Vail attorney Nancy Adam Thursday sent the Vail Daily an e-mail stating that one of her clients will contribute $1 for every $2 raised this evening, up to a maximum of $5,000.

The May 28 fire at the Chambertin condominiums destroyed that complex and badly damaged at least one neighboring building. There were no serious injuries, but residents lost everything in the blaze — one victim stated she got out with just the clothes on her back and shoes on her feet.

While residents lost their material possessions, what they need now is cash, since those residents don’t have anywhere to store stuff.

To learn more about helping the Chambertin fire victims, attend this evening’s event at the Northside, or call the Vail Valley Salvation Army, 970-748-0704

Ron Byrne & Associates , where helping the community is part of our goal.

“We’re trying something different this year,” said Ross Hamilton, dining room manager at Sweet Basil. “We wanted this spring series to be more of a social gathering rather than a sit down demonstration like the past Love our Locals events. That way people can mix, mingle and socialize while they enjoy what each event has to offer.”   So with that in mind, Sweet Basil has also taken the 6 to 8 week series and pared it down to only three events that will be held in Sweet Basil’s back dining room through June.

Sweet Basil’s Chef de cuisine, bar manager and sommelier are a few of the facilitators for the new spring social series. The events include the fundamentals of matching wine with summer foods, creating signature crafted cocktails and a very unique beer dinner concludes the series.

The Love our Locals Social Series celebrates Memorial Day weekend this Sunday afternoon with Sunday Sippers, a casual afternoon of matching grilled foods with some crisp summer wines. Wade Vizena, Sweet Basil’s wine director and certified specialist of wine, hand selected some interesting wines for this event. Held in the back room of Sweet Basil, guests arrive to tables of bite-sized grilled foods that they can sample alongside a variety of wines.

“The basic structural components in wine are easily paired with the structural components in food. Simply match those components and you match your wine to your food,” said Vizena who has been working diligently with Chef de Cuisine Brian Brouillard to create some interesting pairings. “I want to teach people how to identify flavors in foods to pair with a great wine.”

“Fresh and lively whites offer great acidity that pair well with grilled fish and chicken without weighing you down,” Vizena said. “Reds for the summer time stand up to smoky grilled meats.”

Brouillard will be grilling up favorites like Croque Monsieur and other delicious surprises … and not just proteins. “This is a great time to take fruits and vegetables and toss them on the grill to kick start your barbecue season,” Brouillard said.

Mike Imhof, vice president of sales and operations at the Foundation, said this year’s problems are due to a lack of snow this past winter, while last year the problem was completely the opposite.

Imhof said the safety of the competitors is the top priority. It makes cancellation decisions easier when there are obvious safety hazards, and it looks like there will be hazards in less than two weeks when the Mountain Games kick off.

Imhof said Friday there are three water events in question for this summer’s Mountain Games — StandUp Paddle Sprint, StandUp Paddle Cross and the Kayak Freestyle.

With low water flows through Gore Creek, the stand-up paddle board fins can easily rip off or snag, which could cause racers to fall onto rocks in shallow water.

Vail Valley Foundation whitewater expert Charlie Ebel said Gore Creek is running at 160 cubic feet per second, which is already too low for safe stand-up paddle races.

“Of course, the water level could worsen or become more favorable in the next two weeks,” Ebel said in a statement released by the Foundation.

Imhof said Friday that it’s likely the stand-up paddle races will be canceled, but the Foundation is going to hold off on calling the kayak freestyle event until the Tuesday before the Mountain Games are scheduled to begin.

Any athletes registered for events that end up canceled will get a full refund, Imhof said.

“This is all about the safety of the competitors,” he said.

Over the last 11 years, the Teva Mountain Games has faced many Mother Nature-related events — including sinkholes, snowstorms, floods and fires. It’s something Imhof laughs about because it’s out of anyone’s control.

“Therein lies event management — you hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” he said. “From our standpoint, it’s really not that difficult. When there’s stuff coming at you, the common denominator is whether it’s safe for our athletes and spectators, and are we providing an experience both enjoyable and in a safe environment.”

