While contemplating the focus for this week’s Bar Talk, I ended up at Meat & Cheese Restaurant and Farm Shop in downtown Aspen for dinner, where inspiration struck.

It struck in the form of a purple cocktail that seems made for the transition of the seasons.

The Dusty Berries, found on the curated, six-drink Meat & Cheese cocktail menu, is made with Peach Street Distillers bourbon, Mata vermouth blanco, lemon, blackberry syrup, thyme and bitters.

It would seem that I’m on a berries in cocktails kick, as last week’s drink featured blueberries.

It’s served in a rocks glass with a fragrant sprig of thyme and is a pretty berry purple color, like what you might imagine a grape Popsicle would look like in cocktail form — perfect for the October season.

Much like a blackberry, it’s a burst of a lot of flavor at first, and then it mellows out, leaving you with no residual aftertaste.  

My first sip or two, I likened it to an herbaceous or medicinal Jolly Rancher, as the drink is very tart and juicy, thanks to the lemon, blackberry syrup and the vermouth. But, the addition of thyme and the botanicals from the vermouth help smooth the tartness and add another layer of flavor and feel to the drink.

The Dusty Berries is a clever take on a whiskey or bourbon smash, but, if you dislike the texture of fruit muddled in your glass, you’ll appreciate this since the blueberry syrup gives the cocktail the strong flavor and color of the fruit plus the sweetness of a simple syrup without the mushy or seedy texture.

It seems that earlier in the season, at least according to older Meat & Cheese menus posted online, the cocktail was made with a rye, but now it is being made with bourbon, specifically Peach Street Distillery bourbon.

Of course, I don’t know what the drink would taste like when made with rye, but, when made with Peach Street bourbon, which has as mellow spice, it has no after bite, or, as my dinner companion said, “It’s smooth as hell.”

Located in Palisade, just two hours from downtown Aspen, Peach Street Distillers is a Western Slope distillery that makes a little bit of everything; it is the sister company to Durango’s Ska Brewing.

Peach Street makes bourbon, whiskey, gin, vodka and d’agave, which is essentially tequila; but, since it is not distilled in Jalisco, it has to be called something different. The distillery also plays with Palisade-grown fruits to make brandy, grappa, eau de vie and amaro.

I was first introduced to Peach Street Distillery at a distillers’ dinner hosted at Carbondale Beer Works, pre-pandemic. Beerworks is bringing back their distillers dinners this winter, and I’ll definitely be writing about that experience in a future Bar Talk column.

The pairing dinner was a great introduction that got me excited about the distillery and wanting to make the journey to Palisade to see where the goods were made and try some other offerings.

It wasn’t until October 2020 that I finally made it to Peach Street, and it was well worth the journey.

I ended up in Palisade after a jaunt to Grand Junction, more specifically Studt’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, a classic and sprawling pumpkin patch with corn mazes and lots of other fall-themed activities.

On the way back to Aspen, I stopped off in Palisade for a quick peak at Peach Street and a drink and late lunch at the restaurant attached to the distillery.

This October getaway is perhaps why, when I see a liquor from the distillery on the menu, my mind instantly turns to fall feelings.

The Dusty Berries cocktail from Meat & Cheese perfectly fits the fall vibes as a good transitional cocktail, appropriate for enjoying on a warm fall day or sipping on a chilly fall evening.

Harvest season has always held a universal, mythical quality. 

Here in the Roaring Fork Valley, autumn truly is a liminal time. It’s a time of transition as well as a time of abundance and joy. As the days get shorter and the first signs of winter appear, our farmers quite literally “reap what they have sown,” while families and communities come together to connect and celebrate those who provide them sustenance.

It is in this spirit that the Carbondale Tourism Board, local Chef Mark Hardin, organizers and participants hope attendees will enjoy the inaugural Carbondale Farm Fest from Oct. 14-16.

According to Hardin, harvest celebrations are all about gathering around a fire with friends and neighbors to reminisce summer while enjoying music and, most importantly, food.

Hardin grew up in Ohio, where his family maintained a small summer garden that had a huge impact on his relationship to land, food and community. He fondly remembers how that small plot of soil in the backyard fed his immediate family, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, and he credits it with instilling a certain awareness about not wasting anything and the importance of self-sustenance. 

He has recruited a group of notable chefs, restaurateurs, ranchers and farmers — both legacy and newcomers — to pull off the weekend-long festival. Spring Creeks Ranch, Cedar Ridge Ranch and Potter Farms are a few of the outfits opening their gates to the public.

