What formerly housed Murphy’s Tavern in Silverthorne has now turned into Eclectic Bar and Grill. The new restaurant was launched by longtime Summit County locals David and Britt Gilbert, and it’s now open for business.

The Gilberts are no strangers to Summit County’s dining scene. David has lived in the community for 20 years and has worked in a couple of Keystone’s River Run Village restaurants, the last of which was Montezuma Roadhouse as its general manager.

Britt has lived in Summit County for 14 years and has also worked in River Run. To launch Eclectic, she left her post as the banquet manager, a role in which she oversaw three of the village’s venues.

The couple had been dreaming of their own restaurant for a while, and when a new one popped up in the county, they imagined what they’d do with it if it were theirs. When the chance to take over the location that formerly housed Murphy’s came about, they decided to seize their opportunity.

“We’ve been in the tourist part of Summit County for a long time, and there was something about being closer to locals, and Silverthorne is simultaneously blowing up, and they’re really working hard on creating more of a downtown area,” Britt said. “We really love the patio (of the restaurant). We were excited about being closer to locals on a more regular basis, and the old Murphy’s was a great opportunity for that.”

Eclectic Bar and Grill opened Dec. 15 after two months of renovations. Britt said she was going for a modern farmhouse feel for the interior that had an open and fresh vibe as soon as you walked in the door.

Though the inside of the restaurant does have a different atmosphere, Britt said she wanted to keep some elements of Murphy’s alive in the new space.

“Down the road, I liked a lot of what Murphy’s was doing with live music (by) utilizing that patio,” she said. “Then sticking with that bar and grill aspect, we’d like to stick with the nice, really awesome burgers, some smoked items, but also maybe transition some new food in here and there to keep it fresh and keep it new.”

Appetizers include items like avocado egg rolls, duck empanadas, steak tartare, pork nachos, oysters, wings and calamari.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner items, too. Lunch includes dishes like a trout po’boy, a Tennessee chicken sandwich and an eggplant gyro.

Served all day are soups, salads and burgers, such as the Summit mushroom burger; the barnyard burger; a strawberry vibes salad with mixed greens, candied walnuts and goat cheese; and chicken paprikash made with creamy, pulled chicken, dumplings and creme fraiche.

The dinner menu features dishes like a Rocky Mountain red trout, duck confit, veggie pad thai, adult mac and cheese, a bison rib-eye and a smoked chicken dinner.

The couple said that when building the menu, they wanted it to encompass dishes that would excite many different palates. Because Britt eats lots of vegetables, she wanted to make sure there were some healthy options, too.

“We thought about vegans also,” David said. “We have one dish that is completely a vegan dish, and that’s our veggie pad thai, which you can add shrimp or chicken to or smoked trout.”

Appetizers range from $8 to $18, soups and salads range from $8 to $15, and burgers range from $15 to $18. Lunch entrees range from $16 to $20 while dinner entrees start at $20 and go up to $48. The restaurant also serves wine and beer as well as specialty cocktails that hover between $10 and $15.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It’s located at 501 Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne. For more information, call at 970-36-6549 or visit EclecticBarAndGrill.com.