In 2010, a fine snow year but certainly not a record-breaker, the Teva Mountain Games were plagued by warm weather that caused a rapid snowmelt and powerful runoff. The Foundation canceled the 8 Ball Kayak, Teva Raft Cross and Stand-Up Paddle Surf Cross due to the runoff, which was recorded at 1,700 cfs and 2,700 cfs on the mornings of Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The water levels reached 20-year highs around the 2010 Teva Mountain Games, and residents in East Vail faced the waters head-on as flooding affected many homes and condominium buildings. The raging water also created a flow of debris, with logs, large rocks and stumps all heading downstream, making conditions all the more dangerous.

Then, in 2011, the record snow year meant piles of snow were still left all over Vail Mountain. In the weeks leading up to the Teva Mountain Games, some worried whether the 2010 floods and fast water would return. Temperatures remained favorable, though, and the runoff was fine. The only problem was the amount of snow still left on Vail Mountain.

Foundation staff members, along with Vail Resorts staff, hand-shoveled snow on Vail Mountain to clear away singletracks for cross-country mountain biking and the 10K running race.

The past two years, and now this year, prove that the amount of snow Vail Mountain received in the preceding winter doesn’t mean you can predict what conditions will be like in early June.

Imhof said the other water events will happen, with some minor course changes possible but nothing more.

The Steep Creek Championships on Homestake Creek, outside of Red Cliff, kick off the games next Thursday.

“Homestake Creek is currently running at 65 cfs, and we’ve run that race at levels as low as 27 cfs,” Ebel said. “I think we have yet to see the peak flow of the season and I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to make this race happen. It’s amazing how the paddlers can navigate even the smallest flows on the creek and it’ll still be super exciting to watch.”

The Foundation announced that it is also confident that the Down River Sprint, 8 Ball Kayak Spring and the Teva Raft Cross can still be raced.

The same is true here, only in Vail Village, it also means your favorite restaurant may not be open.

For chefs like Oliver Philpott, spring can be frustrating.

“It’s a time of year when all the ingredients are finally here, but the customers leave,” he said. “The local farms are kicking it off, we get all this cool stuff, and for us, staying open means we can use all those great ingredients.”

Philpott is the executive chef at La Tour in Vail Village, one of only a handful of restaurants to stay open during the off season, which generally runs through the end of May. Restaurants like La Tour, which do stay open throughout the off season in Vail Village, offer deep discounts April through May to entice the local clientele that is still here.

“By doing the volume, we get to retain our staff and get to buy these fantastic ingredients,” said Philpott.

He said some of his favorite new ingredients, which are featured on the restaurant’s brand new spring menu, include morel mushrooms, wild ramps and exotic peas.

“Right now we have a pea dish that has five kinds of peas on it,” he said. “Peas are so perishable and sweet, we get them in just for that dish.”

La Tour, located on Meadow Drive in Vail Village, is offering 50 percent off entrees during the off season. On a recent Saturday night they were packed full with diners.

Down the road at Terra Bistro, also on Meadow Drive, the restaurant is offering a three-course menu for $39. They also just recently switched to a spring menu.

“The trout is definitely something I would recommend on that menu,” said Marge Montiel, a server there. “Or maybe the cobia … it’s a nice, mild white firm fish.”

Montiel said the spring menu is a lot lighter than the winter version. She said a good salad to try is their new spicy radish and sprout salad.

Spring menus in full swing

At Sweet Basil, a well-known restaurant named after a popular spring ingredient, Chef de Cuisine Brian Brouillard said the salads on their new menu are worth the trip.

“Our spring vegetable salad is beautiful,” Brouillard said. “It’s vegan. On a plate it looks absolutely amazing.”

Sweet Basil, located on Gore Creek Drive in Vail Village, will only be using their spring menu until June, so now’s the time to check it out and take advantage of the three-course dinner for $45. The top entree on the new menu is a crisp Rocky Mountain trout, served with grilled artichokes, dill, crushed potato and green garlic.

