ASPEN – Comfort food with a view is the concept for a new entrant onto Aspen’s dining scene.

Local resident Bruce Berger (the developer, not the writer) plans to open BB’s Kitchen in late December in the Aspen Grove building on Cooper Avenue.

“The concept is to build a restaurant in Aspen that is moderately priced and gives true value to the people who come there,” Berger said. The fare will be American bistro comfort food – think “grandma’s recipes with modern technique,” he said.

Chef Mark Buley has signed on to run the kitchen; Anthony Lygizos and Fisk Biggar will be managers at the restaurant, which will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Berger said he has long wanted to open a restaurant, but finding the ideal spot was key.

“It had to have great outdoor space,” he explained. “I spent a year looking for the right space.”

Renovations began last week on the second floor of the Aspen Grove building, where BB’s Kitchen will occupy former gallery space in a commercial complex that has long boasted a variety of art galleries among its occupants. An outdoor deck, overlooking a courtyard, will be enlarged to accommodate 50 people outside, said Berger, who wants to offer an al fresco experience without the noise and vehicle exhaust of a street-level patio.

Berger said he’s shooting for a Dec. 26 opening. “If all the stars align, we’ll make it,” he said.

The Aspen Liquor Licensing Authority is scheduled to take up the restaurant’s liquor license application on Oct. 12.

janet@aspentimes.com