Best of JH 2010 Editors Choice

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

By JH Weekly Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Here are some words to preface more words related to the Best of Jackson Hole, provided in a whimsical and somewhat useful order, so as to give you some idea what to expect from Editorial Picks. In some instances, poll results didn’t reflect our personal favorites – nor do we all agree on “the best,” or even the usefulness of superlatives, among the editorial staff, but that’s why we all get to write something about the people, food, to-dos, etc. that define Jackson for each of us.

In other cases, categories just don’t exist for the things we like about Jackson, so we made custom categories. We also tried to step outside of ourselves for a minute to understand some of the things our oft-underrepresented readership, tourists, enjoy that do not involve the outdoors, but we couldn’t help being a little snarky about those things.  We hope that you enjoy our picks or at least find them amusing, and at any rate, we look forward to hearing from those of you who don’t appreciate JH Weekly’s Best Of issue in our online reader comments. 
– Matthew Irwin

People, Places & Trends

BEST SUNDAY DRIVE
The Gros Ventre
The first time I drove from Kelly to Upper Slide Lake in the Gros Ventre Wilderness, I was blown away by the topographical diversity. But to turn around and discover the Teton view on the stretch from Lower Slide Lake to Kelly Warm Springs—Gros Ventre River in the foreground—was epic. To this day, it’s my favorite Sunday drive, recommended to countless tourists over the years. It helps remind one that wealth is subjective, and making a virtue of necessity is always easier with accessibility.
– Aaron Davis

BEST TOWN PARK
Mike Yokel
I remember getting lost trying to find it on our bikes. We must have been nine or 10, just old enough to bike into town unsupervised without having our moms freak out. Mike Yokel Park was my favorite park growing up, even though Powderhorn Park was closer to my house. Not only does Mike Yokel have a bridge and awesome equipment, but it has a spacious field too (at Powderhorn, it’s hard to play Frisbee without running into the chain link baseball fence). The fact that most people don’t even know where it is helps lower its populous.

During the summer, I enjoy getting together with buddies for some volleyball, and I even head out there alone to do some writing on a picnic bench. There’s a small creek that runs by the park which adds extra ambiance. A patch of grass surrounded by willows serves as my favorite spot to sit while watching the water. Not much traffic buzzes on the road either, so there is indeed a constant sense of calm, even when the playing activity is high.

Miller Park is another great one, but my loyalty lies with Mike Yokel.
– Andrew Munz

WORST BLING
Bluetooth Headset
In the bathroom, airports, the grocery store, on street corners – you’ve seen strangers seemingly talking to themselves in the oddest of places. Using a Bluetooth headset in the car might be a way around some of the hands-free legislation across the country, but using one as an “accessory” when it’s not in use?

Uh, what has “bling” come to? What happened to a good tat, or piercing? There’s even a product called Loud ’N Clear—discovered from a hilarious infomercial—that poses a hearing aid as a fake Bluetooth headset. The advertisement makes grandpa look hip and cool by fooling people into thinking he is wearing one of “those blue-teeth portable car phone ear thingies.” Thankfully, I’ve seen fewer headsets in Teton County than anywhere else. Just another reason it feels good to call this place home.
– Aaron Davis

WORST REASON TO BE MALE IN JACKSON
Bathroom Lines
In any other town, a line for the men’s bathroom is like a straight man in San Francisco, practically unheard of. In Jackson, owing to the disproportionate male-to-female ratio, which is especially prominent during the winter season (hence January’s nickname, “man-uary”) men are often found waiting in line to pee. Unlike in other towns where women regularly stand in long bathroom bar queues, while men breeze in and out, bathroom wait times, and bathroom behavior, are often reversed. “I have snuck into a women’s bathroom in this town more than once,” said 27-year-old Jackson male, Nick Staron. 
– Christie Koriakin

BEST REASON TO NOT BE DRUNK IN PUBLIC
Teton County Fair
Teton County Fair, overall, seems like a halfway decent playground for the inebriated, right? But if you decide to take your stammering, swaying self to the fair’s demolition derby – an alleged family event (since violent, destructive behavior is better for the kids than say, naked dudes), beware: your drunken body best remain clothed and in the stands. In 2005, a Jackson man, armed with a fire hydrant made his naked debut on the derby grounds, only to be shot with a taser dart that shelled out 50,000 electrical volts.