“It’s the whole fish on the plate,” he said.

On Bridge Street, Ore House, Vendetta’s and the Tap Room are still rocking. If you haven’t tried Vendetta’s outside of the late-night pizza menu, now might be a good opportunity to sample the true Italian fare in their fine dining area downstairs. All entrees there are currently $12 or less, with options such as shrimp gorgonzola, veal piccata and fettuccine alfredo.

If you’re in the mood for a steak, Ore House has 50 percent off entrees right now including the Steak Ore House, a tenderloin served with applewood-smoked bacon, crab and chipotle bernaise.

Check out the Tap Room for a great deal on lunch. They’re currently running daily specials; on a recent Sunday it was a barbecue club and fries for $6.95.

The nice folks at Sushi Oka on Meadow Drive say the construction there has been killing them, and since an ingredient like sushi must stay fresh in order to serve it, they thought it better to close until the repairs outside their building cease. But they’ll reopen May 8 with 25 percent off the whole menu, and the hibachi grill will be sizzling and waiting for you. Owner Rick Woo and company also have May Palace in West Vail if you’re in the mood for Chinese; during the off season you can ask for a locals’ discount there and get 15 percent off your tab.

Another great place for fish is Montauk in Lionshead. All their entrees are currently $25, and that includes lobster tail, tuna, salmon, trout, swordfish, catfish, mahi mahi, crab and shrimp. They just started up a spring menu, as well, and are open for dinner nightly starting at 5:30 p.m.

‘Extremely seasonal’

You’ll only catch Restaurant Kelly Liken, located in the Gateway building in Vail, open Wednesday through Sunday right now, but if you find yourself in the mood for a delicious meal on, say, a Monday, it’s well worth the wait. Among the items available on their discounted menu are the tender, succulent lamb cheeks, served with herbed spaetzle and a basil vinaigrette.

“Everything is new, pretty much,” Chef de Cuisine Matt Limbaugh said of their spring menu, which was just initiated a few weeks ago. “I don’t know anyone in town who’s doing lamb cheeks… We have to special order them.”

The lamb cheeks come from Mountain Meadows Farm in Colorado; Restaurant Kelly Liken’s goal is to use ingredients from local farms whenever possible.

“We braise them for about two hours then throw them on the grill with Carolina-style barbecue sauce,” said Limbaugh. “They get caramelized right there on the grill. People seem to really like them.”

Limbaugh has been looking forward to cooking with some of the ingredients he’s using now since last spring, he said.

“We’re extremely seasonal — you won’t see tomatoes until it’s time for tomatoes,” he said. “All the new stuff comes in the spring, so that excites me.”

Limbaugh said another locally produced and seasonal dish not to be missed is the gnudi, which is basically a type of gourmet cheese dumpling.

“We get sheep’s milk ricotta from Fruition Farms, which is Alex Seidel’s farm,” said Limbaugh. “And all the vegetables are locally grown down the road in Sweetwater.”

Restaurant Kelly Liken opens for dinner at 6 p.m.; they’re currently offering a three-course prix fixe for $45.

Trek to Table

Work up an appetite then satisfy your food cravings on a gourmet scale with the Vail Valley Foundation’s inaugural Trek to Table.  Scheduled for July 8, Trek to Table will benefit the overarching arts, athletics and educational mission of the Vail Valley Foundation.  The day will include a nine-mile hike on Arrowhead and Beaver Creek Mountains, with varying routes and degrees of difficulty.  Along the way, you’ll enjoy breakfast, lunch and après gourmet food and drink at three of the prestigious private cabin restaurants that dot the route. 

Date:  Sunday, July 8, 2012

Time: Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. at Broken Arrow in Arrowhead

Location:  Arrowhead and Beaver Creek Mountains

                Breakfast – Broken Arrow Restaurant

                Refreshments – Zach’s Cabin

                Lunch – Beano’s Cabin

                Après – Allie’s Cabin

Tickets:  $200 each – Bring a friend that is a new donor to the foundation, you receive $25 off your ticket price! 

