Alex and Lera love to travel and see the world. In fact, here in America, they have visited 48 of the 50 states. In their travels, they have collected recipes, ingredients and experiences that have inspired them to create their first restaurant: Evergreen.
Lera, a classically trained pastry chef, learned to bake under the tutelage of Cedric Grolet, an award-winning pastry chef. Lera bakes all of the pastries for Evergreen, using only the freshest ingredients. There are gluten-free options as well as European staples such as honey cakes, pavlova and baklava. These pastries are perfect with a hot beverage or as dessert following a delicious meal.
“In our travels, we love to enjoy good food and wine, as well as an elevated atmosphere,” Lera says. “The European culture brings all of this together in a very high-quality way. We wanted to bring this type of experience to America.”
The Experience
As you walk into Evergreen, you are greeted with stunning décor, appetizing smells, beautiful lighting and a smiling host. The tables are set formally, and the seating is soft and comfortable, inviting you to sit and take in the experience. The menu is carefully curated to include Alex and Lera’s favorite provisions from around the world.
“We spent two months in Istanbul where we sampled Turkish coffee and baklava around the city,” Alex says. “Here at Evergreen, we import our favorite Turkish coffee and baklava to give our customers a truly authentic experience. When you order our Turkish coffee, it comes with the baklava because we feel that they are best enjoyed together. It is a popular menu item and we find ourselves ordering every three to four days to keep up with demand.”
Along with indoor dining, there is a large outdoor dining patio. This well-shaded area offers diners the ability to enjoy lunch immersed in the gorgeous setting of Colorado College’s campus.
Inspired Provisions
Beverages include a variety of coffees, teas, wines, cocktails and mocktails. All syrups are made in-house by their barista, who has created several beverages on the menu. There are also a few special drinks that were inspired from Alex and Lera’s travels. One of these is honey cappuccino.
“We are very particular about our coffee,” Lera says. “When we tried the honey cappuccino at a café in Montana, we fell in love. We knew that if we opened a restaurant that this beverage would be on the menu.”
The food menu is a compilation of European dishes. On the breakfast menu, they offer a Russian crepe, otherwise known as blini or blinchiki. While similar to a French crepe, these are smaller in diameter and little thicker and can also be enjoyed with both savory and sweet filling. Another popular breakfast item is shakshuka. It arrives at the table bubbling away in a cast iron pan. Delicious already, the recipe is constantly evolving, Alex says.
The lunch and dinner menu is composed of salads, flat breads, pasta and a variety of main course options such as blue cheese mussels, charcuterie and Milanese style chicken breast. If you are downtown during lunch Tuesday through Friday, a business lunch special was recently added to draw in the crowd.
“Evergreen represents our mind and soul,” Alex says. “We have truly put ourselves into every aspect of this restaurant.”
Website: https://evergreen.restaurant/
Facebook: @EvergreenRestaurant
Instagram: @Evergreen_COSprings