Annette Chef Caroline Glover Opening Cocktail and Oyster Bar at Stanley Marketplace

Caroline Glover has racked up accolades since debuting her first restaurant, Annette, at Stanley Marketplace in 2017. She was named one of the ten best new chefs in the country by Food and Wine Magazine in 2019, and two years later, she became Aurora's first James Beard award winner.

Now she's ready to introduce a second venture not far from her first. In December, she'll open Traveling Mercies, a cocktail and oyster bar, in the third-level space inside Stanley Marketplace that was most recently home to Sky Bar, which shuttered in August.

"The space has sentimental value for us," she shares, noting that it's where she and her husband, Nelson Harvey, had a baby shower for their now-nine-month-old daughter, Franny. Glover and Harvey had been searching for the ideal spot to open a second concept, and were purposely looking for something small. "We're clearly not in the business of making money," she jokes.

"This popped up, and it just feels really good to us," Glover adds. "It's the perfect, tiny hideaway spot." And its proximity to Annette, which is just an elevator ride and a short walk away, is also a major bonus. "Annette isn't a restaurant that goes on autopilot, ever. It requires a lot of attention, so to have something so close by feels really good. Opening a second concept is daunting," she admits, but with this setup, the two ventures can complement each other.
The name Traveling Mercies "is a salutation my mom has always used when family is traveling," Glover explains. "It's a well-wish and hope that everything goes right. ... For us, it offers a place of respite to come grab some fortification and to help you with whatever you're feeling out in the world. Times are heavy, and to me, it's important to have an escape from everything."

Also providing inspiration for the new bar is Harvey's stepfather, who married the couple and created the logo. Glover's grandfather was an artist; his poppy drawing became part of Annette's branding, and "we had a fun time going through his work and finding things that felt relevant to the space" for Traveling Mercies, Glover notes.

The food menu will be concise, with oysters as a main focus. "I'm basically just putting food I love on there," Glover says. That includes a wedge salad, shrimp cocktail and, she hopes, a tuna melt that she's been working on for five months. "This is the food I want to eat on a daily basis with a martini in hand, or a glass of wine."

The beverage program is being designed by two longtime Annette employees. "This is an opportunity for them to grow and be creative," Glover notes. Matt Bazcor is heading up the rum- and aperitivo-heavy cocktail program. which includes a martini that's made with an element of sherry. "It's really beautiful," Glover says. Daniel Seibel is designing the wine program, which is focused on coastal, high-acidity, bright selections.

The bar will be walk-in only, and open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. If opening plans go well, Glover hopes to host a ticketed New Year's Eve party in the space, which was designed by local firm FAM. "Sky Bar was a little darker. We really brightened it up. There's a lot of terracotta, off-white and that starry-night blue. It has a minimalist feel, but it's still bright and cozy," she notes.

"I'm excited," Glover concludes. "Let us hand you a cocktail and an oyster, and hopefully it brings you some respite for a little bit."