For additional information on Trek to Table, contact Kati Kasch at kkasch@vvf.org or 970-748-5947 or sign up online!

After you read through the tips and techniques, tailor the list to your home and yard. Create a realistic schedule, keeping in mind that a single weekend won’t suffice, as you’ll need several days for more involved projects, such as shampooing carpets and organizing closets. Whether you prefer to proceed from the attic to the basement or start outdoors and wind your way inside, focus on one task at a time. And be sure to enlist the help of family members.

The information on this checklist was excerpted from “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook” (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; 2006).

For more information on perfecting your home, contact Ron Byrne & Associates Real Estate in Vail, Colorado.

See you at the 2012 Summer Teva Mountain Games.

For more than a decade, Vail’s Teva Mountain Games has hosted some of the most progressive outdoor sports competitions in the world, from downriver stand-up paddling races, to mountain-bike freeride trials, and now the event lineup includes competitive slacklining.

From June 1 to June 3 at the Teva Mountain Games, the world’s top slackliners will battle it out head-to-head at the Gibbon Games International Slackline Competition, a World Slackline Federation-sanctioned event.

Slacklining is the act of balancing along a narrow, flexible piece of webbing typically anchored between two trees. Originating in the climbing world, slacklining has evolved into a cross-training tool, then a backyard activity, and now a competitive sport that combines balance, strength, agility and acrobatics. Boulder-based Gibbon Slacklines is the world’s leading manufacturer of slacklines and sponsors a team of professional athletes and competitions across North America.

“We saw our first slackline competition at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City last summer and immediately realized it would be a perfect addition to our event,” says Michael Imhof, vice president of sales and operations at the Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the Teva Games. “Because it’s so accessible, dynamic and fun, slacklining is exploding in popularity right now, and we’re pleased to host one of the new sport’s biggest competitions right here in Vail.”

Slacklining got a big boost in exposure earlier this year when Gibbon professional slackliner, Andy Lewis, performed during the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Madonna. Lewis is slated to compete in Vail along with current national and world champion, Michael Payton, and numerous other pro slackliners from around the world.

“We’re excited to showcase our sport to the thousands of spectators that attend the Teva Mountain Games,” says Emilio Torres, vice president of sales and marketing for Gibbon Slacklines USA. “With a cash purse on the line, the competition will be intense. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

The Gibbon Games International Slackline Competition at the Teva Mountain Games starts on Friday, June 1, with single-elimination qualifying rounds judged on difficulty, creativity and performance. The finals are scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 3.

In addition to the pro competition, an interactive demo area will be set up for anyone to try slacklining throughout the festival.

The same is true here, only in Vail Village, it also means your favorite restaurant may not be open.

For chefs like Oliver Philpott, spring can be frustrating.

“It’s a time of year when all the ingredients are finally here, but the customers leave,” he said. “The local farms are kicking it off, we get all this cool stuff, and for us, staying open means we can use all those great ingredients.”

Philpott is the executive chef at La Tour in Vail Village, one of only a handful of restaurants to stay open during the off season, which generally runs through the end of May. Restaurants like La Tour, which do stay open throughout the off season in Vail Village, offer deep discounts April through May to entice the local clientele that is still here.

“By doing the volume, we get to retain our staff and get to buy these fantastic ingredients,” said Philpott.

He said some of his favorite new ingredients, which are featured on the restaurant’s brand new spring menu, include morel mushrooms, wild ramps and exotic peas.

“Right now we have a pea dish that has five kinds of peas on it,” he said. “Peas are so perishable and sweet, we get them in just for that dish.”

La Tour, located on Meadow Drive in Vail Village, is offering 50 percent off entrees during the off season. On a recent Saturday night they were packed full with diners.

Down the road at Terra Bistro, also on Meadow Drive, the restaurant is offering a three-course menu for $39. They also just recently switched to a spring menu.

