Ti amo, Bistro del Lago…

Fresh and local. Homemade and playful. Intimate and sophisticated. This is as authentic Italian as you will find outside of the old country. Bistro del Lago is a labor of love coming from a local Evergreen family, the Iannaccones. As Violet Iannaccone accurately identified, “family business is at the heart of our beautiful little town.” And only a family of visionaries and entrepreneurs could have created a restaurant like Bistro del Lago. The division of labor between JR and his daughter, Violet, is the perfect balance, with JR managing the restaurant and libations, and Violet as head chef. 

As JR says of his daughter turned culinary superstar, “she’s a boss.” Yes, she’s THE boss. And she’s the boss you would dream of having. Just look into the kitchen: everyone is making homemade pasta, tossing pizzas and having more fun than a crew of skiers on a powder day. You can’t decide whether the party is in the kitchen or the dining room, and the food and service reflect that. 

You can sit at the bar and chat with the staff all evening, enjoying their playful, tongue in cheek, Godfather-inspired craft cocktails or enjoy the intimacy of your own black tablecloth and candlelit table. I’d be lying if I said we hadn’t enjoyed a 3 hour European-style dinner there one night and lost all concept of time. Most places would probably remind you to check your watch and get you out of there, but this restaurant has a way of making everyone feel at home. I doubt we are the only ones in Evergreen who claim Bistro del Lago as our own “special spot” where we feel seen and known (and the waiters know our order when they see us walking up from the parking lot.) If you enjoy wine, this is place where you can try more Italian wines than you would in a week of winery-hoping in Chianti. And these aren’t just arbitrarily picked wines to fill the Bistro del Lago cellar. The intentionality behind the wine selection is yet another example of the love that goes behind each decision at this restaurant (and, yes…JR is the accredited sommelier behind the mastery in case you were wondering…) 

The Iannaccone family has done an amazing job at creating something truly special in a town already full of special things. 

And did I mention the weekly live music? Nowhere else in Evergreen can you get such an up close and personal performance by the best musicians in the area. Musicians, staff, customers, lucky stragglers who randomly find their way to the only late-night restaurant in Evergreen…they keep coming back because they, too, can’t help but say “Bistro del Lago…ti amo.”