Main Street transformed for annual Savor the Summit

A freshly paved Main Street shut down Saturday evening as 17 restaurants set up for the annual Savor the Summit dinner.

As promised, each participating restaurant brought their personalities to the street, elaborate table decorations ranging from piles of heirloom tomatoes and mushrooms to vases of fresh flowers. Diners turned up in their summer finery — floral dresses, cowboy boots and hats abundant — and as the setting sun cast shadows on the Old Town hub, the warm, 80-degree day became comfortably mild.

While much of the street’s bustle settled around 6 p.m. as people sat to eat or enjoy the open bars at their reserved spot, some without reservations still walked the length to admire the spectacle.

For the dedicated walkers who made it up the hill, Chef John Murcko of Firewood on Main delivered on his promise for a visually striking display. This year, his vision was to create a forest-scape, the arched entryway dripping with foliage and fake, colorful birds, and the long, communal table set under hanging branches and greenery.

The lobby of Murcko’s restaurant became the pass station, plates for their 80 diners lined up for inspection and final touches before being served.

Other restaurants got creative with service logistics, too. Le Depot Brasserie used their side patio as a final check for each course, Egyptian Theatre partnered with 350 Main for a packed family-style meal. Deer Valley Resort, one of two that set up remote kitchens, used Gozney pizza ovens, charcoal grills and massive paella pan to prepare their appetizers and three-course meal.

The resort’s executive chef, Peter Menteer, said the Savor the Summit event is never an easy feat, but it’s always a fun time for the staff. This year the wind was the main challenge — that, and underestimating the demand for the 9-liter bottles of champagne.

While many of the diners were locals, plenty of regular visitors and second-home owners planned their trip to be in town for the event. A retired husband and wife from Florida, who spend around five months of the year at their home in Park Meadows, didn’t bat an eye at the shellfish-laden jambalaya. Last year’s event was so memorable for one woman from Austin that she and her husband planned a quick weekend trip this year to catch the dinner.

Since reservations for dinner can go fast, High West Distilling hosted the public at their Spirit Garden, this time on Lower Main. A line had already formed for the area by the opening at 5 p.m., with musical act Cory Mon performing first. When dinner ended at 9 p.m. sharp, the party continued at the Spirit Garden with Jake & The Heist performing high-energy classics that kept a small dance crowd moving.