Now that the heat of summer and the flames of the Waldo Canyon fire have receded, the pines shading the log cabin of the Black Bear Restaurant in Green Mountain Falls are once again safe and thriving. Shuttered while in direct danger, the restaurant reopened after the scare with a new bourbon bar in the front of the space.

The environment is relaxed and comfort-food-oriented in the bourbon bar, a welcome new facet of the restaurant. The bourbon offerings, which are sometimes narrated by owner and chef Victor Matthews, also reflects a hot new trend in the food world. And the food is often quite good, but often out-of-the-box creativity, including offering no actual menus, was alienating and at times, just plain confusing.

Certainly, the restaurant doesn’t have a history of playing it safe, including opening a fine-dining establishment serving meals ranging from $55-$125 a person in relatively remote Ute Pass. Nor has the ambiance ever been exactly consistant. Carved cartoonish bears and wagon-wheel chandeliers common to eateries with sawdust on the floors coexist with smooth jazz, linen tablecloths and butter-poached langoustine, a recent offering at the Chef’s Table.

So what’s actually uncommon now at the Bear is to find something expected: a well-stocked bar of quality bourbon served under the sloping eaves of the rustic cabin, which is held up by columns made of entire tree trunks and decorated with a big screen TV.

This bourbon bar does well what the Bear has attempted all long by deftly melding a highbrow attention to quality with accessible, down-home comfort. The quality stems from the stock of bourbon, more than 40, topping out with gems like Michter’s 10-year single barrel ($18/2 ounces). They also added two pages of unique, bourbon-based cocktails, such as the Mojito Jackson ($9) and White Bourbon Martini ($11), for those not keen on drinking it straight.

It’s truly an eye-opening (and sinus-clearing) experience to order one of their six bourbon flights ($21-$55) – even for someone already in love with the Kentucky liquor. Sip thoughtfully to compare color, acidity, spice, smoothness and flavor across various bourbons. You can also try only Colorado versions: Only the wheats or ryes, wheats versus ryes, or an “age-vertical” tasting of 12-, 18- and 20-year Elijah Craig.  

Who, after all, can duplicate such an experience at home, especially with Matthews’ help teasing out every sensory detail. The Bear’s new bourbon experience is not only well researched and implemented, it’s also the new “It” trend in the food industry.

Food is available at the barstools and high-top tables in the bourbon bar area of the Bear. But like the main dining room, where the Chef’s Table dinners constantly change based on the chef’s whim, it’s hard to say what’s available and when, in what quantities and at what price, because specials vary by day and there is no true menu.

There are daily specials. Thursdays are prime rib night, with two daily sides ($12.95-$16.95). Sundays are for barbecue, offering a heaping plate of pulled pork, ribs, potato salad and coleslaw ($19.95).

The barbecue meats are cooked to be a disappearing act of tenderness. The rib bones slip out of their meat case with the greatest of ease, and the accompanying steak knife might as well be a garnish, so little is it needed.

The Carolina-style barbecue is vinegar-based rather than tomato-based, and that sweetness rises up strong. Despite the low-heat slow cooking, though, there’s no heat on the finish in terms of spiciness or just plain spices. The chunky potato salad is excellent and a terrific counterpoint to the BBQ.

Aside from those daily specials, burgers are always available in the bar and at $7.95, are an inexpensive offerings in a usually pricey joint. They’re also unexceptional, although they provide fuel for bourbon consumption. Shell-on New Orleans-style shrimp are also on the verbal “menu” the server offers. And that’s it, other than your server’s encouragement to tell the versatile kitchen what you’re craving.

“I am the menu,” the hostess and server told us on my dining room visit. She’d cornered us in the drafty hallway beyond the dining room, and asked for a decision as to what we were going to order. Daily special steak or the Chef’s Table? How many courses? Five, seven, nine? Twelve? My husband and I had to make awkward eye contact and converse in front of her to come to a decision.

Then, after ordering and being seated (the stone fireplace is lovely and romantic), we were still in the dark: Other than asking about specific things we disliked or were allergic to, “the chef will take care of it,” we were told.

Each course was a complete mystery. No hints. No theme. Nothing.

That mystery has the allure, certainly, of the surprise package unwrapped. Taken to the extreme – for instance, not being allowed to choose or even vet the course’s wine pairings – it’s frustrating and confusing, based on overheard conversations.

Granted, Matthews is a chef with skills. He served an amazing pottage of curried chicken with additional curry powder, Thai curry powder, sugar and sriracha arranged around the bowl’s lip, allowing the diner to experiment with and perfect the seasoning of their soup. It was spectacular. The bison in the organic pasta Bolognese and the filet mignon were both delicious and were made with Colorado-ranched meat.

Even so, there’s an quiet pretention in the construction of the restaurant and its service. For example, no options are given up front for vegetarians, which can feel unwelcoming even if the kitchen says it will happily create something unique on the fly. A unique what? Another mystery.

If a bear experiments in the forest, will the diners come? Despite some reservations, I hope so, because the chef’s talent in the kitchen and passion for bourbon are undeniable. The creativity is wonderful, but the extreme unconventionality could also become more of a stick than a carrot to possible patrons down the pass.  

Mixing it up: Black Bear Bourbon Bar offers bourbon versions of many famous cocktails, including the Mojito Jackson with Gentleman’s Jack, lime juice, sugar and fresh mint. Photo by Kate Jonuska

The menu downshifts from high brow to barbecue on Sundays at the Black Bear Restaurant with a special plate of Carolina-style pulled pork and ribs. Photo by Kate Jonuska

Choose one of six flights at the Black Bear Restaurant and Bourbon Bar to experience the full spectrum of its bourbon offerings. Photo by Kate Jonuska