The Way Back, a new cocktail bar and restaurant in the Highland neighborhood, is launching its second phase — serving dinner, with a menu that reflects the Colorado scene.
The partners — Kade Gianinetti, Chad Michael George and Jared Schwartz — are veterans of the local hospitality industry.
Gianinetti, a partner in Method Coffee Roasters, co-owns the American Grind food truck with Schwartz, while George previously worked at and serves as the president of the Colorado Bartender’s Guild.
They met when they worked at .
“The Way Back, the name itself, refers to back in the day when people processed their own fruit to make jam or to have fresh produce in the winter,” said Gianinetti.
They are focused on hyperlocal ingredients from producers that support “sustainable farming, ethical fisheries and humanely harvested livestock,” he said.
Chefs Sam Charles and Marcus Eng helm the kitchen with a dinner menu that includes Colorado trout served with crawfish, pecans and pickled currants ($22), grass-fed steak with Yorkshire pudding, watercress and rose butter ($26), and Snail Stroganoff with shiitake mushrooms and white wine ($14).
There’s also a fun seasonal cocktail menu that includes “I Would Buy That Drink a Drink” (an Absolut Elyx and almond milk tart cocktail for two served in a copper pineapple) and “Death by Mariachi” (an earthy Tequila Ocho-based drink with vanilla and honey notes).
4132 W. 38th Ave. 720-728-8156. thewaybackdenver.com.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or @coconnordp