Then in 2006, another ballsy streaker almost narrowly escaped the cops after parading his full monty for the crowd.  He was then apprehended and sustained injuries after a scuffle with police. Both men have taught us that the demolition derby, where impressionable children learn modes of destruction, is the worst place to be drunk in public. 
– Robyn Vincent

BEST INVENTIVE MECHANIC
Phil Bagley
Over on the West Bank, a mechanic is an old school recycler – that is, Phil Bagley does it himself. Like Mexican bottlers reuse bottles rather than send them to a recycling plant - sometimes the old label still shows through, Bagley takes all the oil from the cars he services and runs them through a machine that heats the shop, a machine that he invented. We don’t know if he does it to save money, to DIY or to be environmentally conscious, but we think its pretty cool.
– Matthew Irwin

WORST VOTER CONFUSION
The Mayor’s Party Affiliation
We were a little perplexed about the results for Best Democrat. While those who made the list of most popular political representatives made perfect sense, there seems to be some confusion about the political affiliation of our mayor, Mark Barron.

Barron was voted the third most popular Democrat in Jackson Hole, but the problem is he’s actually a registered Republican.

Sure, party affiliations don’t mean much at the local level, and Barron probably has a relatively centrist political outlook anyway. But we wondered why so many voters mistook him for a Democrat. Maybe Shannon McCormick, our ad sales dude, said it best: “Well, he seems like a pretty cool dude, so maybe a lot of people just assumed he’s a Democrat.” Works for us, but how will Barron feel about the confusion? – Ben Cannon

BEST COLUMNIST TO EDIT (Call it censorship if you will)
Aaron Wallis
Jackson Hole is not prepared for the opinions of artist Aaron Wallis. In a town of people perpetually tiptoeing around each other to avoid controversy, misunderstanding (another word for “neither one of us wants to admit we’re wrong”), and lash-back, Wallis calls things as he sees them. I respect the brutal sincerity in Wallis’ point-of-view. Though he is harder on our provincial town than he needs to be and though he really pisses us off sometimes, he challenges us to view ourselves in a bigger context. I’m still gonna edit him though.
– Matthew Irwin

BEST SHOW OF FORCE
Jackson Cops
Some may disagree, but Jackson has the best cops. In New Orleans, the po-po are a bunch of hard-asses. The Riverton PD makes the Keystone Cops look like CSI Wyoming. I’ve seen local law enforcement work from both sides – as perp and complainant – and I have found them to be nothing but courteous and professional. Jackson presents unique problems for those who protect and serve. Our small town demeanor is giving way to big city riff-raff. Murder, arson, and drug crimes are now cropping up and officers never know whether they may be responding to a cat in a tree or a bank robbery on any given shift. Sheriff’s deputies will usually look the other way over a ‘spidered’ windshield – they know the drill. JPD has seen their share of drunks and still remain civil night after night. I sleep better knowing Johnny Law is on the job.
– Jake Nichols

BEST AVALANCHE GEAR ACCOUTREMENT
Cholula Hot Sauce
When Josh Smith gets ready to ski in the morning he grabs his probe, shovel, beacon and a bottle of Cholula hot sauce. “I don’t have time to eat on a powder day,” said Smith, an employee at Nick Wilson’s. So he tucks a Nick’s breakfast burrito into his Flak Jacket to eat on the fly. “I’m not saying these burritos are the worst, but they are definitely not the best,” Smith said. Therein lies the necessity for a spicy condiment to add some oomph to his blasé breakfast. Smith nestles the entire glass bottle neatly into the upper left pocket of his avy vest, mixing taste, style and safety.
 – Christie Koriakin

BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN
Leaving your Doors Unlocked
I went out of town last year for Christmas. A couple of days later my roommate left town too. I returned home a couple of days before her only to find that she had locked the door. I realized I did not even own a key to my own house because we had never ever before locked the doors. I had to climb through the window to get back in, but it was a small price to pay for the feeling of well-being and safety that comes with living in a town where locking your doors is a choice.

I’m not suggesting that there is no crime in Jackson. My jacket and my bike were both stolen last year. But they were both stolen from bars, later to be found around the corner the next day. In both cases, I’m pretty sure the perpetrator just needed to get home. And I am not suggesting that it’s a particularly good idea to leave your keys in the ignition like some people I know, but in comparison to a large city, the small town feeling of safety is completely liberating. Walking around town freely without fear and the freedom to place your purse down for a second at a bar creates an irreplaceable feeling of comfort that you just can’t find in some places.
– Christie Koriakin

BEST ADVERTISING BY MAKING LIGHT OF AWKWARD SUBJECT
Lisa Finkelstein
No one on our editorial staff, to my knowledge, has had to deal with health problems like urinary tract infections or the frequent urge to pee (though reporter Jake Nichols, who recently turned 46, is a good candidate). But if and when anyone ever needs the name of a good urologist, it’s likely that Dr. Lisa Finkelstein’s will come up.

