Gessner - Vail

Overall our experience was mixed, but in the end Chef Dan proved himself competent and we enjoyed our dinner. Because we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Vail, we looked into it?s restaurant, Gessner. In very plain language, the ?About? tab of this restaurant on Google says enjoy ?vegetarian to vegan options,? so we were excited to try it out. My wife and I made reservations, put on some nice clothes, and went to celebrate the anniversary of our engagement. Things started to go sideways when our server, Rafael, told us there were no vegan items on the menu. I politely encouraged him to ask the kitchen if they could put together something for us, and he refused. He told me that this was a steak restaurant, and if I wanted vegetarian food I should go somewhere else. Obviously I found this sentiment extremely off putting, and I felt very embarrassed and unsure if I should just ask for a bill for my drink and leave. I tried once again to smooth the situation down and try to convince Rafael to ask the kitchen about what accommodations could be made, and he went very reluctantly. Well, in the end he returned with some options for us, and we also were introduced to server Doug who checked up on us a few times that night (we also had the pleasure to see him again several times in the Fireside Lounge over the course of the trip). Our food was good, and we were very pleasantly surprised that Chef Dan prepared a special off menu dessert for us and served it to us himself. This is a battle of restaurant paternalism vs customer autonomy, and Chef Dan?s willingness to be flexible to please us as customers is the only reason we had an enjoyable evening. I have never been asked to leave a restaurant before in my life, and although Rafael didn?t say ?Get out,? he effectively did communicate that message to me when he told me I should try to eat somewhere else. Honestly baffling behavior considering we were two of the 4 or 5 people in the entire restaurant.

Located inside the Grand Hyatt, we were greeted warmly and ushered to our seats. From the time our waiter Travis introduced himself the service and experience exquisite. He was informative and friendly and made awesome recommendations. The food came out absolutely delicious. From the squash salad , Pretzels bread , Lemon Thyme Chicken with lentils and butternut squash to the cherry tart with cream cheese ice. Just amazing. ????????????????????????????????????????Thank you Travis for the amazing service . ??????????????

IMO: Never Again! Horrific service. Except for the very attentive bussing staff. Waiter disappeared. Ordered 2 bottles of Stags Leap Artemis the moment we sat down. No wine brought. No explanation. Pound of salt on the steak. Short ribs hard (how is that possible? . Apologies only as we got the bill. Total Fail. Avoid at all costs.

Very disappointing dining experience in Grande Hyatt. Expected much better food in such high end hotel in Vail. Food quality was worse than any other average restaurants. Over and Under salted dishes. Wings too salty and pasta no salt at all. Fish undercooked. Cold inside. Couldn?t even cut through. The source for the fish was too salty. Mediocre Wagyu beef burger. The only OK dish was the half chicken.

The food is outstanding at Gessner's. The restaurant is located in the Grand Hyatt, the restaurant and hotel are both stunningly beautiful. We like dining out in the lobby area after a long day of skiing, highly recommend!