Of course, there have been challenges. Due to the well-documented and much-lamented labor shortage in the valley, some friends and colleagues had to decide between keeping their businesses open and participating, not having enough staff to do both. Hardin understands the challenges facing the restaurant industry and hopes this will become an annual tradition that will allow everyone to partake in the future.

Nonetheless, Farm Fest has managed to snag some high-profile supporters. Harper Kaufman, owner of Two Roots Farm; Casey Piscura, executive director of Seed Peace; and chefs Brian Mallon and Jeff Porterfield of Stick and Bindle are a small sampling of some of the local talent Farm Fest has enlisted. Beloved longtime resident and chef Andreas Fischbacher, formerly of Cloud Nine and Allegria, is also thrilled to support it.

“It’s important for the community to get involved and come together on a big scale and learn where their food comes from,” Fischbacher said.

Several local farms will be providing produce for the event. But, don’t call what he does “farm to table.”

“I don’t love the term ‘farm to table’ because everything that ends up on the table is from some sort of a farm,” corporate or otherwise, he said, adding that all of us should advocate for our locally run farms. “Farming and ranching are very important to the valley, and something we need to preserve for the survival of our animals, land and our way of life.”

Tanner Gianinetti, a fourth-generation owner and operator of Spring Creeks Ranch, agrees.

“It’s so important to know where our food comes from, especially when it comes to the meat we eat,” he said.

Gianinetti’s predecessors immigrated to the valley in 1911. In 1927, they acquired what is now Springs Creeks Ranch. The ranch evolved from a substantial potato-farming operation in the 1920s to 1940s and then moved into livestock. Today, it’s a fully operational hospitality ranch that hosts an equestrian center, fly fishing and various private events.

Although the Gianinetti family is not commercially ranching any longer, Gianinetti stressed the impact it makes on all of us when people get a chance to see the lifecycle of an animal and how it fits into the food chain.  

“Without an awareness and understanding of the animals we eat, how they live, their personalities, as well as ranching protocols, consumers can’t really appreciate where their meat comes from,” he said.

He’s excited about opening the ranch to Farm Fest participants for a Harvest Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 15, and is interested in how new, younger farmers in the valley are working toward a more sustainable local food chain.

For Tanner, it is all about “self-sufficiency, getting like-minded people together, family values and keeping the village atmosphere alive.”

Mark Hardin shares the sentiment. 

“What we have here in the Roaring Fork Valley are long-standing ranching and farming traditions,” he said. And, now, “what we are seeing is a resurgence of those traditions,” with a focus on more sustainable means, less energy and less processing. “Cheap food is not necessarily the best for the land, animals and those of us eating it.”

Hardin hopes Farm Fest will give people a renewed appreciation for all the great things the valley has to offer and encourage them to look to local suppliers to supply their food.  

As for the event, he said, “We want everyone to do well; plus, it’s fun working with our friends.”

Produce stands and farmers markets are a universal way to connect with seasonal, local food and meet the people who grow it. Even with the farming challenges of our mountainous locale, the Roaring Fork Valley has a farmer’s market for almost every day of the week. Tempting selections of fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses and prepared foods make creating a meal-of-the-moment or picking up good food to go a breeze. And, as you wander the stalls, don’t be surprised if you bump into your favorite local chefs, as many get creative inspiration from seeing what’s fresh.

If you would rather have a selection of local, farm fresh ingredients curated for you, investigate local CSAs. “CSA” stands for community supported agriculture. CSAs work by having people become members, which means you are purchasing a share of vegetables, meat, dairy and more from a farmer or collection of farmers for the growing season. As such, you receive a box with an assortment of their freshly harvested products on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. While requiring a summer-long membership of weekly pick-ups is standard, it’s well worth the commitment, not only for the quality of the food, but also for the adventurous ‘mystery box’ aspect to it.

