"An Aurora establishment that was entered in the Best New Bar category but did not advance to the James Beard finals." - Paolo Bicchieri
"In a third-floor refuge from the bustle of the Stanley Marketplace, this snazzy, jazzy little joint is a date-night no-brainer. Here, couples reconnect over sophisticated cocktails like the Drinking & Smoking with pisco, peat moss, almond, wintergreen, pineapple, and orange blossom alongside seafood-centric snacks by Annette’s Caroline Glover: Think smoked trout rillettes and mussels escabeche on toast as well as oysters on the half shell (obvi)." - Ruth Tobias
"In a tiny, 400-square-foot cocktail-and-oyster bar that runs on a toaster oven and hot plate, the lone dessert on a seven-item menu is a rice pudding that doubles as smart logistics: nostalgic for the chef-owner, make-ahead friendly, served cold, and quickly assembled with components like passionfruit jam and lime whipped cream." - Bettina Makalintal
"Technically, Traveling Mercies is a bar, not a restaurant, but given that it’s James Beard Award winner Caroline Glover’s bar, it earns a spot on this list. Tucked away in a snug space on the third level of Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, it’s a showcase for the skills of Glover’s beverage team, who supplement cocktails like The Fool’s Progress (rhum agricole, rye, banana, cardamom, and absinthe) with a charming wine selection and an equally winning, albeit small, selection of snacks — oysters chief among them." - Eater Staff