"So, service: check. Ambiance: check. Food: Double check. The cuisine Hottle is turning out is superb—an impressive feat, given that the menu ranges from onion rings to wild mushroom risotto with spinach and leeks, and prices go from $6.95 for certain starters and sides to $25.95 for top-tier entrees. Our kids (and the adults, in truth) loved the big, crispy, battered and fried onion rings, which come a la Buffalo wings with carrots, celery and blue-cheese dip. I’d never considered blue-cheese dip for onion rings before, but it’s a cool (literally) derivation. A more adult starter—and a delicious one—was spicy butter-flied grilled wild white shrimp with chipotle barbecue sauce, guacamole, pickle slices, fresh lime and homemade tortilla chips. I could’ve easily eaten an entree-size portion of the shrimp (hint, hint)....

Kudos to Chef Hottle for not annihilating his veggies. Many Snake Creek entrees come with veggies on the side, and Hottle knows how to treat them. A mélange of perfectly cooked grilled asparagus; red, green and yellow peppers; snap peas; and fresh mushrooms enhanced an entree of tender, center-cut pork tenderloin medallions, which also came with an irresistible side of green chile and cheese polenta—all in all, a lip-smacking dish...

And double kudos to Hottle for not serving the same cookie-cutter vegetable side dish with every entree. Fried blue corn tortilla-crusted sustainable red trout, for example, came topped with fresh avocado, tomato and cilantro sprigs and a side of julienned yellow squash, carrots and zucchini—not the same veggie side that accompanied the pork. Far too many cooks get lazy and serve the same veggie sides with each and every entree. Plus, I appreciate that Hottle allows diners to customize pasta and risotto dishes by making available add-ons such as grilled chicken, Italian sausage and grilled shrimp.