Local Markets from Aspen to Glenwood Springs

• Aspen Saturday Market. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. – This market has been going strong since 1998. Every Saturday from mid-June to mid-October customers stroll the U-shaped market from Hopkins to Hunter to Hyman street shopping and catching up with friends, while enjoying live music. In addition to Colorado-grown produce, meats and cheeses, there’s Colorado-made bread, skin-care products, art and more. In fact, having a Colorado connection is a criterion for selling at the market, which does over a million dollars in sales during its 17-week run, according to Kathy Strickland, market manager.
• Basalt Sunday Market, Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – The Basalt Sunday Market is part market, part casual community gathering held downtown on Midland Spur. You can purchase produce and meats from local farms like Rock Bottom Ranch, enjoy live music, grab a snack, and pick up one-of-a-kind offerings from local vendors. They even have arts and crafts for kids.
• Carbondale Downtown Farmers’ Market, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. – Get a burst of mid-week dinner inspiration at this eclectic market set up in the middle of downtown. With a focus on local farmers, producers and artisans, not only can you buy wonderful products, you’ll be supporting the community goal of sustainable business practices.
• Glenwood’s Downtown Market, Tuesdays, 4–8 p.m. – Enjoy a different kind of happy hour at this lively evening market, located just off of Grand Avenue. In addition to being able to buy goods from local farmers and makers, you can pick up dinner and enjoy live music.
• Glenwood Springs Saturday Famers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. -Established in 1986, this market focuses primarily on fresh produce, although there are some crafts and prepared foods, and live music by the Farmhand String Band. It’s located at 14th and Grand Avenue.

Chris Keating likes to tell the story of how he met Bill Greenwood.

The Pine Creek Cookhouse general manager was then working as the executive sous chef at The Little Nell hotel in Aspen when he received a phone call from a 17-year-old Greenwood who’d just moved to Vail.

“He said, ‘I don’t like Vail and I want to come work in Aspen,’” Keating said during a recent spring afternoon on the Cookhouse’s sun-drenched patio. “I said, ‘We have some positions available and if I was looking at you, it’d be different. But …”

Greenwood was standing in front of Keating the next morning at 8 a.m., and so began a years-long partnership that culminated with Greenwood serving as Keating’s chef de cuisine at the Hotel Jerome.

Now, the duo has again teamed up to put their stamp on yet another classic Aspen restaurant: the Pine Creek Cookhouse. And while Chef Greenwood may be in charge of the kitchen, Keating remains intimately involved in the menu offerings at one of the area’s oldest restaurants.

“We have this culinary tennis match,” Keating says of his relationship with Greenwood. “When we start talking about food, it’s like a volley that could go on forever.”

Pine Creek Cookhouse is a local treasure. Located about a mile beyond the ghost town of Ashcroft at the back of the Castle Creek Valley, the classic mountain lodge is a slice of high-country Colorado heaven. Open in both winter and summer, the Cookhouse has long-offered excellent, farm-to-table-style cuisine along with a hot or cold beverage with a view.

The Cookhouse’s latest lunch and dinner menus for this summer are par for the course. Keating and Greenwood continue to emphasize local ingredients like Colorado trout, locally-raised beef, elk and buffalo and produce from Roaring Fork Valley farms.

One of the best new offerings on both the lunch and dinner menus is the Pine Creek Smoked Trout Dip. The combination of mouth-watering smoky fish, crispy butter-herb bread crumbs and toasted crostini is a perfect way to start a classic Colorado meal.

Continuing the hearty Colorado theme, the Cookhouse’s signature sautéed Ruby Red Rainbow Trout is another can’t-miss choice. Served with pecan brown butter meunière, fresh summer green beans, pan-roasted marble potatoes and heirloom cherry tomatoes, the dish is the Rocky Mountain summer on a plate.

Pine Creek’s menu is also vegetarian-friendly, with offerings that include organic mushroom and spinach crepes and vegan spaghetti squash. The real star of the vegetarian menu is the vegan potato dumplings. Like gnocchi but a bit lighter, crispier and more delicate, the dish is served with roasted mushrooms, caramelized cipollini onions, grilled wild salsify and garlic, and is a spectacular home-run.

Proprietor William Johnson and Executive Chef Nathaniel Putnam recently celebrated the first anniversary of the Aspen Public House at the Wheeler Opera House. In a nod to the last thirsty plus years of history, the neighborhood, “we’re glad you’re here” vibe now melds with a ‘spirited’ bar program, updated riffs on pub-food classics, and tall tables inside and out for observing the pedestrian mall and fountain.

“When we opened, it was important to brand ourselves as a gastro-pub,” says Johnson. “It allows us to have a more creative menu, giving the opportunity for us to have both a curry and a schnitzel on the same menu.”