For years, Finkelstein’s practice has stood out in newspapers around the region for her humorous, often irreverent ads about the pitfalls and inconvenience of living with a urinary disorder. If we were smart and had gone into advertising instead of journalism, we could use some marketing terms about how the most ridiculous ads are often the most effective. Admit it, all those Finkelstein ads have left some sort of impression on you, too.
– Ben Cannon

BEST OF THE WORST
Face-Crack
Remember when people used to write letters? Then email came along. Email is so 2005.
Sparked by Friendster in ‘02, popularized with Myspace since ‘03, and surpassed by Facebook in the last couple of years, social networks were originally geared towards college students. With more than 200 million registered users, Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is now women, 55 and older! It’s a love-hate invention—a Petri dish for invasion of privacy, farming of users’ data to advertisers, an invitation to child predators and other criminals, and a general waste of time.

True. But indulging for just a few minutes never hurt anybody, right? Frequent users are attracted by low cost, reviving old relationships, keeping in touch with friends, even as a business tool. But it goes beyond that. It has become a cultural addiction for some.  In what was really the first Internet decade, and with social networking coming along in the latter half, the greatest impact of these sites has yet to be seen.

Remember when people used to talk to each other? That is so 2009.
– Aaron Davis

WORST TREND FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Transparency
Journalists hate the word “undisclosed.” Now, so does the American public. Thanks to the ramped-up ‘Age of eCommunication,’ there is nowhere to hide if you are St. John’s Medical Center, the Community Housing Trust, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort or Grand Teton National Park. Transparency is the “in” thing now.

Ask the brass at Toyota, who are scrambling to come clean in the wake of their recent safety recalls. Ask a certain golfer or politician or preacher who entered into a clandestine relationship, got caught, denied everything, and finally held the obligatory press conference where they begged for forgiveness. St. John’s recently received a ‘razzie’ of sorts from a newly formed advocacy group for their refusal to open certain surgery records to the News&Guide.

The Community Housing Trust guards its QuickBooks files like they’re weapons of mass destruction. If something goes down at the Mountain, readers can expect to get the scoop when the resort is good and ready to release it – usually in a late afternoon press conference (though this year’s avalanche response was much better than in 2009). And GTNP is notoriously stingy with access to information. Though we received no recognition for it, in 2006 JH Weekly obtained records for a fatal raft accident only after invoking the Freedom of Information Act.
– Jake Nichols

BEST PUBLIC RESTROOM
Amangani Lobby
It’s impossible to single out one public restroom in the valley as the best, being as this is a community so endowed with numerous terrific restrooms. Well, actually there’s probably nowhere better to relieve oneself than in the cavern of modern luxury and good taste that is the lobby restroom at Amangani atop Saddle Butte. But really, men, how often do you or I actually get to number-one into a deep stone trough designed by angels or number-two in something that looks like it could be Donald Trump’s private stall – if he had good taste.

Very honorable mentions go to some potties along Pearl. The bathroom at Pearl Street Bagels in town, for one, boasts a whimsical mural and is a constant miracle of no one rushing you by knocking. The best newcomer bathroom, meanwhile, is just down the road, at Pearl Street Meat and Fish. That one’s everything a bathroom should be: clean, warm, softly-lit, and I think I even remember seeing a little end table in there. If there’s not an end table in there, there should be.
– Ben Cannon

Food, Goods & Services

BEST PLACE TO SPEND A LONELY HOLIDAY
The Virginian Saloon
Inside the smoky corridors of the Virg, it’s easy to forget that outside these walls, families are saying grace over turkey dinners and breathing apple-pie-infused air. Nothing in this bar will remind you of those wholesome holiday moments that you are trying to forget. The neon-colored beer signs and cowboy karaoke bear very little resemblance to better holidays past, filled with twinkling Christmas lights and songs about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Instead of playing Scrabble with grandma, you can chain smoke and shoot down animated deer with other society-bucking miscreants who don’t give two flying farts if its Thanksgiving or not.

