Travel & Food

ASPEN, Colo.—Restaurants at Hyman Avenue and Mill Street may boom and bust in classic Aspen style, but they never lose the buzz of Aspen's historic theater district. Justice Snow debuted just weeks ago inside the Wheeler Opera House. The Popcorn Wagon slid open this week, and the former Junk is preparing for a renaissance. 

In the midst of it all, Bryan Nelson’s Pacifica emerged from a facelift of its own in December. The seafood house, along with its neighbor The Wild Fig, have both held steady for over six years, signaling some new staying power on Hyman Mall.

Michele Kiley and Marco Chingolani, former proprietors of the Cheese Shop/Specialty Foods of Aspen, took a long shot to win the former Bentley’s space owned by the city. “People associated us with cheese and panini, not with million-dollar restaurants," Kiley noted.

They both in fact bring long and diverse experience to Justice Snow and share a strong commitment to quality and affordability, values embedded in their mission “long before they were part of city council’s bidding process,” said Kiley. Once they secured the space, they jumped headlong into a remodel that was reverent to its roots.

“The building’s history dictated what it is and what it isn’t,” Kiley explained. She hired Carbondale native Matt Duncan to enhance the interior’s natural grace with new fixtures, recycled woods and Venetian plaster. The feel is Bentley’s post-extreme-makeover: landmark Aspen jazzed by delicate European chic.

Craig Cordts-Pearce is glad someone else overhauled the Popcorn Wagon, another Aspen institution where he is quite happy just to restore the menu. “The Wagon was never broken and never needed to be ‘fixed,’" he said. “So it lost its way for a while. We’re going to bring back the entire menu of one of the oldest businesses in town.”

Cordts-Pearce, who along with his wife Samantha owns the Wild Fig and four other restaurants in town, is shooting for the third week in March to open Above the Salt, between Pacifica and the Popcorn Wagon.

Meanwhile, the sweet scents of garlic and greece once again grace the Mall, as crepes, gyros and hot dogs sizzle from dawn to dusk. The crepes are named after the Wagon’s founder, Aspen’s late and illustrious Harley Baldwin, who hired Cordts-Pearce 17 years ago at the Caribou Club.

Baldwin created nothing short of a cultural empire in Aspen, inspiring his protégée to deliver his seventh culinary opening next month. “I see him looking down on me with his big smile,” quipped Cordts-Pearce, “saying ‘Hey, Craaiig…’”

Above The Salt will carry on Junk’s family-friendly format during the day and dim the lights a notch at night. The menu will feature American, Mediterranean and Peruvian dishes accented by hand-sliced procuitto and great wines.

Nelson is happy to share the corner again. His focus at Pacifia hasn’t changed—squarely set on presenting the freshest, most sustainable fish available, flanked by sides of green and local produce. The chef has nurtured his own rooftop garden for three years, growing herbs, veggies and tomatoes for the plates downstairs.

“I started the garden as a hobby and it’s become a lifetime of learning,” said Nelson. “I hang out with Jack D’Orio and a few other farmers who have become my friends and mentors. At least 50 percent of our produce is local.”

A veteran of several local eateries including Renaissance, Matsuhisa and the Jerome, Nelson has spent 16 years cooking in town following his training at culinary school in Portland, Oregon, and an internship in San Francisco. He follows seafood watch organizations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium to track demand and sustainability in the worldwide markets. 

“Diminishing resources, pollution and the damning of rivers have made farming products more controllable, and we’re going to see a lot more of it in the future” said the chef. His menu blends wild and seasonal fish from seas worldwide with ranched varieties from Norway and New Zealand, where “aquaculture” is setting new standards for clean and organic harvests.

Which brings us back to Justice Snow, where striped bass is sourced from Colorado Catch, a sustainable fishery south of the Sand Dunes in Alamosa.

“All of our proteins with one exception are Colorado-based,” said Kiley, who just signed contracts with Cap K Ranch in Basalt to supply the restaurant’s beef, and Bottoms Up Ranch in Paonia to supply their pork. The eatery’s bar reflects the same deference to regional suppliers, plus a mission to restore classic cocktails to their rightful place in local culture.

“This bar has always been a locals’ watering hole, and we’re building on that to create a place in Aspen for serious but playful attention to the cocktail,” Kiley said. She hired Joshua-Peter Smith, a seasoned barman from Denver who strains alcohol through burned apple-wood smoke and exposes his guests to budding artisan distillers.

“Joshua calls himself a cocktail mechanic,” said Kiley, “but I believe he’s an alchemist.” They both agree that the Snow’s staff will rank impressively at Aspen’s "Iron Bartender” competition beginning this month at the Little Nell.

Aspen’s theater district is a true locals’ corner in this town, where a trio of dedicated chefs are clearly not in competition. Instead they’re buoyed by the synergy of place and smitten by the chance to start all over again.