We can’t speak for the schnitzel (next time!), but the Traditional Chicken Curry, served with coconut rice, is a plate of warm and spicy, comfort-food that’s sure to satisfy on our cool mountain evenings. While a deliciously juicy burger is still a cornerstone of the menu (as well as the righteous Public House Double Stack dinner option), they’ve branched out with more creative offerings. Melt-in-your mouth, house-cured Porchetta and house-made duck pastrami, duck confit, and duck liver pate are incorporated into the menu giving familiar dishes an elevated experience.

“We cook beak to feet as much as we can,” according to Johnson, who likes sourcing good ingredients to make good, creative food.  

The duck confit is offered as a stand-out entrée, served with mashed potatoes and a Bordeaux cherry jus, and also accompanies the Duck Poutine, for a perfectly decadent post-hike treat. The duck pastrami is the cornerstone of the Duck Reuben featuring classic Rueben flavors you know and love, with the added complexity of duck breast. Porchetta is a killer addition to Huevos Rancheros and Mr. Hollandaise’s Opus (aka eggs benedict) on the brunch menu, and in the Carbonara Americana and Porchetta Roll on the dinner menu.  

Chicken sandwiches have become a point of pride in town, and The Fried Chicken Sandwich at Aspen Public House is ready to give all others a run for their money. A crispy, southern fried chicken breast is served with house smoked bacon, gruyere, chimichurri aioli and caramelized onions on a brioche bun for a sandwich that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It even comes with a side of fries. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Pair your meal with an offering from their extensive beer and wine lists, one of their three Mule varieties (we vote for the Mezcal Mule) or a wonderfully refreshing gin and vermouth based Cold Smoke with fresh lime, cucumber and mint.

Dining out in Asia is an orchestral experience of tantalizing smells, exotic ingredients, intense flavors and controlled chaos, often conducted by the mom and pop who own and run the business. Luckily for those of us in Aspen, we can have a similar experience in our mountain hamlet. Tucked away on the east side of town, Bamboo Bear has become a culinary destination for those seeking the flavors of true Asian and Vietnamese food with its rich, fresh and crave-worthy flavors.

Now in their fourth summer, and with an expanded dining room, restaurateurs Vincent Bagford and his wife Xuan Ha, who met in Vietnam, have clearly filled a niche missing from Aspen’s food scene.

“I had a strong inclination this was something the Valley was yearning for,” said Bagford, who began to build a local following when he worked at Cliffhouse restaurant on Buttermilk.

Initially trained in Italian cooking, Bagford was attracted to Asian cuisine not just because of the way the dishes are prepared but also because much of the creativity lies in the sauces.

“This technique is what drew me to Asian food,” he said. “Vietnamese food is very sauce and condiment centric. It’s very feminine cuisine, complex but light and not to be underestimated, like a female.”

Ha grew up in Vietnam, and her family’s recipes feature prominently on Bamboo Bear’s menu.

“Every recipe has a story behind it, they are all influenced by family traditions and history,” says Ha. “Food brings people together, and it’s important to me that our flavors are authentic.”

Good pho is one of those magical dishes that nourishes you when you’re hungry, eases a hangover and warms you from the inside out on a cool evening. The soul-satisfying version served at Bamboo Bear is Grandpa Ha’s recipe, and, according to Ha, people would line up down the street when he opened his pho stand. Made with homemade bone broth and served in a bowl filled to the brim with rice noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables, you can order it with thinly sliced rare beef, tender brisket, a meatball or all three. They also offer chicken pho with ginger and fried garlic, and, for those who prefer vegetarian fare, there’s an option made with 100 percent vegetable broth.  

Passionate about quality, Bagford makes a weekly trek to Denver’s Asian market to source traditional ingredients for dishes like Com Tam (which requires a special “broke rice”) and their signature Crispy Chicken, get inspired and pick up the fresh, French-style baguettes used in their Banh Mi sandwiches, which are a lunch time favorite. The sandwich, every bite packed with melt-in-your-mouth grilled pork, crunchy house-pickled veggies and a savory dressing, is ideal grab-and-go fare for summer adventures. Don’t forget to get a drink to go with your meal—our favorite is their traditional iced coffee made with Vietnamese highland coffee, crushed ice and sweetened milk for a taste treat that will make your mouth sing.

Tom and Diane Coohill, owners of Coohills Restaurant in Denver, know how to throw a party. Luckily for Aspen, they’ve partnered with Park90 wine bar at the Regent Singapore for the summer residency at the Chefs Club. Now through September is your chance to experience this elevated pairing of French-influenced dishes and world class wines with on point hospitality. 