No eggnog for us. Whiskey and water, please. That coldness in your heart can quickly be warmed by a couple of shots of Jack Daniels. So if you find yourself without a Valentine or without your family on Thanksgiving, and the last thing you need is a reminder of the holidays, The Virginian Saloon is good place to forget.
– Christie Koriakin

BEST SPLURGE
Coulior
In less than three years since its opening, the Coulior Restaurant has surpassed rookie status and climbed up Jackson Hole’s culinary ladder. With Chef Wes Hamilton at the helm, this 21-table hideaway, situated at the top of the Bridger-Gondola at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, has earned our gastro-affection for Hamilton’s forward combinations of high quality fare and his sustainable outlook – dishes are made of local, free range meats and local and regional in-season produce.

The prix fixe seasonal menu, priced around a hefty $85 per person, or $145 for the wine pairing option, includes a choice of appetizer – try the delicate walu sashimi with citrus and pineapple; intermezzo – a selection of savory soups and salads, and such entrées as buffalo tenderloin, pan-seared opah and wagyu N.Y. strip from Snake River Farms. Dessert is a handsome surprise - a dish of sweet, seasonal delicacies that tend to be as much a work of art as they are toothsome. We also dig the scene, a diverse cadre of diners, from denim clad cowboys and foodie tourists to celebratory couples, older locals in the know (and with the dough) and manager David Eliason and his skilled servers vigilantly patrolling their turf.

The mid-mountain eatery recently instated a new way to experience the restaurant’s cuisine. Chef’s Table allows patrons to dine in the kitchen amid the chef and his crew and witness the intense preparation, sweat and love involved in the process.
- Robyn Vincent

WORST OUTCOME OF P0PULARITY
Pearl Street Bagels
Unfortunately for its popularity, Pearl Street Bagels is just too small.  As much as I love the place, it’s almost impossible to just enjoy your coffee and bagel without getting the death stare from someone in line who wants your table. If you were to enter at lunch, and see the line extend to the newspaper racks, hearing the echoes of multiple conversations, anxiety would set in instantly.

PSB is the number one coffee joint of choice for many people, and with that honor comes overpopulation. It’s hard to bring your work there and expect to actually focus. You feel like an elephant in a china shop balancing your coffee from one end to the next.  “I’m not cutting in line, sir,” you say to Mr. Evil Eyes.  “Just getting a lid.” Jackson deserves a coffee shop with enough tables and space for its increasing number of inhabitants. Maybe even somewhere with a couple couches and some mellow music would be nice.  But dreams aside, PSB’s congested atmosphere makes my delicious vanilla latte run sour. 
– Andrew Munz

BEST UNCONVENTIONAL CHEF
Jarrett Schwartz
Not only has Jarrett Schwartz continued to bring delicious and always interesting food that feels different from the mainstream, he also branched out in the last year. After tinkering with the menu to add hearty value dishes next to the sushi/fusion tapas at Blu Kitchen, he turned his sashimi-creating prowess to Sudachi, of which he is executive chef.
– Ben Cannon

BEST PLACE TO STRIKE UP LATE NIGHT CONVERSATION
Cafe Ponza
While some people believe that nothing good happens after midnight, we admit that some of the best things to happen to us (minus the jail time) occurred after our horse-drawn carriage poofed back into a pumpkin. Café Ponza has become our favorite place after midnight to rub elbows with strange and familiar faces for more reasons than its tasty variety of New York slices. 

Why, just the other night on an unassuming March eve, after dirty martinis at The Wort and late-night happy hour at The Caddy, Ponza was playing host to a veritable pizza party circus with gyrating ladies, pie-eating, jovial spectators and the colorful, shaved-head pizza slinger “Bear” dancing from the ovens to the register with just the right amount of glee. Ponza’s neighborhood vibe makes inhibitions melt and chatter with unlikely characters very likely. Couple late night pseudo-intellectualism with some artichoke, garlic, sundried tomato pie and the night just got a little more appetizing.
– Robyn Vincent

BEST BUSINESS TO SUPPORT
Valley Bookstore
Everywhere you go it seems someone is saying that books are a thing of the past. With sales of the Amazon Kindle rising through the roof, and the highly anticipated Apple iBook application arriving soon, it’s hard to argue otherwise. On the other hand, for those of us who go against the electronic book movement, there’s nothing more comforting and tangible than a bookstore. Valley Bookstore has been a local icon for decades, but it’s going to need the help of its locals to survive the e-book’s ascent. For a business that’s been around since 1951, Valley Bookstore consistently takes care of its patrons.

