His Blue Canyon kitchen is known for all-American food kicked up a notch. He turns on the heat in sloppy joes, glazes a cedar-planked salmon in root beer and pairs chicken with an apple-bacon risotto.
Evans learned many of his twists on American favorites during his stint as a sous chef at Charlie Palmer’s New York City bistro-style restaurant, Alva. It opened Evans’ eyes and led him to create his own whimsical style based in traditional, powerhouse flavors such as vinegars, sherry, house-made stocks, mustards and everything in the onion family.
He points to the pretzel-crusted trout, a dish that harnesses a variety of flavors and textures. The trout is encased in pretzel crumbs and served in a whole-grain mustard and caper butter sauce. The crunch of the crust meets the soft flesh of the trout: a perfect marriage of opposites.