When it comes to Italian cuisine, most food lovers will tell you: it’s all about the sauce. With a location, menu and atmosphere that’s been earning accolades and rave reviews from longtime locals and visitors to the valley, Sauce on the Creek has quickly established itself as the hottest new addition to Avon’s dining scene.

Building on a tried-and-true recipe that’s cultivated a following in Summit County with two sister restaurants – Silverthorne’s Sauce on the Blue and Sauce on the Maggie in Breckenridge – Sauce on the Creek recently debuted in Traer Creek Plaza, just west of Eagle-Vail and on the east end of Avon, conveniently accessed from Highway 6 and I-70.

“We were very excited to bring Sauce on the Creek here,” says Tim Applegate, a partner in the three restaurants along with Jenn Geller, Moira Vander Meer and Shervin “Shevy” Rashidi. “We looked at a bunch of locations in the valley, and we kept coming back to this because of the patio and the family friendly, local vibe that is so great.”

Inside the expansive dining room, Tuscan yellow accents create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for shared family-style meals, amplifying an abundance of natural light bathing the space from south-facing glass walls. Outside, an open-air patio offers one of the finest views in the valley, a luxurious courtyard shaded by a grove of aspens where regulars linger over bocce, and lounge on cushioned seats and listen to live music on Sunday afternoons.

From late morning until late in the evening, Sauce on the Creek serves generous portions of Italian lunch and dinner favorites, including a variety of delicious appetizers (from sautéed mussels to spicy fried raviolis), classic pasta dishes (from rigatoni and sausage to penne alla vodka), made-to-order artisan pizzas, and a nightly selection of seafood and beef specials (from plates of seared Atlantic salmon to Colorado filet mignon). Dietary restrictions are accommodated, too, from vegetarian selections to gluten-free pizzas and pastas.

Complementing the cuisine, Sauce on the Creek’s bar area showcases an impressive selection of whiskeys and bourbons, and a curated collection of wine lining two full walls for customers to survey, then savor. The restaurant’s eight-bottle wine cuvenee allows guests to sample by-the-glass pours of the most superlative vintages in one, three or five ounces, or by the flight. 

Daily happy hour drink specials (from 3 to 6 p.m.) include $4 house wine, $5 well drinks, and $1 off specialty cocktails and draft beer; happy hour food specials (from 3 to 5:30 p.m.) include half-price 10-inch pizzas, and $5 select small plates like calamari, arancini, bruschetta and a house favorite: crispy brussels sprouts.

Just make sure you leave room for the finale: a plate of tiramisu paired with a pour of house-made limoncello, a perfect ending to a wonderful meal, and an unforgettable night out on the edge of town that will leave you hungry for more. 

Sauce on the Creek is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; it’s located at 101 Fawcett Road, Suite 100, in Avon. For more information and full menus, visit www.sauceonthecreek.com or call (970) 949-3291.