You can count on them to always have the newest releases in the store as well as all the buzz-worthy books you’ve heard about.  No, it may not have the insane deals or volume of Amazon, but the employees are helpful and knowledgeable with the constructive Staff Favorites leaflets hanging off shelves. If the book you’re looking for isn’t in the store, they’ll order it for you and have it in your hands in four business days. They even offer locals a 10-percent discount on all books. If there was one store that would be sorely missed, it would be this one. 
– Andrew Munz (Disclaimer: Munz worked behind the counter at Valley Bookstore last summer.)

BEST RETAIL EXPERIENCE
Stone Drug
Tokers give themselves away when they chuckle at the name, but Jackson’s only independently owned pharmacy is nothing to laugh at. In an age when big boxes have stamped out Mom-and-Pop operations, Stone Drug keeps chugging along in a different dimension; a time-warped slice of plaza at 840 Broadway.

The pharmacists still wear the white coats and stand, like, 10 feet above the customer. Where else in these United States can a consumer fill a prescription, renew his fishing license, grab a box of 12-guage shells, and pick up an egg of pantyhose for the old lady all in one place? It’s Wal-Mart without the 200,000 square feet. Open every day and, yes, they deliver.
– Jake Nichols

BEST LOCAL ATMOSPHERE
Snake River Brewery
To those of us who have been here most of our lives (myself included), it’s becoming hard to find a place that isn’t filled with strange faces. The one place that remains as amusing and comforting as ever is our local brew pub. For a place that even honors its locals and frequent patrons (see: The Mug Club), the pub is always consistent in its mellow flavor and attitude towards all who enter. The waitresses are typically as amusing and sprightly as the beer in your pint glass, and the savory hot wings have been touted as being the best in the valley.

Rarely does the pub let me down, and, unlike walking into the Silver Dollar on Tuesday nights, I actually recognize the people sitting at the bar and chatting with the waitresses. It’s a place where those of us who know the terms “Hefe”, “A.K.”, “Disco”, and “Danimal’s” head with our steins firm in hand. Overflowing with great brews and the type of warmth you’d expect at home, Snake River Brewery is what Jackson Hole is all about.
– Andrew Munz

BEST PLACE I WOULD’VE LIKE TO HAVE A SECOND JOB AT RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Anthony’s Italian Restaurant
Anthony’s has been gone for a few years now, but that didn’t stop last year’s voters from naming it one of the best Italian restaurants in Jackson Hole. Few people voted for it this year, but I, for one, wish now more than ever that Anthony’s still existed. It’s not because I long for any different Italian food, which maybe I kind of do, but because if Anthony’s were open, I like to think I would get a second job there. Oh, things aren’t so bad enough (yet) that I would apply at just any restaurant, but working at Anthony’s would have suited me fine.

Have you heard the stories? Did you ever work there? There was no indoctrination – and indoctrination is the part I just can’t be bothered with anymore – except to be yourself. Sarongs, turbans, employees sneaking in at night and using an office loft as a bedroom – that I could deal with.
– Ben Cannon

BEST CONFECTIONER
Oscar Ortega
Research says we love chocolate for its serotonin producing properties. And thanks to the bakery and culinary art house Atelier Ortega, chocoholics have a place to celebrate all that is sweet and gluttonous. The man behind the handsome confections – which sometimes coalesce curious tastes, such as chocolate bonbons made from caramelized ginger and white tea or black sesame seed and tamarind, is Oscar Ortega (never fear, chocolate purists, Ortega doles plain chocolate confections as well).

A recent contestant in the renowned global food competition, Chocolate Masters, Ortega puts his decadent mark on an array of salivating pleasures, not just chocolate but say, fresh fruit tarts, gelato and sorbet and coconut-infused crème Brule. We also delight in menu items sans sugar, from flaky baguettes (which sell out by noon), and smoked salmon and potato hash crepes to asparagus soufflé and a $3 spinach and feta croissant. Of course, we still recommend dessert with this order … espresso mascarpone cheese cake, perhaps? Let the chocolate intoxication ensue.
– Robyn Vincent

BEST BAR I WISH WAS OPEN IN THE OFF-SEASON
Burke’s Chop House
As far as bistro-style steak houses go, Jackson has several good ones from which to choose, and I do occasion each of them for various reasons, from Trio’s coziness to Rendezvous Bistro’s scene, and of course they both serve wonderful food. But when I want a burger or traditional steak and a glass of wine, I pull up a stool at Burke’s Chop House.

