Noah Siebenaller has become a partner and chef at Evergreen Restaurant, 830 N. Tejon St., and is busy refining the menu.

Siebenaller is not a new face in the Springs restaurant industry. He has held executive chef positions at several eateries, including Phantom Canyon, where we first met him in September 2017. Later he ran kitchens at Beasts & Brews and Cheyenne Mountain Resort. He then left Colorado Springs to take a job in Denver.

“I got tired of commuting to Cherry Creek,” Siebenaller said. “I had a friend reach out about a job at Evergreen, and when I took a closer look, it sounded interesting to me.”

The plan is for Siebenaller to help expand the menu while still highlighting international flair. On our recent visit, we were pleased to see such changes already being implemented.

When we first visited Evergreen Restaurant in August, the eatery touted European-style cuisine. However, on that early visit we found a strong emphasis on brunch dishes.

For instance, the menu had French crepes, salads, flat breads and pasta dishes. Now four main courses have been added: teriyaki salmon with sweet potatoes ($25), blue cheese mussels ($24), beef stroganoff ($32) and a charcuterie board ($25).

The beef stroganoff is Siebenaller’s take on steak frites. It’s not the typical creamy beef dish served over potatoes. It’s a 6-ounce beef filet seared to a perfect mid-rare and topped with a stroganoff sauce and served with confit yukon potatoes, which are fried.

The salad with burrata ($16) was on the opening menu and is still there for good reason. You may initially guess the salad will be an Italian caprese dish of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. It’s not.

Instead of standard fresh mozzarella, this dish’s leading actor is a whole round of burrata, which is fresh mozzarella’s elegant, grown-up sister. For the uninitiated, burrata is fresh mozzarella wrapped around a mixture of rich cream and strings of fresh mozzarella, which oozes out when the cheese is cut. And it is luxurious and delicious.

The unique addition to the salad is the crispy fried chunks of velvety eggplant. There’s a small garnish of mixed greens with fresh cherry tomatoes, tossed with a soy-sesame dressing. It’s a prize-winning riff on caprese.

If you haven’t spotted the tiny upscale eatery, it’s housed in the former La’au’s Tacos spot, which is in the back of the Spenser Center at Colorado College on the first floor. You enter the eatery at the back of the building where there is designated parking and a large patio. The hours for lunch are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and dinner hours are 5:30–9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 5:30-8 p.m. Sundays. Details: 954-498-7563, tinyurl.com/mr2vexnp.

All aboard

Brakeman’s Burgers, 10 S. Sierra Madre St., has reopened in the Historic Depot downtown. It’s the brainchild of Aaron Ewton, a restaurant developer for Atlas Restaurant Group, which includes CO.A.T.I. food hall, PigLatin Cocina and Ola Juice Bar. For the record, Ewton manages the restaurant projects and the Ochs family still owns the historic Old Depot building.

The burger eatery has undergone a massive reconstruction inside. The entrance has been moved to the far north end of the building. There’s a pool table in the room as you enter. The once-open kitchen is now enclosed with a large bar facing the walled kitchen. Raised booths and a few tall tables line the wall of windows facing the train tracks.

According to Ewton, “The rest of the (Depot) space will be experiencing a similar change to provide a new experience to the community over the next three phases (of the build-out)”

The menu is simple: four smash’d burger options, four styles of fries, chicken tenders, two sandwiches (called sando’s), two salads, two desserts, beer, cocktails, shots and fountain drinks. For a bargain, try the Brakeman’s Lunch Box available 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. For $12.99 you get a Brakeman’s Classic Smash’d burger, side of fries and fountain drink. For an additional $4 you can upgrade with a house beer.

Brakeman’s Classic Smash’d burger ($11.99) is two wagyu beef patties, with American cheese, grilled onions, house-made pickles, and signature 1942 sauce on a brioche bun topped with a whole Cascabella pepper.

According to the menu, the 1942 sauces “Is a secret house-made burger sauce inspired by the last year the train stopped here.”

The hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Happy hours are daily 3-6 p.m. with $2 off draft beers and $5 mules (regularly $7). Details: 719-375-8769, facebook.com/brakemansburgers.

Throwback dinner

The Margarita at Pine Creek, 7350 Pine Creek Road, is having the “Fast Food” wine tasting dinner at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 21. For $80 you get a multi-course dinner paired with wine. Reservations at 719-598-8667. The fun-sounding menu includes:

• Loaded Tots with potato, blue crab, Newberg-style aioli and accompaniments.

• Street Taco, smoky tortilla soup with crisp pork, cilantro, smoked onion and cream.

• Filet O’ Fish, half seared salmon, beet tartar, dill-cucumber cream and anchovy breadcrumbs.

• Fried chicken — togarashi fried chicken katsu, pickled maitake mushroom and spicy soy-honey drizzle.

• Cheeseburger and onion rings, beef, special sauce and onions.

• Frosty & Fries dessert, horchata anglaise and potato churro.

Wine school

The Carter Payne, 320 S. Weber St., wine school series will feature wines of Beaujolais, 3-5 p.m. on Saturday. For $75 you get a guided tasting and education about the world of Beaujolais, along with curated charcuterie nibbles. Details: 719-306-5006, tinyurl.com/hrekhaun.

Holiday road trip

The Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Blvd., Aurora, will open The ICE! experience from Nov. 22 to Jan. 1. Ice artisans have turned more than 2 million pounds of ice into a winter wonderland.

This year’s exhibition will celebrate the 2004 film “The Polar Express” on its 20th anniversary. There is a train car made of ice representing the Polar Express, where you can enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. You can also take rides down the two-story-tall ice slides, traversing through ice tunnels and arches. There’s a display where you can watch artisans perform live carving demonstrations.

In the Mistletoe Village, there’s photos with Santa, storytelling, a Build-A-Bear Workshop, the Gingerbread Decorating Corner,and other retail outlets.

All this fun is not limited to hotel guests. For tickets to The Ice experience visit ChristmasatGaylordRockies.com.