imagination an all-inclusive or accurate encapsulation of the valley’s cornucopia of offerings. If you have a suggestion of where we should eat next please email us at eatwithyourhandsvail@gmail.com.
Illustrations by Becca Saulsberry.