Description
Owner Johnny Ballen unleashed Squeaky Bean in Highland in May 2009 and it generated quite the following before shuttering two years later. The new location of the Bean, which opened in June 2012 in the historic Saddlery building on Wynkoop Street, is everything (and more) that Ballen envisioned, with the same convivial vibrancy, irreverent accents and guts and glory of the original. But this much larger space also features exposed wooden floors and ancient beams, as well as a horseshoe-shaped bar, crescent-shaped booths, floor-to-ceiling windows and an exhibition kitchen with counter seating. That expansive kitchen allows executive chef Max MacKissock to update his creative menu almost perpetually, swapping out items to accommodate small and large plates built around whatever’s coming out of the ground (a one-acre garden known as Squeaky Acres). These ingredients are put together in incredibly playful yet balanced ways, then plated in presentations that look as good as the dishes ultimately taste. With this move, Squeaky Bean has evolved into one of the city's best restaurants; we can't wait to see where it will go next.
