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the top-notch fare with sandwiches and Mexican entrees. Dishes at the Peaks include free-range chicken and filet mignon. When the bargain-hunting folks who work for the park's concessionaires head out for dinner, though, chances are good they'll land here and order the mountainous nachos supreme from the bar menu. This nutritionist's nightmare—melted cheddar and jack cheese with spicy beef or chicken on a bed of corn chips topped with sour cream—will satisfy three or four hungry adults. The bar has one of the three televisions in the park and is equipped with cable for sports nuts, so the crowd tends to be young and noisy.

JENNY LAKE

Jenny Lake Lodge Dining Room

Jenny Lake Lodge. ☎ 307/543-3300. Fixed-price breakfast $19; lunch $8–$17; fixed-price dinner $60, not including alcoholic beverages. AE, MC, V. Summer daily 7:30–9am, noon–1:30pm, and 6–8:45pm. CONTINENTAL.

The finest meals in either park are served here, where a Cordon Bleu– trained chef creates culinary delights for guests (who have included U.S. presidents in the past). All three daily meals are appetizing, but the five-course dinner is the bell-ringer. Guests choose from appetizers that might include elk carpaccio or roasted Japanese eggplant; salads with organic greens, pecans, and dried cherries; and entrees such as pan-roasted squab, herb-rubbed rabbit leg, or a venison strip loin. Desserts are equally creative and tantalizing. Price is no object, at least for guests, because the room rate includes meals.

NEAR THE PARK

The Bear's Den

At Flagg Ranch, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Pkwy. ☎ 800/443-2311. Breakfast $4.50–$10; lunch $4–$9; dinner $11–$20. AE, DISC, MC, V. Summer 7–11am, 11:30am–4:30pm, and 5–9:30pm. Closed rest of year. AMERICAN.

The food at this oasis is better than the typical fare at what most refer to as a "family restaurant," and servings are generous. The dinner menu includes fish, chicken, and beef dishes, as well as home-style entrees such as ranch beef stew and chicken potpie. The ambience is nice as well; wooden chairs and tables with colorful upholstery liven up this recently constructed log building.

Mangy Moose

1 W. Village Dr., Teton Village. ☎ 307/733-4913. Reservations recommended for larger parties. Main courses $11–$26. AE, MC, V. Daily 5:30–10pm. AMERICAN.

Coming off the slopes at the end of a hard day of skiing or snowboarding, you can slide right to the porch of this ski-area institution. Good luck getting a seat inside, but if you like a lot of noise and laughter and tasty dishes such as buffalo meatloaf and Wyoming trout, be patient—it beats getting into your car and driving elsewhere. The decor matches the pandemonium: It looks like an upscale junk shop, with bicycles, old signs, and, naturally, a moose head or two hanging from the walls and rafters.

Nora's Fish Creek Inn

5600 W. Wyo. 22, Wilson. ☎ 307/733-8288. Breakfast $5–$8; lunch $4–$9; dinner $12– $21. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 6:30am–2pm; Sat–Sun 7am–1:30pm; Wed–Sun 5–9pm. AMERICAN.

If you want to hang with the locals and you like to eat a lot, Nora's is the place to go—especially at breakfast, when the pancakes and huevos rancheros practically overflow the huge plates. Prices are inexpensive compared with those at other restaurants in town. You get as many coffee refills as you like. Dinner is fish, fish, and more fish, namely fresh Idaho trout.

Stiegler's

At the Aspens, Teton Village Rd. ☎ 307/733-1071. Reservations recommended. Main courses $18–$30. AE, MC, V. Tues–Sun 5:30–9:30pm. AUSTRIAN/CONTINENTAL.

Austrian cuisine isn't exactly lurking beyond every street corner waiting to be summoned with a Julie Andrews yodel, but Jackson Hole has two options, both at this address: Stiegler's Restaurant and Stiegler's Bar. Since 1983, Stiegler's has been confusing, astonishing, and delighting customers with such favorites as venison St. Hubertus, bratwurst, and schnitzel, as well as less recognizable (and not as heavy as Austrian food's reputation might suggest) delicacies. The desserts are more