First the wine. With Curren Nelson as head sommelier, all wines will be available by both the glass and the bottle. The premise is to allow people to try wines without the pressure of committing to a bottle. However, you can’t go wrong. The “+” in the restaurant name, represents both the partnership and the fact that they are only selling wines with a rating of 90 or greater.

For the menu, Tom Coohill brings many of the things he’s known for in Denver, such as his crab cakes, charcuterie, local ingredients and French techniques, incorporating more shared boards and a dedicated bar menu in addition to the finer dining offerings.

“This space is smaller and more manageable than our restaurant in Denver, and the kitchen is the Rolls Royce of kitchens,” according to Coohill, who says he feels fortunate to have landed in Aspen for the season.

His Loup de Mer and Salmon Terrine is served cold with a shallot tarragon cream sauce. The light and refreshing dish tastes of the sea for a bright starter course. Each bite of the Roasted Guinea Hen was a tender mélange of roasted hen with crispy skin and porcini mushrooms, stuffed with truffle mousse and finished with a delightful madeira cream sauce. Coohill’s French training truly shines with his American Bouillabaisse. Lighter than a traditional bouillabaisse where stock is made from the entire fish, Coohill uses bones from white fish for a richly flavored broth that doesn’t overwhelm the other seafood in the dish. It’s accompanied by rouille (a garlic, saffron and potato mayonnaise) and crostini for an impressively delicious meal.

Save room for dessert, to share at the very least, and treat yourself to the impressively light Bread Pudding, made with house made brioche and vanilla custard, served with crème fraiche ice cream, caramel, almonds and fresh summer fruit. Asked what makes their residency unique, Diane Coohill said, “We’re hands on to operate this restaurant as a Colorado couple. We’re in Aspen for the summer.”

You can smell the tantalizing aroma of roasted meat before you even pull into the parking lot of Home Team BBQ. And, although the restaurant doesn’t celebrate the 3-year anniversary of their Aspen location—they are based out of South Carolina—until December, its mouth- watering food and casual atmosphere have made them a local mainstay. Everything, from the brisket, pulled pork and ribs to the chicken, sausage and turkey, is smoked on site with white oak. According to chef Kyle Wilkins, a defining characteristic South Carolina barbecue is that it’s cooked over low heat. Wilkins starts meats over a hot re to develop the smoke ring and distinctive bark. Then, to keep the finished product juicy, he transfers meat to a slow-cooking grill until they are ready. The results are enough to coax a vegetarian to the dark side, even though there are vegetarian options on the menu, including black bean tacos, deliciously innovative salads and even smoked salmon for pescatarian diners.

One thing not to miss is Fiery Ron’s Smoked Chicken Wings. These are not your standard, one- note wings. Dry rubbed, smoked, flash fried and served with Alabama White Sauce and the optional Death Relish, they are just the thing to wet your whistle for a beer or a frozen Game Changer (a slushy with a double rum punch).

“These wings put us on the map,” says Wilkins.

Duke’s Real Mayonnaise, a Southern-staple, is the key ingredient in Alabama White Sauce, and helps give these wings their a tang that pairs well with the already smokey and sweet wings, caramelized by the dry-rub. Homemade sauces, salsas and relishes compliment the rich, smoky flavors of Wilkins’ BBQ.

“Our nachos feature three salsas—pico de gallo, salsa verde and carrot-jalapeno— and are finished with chimichurri sauce for a bright finish,” according to Wilkins.

Likewise, the sweet heat and acidity of the jalapeño and carrot Death Relish are a tasty compliment to smoked meats. If you want to add a saucy touch to your dry-rubbed meats, you have six varieties of barbecue sauce to choose from, including mustard sauce, and vinegar sauce, plus the more familiar sweet and hot versions.

For a family-style cookout, grab one of the outside tables and order “The Board” for a complete dinner for four to six people, including wings, ribs, pulled pork, sausage and turkey, with three sides, bread and pickles. And if you can’t make it for lunch or dinner, they serve a full breakfast from Memorial Day to Labor Day and during the ski season, plus weekend-brunch year-round.

Local gastropub HOPS Culture has provided a staple of elevated comfort food combined with some of the choicest seating in Aspen. Located in the center of the pedestrian mall, a combination of outdoor patio space and a windowed bar near the entrance provide two sets of attractive options for grabbing a seat, depending on your preference.