“The trout is definitely something I would recommend on that menu,” said Marge Montiel, a server there. “Or maybe the cobia … it’s a nice, mild white firm fish.”

Montiel said the spring menu is a lot lighter than the winter version. She said a good salad to try is their new spicy radish and sprout salad.

Spring menus in full swing

At Sweet Basil, a well-known restaurant named after a popular spring ingredient, Chef de Cuisine Brian Brouillard said the salads on their new menu are worth the trip.

“Our spring vegetable salad is beautiful,” Brouillard said. “It’s vegan. On a plate it looks absolutely amazing.”

Sweet Basil, located on Gore Creek Drive in Vail Village, will only be using their spring menu until June, so now’s the time to check it out and take advantage of the three-course dinner for $45. The top entree on the new menu is a crisp Rocky Mountain trout, served with grilled artichokes, dill, crushed potato and green garlic.

“It’s the whole fish on the plate,” he said.

On Bridge Street, Ore House, Vendetta’s and the Tap Room are still rocking. If you haven’t tried Vendetta’s outside of the late-night pizza menu, now might be a good opportunity to sample the true Italian fare in their fine dining area downstairs. All entrees there are currently $12 or less, with options such as shrimp gorgonzola, veal piccata and fettuccine alfredo.

If you’re in the mood for a steak, Ore House has 50 percent off entrees right now including the Steak Ore House, a tenderloin served with applewood-smoked bacon, crab and chipotle bernaise.

Check out the Tap Room for a great deal on lunch. They’re currently running daily specials; on a recent Sunday it was a barbecue club and fries for $6.95.

The nice folks at Sushi Oka on Meadow Drive say the construction there has been killing them, and since an ingredient like sushi must stay fresh in order to serve it, they thought it better to close until the repairs outside their building cease. But they’ll reopen May 8 with 25 percent off the whole menu, and the hibachi grill will be sizzling and waiting for you. Owner Rick Woo and company also have May Palace in West Vail if you’re in the mood for Chinese; during the off season you can ask for a locals’ discount there and get 15 percent off your tab.

Another great place for fish is Montauk in Lionshead. All their entrees are currently $25, and that includes lobster tail, tuna, salmon, trout, swordfish, catfish, mahi mahi, crab and shrimp. They just started up a spring menu, as well, and are open for dinner nightly starting at 5:30 p.m.

‘Extremely seasonal’

You’ll only catch Restaurant Kelly Liken, located in the Gateway building in Vail, open Wednesday through Sunday right now, but if you find yourself in the mood for a delicious meal on, say, a Monday, it’s well worth the wait. Among the items available on their discounted menu are the tender, succulent lamb cheeks, served with herbed spaetzle and a basil vinaigrette.

“Everything is new, pretty much,” Chef de Cuisine Matt Limbaugh said of their spring menu, which was just initiated a few weeks ago. “I don’t know anyone in town who’s doing lamb cheeks… We have to special order them.”

The lamb cheeks come from Mountain Meadows Farm in Colorado; Restaurant Kelly Liken’s goal is to use ingredients from local farms whenever possible.

“We braise them for about two hours then throw them on the grill with Carolina-style barbecue sauce,” said Limbaugh. “They get caramelized right there on the grill. People seem to really like them.”

Limbaugh has been looking forward to cooking with some of the ingredients he’s using now since last spring, he said.

“We’re extremely seasonal — you won’t see tomatoes until it’s time for tomatoes,” he said. “All the new stuff comes in the spring, so that excites me.”

Limbaugh said another locally produced and seasonal dish not to be missed is the gnudi, which is basically a type of gourmet cheese dumpling.

“We get sheep’s milk ricotta from Fruition Farms, which is Alex Seidel’s farm,” said Limbaugh. “And all the vegetables are locally grown down the road in Sweetwater.”

Restaurant Kelly Liken opens for dinner at 6 p.m.; they’re currently offering a three-course prix fixe for $45.