The ladies behind the bar are always nice and the burgers always done just to my liking. Unfortunately, it can get busy with out-of-towners during peak seasons, and one time a staff member thought it was just fine to turn up the television and invite in his friends to watch the game while I was having a nice time with my lady sans obnoxious noise. For the first reason, I wish Burke’s would stay open a few nights a week during the off-season. For the second, I wish Jackson Hole had a service industry training school (Disclaimer: I have been a bad Jackson Hole server).
 – Matthew Irwin

BEST LARB
Thai Me Up
Man, I crave this stuff. Lime, cilantro, thai chilies, kaffir lime leaves, red onions and chopped meat (tofu or chicken) – all together called Larb Gai, and it’s pretty simple to make (my lady and I make it at home), but Thai Me Up makes the best I’ve had. Order this starter at the East Pearl restaurant and brewery with a side of white rice, and you’ve got a full meal at around $10. I like to use chopsticks to prevent myself from eating it too quickly.
– Matthew Irwin

YUMMIEST TOM YUM
Bon Appe Thai
Thai food can be a full-sensory event; level five spice has been known to set off all kinds of bodily alarms from acute pain, ringing in the ears, sweating, swelling, burning, and some I won’t mention here. A more relaxing way to get all the sensory goods will be found at the understated urban cafe Bon Appe Thai on Pearl Avenue with a bowl of their authentic Tom Yum soup.

This treasure chest is full of prickly bits like Kafir lime leaves, lemon grass, hed fang mushrooms and unidentifiable roots that must be fished out by hand with each spoonful. Combine this with the perfect marriage of conflicting and pungent vapors of hot and sour and the soup will have fulfilled some the aforementioned senses of eating Thai. Have a seat by the window and watch Jackson go by with a glass of wine and bowl of Tom Yum. 
— Mary Grossman

BEST COUNTRY KITCHEN
The Blue Lion
The food is rich, the staff well-mannered and the decor straight out of a Crabtree & Evelyn catalog, but more than anything, the Blue Lion is consistant. Since I arrived in Jackson in 1998, it has been the coveted place to work because it really packs in the tourists, dizzy and happy after a long day on the snowcoach. The cozy cabin on North Glenwood, turned into a restaurant in 1978, is one of the few places left for the affluent diner who has tired of asking the waiter to explain the funny words on the menu. “Rack of Lamb” – now that’s a dish one can sink his teeth into.
– Matthew Irwin

BEST GLUTEN-FREE
Lotus Café
Just about any restaurant these days has alternatives for gluten-free eaters. Thai Me Up is among my favorite because just about anything on the menu can be adapted, but let me tell you about an experience I had this summer.

On Town Square for the farmers market, I stopped by the Lotus Café tent for a gluten-free muffin. I walked away, sipped my coffee, took a bite of the muffin, stopped and walked back to the tent. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I asked for the gluten-free muffin.” “That is it,” said owner Amy Young. “Are you sure? I’m allergic.” “Yep.” “But it’s so good.” “Thank you.” The North Glenwood eatery also has GF naan, Woo-hoo!
– Matthew Irwin

BEST UNDER THE RADAR (BUT IN YOUR FACE) RESTAURANT
Sanchez
It may be the row of shrubbery between the patio and the sidewalk, because some people never seem to see Sanchez Mexican Restaurant. Yet, having lived five years in Southern California, I find the taqueria on the corner of Pearl and South Glenwood to be closest to the border for Jackson Hole in preparation and price. Moreover, I can hardly think of a better patio for a sunny afternoon of people watching.
– Matthew Irwin

BEST WAY TO SPEND A WEEKEND MORNING
Shades Café
A visit to Shades Café reminds me of weekend breakfast with my family – that is if my family included a folk band or a Celtic band, friendly conversation, more than cold cereal and talk about how to “get out” later in the day. During the winter, I feel at home when my sunglasses cloud over as I enter; during the summer, I approach to music from the patio away and think of backyard barbeques.

Both seasons, seating gets tight, but I think of it as cozy. And by the time you make your order, seats will have opened – you may just have to do it Euro style and share a table – something my family actually did.
– Matthew Irwin

BEST BUNS
The Bunnery
A lot of new bakeries seem to be springing up these days, but one of Jackson’s classic nooks continues to reign as one of our favorites.

The Bunnery gets our vote for Best Buns. From their mammoth sticky buns to the delicious and healthy O.S.M. – made from oats, sunflower and millet – The Bunnery still bakes some of the valley’s best bread.
– Ben Cannon







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