Inside, the reason for the name HOPS Culture becomes apparent. With a row of taps and a full wall of refrigerated bottles, the selections are nearly endless, and any drink lover is able to while away a weekend on the beer alone.

The food choices are equally as hard to decide. The menu offers recognizable comfort eats with added elevations and just enough change to keep things interesting. Pub standards are at the forefront, like their “Royale with cheese,” a classic burger which includes fresh Colorado beef, or mac n’ cheese, which general manager John Hebson points out has been a staple of HOPS Culture since its inception. They’ve spent years tweaking and perfecting the simple dish. The current iteration keeps it to only a few ingredients, with creamy noodles being paired with crunchy green pepper and caramelized onions for sweetness.

However, recent restaurant addition and longtime-local chef Robbie Kostrba has taken it upon himself to update other aspects of the menu, adding in twists with local ingredients and an onsite herb garden. A prime example is their chicken n’ waffles. A soul food classic, Kostrba includes simple ingredients and adds in hot sauce. The small twist results in a masterful flavor meld, as fluffy waffles gain heat and crispy chicken absorbs the Vermont maple syrup.

For those tending towards healthier options, HOPS hits the spot as well. Making sure to have a number of vegetarian dishes, they include a variety of salads and an unexpected highlight in the superfood bowl. A trove of all things healthy and delicious, diced cucumber, almonds and edamame add crunch to the typical salad greens while beets and a citrus-honey vinaigrette keep it sweet.

Through it all, Kostrba and HOPS Culture are looking to improve and tweak their menu. “We’re moving forward with a lot of new things,” Hebson said. “We’re really excited with where we’re headed.” With brighter things on the horizon, HOPS already delivers variety and quality, making it the perfect place to spend an afternoon in the heart of Aspen.

The secret to the staying power of Jimmy’s American Restaurant — one of the longest running contemporary establishments in Aspen — is their ability to remain consistent yet change with the times. In business for 22 years, Jimmy’s is as relevant today as it was when it opened. That’s because the chef behind the menu, Mario Hernandez, makes sure it’s stacked with mainstays alongside new additions and new seasonal preparations.

Previously the chef at Jimmy’s Bodega, which closed last year, Hernandez has brought many of the seafood favorites to the Jimmy’s menu.

“We really made an effort to bring as much of Bodega as possible,” says Jessica Lischka, business partner and general manager at Jimmy’s. “Mario’s work with fish is amazing and super light.”

So now the tables have turned a bit for what Jimmy’s menu is known for. Yes, they still have mouth-watering steaks that they’ve been famous for for years, but fish is what’s for dinner these days in the Jimmy’s dining room. Try the oysters from Massachusetts, or the Alaskan crab legs. Maybe you are thinking about going bigger with the jumbo shrimp cocktail, the jumbo lump blue crab cocktail, or combine them in a seafood plateau.

On the entrée side of the menu, choose from the seared wild Alaskan king salmon, Bodega’s wild Alaskan halibut or salad nicoise with a 10 oz. lobster tail.

“I think our clients are really going to like that, especially sitting on the patio,” Lischka says.

Hernandez really nails it with his Rocky Mountain ruby red trout with an almond brown butter sauce, served with sautéed green beans and the most delightful (and addictive) creamy potato mousse that your palate will never forget.

“We just love Mario’s style,” Lischka says. “He has a very medeterrean style with a lot of flavor and fresh herbs.”

No where is that more evident than Jimmy’s famous lump blue crab cakes that are accompanied by a horseradish aioli, bacon, sweet drop peppers, fingerling potatoes and a sautéed slaw that adds the perfect crunch.

Classics like the baby lamb chops remain on the appetizer menu, as well as the popular Mad Dog salad. They’ve been complemented by newer dishes like the heirloom tomato and burrata salad — a fresh, light summer dish with arugula, watermelon, pickled red onions and green tomato croutons.

The Jimmy’s team loves to travel the world and get inspired. That global influence is reflected not only in the food offerings but also the cocktail menu, where 40 specialty drinks are available, including the refreshing Kayla’s Bees Knees, made of Barr Hill gin, honey, lemon and lavender bitters.

Lischka says the team thrives on creativity and finding the perfect epicurean pairing.

“I think our menu is at a different level now,” she says. “It’s much more modern.”