Even though Bramble & Hare, Boulder chef Eric Skokan's latest venture, has only been open since early July, it already feels like a best friend: It's comforting and approachable, it has a way of anticipating what you need at any moment, and it’s there when you need it.

Walk through the door (from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m.) and find grain sack-style pillows stuffed with wool from the Skokan’s own sheep and fluffy sheepskins cushioning the backs of each chair. Chalkboards tout the fresh-from-the farm prix-fixe specials, and smells wafting from the kitchen encourage you to order everything on the small plate menu. Service is warm and attentive, every dish lives up to Skokan’s exacting standards, and—the best part—it's all surprisingly affordable.

You’ll be hard pressed to find any dish more comforting than the coffee-cured beef brisket (pictured): tender, rich, and accented with roasted baby onion, silky beet purée, and freshly picked herbs. Pair it with a cocktail muddled with just-harvested cucumbers or beets from Skokan’s Black Cat Farm. Top it off with a delicate sour-cherry tart crowned with streusel.

Tip: ’Round midnight, tuck into Bramble & Hare's house-made charcuterie and a savory grilled cheese sandwich made with rich Les Frère’s cheese.

1970 13^th St., Boulder, 303-444-9110